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Work exchanges are a rewarding and cost-effective way to travel abroad for long stretches of time.

Heres what it was like to work on a vineyard in France.

Scenic view of a French town surrounded by a vineyard

Credit:Sophie Dodd/Travel + Leisure

Tu veuxmore,ma cherie?

Here, we polished off half a dozen bottles pulled straight from the cellar during our lunch break.

Wine harvest is at turns indulgent, exhausting, romantic, and humbling.

Bottles of wine in a vineyard in France; a group of people eating and drinking in a French vineyard

Sophie Dodd/Travel + Leisure

You sweat, tell secrets, sing Serge Gainsbourg to pass the time.

You take turns cooking for each other in the evenings, making pasta andpissaladiereas you practice your French.

Work, drink, sleep, repeat.

A woman standing and crushing grapes with her feet; exterior view of a winery in France

Sophie Dodd/Travel + Leisure

I reached out to the winemaker via their U.S. importer but have previously used sites like Workaway and WWOOF.

I took on extra work in advance and sublet my apartment to mitigate my expenses.

As a freelance wine and travel writer, my income varies from month to month.

A horse drawn carriage carrying people through a French vineyard

Sophie Dodd/Travel + Leisure

Luckily, I was able to find a friend of a friend to sublet.

I booked my flight with a low-cost carrier.

Iflew economywith just a carry-on to avoid additional baggage fees.

View of a French vineyard from inside a winery

Sophie Dodd/Travel + Leisure

I bought basic travel insurance.

Food and housing were covered.

(To put this in perspective, thats essentially half the cost of my monthly Brooklyn rent.)

People drinking wine along a river in France during sunset; Sunset in a charming French village

Sophie Dodd/Travel + Leisure

For all the physical strain of harvest, its the most relaxed my mind has been in years.

Surely, Ill be reminded soon enough I head out to do it all again in a few weeks.