The concept of a "WWOOFing holiday" is simple, very cheap and 100% above board: volunteers enjoy free food and accommodation at organic projects throughout the world in return for a number of hours' unpaid work per day. The meaning of the acronym has evolved alongside the movement itself. Founded in the UK in 1971, WWOOFing now involves more than 6,000 hosts in 88 countries. So "Weekend Workers on Organic Farms" has become "Willing Workers on Organic Farms" and in turn has changed to "World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms".

It's no lazy holiday, with volunteer duties ranging from restoring walls and buildings to mucking out animal pens and digging up stoney ground. But WWOOFERS stand to gain a lot, too – many hosts are inspirational for the alternative paths they have taken in life, and provide an insight into local cultures and crafts. "It's a great trade of culture, skill and generosity," says Pen Lynch, an Australian who WWOOFed in Ireland. And what does the host get out of it? "Company, help with their lifestyle and the feeling they are passing something on," according to Annie King, host at Milbeg Arts in Cork.

As with all volunteer placements, it pays to do your research before you set off. Try to establish a relationship with your host and ask about location, accommodation, food, working hours and access to communications and other facilities that are important to you. You'll also need to join the local national WWOOF organisation and pay a nominal fee to contact current hosts. The usual travel safety advice applies: try not to travel alone and check that your insurance covers your activities. Information on travelling by train or bus is given here, and you can try local WWOOF internet forums to arrange carpooling.

1. Monte da Cunca, Algarve, Portugal

Monte da Cunca WWOOFing farm, Algarve, Portugal Photograph: PR

If you want to combine your WWOOFing with a spot of Atlantic surfing or kayaking in a freshwater lagoon, head to Monte da Cunca in the south-western Algarve. "They call it WWOOFer paradise here," says owner Klaus Witzmann, an Austrian engineer who has hosted volunteers for the past six years. WWOOFers work in the organic kitchen garden, build biodegradable straw-bale houses, decorate tourist apartments and look after the goats, donkey and horse. Accommodation is in caravans, motorhomes, tents or yurts and there is no TV or internet. Bordeira beach is a 15 minute walk through sand dunes; surfboards and bikes are free to borrow.

• Apply via WWOOF Portugal. More information: montedacunca.com.

Getting there: Trains run from Lisbon, Faro or Seville to Lagos. Buses run to Vila do Bispo or Carrapateira.

2. Wine and olives in Tuscany, Italy

Work on this family-run farm near Riparbella is limited to a civilised four hours per day. The land was converted to organic in 1981 and has welcomed WWOOFers since 1997. You can expect to tend the vineyards and olive groves as well as clearing land and cutting grass. Meals are mainly vegetarian and partially organic and there is room for two volunteers. WWOOFer accommodation is in a separate house with a shower and toilet, and is described as "rustic". Minimum stay is one week and English speakers are preferred.

• Apply via WWOOF Italy.

Getting there: Riparbella is 42 miles from Florence but the nearest train station is Cecina on the west-coast line from Livorno or Pisa.

3. Goats and cheese in Cumbria, UK

Complement your new-found winemaking skills by learning about goat husbandry and cheesemaking on the Sprint Mill smallholding near Kendal. Host Edward Ackland has welcomed 100 WWOOFers since 2000, and activities centre around woodland maintenance, green woodwork techniques and a fruit and vegetable garden. You can also learn about basic blacksmithing and go river swimming in your time off – expect to work around five hours per day. First-time WWOOFers are welcome "It's a non-commercial holding," Ackland explains, "its about a quality lifestyle."

• Apply via WWOOF UK.

Getting there: Take the West Coast mainline to Preston then take the Windemere train to Kendal.

4. Beekeeping in Piedmont, Italy

If you want to uncover the secrets of beekeeping, the Apicoltura Leida Barbara produces organic honey, queen bees and pollen as well as cultivating a small vegetable garden. WWOOFers stay in a private room with a bathroom. Food is mainly organic and vegetarians can be catered for. From April to August, volunteers are based in the mountains but spend autumn and winter back at the farm. English is spoken and the minimum stay is a week.

• Apply via WWOOF Italy.

Getting there: Take the Eurostar to Paris and a sleeper or daytime TGV to Milan. Alessandria is under an hour away by connecting train.

5. Growing vegetables in the Arctic, Sweden

Aurora WWOOFing farm, Sweden Photograph: PR

The guesthouse at this remote retreat was once the village vicarage and usually welcomes paying guests for low-impact winter sports holidays. But owners Mikael and Maya have new ambitions to grow more of the retreat's food and are now opening its doors to WWOOFers from late May to late September. "We didn't ask for people to come but people asked to come here," says Mikael, who hopes to establish a vegetable and herb garden 100km north of the Arctic Circle. Spend your free time exploring the surrounding pristine forests, rivers and wetlands. The retreat has a strong sustainability ethos – which is just as well as there is no rubbish collection.

