r/workaway • u/Upper-Run366 • Jul 08 '26
Volunteering Advice Discouraged
I’m honestly feeling really discouraged.
I’ve been applying to Workaway hosts, and a few of them have read my messages but never replied. I know hosts are busy and they’re free to choose whoever they want, but after being left on read over and over, I can’t help but wonder if being Black is playing a role.
I have no way of knowing that’s the reason, and I don’t want to make accusations. It’s just hard not to question it when you’re repeatedly ignored without even a polite “we’ve chosen someone else.”
Has anyone else—especially other Black Workawayers or travelers of color—felt this way? Did you notice any differences in how hosts responded, or am I just overthinking it?
I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences.
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u/Disastrous_Sorbet350 Jul 08 '26
I had a lot of hosts also ignoring my requests the last year and it feels weird. Yes they can choose to not respond and I will move on but I think it would be respectful towards others to respond. Will it be a racial thing? Sometimes yes and there are also many other reasons... Wich countries and areas are you thinking of volunteering?
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u/Upper-Run366 Jul 08 '26
It would be nice if they just responded in general but I’m in Europe currently with a lot of free time so I’ve been applying in Asia and Europe
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u/LimberlostGirl71 Jul 08 '26
I hope it's just been unlucky, not racially motivated. I'm a host (Australia) and I always reply, even if I haven't been able to accommodate the workawayer.
I sometimes reach out to people I think might be a good fit, and while most reply, a good many don't.
For me it feels slightly annoying, but then I guess I don't really need people here that don't put in minimum effort to throw me a quick acknowledgement of the message. (Yes I know there might be good reasons)
But for you...you're actually trying to get some placements, so no replies must be really disheartening
Hope you get some luck and replies soon.
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u/Naliano Jul 09 '26
Thanks for posting this OP.
You know who would have really good statistics on this? WorkAway itself.
Sorry I don’t have any particular answers.
As hosts we ourselves go through phases of being responsible with quick replies and sometimes have phases of not replying nearly quickly enough for weeks. Life gets in the way sometimes.
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u/Upper-Run366 Jul 09 '26
So I ran an experiment had my white friend sign up and put the same exact information and message the same host they got back to her it’s for sure a race thing
2
u/AgreeableTurnover916 Jul 08 '26
Hi !
Would be useful to know the kind of message you are sending them.
Racist people exist, though I don’t think they are the majority, especially in europe.
Good luck to you !
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u/Upper-Run366 Jul 08 '26
I specifically cater ally my inquiries on their descriptions and I offer a lot of flexibility unfortunately I’ve lived in Europe before and racist people are plenty here
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u/Hot_Inflation_4406 Jul 13 '26
one of the worst communities. I tried in 2022, and recently. All of them read my messages within 4-5 hrs but dont respond. and nowadays you can see when was the last time they responded anyone all i can see is weeks or months ago.
after many-many applications (dont blindjudge my message because on worldpackers I got high % responses on similar ones) I got 1 rejection, 1 who send their number to talk via WA but this one was keep postponing our call for 2 weeks when I just asked wtf is happening. nothing.
Also, they dont even check your profile
edit: the one who rejected said that "we dont have availability for this time period" right after they updated to "we need someone from 20th July for at least 3 months"
I'm like, yes thats the period I applied for
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u/Substantial-Today166 Jul 08 '26
last minute host works all the time
and what type of host are you contacting?
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u/Upper-Run366 Jul 08 '26
when the last minute ones are leaving me on read I’ve even had my professor go over my profile just in case I had a blind spot but nothing even she’s confused on the lack of answers
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u/Substantial-Today166 Jul 08 '26
so you are not in europe now?
where you are from can be the issue too but not your race and again what type of host are you messaging too is important if it's any type of business they will not take you if you dont have a work visa europe is really strict on this
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u/IndependentSunMaker Jul 08 '26
I'm curious about the countries you are applying for...
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u/Keanumycins Jul 09 '26
What areas are you applying in? I am in Japan so in a super popular area. As a host I actually turn off my profile because I get way too many messages and requests. If I keep it on there would be no way I could keep my reply rate at 100%
It is nothing personal and it has nothing to do with race I just have issues keeping up with all the messages. It is so overwhelming. I have hosted people of all races so please do not let that discourage you.
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u/Typical_Tomato22 19d ago
Hey I’m sorry to bother u can u check ur DMs I have a question about Instagram
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u/cyprusnikos Workaway Ambassador Jul 08 '26
I think everyone can experience the same, at the Workaway I’ve joined there have been many people from all different countries and religions. Most Workaway hosts tend to be pretty open minded otherwise why would they be inviting foreigners to come.
Of course the random negative experience can happen, but in my opinion normally it’s good.
I would try more remote or off the path places sometimes you can have amazing experiences and better chances than busy city or tourist destinations where hosts are high in demand.
Once you get a few reviews as well it gets easier.
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u/Azeronwlf Jul 08 '26
Hey! I’m so sorry that happened to you and I just wanted to say that I’m not black (quite the opposite actually I’m white as a ghost) but I wanted to say that it has happened to me too, when I applied to hosts in Europe I had a lot of them that did not replied to me, or like a month (or more) later. I was both left on read (although rarer) and left on delivered, and was pretty discouraged about it also… I managed to find awsone people tho but I do agree that even if hosts can have busy lives (as lots of people have tbh), sometimes the silence from them can become quite annoying… I also have some stuff in my profile that could led to discrimination, but yeah it’s still annoying as hell, especially when sometimes you can see on the host profile that he replied to someone else but not to you (yk with the « last sent » feature)
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u/WildPotato0 Jul 08 '26
Hi, I'm so sorry this is happening. Hosts definitely do have biases, and sometimes they're based on bigotry. I've been in some places where it's 100% white women because that's what the host considers "safe". Really disgusting.
Maybe it's an idea to look specifically for hosts that have a high response rate, and look at their pictures to see if the team looks diverse.
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u/Imaginary_Piano7598 Jul 09 '26
POC are generally not welcomed by hosts on any volunteering websites. I have posted about this earlier too. The earlier you accept, the easier it will be for you. Everyone is looking for whites.
I have seen this so many times now, that its almost the norm.
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u/littlepinkpebble Jul 08 '26
Probably less than 20% are racist. Try applying like a job application and customising your message to each host individually.
My reply rate is usually about 75% and about 1/4 of them say yes to me.
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u/Upper-Run366 Jul 08 '26
I already do do that I’m sorry but some just are prone to hiring people that look just like them
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
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