WWOOFer Info Booklet

Contents

Welcome to Vaikuntha! The essentials in brief

Contact: bene@vaikuntha.eu · Everything else is in this booklet – take your time with it.

Settling in at Vaikuntha ✔

This list is yours. Tick off what's done – at the end of your first week we'll go through it together.

Getting to know the people

Introductions

Rules & rhythm

Arriving & tradition

What we offer – what we expect

WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is a non-commercial learning and cultural exchange: you help out about 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, and in return you get accommodation, meals and real learning experiences. Not a job, not a hotel – an exchange between equals.

What we offer

• A home in paradise: your caravan surrounded by green, in the Nied Valley
• Good food: fresh, shared, much of it from our own garden
• Learning: ecological gardening, self-sufficiency, crafts, life in community
• Community: respectful, German-French, spanning the generations

What you give in return

• Committed help within your abilities – as a guideline about 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, one day off by arrangement. Nobody asks of you what you can't do. But what you can do – give it gladly, with your whole heart.
• Reliability with the fixed tasks (chapter 4) – the community needs to be able to count on them
• Dependable communication and active participation in community life
• Care for your accommodation, the tools and the place

That's the spirit we work in here – together with a principle that holds in our house: "If I do something, I do it properly – or I don't do it at all." Better one task done with care than three left half-finished.

Daily & weekly – this is what we count on

Daily

Weekly

Always

• Save water – mandatory in dry spells (chapter 10)
• When in doubt, ask – about everything: appliances, harvesting, electricity, guests, tools
• Pay for your own alcohol – tally sheet in the kitchen, settle up with Andrea
• When you leave: strip the beds, sweep out the caravan, sort the rubbish (chapter 19)

How a week at Vaikuntha ticks

Note: the exact daily routine changes with the season and current projects – you do the weekly planning with Jan on Mondays. Your day off (once a week) is arranged individually.

Who's who – and who do you ask about what?

Vaikuntha is made of people. You'll meet these four in your first week (it's on your checklist too):

You'll also meet: association members (especially on Thursdays and on community weekends), co-working guests during the week, neighbours from Guerstling and the surrounding area – and other WWOOFers, if there are several of you.

Grounds, houses & accommodation

Vaikuntha lies in the Nied Valley near Guerstling, right on the German-French border. The river, old trees, meadows, a vegetable garden – our little paradise, and for the length of your stay, yours too.

Main house "Gunther"

• Community house for eating, meeting and workshops – this is where shared life happens
• In bad weather and in winter: shoes off (bring slippers!)
• When leaving in the evening: lights and appliances off, windows closed, surfaces wiped, dishes washed and put away, floor swept, rubbish sorted, doors locked

Your home: the WWOOFer caravan

• You're responsible for keeping it tidy and clean
• Only plug in heaters after checking with us (solar power! chapter 11)
• Air it regularly, no smoking, no open flames
• When you leave: strip the beds, sweep out, sort the rubbish

Shower wagon "Isolde"

• Your bathroom facilities: shower, sink, toilet (details in chapter 12)

Sleeping barrel ("Schlaffass")

• Overnight spot for members and registered guests – not the WWOOFer accommodation, but good to know about when guests are here

Garden, the Nied & meadows

• In the garden, keep to the designated paths – the beds are delicate
• Harvest only after checking with us (tempting as it is!)
• Swimming spot on the Nied: at your own risk, never alone, only sober and alert (chapter 13)
• Close gates and pasture fences behind you

Your kitchen, your responsibility

After every use

• Wash pots, pans and dishes right away, dry them, put them away
• Wipe the worktops, don't leave food out uncovered
• Switch the stove and oven off completely, close the gas appliances
• Sweep the floor if needed, sort the rubbish

Rules

• Use gas appliances only after an introduction (it's on your checklist)
• Mention allergies before shared meals – and ask around yourself when you cook for others
• Dishwasher/washing machine only with the go-ahead and when there's enough solar power (chapter 11)
• Supplies: help yourself to whatever belongs to the community kitchen – when in doubt, ask. Agree special ingredients for cooking day in advance
• Alcoholic drinks are paid for – add yourself to the tally sheet in the kitchen and settle up with Andrea