• Apply via WWOOF Sweden. More information: auroraretreat.se.

Getting there: Overnight trains run from Stockholm to Kiruna or Gällivare and from Helsinki to Kolari. The hosts can collect you at any of these stations.

6. Sedlescombe organic wines, East Sussex, UK

Britain's oldest organic vineyard now stretches across 23 acres in East Sussex, but began with just 2,000 plants in 1979. One of only four organic vineyards in the country, it has been developed by Roy Cooke and his family, who produce approximately 15,000 bottles of organic wine each year and have hosted WWOOFers for 25 years. Volunteers are generally independent, with use of internet, TV and sometimes a car. The minimum stay is a week and accommodation is in caravans with a communal meal with hosts Roy and Irma once a week. The busiest period is from Easter to November.

• Apply via WWOOF UK.

Getting there: The nearest train station to the vineyard is Battle, then it's a taxi ride. Or take the train to Hastings and then the 349 bus towards Hawkhurst (every two hours).

7. Beauchamp, Dordogne, France

Beauchamp, WWOOFing farm, Dordogne, France Photograph: PR

A 20-acre expanse of woods, gardens and orchard on the border of the Dordogne and the Gironde, Beauchamp was established 15 years ago as a not-for-profit community. Its aims are self-sufficiency, sustainability and the promotion of permaculture (agriculture and horticulture that mimic nature's interdependencies and lessen the need for human intervention). Telephone, electricity and internet available, but no TV. Volunteers help with gardening, harvesting, building work and preserving produce for winter.

• Apply via WWOOF France. More information: beauchamp24.com.

Getting there: The hosts can pick you up from the local train station, Castillon-la-Bataille.

8. Eco-Frontiers ranch, Carpathian Mountains, Poland

Eco-Frontiers WWOOFing ranch, Carpathian Mountains, Poland Photograph: PR

Within sniffing distance of the Ukraine border in south-eastern Poland, this sustainable ranch is entirely off-grid (powered with its own solar and wind power) and protects many rare species including several varieties of orchid. Built over two years of blood, sweat and skis on abandoned post-Communist agricultural land, the ranch is the brainchild of hosts Andrzej and Agnieszka. Around 10 WWOOFers a year help with gardening and work to do with the horses. In return, they get to stay in rooms usually reserved for paying guests. Minimum stay is one week.

• Apply via WWOOF Independents. More information: ecofrontiers.net.

Getting there: Take the train via Krakow to Ustrzyki Dolne where the hosts can pick you up. See their website for more travel options. (http://www.ecofrontiers.net/index.php?type=content&sname=Location

9. Carraig Dúlra organic farm & living skills bank, Co Wicklow, Ireland

Bushcraft at Carraig Dúlra WWOOFing farm, Co. Wicklow, Ireland Photograph: PR

Carraig Dúlra is more than a family-run smallholding: it hosts courses ranging from sustainable building to bushcraft and beekeeping. After a six-month stint of volunteering in France, Italy and Croatia – with four children under 10 in tow – hosts Suzie and Mike set out to establish a WWOOFer community back home and have welcomed volunteers for the past three years. Everybody camps (including the hosts) and WWOOFers help with permaculture gardening, building work, beekeeping, water systems, courses and events. There is no electricity. Stays of 10-14 days are preferred.

• Apply via WWOOF Ireland. More information: dulra.org.

Getting there: Ferry to Rosslare from Fishguard or ferry to Dublin from Holyhead or Liverpool, then onwards by bus. Hitchkiking and carpooling are also popular.

10. Nadomak Sunca, Istria, Croatia

Nadomak Sunca WWOOFing NGO, Istria, Croatia Photograph: PR

An unusual opportunity to WWOOF for a children's NGO. Nadomak Sunca was set up in 1993, during the war in the former Yugoslavia, to provide long-term foster families for children who had been orphaned or otherwise displaced. Their work continues with disadvantaged youngsters. WWOOFers work in the organic garden, which feeds the foster families, and help out with the children's therapeutic activities such as horseriding and gardening. Minimum stay is three months and there are some visa restrictions.

• Apply via WWOOF Independents.

More information: nadomaksunca.org.

Getting there: Take the train to Trieste in north-eastern Italy. Then take a bus to Buje, where the hosts will pick you up. The bus journey takes around an hour.

The Guardian Green Travel Guide

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