The Origin Story of Worldpackers and Its Future Outlook
How Worldpackers Began
When Eric Faria arrived in California for the first time, back in 2010, he had never stayed at a hostel. The idea to stay at one came as a suggestion from a friend. That decision shaped not only Faria’s immediate path, but it eventually led to the creation of Worldpackers, a global platform where backpackers find volunteer opportunities in countries around the globe.
It was at university that Faria met his friend and future business partner, Riq Lima, and the two would later lay the foundations for what would become the largest global network for travelers to connect with hosts and hostels around the world, while volunteering together at the first ITH Hostel in San Diego.
For Faria, the inspiration behind building Worldpackers came from his vision to create something where people could learn new languages. He began by using Facebook groups to organize and connect people in the area, giving them a platform to find others who were looking to learn and practice new languages. Having spent several years in hostels in San Diego, first at USA Hostels as a volunteer, and then at ITH as a manager of multiple locations, Faria realized that the best way to learn a new language was by being in the hostel environment, where there are waves of other travelers coming through each day, many of whom are from different countries.
“Volunteering is the best way to learn a new language. It changed my life, it changed my skills, it changed me,” said Faria. After a few years in San Diego, Faria and Lima returned to Brazil. At that time, the World Cup was going on, as were the Olympics, creating a perfect storm for the two to capitalize on a booming travel and hospitality industry and the sudden surge in new hostels in Brazil.
It was, as Faria says, the right opportunity and the right time for him and Lima to launch their business. Their idea caught the attention of several media outlets and news stations, which ignited the exposure for Worldpackers and helped the business grow rapidly. With the new surge of hostels being opened in Brazil, and the high demand for hospitality in a country that was hosting people from all over the world, Worldpackers gained significant buzz and was able to expand into other Latin American countries before eventually reaching the United States and European countries.
The Growth of Worldpackers
Worldpackers currently works with hosts in more than 140 countries, and has helped curate more than 420,000 volunteer experiences for travelers. While the focus began with a platform for people to travel abroad and take part in an exchange of language, culture, and community, Worldpackers has grown to include farms, eco villages, hostels, non-profit schools, and holistic centers, amongst other types of hosts. Beyond helping backpackers find volunteer opportunities, the website services travelers by providing tens of thousands of reviews from previous volunteers, as well as a chat system with fellow travelers and a support team that is available every day of the week.
Growing and scaling a business to such a wide reach as Worldpackers has come with its challenges, triumphs, and lessons. Faria, in reflecting on some of the things he has learned along the way, stressed the importance of building a strong team, first and foremost.
“You need to find the right people to do the job, and then sell them the dream,” says Faria. “And you need to pay people well. Sometimes you need to pay people more than you pay yourself.”
Touching on the value of finding the right talent to take on certain roles, Faria emphasized that Worldpackers has thrived because it was also able to add multiple partners throughout the years, and similarly, has rotated through different advisors since its inception. The benefit of having outside advisors, says Faria, is one of the many lessons he learned as an entrepreneur.
“It’s important to find the right advisors, people who are experienced in that field. Don’t listen to your friends, hire the best people,” said Faria.
Keeping Up With Technology
Since launching Worldpackers back in 2013, Faria and Lima have seen the world, and the way people travel it, change. Whether that has been a result of global politics, pandemics, economic swings, or the advancements of technology, many aspects of global travel have changed, including the expectations of travelers and the travel experience itself.
“It’s always changing. Trends change, and trends influence people, just like cultural tensions do. So you need to understand these cultural trends in order to adapt,” said Faria. “But just because it’s happening, doesn’t mean it will happen forever.”
Looking ahead, Faria acknowledged the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and its impact on how people search the internet and book their travel. Since August of 2025, when the expansion of AI grew, Faria said that Worldpackers and hostels all around the world have experienced a significant dip in traffic, due to the way that Google has reconfigured its SEO algorithms and implemented AI as a search tool. But, as with trends, Faria sees technological advancements as a way to improve how Worldpackers and its partners host travelers, even if it means adapting as quickly as the changes occur.
“Everyone is trying to adjust. So for 2026, we want technology to improve our tools for hosts. We want to have the best tools on the market, and we want to implement that into our community,” said Faria. “We believe that travel changes people, and we believe that people can change the world.”
