• Love for cats!
• Willingness to get stuck in and mucky with the grubby jobs
• A positive attitude
• Proactive, motivated and flexible people – tasks are not necessarily allocated to you, you have to ask and offer
• Willingness to organise your own trips and adventures for your free time
• Ability to speak and understand English, learning a bit of basic Spanish is much appreciated by the sanctuary staff!
• Any animal care experience is valued but not necessary!

• The longer that you participate, the more of a contribution that you will make.
• We would recommend staying for at least 2 weeks, you’ll never get bored of exploring Barcelona and bonding with the animals!

There are many volunteer opportunities in Barcelona, but as the city has an overwhelming amount of cats that are abandoned or born as strays everyday, this is a really important project. The sanctuaries are dedicated to helping make life as easy for them as possible, and strive hard to find them happy loving homes. The city residents are such animal lovers that many get re-homed, they just need volunteers like you to give them love and care until they do. This volunteers program in Barcelona gives you the opportunity to combine cuddles and play with city exploration!

Oyster assesses projects carefully to ensure that they offer high standards of animal welfare and environmental practice. We also check that volunteers understand key points of good practice before working with animals. To find out more, see our animal welfare policy.

Whilst late-availability is possible, we would advise booking as soon as you can to guarantee your ideal dates. Our projects are very popular and spaces can fill up several months in advance, especially for the months of June to September.

• When living in Barcelona, you would experience hot summers and mild winters
• Winters in Barcelona are mild. December, January and February are the coldest months, with average temperatures around 16 °C (61 °F) during the day and 10 °C (50 °F) at night
• Generally the summer season lasts about six months, from May to October. July and August are the warmest months, with average temperatures around 28–29 °C (82–84 °F) during the day and 22–23 °C (72–73 °F) at night
• Average annual temperature of the ocean is about 18 °C (64 °F).  In the warmest month – August, the average sea temperature is 25 °C (77 °F)

• You know your spending habits best!  However we would recommend budgeting approximately £50 – £100 a week for free time activities and dinners
• For anything a little more adventurous, or if you are planning to travel a little further, we suggest increasing your budget
• Although all meals are included at the hostel,  there are many great restaurants that you will find hard to resist!

• There are cash machines located all over Barcelona
• You should take at least two cards with you, and let your bank know that you will be going away
• We recommend a international fee free card such as Revolut or Monzo

Typically you won’t need a visa for stays up to 3 months. You should make sure your passport is valid for the duration of your stay.

Most of our volunteers are independent travellers and you will become part of a group of people from around the world here. It is fine to travel with friends or as part of a small group too however- more the merrier!

The simple answer to this question is, yes absolutely! Volunteering in Barcelona for half a day is a great to combine with the usual site-seeing. You’ll have accommodation and three meals per day included too

It is important to bear in mind however that this may not be like other holidays that you have taken. Remember that you are volunteering, and this means that you will be put to work! This sort of holiday is a world away from sun loungers and cocktails, with our volunteers often heading home tired but immensely satisfied. If you think that you will need a bit of relaxing time on your trip too, do make sure to factor this in when your time on the project is complete.

You should visit your doctor or travel nurse to find out what vaccinations you will need. Your routine vaccinations will need to be up to date. You should follow your doctor’s advice.

For any information related to Covid-19, please see the Fit for Travel website or the UK government’s travel advice page for Spain.

Doctors, pharmacies and hospitals are located within 30 minutes of the accommodation.

Volunteering in Spain means you’ll be living in a developed, cosmopolitan country. There are similar crime levels in Barcelona to any city in the world, however Barcelona is known for it’s elevated levels of pick pocketing in highly touristic areas. You should keep an eye on your belongings when you are out and about and always keep your valuables very close.

The hostel rooms have individual lockers on the dorm rooms where you can keep your valuables. There is also a safe at reception.

Volunteers travel in groups or with the volunteer co-ordinators on their first day. We encourage you to travel together on the metro, especially after dark.

There is free wifi provided throughout the hostel.

If you haven’t got it already, we would suggest that you download the App Whatsapp prior to arrival so that you can be added into the volunteer group once you are in Barcelona.

There is good phone reception in Barcelona.

Barcelona is GMT+2.

You will need a European adaptor.

Generally, you will be free in the afternoons from 14:30 onwards. You will also have weekends free.

• Take a sightseeing bus of Barcelona visiting special landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia church, Gaudi’s Park Guell or the Gothic cathedral
• Experience the Mountjuic Cable car and the city from up high!
• Enjoy great food, bars and night clubs
• Go surfing, visit the aquarium or take a boat trip
• Play volleyball or laze on the beach
• Go diving
• Take a day trip such as the Montserrat Monastery tour or visit the Camp Nou football stadium

Supervision will be fairly intensive during the first few days, when you will receive a thorough induction and work-related training. Once you are comfortable with things, you might not always have a supervisor working alongside you, but there will always be staff and other volunteers around to help, and you will always be accompanied for any high risk activities.

Staff at Oyster’s head office and in-country will be responsible for your safety and welfare while you are at the project. This will start from the moment you are picked up from the airport until the end of your project. Before and after these times, you will be outside Oyster’s responsibility and should make sure that you act safely and avoid risk. This is also true if you choose to leave the project during your time off. We will give you plenty of guidance and advice about this.