Thursday: WWOOFer cooking day 🍲

• You plan and cook the shared meal for the community (Thursday is open community day, 3–11 pm)
• Plan early: recipe, ingredients, quantities – agree shopping with Jan in good time
• As always, we eat together at the big table (summer around 9 pm, winter around 8 pm)
• Seasonal produce from the garden comes first – whatever's ripe goes in the pot (check before harvesting!)
• It doesn't have to be a gourmet menu. Honest, good food cooked with love – that's exactly right

Watering is priority no. 1

Watering the right way

• Early in the morning (before the sun is high) and in the evening (when it's low)
• Never in the midday heat – the water evaporates and droplets act like magnifying glasses
• Water at the roots, not over the leaves (especially with tomatoes!)
• Better less often but deeply than shallowly every day – details in the beds introduction
• Water sparingly: a targeted watering can rather than a generous hose, mulch keeps the moisture in

In the garden

• Keep to the designated paths
• Harvest only after checking with us – we plan around what's ripening
• No chemical pesticides – we garden ecologically. There are no exceptions without explicit approval
• Clean tools after use and put them back in their place
• Young trees and fresh plantings need special attention – including your welcome tree 🌳
• Feed animals only after an introduction

The garden is the heart of the association's purpose: feeding the community from its own land. What you do here literally ends up on everyone's plate – including yours.

Well, drinking water & saving it

Our water comes from our own well and is filtered. Drinking water is additionally treated by our water machine and tested regularly. But that also means: water here is not unlimited – it's a resource we manage ourselves.

In practice that means

• Keep showers short – wet, water off, soap up, rinse
• Always turn taps off completely, report dripping taps right away
• Take drinking water only from the designated taps
• Use washing-up water cleverly (a filled basin instead of a running tap)
• When watering: targeted, at the roots, mulched – no sprinkling at midday
• No waste water and no chemicals emptied onto the grounds or into the Nied
• No harsh cleaning products down the drains (our sewage treatment is biological)

Living with the sun

Part of our power supply runs on a solar system with battery storage. It works wonderfully – as long as everyone thinks along. At night, in winter and in bad weather, electricity is not unlimited.

Rules

• Lights off when leaving a room, unplug chargers when done charging
• Only after checking with us: fan heaters, kettles, hotplates, hair dryers – anything that draws a lot
• Don't plug in additional appliances on your own (not in the caravan either!)
• Washing machine/dishwasher only with the go-ahead – ideally at midday in full sun
• Never open fuse boxes, inverters or batteries

Shower wagon "Isolde"

"Isolde" is our mobile sanitary unit and your bathroom during your stay.

Rules in the shower wagon

• Take your shoes off or wear clean shower shoes
• Leave the rooms clean and dry (moisture = mould)
• Remove hair from the shower and sink – every time
• Only suitable toilet paper in the toilet, nothing else
• No harsh cleaning products down the drain
• No smoking
• Use water sparingly – keep showers short (chapter 10)

So everyone stays healthy

Machines & tools

• Use vehicles and machines only when clear-headed and rested – and only after an introduction
• Report damage immediately – honesty over perfection
• Work and construction areas may be exempt from the barefoot principle and are marked – sturdy footwear applies there

Swimming spot on the Nied

• Swimming at your own risk – there is no lifeguard
• Never swim alone, only when clear-headed and alert
• Children only with a parent or guardian
• No music, no cars, no camping by the Nied

The grounds

• Natural grounds = natural hazards: uneven paths, branches, tools, animals, water – move with care
• Use a headlamp at night
• Report visible hazards, don't just steer around them

Respect – for people, animals and the place

All the rules at Vaikuntha share the same core: mutual respect.

• We treat nature, plants, animals and people with equal regard
• Respectful, non-discriminatory behaviour – always, with everyone
• Personal boundaries and a "no" are respected at all times
• Violence, threats and abusive behaviour are not tolerated
• We raise conflicts early and calmly – no bottling up, no talking behind backs
• We leave places at least as tidy as we found them
• Report damage and mishaps right away – it happens to everyone, and it's never a problem if you say so

Guests & visitors

• Vaikuntha is not a public facility – please arrange visits with Benedikt in advance
• Unannounced overnight stays, unauthorised camping and private parties are not permitted
• Photos/filming for social media & co. only by arrangement – and ask the people you photograph, too

What Vaikuntha stands for (from the statutes)

Vaikuntha Naturnahes Lernen e. V. is a registered non-profit association. That's more than a formality: everything earned and built here serves the purposes set out in the statutes and nothing else – nobody profits personally. Should the association ever be dissolved, its assets go to NABU Saarland for nature conservation.

