Frequently Asked Questions

“For all answers to questions that might be itching your mind.”

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

General:

What is > Our.World.Experience < about?

Basically “Our.World.Experience” is about me and Melanie travelling around the globe trading our professional skills for life’s basic needs. No currency, no contracts, only us, our luggage and our eager to help, learn and share every experience throughout the whole journey.

Even if the idea itself is way beyond new, it should basically reintroduce the bartering system (giving and taking) into our daily lives on a global stage.

Based on the principles of “Help, Learn & Share” we are going to spend an entire year either helping with our capabilities, learning from each other or simply sharing our experiences along the way. Otherwise we will never know our full potential that inevitably takes us to the wildest places on earth.

In exchange for our services all we are asking from each of our companions is a roof to sleep under, food to keep the stomach happy and a lot of big smiles with a great experience on all sides.

“Shelter, food and experience traded for our skills and the work you need to get done – it’s that simple.”

What exactly do you mean if you speak about your > Help, Learn & Share < principles?

The principles of “Help, Learn & Share” were intentionally introduced by Melanie and me to give us the opportunity to not only help others around the journey, but also to learn everyday something new and afterwards share it with the community. It will accompany us throughout our entire trip to always keep in mind that helping others shouldn’t only take place during a time of need and that everything in life will teach you a lesson. Regardless of how much experiences we collect along this way, they are only worth as much as they are shared with someone.

To stay on the track it is important for us to choose interesting projects/ideas/collaborations/… always based on this “Help, Learn & Share” principles:

  • Is there something we can help with during a specific project/collaboration?
  • Will everyone learn something during the process?
  • Is there a good way to share it with others?

Wait a second! You will come and work with/for me and in return I only need to provide you with food and a place to sleep?

Yes, that’s the general deal. However, depending on the length and complexity of the project, you may also choose to contribute with something more. It’s up to you! We are neither expecting a five star hotel, nor a private charter plane and truffle oil, don’t worry – a spare room, a bus ride and your famous homemade sandwiches will do us just fine.

Around the world sounds pretty long-term! Can I get more information about your exact travel route?

Of course! Here is the full list with all important dates (might change a little bit throughout the journey) of any countries we are going to visit in 2017:

 01.  START (Salzburg/Austria)
 02.  UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (Dubai) | 01st February – 10th February |  Philipp only!
 03.  TANZANIA (Dar es Salaam) | 27th January – 10th February | Melanie only!
 04.  SOUTH AFRICA (Cape Town / … / Johannesburg) | 11th February – 10th March
 05.  INDIA (Mumbai / … / New Delhi) | 11th March – 05th April
 06.  NEPAL (Kathmandu) | 05th April – 26th April
 07.  CHINA (Hong Kong / … / Beijing) | 27th April – 07th June
 08.  PHILIPPINES (Manila) | 07th June – 22nd June
 09.  AUSTRALIA (Melbourne / … / Sydney) | 23nd June – 26th July
 10.  NEW ZEALAND (Christchurch / … / Auckland) | 26th July – 30th August
 11.  FIJI (Fiji) | 30th August – 8th September
 12.  USA – Hawaii (Honolulu / … / Maui) | 8th September – 29th September
 13.  USA – CALIFORNIA (San Francisco / … / San Diego) | 29th September – 27th October
 14.  USA – NEW YORK (New York) | 27th October – 22nd November
 15.  CANADA (Vancouver) | 22nd November – 15th December
 16.  ICELAND (Reykjavík) | 17th December – 22nd December
 17.  HOME COMING (Munich or Vienna)22nd December 2017

So if you are happy to be around at one of those lovely destinations within the specific dates, feel free to get in touch with us. Yey!

Are you only available in your specific work environments or are you also up for something new?

While we really love what we do, we are also open minded and eager for new things and ideas. As long as it is a great experience with a lot of smiles involved, everything is possible. So please don’t hesitate if you have an idea or project in mind but still aren’t sure if that’s something we might be interested in. Life is short and it’s all about what’s happening today, now!

 

I would really love to work with you but I don't live anywhere close to your travel route. Is there still a way to make things happen?

Of course! By planning our travel route in advance we only had to start somewhere. So in case it’s a project of a lifetime and you really want us to be on board, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. As soon as you dropped your first line we can always talk about how to make things happen. The cool thing about living in the 21st century is that you can easily just jump on a plane and be anywhere around the world within one or two days at a max. So if your project and the whole idea behind it suits our basic “Help, Learn & Share” rule, it’s always possible to make things happen.

Is it also possible to only work with one of you?

Sure! Even if we travel together it doesn’t necessarily mean that we need to spend every single experience and opportunity together. So even if some projects might be perfectly suited for both of us (a combination of my photo/video- and Melanie’s social worker skills), we will also “Help, Learn & Share” our experiences as individual. It would only be nice if we could share a sleeping place together.

Let me get this straight. So you basically travel around the world and work for free?

Only if you consider “no money” as free. For us every experience is at least as much as valuable as any hard earned money could ever be. If you ask us, good things in life doesn’t always have to smell like money.

What if I have some work for you but no place to sleep...can we still make things happen?

Of course! If you want to collaborate with us but you aren’t sure how you could help us with a place to sleep, don’t hesitate to still get in touch with us. Maybe we already have something to sleep or there are other possibilities you haven’t thought of. As soon as you dropped us your first lines we can always talk about how to make things happen.

