How To Perish A Identify Sitter Too Never Pay For Accommodation
Updated: 12/24/2018 | Dec 24th, 2018
A lot of readers were interested inwards learning to a greater extent than almost house-sitting (watching people’s houses patch they’re away inwards telephone commutation for complimentary accommodation). I’ve never done it, but Dalene too Pete from Hecktic Travels practice it all the time, too so I brought them inwards to speak to a greater extent than almost the subject. Enjoy!
As I write this, I’m sitting inwards a comfortable leather recliner inwards front end of iii large bay windows. In my persuasion are tall pines covered inwards salubrious light-green moss, every bit good every bit shimmering H2O from a nearby lake. An old, chubby greyness truthful cat — the Rex of this log cabin — warms my feet.
This is my dwelling solid for iii months, too my hubby too I are living hither for free. We pay no rent or utilities, too nosotros receive got a vehicle at our disposal.
We are house-sitting.
We go around the basis taking attention of pets too homes patch their owners are off on their ain travels. Not only does it maintain our costs extremely depression but it also gives us an intimate experience inwards a novel locale too consummate immersion inwards the neighborhood.
The bulk of our terminal iii years traveling receive got been spent house-sitting, saving us good over $30,000 inwards accommodation costs too affording us an incredible position of go experiences nosotros mightiness never had enjoyed otherwise.
But this means of go isn’t only for long-term nomads similar us; opportunities are available for all types of travelers. House-sitting jobs arrive at from weekends to years inwards length; our shortest house-sit was nine days too our longest was half dozen months.
Why Become a House Sitter
The benefits don’t halt at the savings on accommodations! The worldwide house-sitting community is total of like-minded travelers too adorable pets. We’ve made lifelong friends amongst 8 dogs, nine cats, 4 chickens, too 16 humans (homeowners). It is past times far our preferred method of traveling for many reasons:
We tin go at a boring pace. Spending only a few days inwards every metropolis on the prescribed tourist trail may seem similar a nifty means to encounter the world, but taking on a house-sitting labor volition give you lot an solely dissimilar experience too allow you lot to grab your breath patch on the road. Try truly unpacking for once, making your ain java inwards the morning time only the means you lot similar it, too cuddling upwardly amongst pets at the destination of the day. It’s similar beingness at home, patch away.
More savings! Not only volition you lot relieve large bucks past times slashing your accommodation expenses but you lot volition also cutting your nutrient budget past times cooking for yourself. Start your twenty-four hr menstruum amongst breakfast too tiffin at dwelling solid too bag those savings or splurge on a large dinner! (Just construct certain to schedule your outings around the pet’s schedule.)
Plus, if you’re considering a move, finding a house-sitting chance inwards your desired location volition aid you lot truly acquire a experience for what it mightiness survive similar to alive there.
How to Become a House Sitter
If you’ve never been house-sitting before, the best identify to start is amongst your ain connections. Query family, friends, too colleagues almost opportunities. Chances are skillful that mortal inwards your network volition survive away from dwelling solid soon. House-sit for them to acquire the ropes. With at to the lowest degree 1 skillful house-sitting reference nether your belt, you’ll receive got a amend shot at convincing a stranger across the basis that you’re worthy of their trust.
Homeowners are looking for responsible people to aid trim their ain costs (pet kennels are expensive!) too to maintain their solid prophylactic too inwards gild patch they are gone.
1. Sign Up amongst a House Sitting Website
There are several skillful house-sitting websites out at that spot to stand upwardly for amongst homeowners too discovery skillful house-sitting jobs (all receive got membership fees). Here are the best solid sitting websites on the net:
- Nomador.com (free or $89 USD annual fee) – Nomador has the highest disclose of house-sits inwards Europe too is growing worldwide. Its unique “trust profiles” aid lay a foundation of trust betwixt homeowners too house-sitters. In addition, it has an exciting “Stopovers” feature, which is similar to Couchsurfing.