The association's purpose – and what it means for you

Our guiding principle: "Living and learning with nature and from nature – in the rhythm of the seasons." Community over individualism, cycles over throwing away.

Welcome tree & barefoot grounds

🌳 Your welcome tree

At Vaikuntha, everyone keeps a tradition on their first visit: planting a tree or another woody plant suited to the site – the welcome tree ("Begrüßungsbaum"). The planting is an expression of connection with this place and its natural development. Your tree keeps growing here long after you've moved on – and when you come back, you visit it.

• Agree the spot, species and timing with Benedikt (the season and our care concept have a say too)
• If the season makes planting impossible, it's done later – or you take on care sponsorship of a young tree in the meantime

🦶 Barefoot grounds

A principle we take seriously: "Vaikuntha must be walkable barefoot." The whole grounds should be safe to use without shoes all year round. For everyone, that means:

• No sharp-edged materials, no broken glass, no nails or screws left lying on shared areas
• After building work: comb the area, tidy up, sweep
• Work and construction areas are temporarily exempt and marked – sturdy footwear applies there
• And of course: try it! Barefoot across the meadow in the morning – that's why you're here 😊

When things are happening here

Outside these times Vaikuntha is a closed community – guests only by invitation or registration via anmeldung@vaikuntha.eu.

What this means for you as a WWOOFer

• Thursdays get lively – and you're cooking (WWOOFer cooking day meets community day: no coincidence!)
• On community weekends everyone pitches in together – a lovely chance to get to know the members
• If strangers show up on the grounds unannounced: approach them kindly and refer them to Benedikt
• Please announce your own visitors in advance (chapter 14)

When you have time off

On the grounds

• Swimming in the Nied (rules in chapter 13), hammock, making music, reading, simply being
• Sitting together in the evening – currently without a campfire (fire ban), but with a sky full of stars

Trips nearby

• Niedaltdorf dripstone cave – just around the corner
• Saar Loop near Mettlach – Cloef viewpoint and treetop walk
• Maginot Line, Fort Schoenenbourg – history you can touch

Hiking & cycling

• Grenzlandweg trail through the German-French cultural landscape
• Druidenpfad – circular walk starting in Niedaltdorf
• Cycle paths along the Nied and the Saar

Eating out & shopping

• Restaurants in the area: Ali Baba, Restaurant Niedmühle, Wackenmühle, Leickshof, Hessmühle, Taj Mahal
• Shopping: Bouzonville (FR) or Siersburg/Rehlingen (DE)

The formalities – and saying goodbye

Insurance (your responsibility)

• As a WWOOFer you are yourself responsible for health, accident and personal liability insurance
• Health insurance with coverage abroad for France (the EU EHIC card is usually enough for EU citizens)
• Please show us your documents in the first week (it's on the checklist)

Liability

• Staying on natural grounds comes with typical hazards (uneven paths, tools, machines, animals, water, branches)
• Act with care, follow the introductions, avoid visible hazards
• Serious or repeated breaches of the house rules can lead to being banned from the grounds – thankfully, we've never had to do that

Your departure – checklist

And after that? Stay in touch! Many WWOOFers come back – some become members. Individual membership €15/month, families €25/month, reduced rate by arrangement.

Space for your thoughts

Recipes from cooking day, skills you've picked up, vocabulary (DE/FR), ideas for Vaikuntha …

Vaikuntha Naturnahes Lernen e. V. · Rue de la Nied, Lieudit Auf Evernese M178, F-57320 Guerstling · bene@vaikuntha.eu · anmeldung@vaikuntha.eu · This booklet complements the house rules (vaikuntha.eu/hausordnung, Version 1.2) – where they differ, the house rules apply. · Info Booklet Version 1.1 · August 2026