HelpX.net in Europe

Hey all!

I'm planning a trip to Europe next month, either Holland, Belgium, France, or Italy.

I'm a 23 year old male from Southern California, I want to use HelpX.net and try to find a farm to work on (which I would enjoy very much), but one that is also a short train ride away from a city so I can indulge in the night life a little on the weekends.

I'll have about 1,000-1,500 Euro when I land. Obviously my food and boarding will be free (in exchange for some hard work), so I figure I can use this money to party it up ever now and then, maybe take a train into a neighboring country for a weekend or something, explore a little, etc...

I plan to stay stay there for 3-6 months, maybe longer if I end up really enjoying the lifestyle.

This is the most realistic plan I've been able to come up with with my budget, it certainly seems possible?

Does anyone have any experience with kind of travel or any suggestions?

I hate to rain on your parade, but if you are American, you cannot stay in the Schengen area (which covers all four of your countries of choice) longer than 90 days out of 180. Furthermore, working for food & lodging is still working and not allowed on a tourist visa.

Assuming you have an American passport, this won't be as easy as you seem to be thinking:
- all countries you mention are part of the Schengen Area. US nationals are allowed to stay in this area without a visa for no longer than 90 days per 180-day period. This period cannot be extended, and visa runs to a non-Schengen country are not an option too.
- many countries require a work permit even for voluntary work. Unless you have skills or qualifications that are scarce in the European Union, you don't have much chance to get such a visa. Besides that, you'll be competing with thousands of people from (mainly) Eastern European countries like Poland or Latvia, who - being part of the EU - can work without a permit
- even if you wish to try and get a work permit, this is often a time-consuming process; I recommend you to contact the embassy or consulate of the country/countries you are considering first thing in the morning and see if you can get this sorted out

I think you need to sort out these legalities first before worrying about proximity to a train station (needless to say, the vast majority of farms aren't near any) or budget.

P.S. I was typing when bjd posted, hence the echo...