Farm work – fruit picking or harvest work

Many backpackers travel round Europe, Australia & New Zealand picking fruit and doing other unskilled agricultural labour. This is great, flexible work that gets you out in the fresh air, but it can be very physically demanding and tiring and you will need a high tolerance of working under strong sunshine. Wages are not great and competition from Eastern Europeans and North Africans keen for this type of work is high. But it is a great way to see the countryside and will certainly get you fit.

The easiest way to find work is to check the notice boards in hostels for job vacancies, or to ask hostel staff or at local shops & pubs. There are also a few websites that list this type of work around the world (see opposite).

Fruit picking & other seasonal jobs
Try pickingjobs.com to find fruit picking jobs and other seasonal work around the world - from grape-picking in France, strawberry picking in UK to picking up the harvest trail in Australia.

It is common that you will be paid for the weight of fruit you pick, or the number of buckets you fill, rather than by the hour. Wages paid by the hour tend to only be available for crops that are more sensitive to damage during picking, such as grapes. You may find that you don’t earn very much in the first few days until you sort out your technique. Ask for a few pointers from your employers or other workers and make sure you have been made aware of any health & safety dangers. It is a good idea to wear decent protection from the sun in the form of long sleeves, sun cream, sunglasses, a hat and sturdy boots. There may be snakes or spiders lurking in the grass or among the fruit – so watch out!

Some farms offer their workers accommodation on-site, which is likely to be very basic, or there may be a local backpacker hostel where you can stay.

Fruit picking in Australia

Due to the size of Australia, it can be possible to travel round it finding harvest work throughout most of the year. Most work is available in the summer, between December and May. Work is usually in small rural towns, so you will be sure to see the real Australia and meet the locals. Make sure you call ahead to make sure you will be able to get work so you don’t have a wasted journey.