Faroe Islands are a beautiful and popular string of islands that are home to a colony of puffins.
However, the islands are going to be closed for a portion of 2020 so that the ecosystem can be preserved from the droves of tourists that descend on the shores of the islands.
Faroe Islands are located between Iceland and Norway, but if you’re still itching to see the puffin colony that calls the islands home, you can still go to the islands.
You just have to volunteer your time to step foot on the islands.
14 tourist sites will be closed for a portion of 2020, but volunteers that help rejuvenate the island are able to stay on the island for free during the maintenance period, which is during the weekend of April 16 – 17 2020.
Guðrið Højgaard, Director at Visit Faroe Islands, said successful applicants will need to apply quickly as the 2019 program saw thousands reach out to offer their assistance.
“For us, tourism is not all about numbers,” Højgaard told CNN Travel earlier this year.
“We welcome visitors to the islands each year, but we also have a responsibility to our community and to our beautiful environment, and our aim is to preserve and protect the islands, ensuring sustainable and responsible growth.”
The first batch of volunteers included travellers from Mexico, Australia, China and the United States.
The Faroe Islands’ capital of Tórshavn has a population of about 13,000 and visits to the islands have increased by 10 per cent over the last few years.