Philipp:

What kind of photos/videos do you usually work on?

So far I’ve worked around the world with all kind of agencies, charity & humanitarian organisations, the tourism industry, fashion designers, models, sport venues, a variety of weddings and tiny start-ups. So as long as it’s creative and you’re a lovely person, anything is possible, really. To give you a better impression, you might also want to check out my business website: http://www.philippbenedikt.com/

I have a project/company/dream I need photos/videos of. How can I ensure you properly get my work done?

Thank you for this question! As soon as I got your briefing and we meet the first time in person, we will both sit down and work on the concepts together until we’re both happy. Call me old fashioned but even if the internet with it’s social media possibilities is a good invention and starting point towards all kind of new relations, I still prefer to meet people in person before I start a new project with them. So instead of trying to find the right (written) words, wouldn’t it be much nicer to just grab a coffee (or in my case a hot chocolate), meet at your office/place or at a local cafeteria and talk about your personal wishes, dreams or any other requests?

How long do collaborations usually last for?

It depends on the photos, videos and the complexity of the whole project. For each day of shooting I would recommend at least one day of getting to know each other, two days for preparation and another two days of editing. So in sum we are speaking about a minimum of five days here. Starting from there, we could also work for weeks together.

Good results usually come if both parties have the same understanding of all requirements, existing ideas and personal wishes. The more information you can provide me, the better the results are going to be. Starting from there, we will work our way through each relevant issue until everything is clearly written on paper. Step by step! So don’t hesitate and contact me for any concerns.

What equipment and software do you use?

At the moment I use two 5D Mk III as my current camera bodies with quite a big selection of lenses that help me translate what I see:

  • Canon EF 16-35mm 1:2,8L II
  • Canon EF 40mm 1:2,8 STM
  • Sigma Art 50mm F1,4
  • Canon EF 70-200 mm 1:2,8 L IS II

Next to that I got tons of additional and supporting equipment such as a photo- and video-tripod, flashlights, a handheld steadicam (Glidecam), a portable 4k drone (DJI Mavik), a motion slider (Edelkrone), audio gear (for sound/voice recording) and much more.

While mainly using Canon for years, I also got some decent experiences with other brands such as Sony (FS700 & there lovely A7 sII) and even Arri’s Alexa (had the chance to play with it during my two years master studies in MultiMediaArts).

Call me old fashioned, but in terms of post production I am still more the Windows rather than the Mac guy. Therefor I mainly use the Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects…) even if I was also taught/forced to work on a Mac during my studies.

How fast will I receive the photos/videos you shot for me?

Unfortunately there is no 100% answer to this question. As every project/experience is different, the amount of post production and the final delivery always depends on the size/volume/duration/complexity of the specific project. Therefor I will always calculate some extra (post production) days for each project after we shot it. So if everything works out, I should be able to deliver everything just before I head over to the next project.

I want some of my photographs/videographs to be exclusive and not used on the website. Is that a problem?

No issue at all! Just let me know in advance and my work is exclusively for you.

Will you earn any extra money with the work I asked you for?

Nope! Expect having some great experiences, earning any extra money is not my primary intention during the entire trip. If it should ever come to a situation where someone wants to pay or buy something from my work, I will always discuss things with my initial project partner first.

I got on my knee and proposed, he/she said ‘YES!’ and now we need a wedding photographer - do you also shoot weddings?

Yes of course. As you can see on my website ( http://www.philippbenedikt.com/portfolio/ ) I already have some major experiences if it comes to weddings. Therefor I would be more than happy to spend that important day with my camera on your side 🙂

Melanie:

What kind of work experience do you have?

During my education as a social worker I already had the chance to gain a variety of work experience. From working in a SOS-Children-Village, an internship at the state hospital of Klagenfurt in the department of psychiatry and psychotherapy and my recent work at the federal state government as employee for the basic social services for refugees – each of these experiences shaped me as a person and social worker.

If you are still interested in further information about me and my previous journey through life, please feel free to write me an email and I am more than happy to send you my resume.

In which work areas do you want to gain experiences during the journey?

As social worker who has already worked with elderly people, young children or mentally ill humans, I really want to use this opportunity to earn even more work experiences during my entire journey around the world. The more variation the better. I believe that the exchange of skills in a variety of different fields of work not only expands one’s own horizon, but also brings benefits for whole companies or NGOs.

What kind of help can we expect from you as a social worker?

From helping in your institution, the support or advising of clients, the co-organizing of events/projects or the simple exchange of each others skills – I am basically open for any tasks and willing to learn and improve myself across all areas related to the fields of social work.

I recently launched my own NGO and could always use some help. Is that also something you might be interested in?

Sure! It’s always interesting to help starting something new and support each other with innovative ideas or projects. If there is anything (!) I could help you with – don’t hesitate to reach out to me and talk about everything in detail.

International social work and especially in the global South is not always easy and can be challenging sometimes. Do you already have international work experience and feel up to these situations of the social field?

Yes, that’s something I am aware of. From language barriers to cultural differences – International social work is for sure not always easy and can definitely be a huge challenge for all participating sides. Still I believe that based on my previous international experiences in Sweden, Italy, Tanzania, … I not already gained a lot of knowledge that helps me to handle such circumstances but pushes me even further.

Read enough and want to get in touch with us?