Feel at home on the range
Rusty is an all-American, 82-year-old cowboy with a trail-riding business in the desert near Lake Pleasant, Arizona. He and his wife need help shifting hay bales and doing maintenance in the stables. In return for a few hours' work per day, volunteers under the international Workaway scheme can horseride, swim in the lake and hike, with meals and camping included.
Other Workaway placements (there are dozens available around the world) include an "off-grid" creative retreat in the mountains of Almeria, Spain, where volunteers help with childcare, language practice, cooking, farming and art projects; and looking after tourists and farming at an eco-hostel in the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.
• workaway.info. To contact hosts, you must pay €18 for two years' membership.
Be a host in South America
Fancy living in a cute house in Costa Rica with a pool and a veranda in the mountains of Heredia? All this will be yours (temporarily) if you sign up to this house-sit. Responsibilities include cleaning and maintenance, paying bills and hosting guests from time to time (the owner is turning the house into a B&B). You can revel in the views, visit San Jose, and even have your own mates to stay (on approval).
• Available for variable periods, through mindmyhouse.com.
Escape to the South Pacific
If you thought Wwoofing (volunteering with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) was all about planting mung beans in Wales, think again. On Tonga, in the South Pacific, a fishing lodge with log cabins for guests, plus a bar and restaurant catering for passing boat trade needs help in the garden and kitchen. This placement is for those who want to seriously chill – it's two hours to the nearest town – but who needs clubs and bars when there's kayaking, diving and swimming from the white sand beach on the doorstep?
• wwoof.org. Host: TON001.
Run away to sea
A week on the Norfolk Broads may not be enough to quell your desire for life on the waves, and getting hired as a crew member is the next best thing to owning your own Caribbean-bound yacht. Sailing, engineering or cooking qualifications and experience will massively ease your voyage towards the most attractive jobs, on the poshest boats and the best routes. Monthly salaries on a top-notch luxury yacht can exceed $3,500 for a deckhand or $2,000-$5,000 for a hostess.
• luxyachts.com, or workonaboat.com has links to more websites offering a wide range of positions.
Up for grabs down under
No one wants to make a flying visit to Oz, so find free accommodation to stay longer. Current house-sits include a three-acre estate near Montville, inland from Queensland's Sunshine Coast – yours in exchange for a spot of dog-walking and feeding horses and guinea fowl.
• 25 June–29 July, aussiehousesitters.com.au.
