Winter projects in the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) exist, because Volunteering Teams can take place at any time of the year. Individual Volunteering in the European Solidarity Corps lasts from 2 weeks to 12 months, excluding travel time. Your accommodation must remain available to you throughout the entire activity period, including holidays. You receive pocket money throughout the activity, including travel days and vacations. There is no travel support for going home and coming back during the project. Youth Works Hub gathers those rules below together with the stories of volunteers who spent Christmas on a project.
Last updated: November 2026.
Do you get time off over Christmas?
Public holidays in the host country are days off for volunteers; the organisation may still plan an event on those days, and this is agreed between the organisation and the volunteer. You are entitled to two consecutive free days per week, unless arranged differently in mutual agreement between you and the organisation and explicitly stated in the volunteering agreement, and two days of holiday per month. You and your host organisation have to agree on vacation periods and weekly rest days. ESC volunteers can combine the 2 days of leave per month; for example, a 10-month project gives 20 days of leave in total. Our guide on your activity agreement explains what to check, and our guide on travelling during your project covers days off.
Do you still get pocket money and accommodation over the holidays?
Yes, pocket money and accommodation both continue over the holidays:
🔹 Pocket money: you receive a small allowance (pocket money) for your personal expenses throughout the activity, including travel days and vacations. Pocket money cannot be cut on days off; under the rules it is paid for every day of the activity. Our guide on ESC pocket money explains the amounts.
🔹 Accommodation: your accommodation must remain available to you throughout the entire activity period, including holidays.
Can you go home for Christmas, and who pays?
Yes, and you pay yourself: there is no travel support for going home and coming back during the project. ESC volunteers spend their own money on personal travel. You and your host organisation have to agree on vacation periods. Volunteers who went home describe it this way:
🔹 Elisa, about 10 hours by FlixBus: Elisa went home for Christmas by FlixBus, leaving at nine at night, and after the first day at home felt ready to go back and keep going.
🔹 A volunteer in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania: the volunteer booked flight tickets and took vacation days to spend New Year's Eve at home with family.
🔹 A volunteer in Romania who flew to Sweden: right before Christmas the volunteer took a flight home to Sweden, and afterwards went to Sofia for New Year with other volunteers.
🔹 A volunteer from Germany in Romania: on 22 December the volunteer took the FlixBus to meet family in Vienna for Christmas.
🔹 A volunteer in Miercurea Ciuc who missed the city: the volunteer went home for Christmas and enjoyed meeting everyone again, but missed life in Miercurea Ciuc a lot.
🔹 A volunteer who flew to Germany: the volunteer flew home for Christmas to spend the last days of the year with loved ones, missed Romania and was even happier when returning in January.
🔹 The volunteers in Poland: the volunteers went to their own countries for Christmas, after a last party in Warsaw before going home.
Our guide on travelling during your project covers days off.
What is it like to stay for Christmas?
Staying for Christmas can mean missing home at times and celebrating with friends. Volunteers who stayed describe it this way:
🔹 A first Christmas away from home: a volunteer from Spain who travelled around Romania over Christmas says that the first Christmas away from home and family was difficult at times.
🔹 A decision not to go home: a volunteer in Romania decided not to go home for the holidays, realised when the time came how much the volunteer missed home and family, and had a good Christmas with friends.
🔹 Glad to have stayed: a volunteer in Romania is glad to have stayed for Christmas and thinks going home would have brought regret.
🔹 A family coming over: a volunteer in Romania stayed in the country, some colleagues went home, and the volunteer waited for family to arrive.
🔹 A quiet start to the year: a volunteer in Romania felt a bit lonely when a lot of people were back home or on vacation, and spent New Year's Day with children in foster care.
🔹 Christy in Lithuania: Christy spent Christmas in Lithuania during the project with her family, went to Christmas markets and saw the decorations, which she says were incredible. Christy says traditions such as Easter and Christmas are important to her and going away broke this a little.
Our guide on culture shock and homesickness explains how to handle missing home.
Which Christmas traditions do volunteers share?
Volunteers share Christmas traditions from their home countries, as volunteer Leo Becker found when he interviewed the volunteers of his project about Christmas traditions in their home countries. A video by the volunteers in Poland shows Christmas traditions around Europe:
🔹 Estonia: 24 December is a totally free day. In Estonia Christmas is the only time of the year people do not work, and calling or emailing someone in the middle of the holidays is forbidden and seen as strange.
