How to Become a Volunteer in The Faroe Islands This Spring, Canada Reviews

Sure, it’s a bit blustery and dark quite a lot of the time, but the landscape in the Faroe Islands has gotta be some of the most beautiful, drama-filled scenery on the planet. 

No wonder then that so many visitors flock to the archipelago, which sits in the northeast Atlantic around halfway between Iceland and Scotland. In 2022, 100,000 people visited, and that soared to 130,000 in 2023. Only 53,000 people are full-time residents (there are actually more sheep than people), which pales in comparison to the number of tourists. 

However, in 2019, a programme called Closed For Maintenance was launched to tackle the issue of overtourism on the island. Since then, 600 volunteers from 50 different countries have completed 54 projects across 10 of the 18 islands. 

On the days the programme is running, only the volunteers, or ‘voluntourists’, are allowed access to the archipelago’s most popular sites. In 2025, 80 people will be selected to take part from May 1 to 3 – 50 randomly chosen, and 30 based on relevant experience that will suit this year’s projects. 

‘We are proud of the program’s message, which aligns with the growing trend of responsible travel and giving people a chance to give something back when traveling,’ said Jóhan Pauli Helgason, development manager at Visit Faroe Islands, according to AFAR. ‘Purposeful journeys’ are set to be one of the biggest travel trends this year, after all. 

So, what do you get up to on this scheme? Well, projects from previous years have included making the path to the black sand beach in Tjørnuvík wheelchair accessible, building a bridge between Fuglafjørður to Kambsdalur and repairing an ancient footpath, as well as installing signage for a viewpoint overlooking the town of Vágur. We don’t yet know what’s on the schedule for 2025, but we can bet plenty of time in the fresh sea air will be involved. 

You don’t need any special skills to get involved, but to apply you’ll need to be 18 (before the programme start day), be able to walk on uneven terrain and comfortable with using tools like shovels, hammers and wheelbarrows. 

Volunteers will be staying in the communities they’re completing projects in, and all accommodation and food costs are covered by Visit Faroe Islands. Your return flights won’t be covered, but successful applications will be granted a unique promo code for their booking with Atlantic Airways. 

Intrigued? Keen to spend some time around puffins and coastal cliffs? You need to apply by January 16 (tomorrow!) at VisitFaroeIslands.com, and you should hear back via email by January 22. But be warned: the acceptance rate is a measly 2.5 percent, making this opportunity harder to snap up than a place at Harvard. 

Did you see that Japan’s ‘Spirited Away’ spa-town is set to curb overtourism by capping daily tourist numbers?

Plus: has officially crowned the world’s best city in 2025. 

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