Stay in the Faroe Islands for Free Through This Volunteer Program
For two days, a select few volunteers help the region recover from the impacts of overtourism.
Guiltless travel can be hard to come by these days, what with the inevitable impacts on climate change or overtourism or cultural exploitation, but the Faroe Islands are currently offering a handful of folks a unique chance to take a trip that’s not only guilt free, but free free (flights notwithstanding). Volunteer applications are now open for the Islands’ annual effort to recover from the region’s recent influx of tourists—all food and accommodations covered.
Over the past couple of years, travelers have flocked to the Faroe Islands to hike the massive seacliffs, catch glimpses of adorable puffins, and take part in its niche musical festival scene. Located between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic, the 18 isles have seen a large uptick in tourism recently, receiving 130,000 tourists in 2023, up from 100,000 in 2022. Some have even dubbed the region “the new Iceland.” And as flights to the remote islands have become more accessible, the Faroe Islands have done something unique in this age of rampant overtourism: closing its borders for two days every spring to recover from the impacts of tourists.
Only the islands’ residents and a special group of 80 international volunteers are allowed to visit the islands through their program called Closed for Maintenance, which was first integrated in 2019. During those two days, volunteers will restore stone walls, repair pathways and trails, craft bridges and benches, and more. Anyone over the age of 18 is allowed to apply to be a volunteer, and the program doesn’t require participants to have any specialized skills other than a basic level of physical fitness. The restoration project helps make parts of the islands safer and more accessible for both tourists and its residents.
“Beyond its clear preservation benefits, what truly drives this project forward is the incredible collaboration it fosters—a diverse mix of people from around the globe coming together, side by side, to work toward a common goal, bridging cultural and demographic differences," says Alda Magnusardóttir Egilstrøð, the project manager for the Closed for Maintenance program.
This type of travel has a name: voluntourism. A mix of volunteering and tourism, the idea is all about traveling to a new place with the intention of bettering it. It sounds like a best of both worlds scenario, but over the years, voluntourism has garnered criticism. Often, said trips are unregulated or organized by outside groups, not locals, and some feel the practice encourages a white savior complex, and disregards local cultures. With its homegrown Closed for Maintenance program, however, the Faroe Islands are setting a new aspirational standard for voluntourism.
Volunteers with the program will stay in the villages they’re helping restore, with all accommodations and food provided by Visit Faroe Islands. While all volunteers must pay for their own travel ticket, Visit Faroe Islands will supply everyone with discount codes through the national airline, Atlantic Airways. Those chosen will receive an email from Visit Faroe Islands on January 22 going into detail on transportation and what to pack for the trip, which will take place from May 1 to May 3 this year. I, for one, am applying.