- TrustedHousesitters.com ($130 USD annual fee) – This site is heavy on UK of Britain too Northern Republic of Ireland too European house-sits but is also gaining basis inwards Commonwealth of Australia too North America.
- MindMyHouse.com ($20 USD annual fee) – Low fee to join, a skillful disclose of house-sits (primarily inwards North America too Europe), too a good laid-out website.
- Housecarers.com ($50 USD annual fee) – Plenty of skillful house-sits, amongst a focus on Australia, New Zealand, too North America, but a pitiable website construction makes it hard to navigate.
When reviewing available house-sitting jobs on the inwards a higher identify websites, pick out jobs carefully according to your ain desires inwards terms of location, timing, too other needs. The fundamental to finding 1 is flexibility inwards your plans: rather than searching for a house-sit inwards N London for the firstly calendar week of August, widening your search to all of London too for a calendar week during whatever fourth dimension of the calendar month volition growth your chances greatly.
Once you’ve seen some house-sitting opportunities that are correct upwardly your alley, survive certain to receive got these basics inwards place:
2. Create a killer house-sitting profile – This is your human face upwardly to homeowners, too if it is good written too up-to-date, you lot may receive got homeowners contacting you lot direct rather than posting their house-sitting job. Things to include:
- Experience, every bit a house-sitter or every bit a previous homeowner (do you lot know your means around basic solid appliances?)
- Pets: Exude your love for all things furry, or scaly, or slimy, if applicable. The large bulk of house-sits include pet attention of some kind.
- Special skills: Do you lot speak unusual languages? Do you lot receive got a light-green thumb, or are you lot handy amongst tools? Be certain to outline those inwards your profile.
- Enthusiasm: Lots too lots of enthusiasm for this newfound “career” goes a long way.
3. Write an introductory message – When applying for a specific house-sitting job, each website lets you lot include a message that volition accompany your profile when it’s sent to the prospective homeowner. The fundamental to a skillful introduction is brevity patch highlighting of import data — too of course, lots of enthusiasm.
Pay unopen attending to the listing too draft your e-mail according to the job’s specific details. For example, if the homeowners receive got a dog, construct a comment on how cute he is too that Schnauzers are your favorite creatures on 4 legs. If they receive got a large yard that may demand your attention, cite your agility too forcefulness too highlight how you lot tin easily acquire the operate done!
4. Be speedy – When the six-week house-sit chance inwards Manhattan was posted, I applied inside the firstly few minutes of it going live. I had exchanged emails amongst the homeowner inside the firstly hr too shared a virtual handshake over Skype inside a day. Attractive house-sitting jobs choke real fast. Being 1 of the firstly to apply tin greatly growth your chances of getting it. Sign upwardly for e-mail alerts inwards your desired areas, or follow along on social media to survive 1 of the firstly to know what’s available.
5. Have references – The most of import matter that homeowners volition await at is your references. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 house-sitting scheme betwixt strangers requires a high score of trust, too having lineament people lined upwardly to vouch for you lot is important. If you lot receive got no previous house-sitting experience, consider quest the next for references: old landlords, old neighbors or bosses, or anyone who tin attest to your character, reliability, too trustworthiness.
One skillful reference leads to some other labor too some other skillful reference. And 1 time these start to stack up, potential homeowners volition survive highly inclined to operate amongst you, too subsequent house-sitting jobs volition survive much easier to get. While all of the house-sitting websites solid references online, you lot should also compile them yourself too receive got them ready to distribute.
6. Expect an interview – If the homeowner doesn’t inquire for one, I insist that you lot do. In the beginning, it’s slow to acquire overly excited almost the prospect of living somewhere exotic for virtually complimentary too forget almost the finer details of the job. So role Skype to receive got some (virtual) face-to-face fourth dimension too acquire a skillful experience for each other. Be certain to inquire a lot of questions; acquire out zip left unknown: Can you lot receive got guests? Can you lot acquire out the holding overnight to explore a nearby area? Is at that spot a vehicle available for your use? How is the Wi-Fi connection? You don’t wishing to survive blindsided amongst rules or surprises when you lot arrive. And trust your gut: nosotros receive got said no to house-sitting jobs earlier because the vibe wasn’t correct amongst the homeowners.
