A working vacation
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What do you think, @dolmansaxlil ?
Lodging on Greece’s Bartering Island
Most travel is tethered to a credit card swipe, but not in Ikaria, where locals and tourists have been exchanging childcare, haircuts, and language lessons for decades
On a sun-drenched hillside on the western side of Ikaria, an island in the Aegean about seven hours east of Athens, I found myself hauling crates of olives up a winding stone path, my palms aching and slick. I’m not a local resident or a professional farmworker; I was just visiting the island. Maria, the farmer I was helping, wasn’t paying me in euros. When we finished stacking the crates and my work was done, she gave me a clay bowl of warm lentils, a hunk of sourdough, and a smile that said: “You’ve earned your place at the table.”
This is how things often work on Ikaria, where the leisurely micro-economy functions, in part, through bartering. In markets, villages, and even homes tucked into the folds of its mountains, people trade firewood for childcare, cheese for fish, a haircut for a dozen eggs. Visitors aren’t relegated to the sidelines. If you arrive in Ikaria with empty pockets, an open mind, and a willingness to help, you can leave with a backpack full of herbs, handmade soap, and more than a few new friends.
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/ikaria-greece-barter-island
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When I was younger I would have done this! Now I just want to relax when I travel. But in retirement I would love to live in this type of community. I’m assuming my sewing skills would serve me well!
