Worldpackers in Lebanon: my experience

I used Worldpackers in Lebanon during my stay in the country. This was the first place I held a program through the platform. And to my surprise, the experience was extremely positive in all aspects: good accommodation, flexible working hours, and great connection with the host.

I chose the destination for 3 reasons. The first of these was the region in which the country is located. I was going to Turkey, located in the north of the country. And I was at that time traveling through Egypt. In other words, Lebanon was in my way.

The second aspect was finding a tempting proposal to work in a Guest House through Worldpackers, with accommodation and meals included. And third, the flights to and from Beirut were cheap and fit my dates. I would have two weeks in the country before landing in Antalya, Turkey.

First impressions of Lebanon and tips:

I arrived in Beirut without knowing anything about the country, but willing to have incredible experiences there. When I landed, I bought an internet chip at the airport and called an UBER to go to the Guest House. Most of the time it’s not worth buying a SIM card at the airport, as it ends up being more expensive.

However, Lebanon doesn’t have a good public transport system. Also, I was depending on the internet from the airport to find my way around. Another thing I learned is that it’s not worth exchanging dollars for the local currency, the Lebanese pound. All stores and restaurants accept payment in dollars. The pounds I used only for transportation within the city.

Check here the apps you need to have on your phone while traveling.

From the UBER I was able to see that, compared to Egypt for example, the center of Lebanon seems to be much cleaner and richer. Beirut, in more glorious times, was once considered the Europe of the Middle East. I paid about 20 USD for the 40-minute ride to the Guest House.

About transportation in Lebanon:

Unfortunately, Lebanon has almost non-existent public transport. To get around, the most usual options are taxis, transport apps like Uber, or microvans. In addition, some drivers work as taxi drivers clandestinely. They drive by slowly, honking at anyone on the streets. They charge fixed prices per destination, around £2.

It’s quite common for people to share a clandestine taxi with any other passenger on the way. It’s almost like a microvan, with the exception that the driver takes you to your destination. The microvans, on the other hand, work as in Egypt. They pick up and drop off customers along the streets and major highways.

The trip costs around 3 pounds. Unlike Egypt, I felt safe using the vans to move around Lebanon. However, it’s required to know a little Arabic to inform the destination and understand the price. You can also use Google Translator. I recommend hiring transfers if you want to travel between cities in Lebanon with more comfort.

My experience with Worldpackers in Lebanon

When I applied to work at Damask Rose Lebanese Guest House, I had no idea that the guesthouse was located in the city of Zouk Mosbeh. As it is 30 minutes away from the center, I thought it was still inside Beirut.

However, the city is in an area that can be considered the metropolitan region of Beirut. Lebanon is a very small country, with 10,400 km². For this reason, everything is located very close. To give you an idea, it’s possible to cross from one end to the other in 6 hours.

I arrived and was greeted by the owner and two other girls. They were also working there through the Worldpackers platform. The French one was producing a commercial video for the hotel and the Mexican was decorating the walls.

I was taken to one of the rooms in the Guest House, where I would be staying for two weeks. This is the minimum length of stay through Worldpackers on-site. The room was great, standard for a 4-star hotel. It had two single beds and I shared it with the French girl who was traveling in the country for a month.

The bathroom was private and the hotel staff cleaned it every day. Although the accommodation is modern, the Guest House has been decorated with plenty of character. I would definitely stay there again, even if I paid for the room. You can make your reservation here on Booking.

My work routine with Worldpackers in LEBANON

The guest house was offering several vacancies on the Worldpackers website. I applied for a job as a web developer, but I did a little bit of everything there. The owner didn’t really monitor what we were doing, as long as we were helping with something on the hotel’s premises.

From Monday to Friday, our routine included waking up around 9 AM to have breakfast, which was provided by the Guest House. All meals were included in the program. Afterward, we continued our workday, sometimes painting the fountain in the courtyard, sometimes folding sheets… At noon we had a break for lunch.

At around 4 PM we ended our working day. The rest of the day was free. Most of the time we went out to explore Lebanon. The town of Zouk Mosbeh is quite small, so my French friend and I were going to the main highway to catch vans heading toward Beirut. The whole journey took about half an hour and cost around 2,5 USD.

Weekends: what to do in your free time

On weekends we had time to go on longer trips. As the cities are not very far from each other, we decided to do a day trip. This way was possible to save, as it wouldn’t be necessary to pay for daily stays at other hotels.

For around 5 dollars it’s possible to go by van from the Beirut Highway to Jbeil and Tripoli and visit the oldest citadels in the region. One of the unmissable tours to do in Lebanon. Also, I had the incredible experience of seeing snow on two occasions.

The first one was tracking in the Jabal Moussa reserve. The second was when Hisham, owner of the Guest House, took us to the ski resorts which are about half an hour from Zouk Mosbeh. He was extremely helpful and also took all of us to visit Beiteddine Palace.

In this post, you can check the main attractions to visit in Lebanon.

Did you like the experience? Have you already done programs through Worldpackers? Tell us about your experience here.

FAQ Worldpackers in Lebanon