SWAP Offers Sustainable Working Holidays

Libby Law, Director of SWAP Working Holidays, helps travellers to discover their opportunities to not just visit other countries, but to live in and experience them as locals.

Libby is a part of our Toronto Travel Massive community and is an active member in the sustainable community. So what did we decide to do? Libby deserves to be praised for all her hard work as a purposeful traveller, so we asked her a few questions as to how we can help her initiative.

What is your initiative about? Who does it help?

SWAP is a not-for-profit organization that promotes cultural exchange opportunities for Canadians and international youth. There are so many options for Canadians to work abroad in terms of visas, so we help promote our programs to encourage as many Canadian youth as possible to become global citizens. We’re a Recognized Organization of the Canadian government’s International Experience Canada (IEC) department, so we work closely with them to administer and promote cultural exchange, both by sending Canadians abroad to work, teach, intern, and volunteer, and welcoming youth on our Work in Canada program.

What inspired you to create this initiative? 

For even the most independent traveller, moving and acclimatizing to a new country can be very overwhelming. Not only is there a lot of red tape to sort out, but it can be hard to leave a comfortable life back home and journey into the unknown. SWAP is there to add that level of support to make the transition seamless and stress-free. 

What do you hope your initiative will accomplish in the next 2-5 years?

We have just recently expanded and introduced four new programs, including volunteering programs in India and South Africa, and language courses in Costa Rica and Japan. It’s our goal to continue expanding and offer many different styles of travel at the most affordable prices.

What has been your biggest success or accomplishment? 

Every year we check in with our Swappers to see what they were up to during their time working abroad. It’s heartwarming to see the experiences they’ve had; falling in love, landing their dream job, crossing items off their travel bucket list, some even got married and started a more permanent life abroad! We’ve had participants who were afraid of heights when they left, and two months later send us a video of themselves skydiving. They come home with more confidence in themselves than when they left.

Why do you attend Travel Massive events? 

We love being a part of Travel Massive! It’s such a great network to find others who are just as passionate about travel as we are. It’s been so great making local connections in the Toronto Chapter to benefit our SWAP Canada participants who are just getting to know and explore the city. It is awesome to learn of so many other travel initiatives that make getting to know our world easier and put like-minded travellers all in one positive space together.

Travel Start-Up is a monthly series that profiles unique online travel start-ups in the Travel Massive community around the world. Connect with Libby and SWAP on Travel Massive, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.