1)
Do you accept Volunteers with Children?
- We
offer Volunteer possibilities on a case-by-case basis depending on
the parent's skills in some of the work
projects we have at Hedonisia. We do try to be flexible with work
as we know that children have their own timetable and needs! However
for parents we generally require that the child stay under the 50/50
Guest/Volunteer Program. This applies to single parents and couples.
All parents are completely responsible for the care of their children
as well as any detrimental effects they may have on Guests, Volunteers
and on the property itself. Please be aware that we have a deep volcanic crater on the property- so it is absolutely essential
that a child does not enter or play in this crater unless accompanied
by an adult.
2) What is your Volunteer Pet Policy?
- Hedonisia
Hawaii is pet friendly. We allow pets to stay for a flat rate charge
of $30 for smal dogs or cats and $50 for large dogs or horses. All
pet owners are completely responsible for the care of their animals
as well as cleaning up any mess that they make. This is especially
important with regards to any detrimental effects they may have on
Guests, Volunteers and on the property itself. There is a $100 DAMAGE
DEPOSIT that is required for pets. This deposit is refundable if owner
and pet leave without any incident.
3)
Do you provide Food to Volunteers?
- Part
of a Volunteer's Registration Payment is considered a Farming Produce
Fee. This means that any food growing on the property is free for
Volunteers to use. There is also a Communal Food Area where foodstuffs
that are donated or left behind by previous guests are available for
Volunteers to use. Please do not rely on this, and be sure to have
enough funds to buy food. Holiday Guests and Volunteers are responsible
for their own food. There are Communal Food Areas and food in these
locations is available to Volunteers and guests. There are also food
lockers to store your food items. Hedonisia
is defined as, "A community of independent individuals (and couples)!".
Occasionally, as a group, we share our food and eat our meals together,
but those times are voluntarily random and spontaneous.
- As
part of your pick-up fee from the airport we always stop by the grocery
store so you can stock up! Otherwise there are a number of supermarkets
and health food stores in the area. Volunteers
are responsible for their own food.
4)
What is the Maximum Stay Allowed
for a Volunteer after the Trial Period?
- We
do not automatically guarantee a long stay; all Volunteers stay on
a week to week basis. However, if your work is acceptable you are
able to adapt to Hedonisia community living then you can stay longer than the three week Trial Period.
The cost is one day as a Guest for every week you wish to stay as
a Volunteer. So if you wish to stay for 6 weeks then you pay for 6
days. We typically have a limit on stay for 1 - 3 months, but our
main limitation is the Volunteer's character. If the Volunteer fulfills
his or her work above and beyond what is required, gets along fantasticly
with the other Volunteers and Guests, and has a wonderful personality-
then we can extend the stay. In other
words Volunteers who become Friends
of Hedonisia can stay longer!
- If
a prospective Volunteer wants a certain amount of security in fixing
the time of their stay then we allow you to pay for 50% of your planned
stay and you may perform volunteer work to pay for the remaining portion.
This allows you to bypass the Trial Period as well as the insecurity
of working on a week-to-week basis.
- In addition, if we cannot offer you a longer stay as a Volunteer then you can still stay on as a Paying Guest as long as there was no serious infringements
of the Fair-Trade Volunteer Termination
of Stay Terms in which case you will be asked to leave.
5)
How Secure are my Personal Possessions at Hedonisia?
- Because we are a small eco-hostel we have very few incidents of theft. The biggest problem is Guests or Volunteers leaving their possesions lying around in communal spaces such as the Barn. When someone is cleaning if they find a personal item then they will place it in the Lost & Found Zone which is also the Donation Zone! So please keep personal items in your living quarters. There is additional storage space in The
Barn rafters to store personal belongings. Keeping The Barn area free
of personal items allows space for additional activities; yoga, movies,
dancing, and music.
- As with most hostel communal fridges there is
sometimes issues of privacy and volunteer's "borrowing"
another person's food. For total Food Security we can provide a cooler
upon request for cold food storage. A 1 Liter bottle from the freezer
will keep food and drink in a cooler for about 2 days. A 1 Liter bottle
from the freezer will keep food and drink in a cooler for about 2
days.
6)
I am a professional whose work is valued at a high rate of pay. Can
the value of my profession be reflected in my Volunteer hours?
- Hedonisia Volunteer Trade is NOT a job for cash. While
we are quite aware that skilled jobs like electrician, carpenter,
masseuse or mechanic are paid at a much higher rate in the "real"
world, at Hedonisia we value all work equally as a Volunteer contribution.
We simply would not be able to survive otherwise.
- We
do appreciate the help of professionals; in fact a person with specialist
skills to offer can be accepted over other applicants if their skills
are needed. This is especially true if the hostel is full.
- If you
are a professional whose skills normally command a high salary then
please be aware that it will be valued equally as any other job at
Hedonisia. If that is not acceptable to you then please do not offer
your professional services unless you accept that it will be valued
equally at 2.5 hours per day as any other job at Hedonisia.
7)
What are the Hedonisia Visitor, Overnight Guest and/or Dating Guidelines?