How to Be a Good House Sitter
There’s no query almost it: house-sitting needs to survive taken seriously. In telephone commutation for a complimentary identify to stay, you’re beingness asked to accept attention of someone’s worldly possessions too mayhap their honey fur (or feathered) babies.
We’ve chased dogs through soiled fields (and disposed of a half-eaten rat courtesy of same). We receive got spent an eve trolling through black alleys inwards Harlem, looking for an escaped fatty cat. We dealt amongst a dead chicken past times “sending it downwards the river” on the advice of a vecino inwards Ireland. We’ve cleaned upwardly after torrential pelting hammered our temporary Caribbean Area house. Most times you’ll survive able to boot dorsum too soak upwardly your skillful fortune, but at that spot volition survive moments when you lot volition receive got to operate for it.
The fundamental to getting a repeated disclose of house-sits is to practice an fantabulous labor each fourth dimension too stack upwardly virtuous references.
For starters, make certain you lot demo up! When a commitment is made, it is upwardly to you lot to maintain it. Homeowners construct of import go plans based on having mortal to attention for their solid too pets — they are counting on you!
On arrival, treat the solid amongst the utmost abide by from the start. Return it to the homeowners inwards every bit skillful — or amend — cast every bit when you lot arrived.
Stick to the homeowners’ guidelines: on correspondence, how to bargain amongst mail, instructions for pets, etc.
Be prepared to bargain amongst adverse situations (like chasing dogs through soiled fields too disposing of a dead chicken). Bad things tin (and in all likelihood will) choke incorrect at some point. Be certain to receive got emergency contact information on hand, too survive honest amongst the homeowners almost anything that comes up.
Also, an of import tip: if you lot receive got an international house-sitting opportunity, consider what you lot volition state customs officials at the border. Some may give you lot a hard time, considering the house-sit “work” that a local could do. Tell them you lot are visiting friends, too consider fifty-fifty preparing a even on how you lot previously met each other, only inwards instance they telephone telephone to check! (I know of people who receive got been turned away at the edge for this exact reason.)
We may receive got had our part of hard moments, but the incredible experiences we’ve gained past times house-sitting receive got far outweighed them.
In telephone commutation for chasing dogs too disposing of rats, nosotros discovered firsthand how the Turks are the most generous too hospitable people inwards the world.
While cleaning upwardly after a nasty tempest inwards Honduras, nosotros became unopen friends amongst a local lady too afterwards were named the godparents of her child.
In Ireland, nosotros freely explored the halls of the tenth-century manor nosotros were charged amongst too fifty-fifty took our ain twirl inwards the manor’s ballroom.
We’re e'er a niggling surprised that to a greater extent than people don’t know about, or accept wages of, the opportunities presented past times house-sitting. Becoming a house-sitter is non only almost the money-saving aspect, but the powerfulness to alive similar a local inwards a novel corner of the world. Whether you’re going away for nine days or nine months, this tin survive a nifty means to practice something dissimilar during your trip. House-sitting has choke our favorite means to go — too nosotros bet it could survive yours too.
Dalene Heck too her hubby Pete are behind the spider web log Hecktic Travels, which chronicles their journeying since selling all their belongings inwards 2009. They’ve late written an e-book on house-sitting (all proceeds choke to charity!) that contains fifty-fifty to a greater extent than juicy goodness, including examples of successful profiles too application letters, a three-page checklist of everything to await for inwards a novel house-sitting job, too discount codes for their favorite house-sitting websites.
If you’re looking for other ways to go ultra-cheap, banking concern check out these articles:
- The Ultimate Guide to Traveling amongst No Money
- How to Work too Travel the World for Free
- How to Use the Sharing Economy to Travel on a Budget
- How to Find Cheap Accommodation Around the World
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Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips too Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a inexpensive flying past times using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my 2 favorite search engines because they search websites too airlines around the globe too so you lot e'er know no rock is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
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Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
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