🔹 Spain: Gifts come from the Three Magic Kings on 6 January. People eat 12 grapes in the last 12 seconds of the year, one by one, to start the new year.
🔹 Greece: Gifts are usually exchanged on 1 January. The traditional Greek decoration is the Christmas boat, because Greek men from many islands worked at sea and were away for Christmas, so women decorated boats to remember them. Vasilopita, a cake eaten on 1 January, hides a coin that brings a lucky year to whoever gets it.
🔹 France: The youngest brings the presents to everyone, placed discreetly at the foot of the Christmas tree. People in France eat a dessert called bûche de Noël (Yule log cake).
🔹 Germany: Children clean their shoes on 5 December and overnight Saint Nicholas puts chocolate and candies inside. German people love Christmas markets with friends and family, roasted almonds, potato pancakes and mulled wine.
🔹 Poland: The volunteers in Poland learned about the Polish tradition of eating twelve dishes on Christmas Eve, all of them vegetarian. A channel about volunteering abroad in Poland says Warsaw is a spectacular place for a festive atmosphere at Christmas. The volunteers walk around the city, explore the Christmas market and the ice skating rink, and have hot chocolate in the market square in the Old Town.
🔹 Italy: On New Year's Eve in Italy it is common to eat lentils for wealth.
Our guide on stories from ESC volunteers shares more experiences.
What do students abroad say about Christmas?
Some Erasmus students, who are not ESC volunteers, say they cannot go home for Christmas, probably the most common time to go home and celebrate with family and friends, or are experiencing Christmas for the very first time:
🔹 Three students from Brazil in Zagreb: the three Brazilian students could not spend Christmas at home because it is very far and the plane tickets are too expensive. The students decided to spend Christmas together in London, a place they had never been, and one said the friends would be their family that year.
🔹 A first Christmas in Zagreb: a student from Kazakhstan said Christmas is usually not celebrated there and that it was their dream to see and feel a real Christmas in Europe.
🔹 Anita, Anna and Max in Croatia: a video from Zagreb does not say whether Anita, Anna and Max are students or volunteers. Max said the main difference between Christmas in Croatia and in Ukraine is that Ukraine celebrates Christmas on 7 January. Anita said Zagreb is really special when it comes to lights.
🔹 Students in the Netherlands: international students in the Netherlands said they will bring back stroopwafels, a magnet, typical cheese and typical Dutch things for Christmas.
🔹 A student in Warsaw: an Erasmus student describes Christmas week in Warsaw, Poland, as a magical experience, with the city full of lights, culture and people from all over the world.
Our guide on Erasmus+ and regular study abroad compares the two.
How cold does winter get on a project?
ESC volunteer Christy's winter in Lithuania reached minus 30, and a vlog recorded at minus 7 says what to wear:
🔹 Minus 30 in Lithuania: Christy expected cold but not minus 30; if she took off her gloves for a few seconds her fingers froze to the point of hurting, so she wore gloves at all times. Because it was so cold she spent a lot of time inside. Christy did not live in the centre and did not have many friends or a community there, so she was mostly at home and felt somewhat enclosed.
🔹 What to wear for minus 7: a winter vlog from minus 7 degrees says to make sure to pack very warm jackets, a beanie, boots for the cold and a scarf.
Our guide on ESC packing essentials lists what to bring.
Frequently asked questions
Is pocket money paid during the holidays?
Yes: you receive pocket money throughout the activity, including travel days and vacations. Our guide on ESC pocket money explains the amounts.
Can I fly home for Christmas?
Yes, if you agree the vacation period with your host organisation, and there is no travel support for going home and coming back during the project. Our guide on travelling during your project covers days off.
Do I have to work on Christmas Day?
Public holidays in the host country are days off for volunteers; the organisation may still plan an event on those days, and this is agreed between the organisation and the volunteer. Our guide on your activity agreement explains what to check.
What if I feel homesick at Christmas?
Elisa, an ESC volunteer, felt nostalgic and homesick but not badly, went home for Christmas and after the first day at home felt ready to go back and keep going. Our guide on culture shock and homesickness explains how to handle missing home.
Can Volunteering Teams take place in winter?
Yes: Volunteering Teams can take place at any time of the year. Our guide on Volunteering Teams explains the format.
What should you do next?
Our guide on how to find projects shows where the offers are published, and the Youth Works Hub category below shows the current calls.
Related pages: ESC pocket money · travelling during your project · culture shock and homesickness · your activity agreement · summer volunteering in Europe
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