- DAY VISITORS: Are the responsibility of the Guest or Volunteer who invited them. In other words, if you invite someone on the property you are responsible to ensure that they abide by ALL Visitor Regulations which are posted in The Barn. All Visitors need to be to told, by the Volunteer who invited them, that they must clean up after themselves. We hate cleaning up after a Visitor so if you are on the property it is a great idea to contrinbute in some way to Hedonisia either by cleaning, weeding etc.
- Do
not bring Visitors here with the expectation that they have a place
to stay as a Volunteer. They must first be interviewed before we will
accept them if space is available.
- DATING:
This is Hedonisia and people meet and mate here all the time! So unlike other hostels we allow Guests or Volunteers to invite a friend or lover to sleep in their
space. Overnight visitors are charged at the Volunteer Discount Rate
of $12 per night as long as they sleep in the same space as their
host. We would appreciate prior notice . . . if possible!
- No
Visitors after 9pm unless okayed by Management.
- ALL
Visitors must pay $5 for use of the internet regardless of whether
or not they were a previous Volunteer or Guest.
8)
How many people are living/working at Hedonisia Hawaii?
- Our
population varies by season. Hedonisia Hawaii is a small hostel with
only 10 bed spaces, giving everyone the room to enjoy our peaceful
jungle setting. Our usual (and ideal) population is between 6 and
16 people. Call in advance for information concerning large groups
of volunteers wanting to stay together. Large groups will be assesed
on a case by case basis.
9)
Is it possible to have a Second job/Earning Income?
- With their extra time, many volunteers have worked at second jobs.
We even allow volunteers to do small scale private business activities
on the property as long as permission is sought beforehand and the
hostel operations are not affected adversely. There are a number of
farmers and Individuals who occasionally hire Hedonisians to do landscaping, gardening, or light construction work. Sometimes
they give us a call to see if there are any Hedonisian Volunteers
available. Otherwise you can look on the notice boards of the Health
Food shops in the area for work opportunities.
10)
How safe is it for Hitchhiking on Hawaii Island. What is transportation like on the island?
- Hitchhiking is safe and easy on the island, but as with most places in the world
there are some criminal types on the island. Hedonisia Hawaii has
never suffered from theft yet and we would like to keep it that way.
If you have a ride to the property it is usually convenient for the
driver to drop you off at the end of the street. If they would like
to bring you directly to the property, have them drop you off at the
entrance, ESPECIALLY if the driver is a male.
- Paid Driving Services: We do offer paid
lifts to various locations on the island for those who don't have
cars. Just reserve with one of the Managers. For a list of our Driving
Services click here.
- Free Lifts: As well, there are often Volunteers and Guests with their own cars who may offer a free lift. However, please understand that anyone who gives you a lift is doing so because they feel like it. Be appreciative; you may ask but do not expect people to give you rides. And if they do it is often a courtesy to at least offer them something for gas expenses.
- Bus Service: There is also a skeletal bus service on the island. Click here for the Hele-on Bus Service Timetable.
11) Do you allow Volunteers Flexible Work Hours?
- Volunteer
Trade is usually done on a day-to-day basis. However, as long as permission
is sought beforehand, volunteers may work in advance and "bank"
their hours so they can enjoy free days without work. However, this
is at the Manager's discretion as some volunteer activities require
a daily commitment. If we are doing a special project then you may
have the opportunity to work extra hours on that day to have the next
day or days off. Once your shift is over you will not be asked to
for help again that day unless there is a special project to complete.
Volunteers are NOT allowed to owe hours.
- Normally
a volunteer shift is from 9:30am to 12:30pm. If you need to adjust
this time, ALWAYS see a manager before hand, not after the fact.
12)
How does Hedonisa track my Volunteer Work Contribution?
- We
operate on a Trust but Verify basis. All volunteers must login to
our online Volunteer Hours Spreadsheet where they log the time they
took to complete each job they did that day. This allows us to monitor
results and also ensures that every job that constitutes a Volunteer's
contribution to Hedonisia, no matter how small, is acknowledged and
accounted for.
- When a Volunteer properly records their work contribution on the Spreadsheet; it is a great
resume builder as there is an accurate record of all
the work they did at Hedonisia.
- If you have questions on how to use
the spreadsheet, please see a manager.
13) Basic
Volunteer Eco Reminders: We
are an eco-hostel and so we require all Volunteers to be aware of the Hedo Eco
Policies.
- Trash
goes in the trash, compost goes in the compost, recycling goes in
the recycling. If you have questions please see the management.
- Turn
off lights after you use them.
- The
coffee pot will be removed if we can not remember to turn it OFF.
- The
bathroom lights need to be turned off during quiet time –
please use your flashlights.
- Hot
showers cost money so please be sparing with the hot water.
14) "I am a man/woman over 40 years of age" or "I am a Single Mother". Is it still okay for me to be a Volunteer at Hedonisia?
At Hedonisia we accept people of all ages, sexual orientations, races, physical abilities and ages! Our aim is to encourage people from all walks of life to have an ecological working vacation where they learn new skills and ideas that they can possibly bring back and practice when they return home. However, with certain demographic groups we have particular questions in our interview process to ensure that we are a proper fit for you. Please click here to see some of our Demographic Interview Questions. |
