Student travelers are always all on the look out for ways in which to keep costs down, with one of the easiest ways being accommodation. We've already written in depth about Couchsurfing and homestays, so now it's time to take a look at housesitting.
What is housesitting?
Housesitting is a way of finding free accommodation while traveling. Housesitters travel the world and look after homeowners' pets and houses while they're away in exchange for free accommodation. Housesits can be found all over the world and their duration can range from days to years.
What are the benefits?
The most obvious one is getting to save money and substantially reduce your travel costs.
However, there are many other advantages to housesitting. If you've left behind a pet to travel then you can find comfort in looking after a cat or dog for a while. If you've been traveling too fast and crave slowing down and having a base in a local neighbourhood then you'll be able to find plenty of housesitting opportunities. Or perhaps you're just looking for some home comforts that you simply can't find in a hostel -- a private kitchen, reliable Wi-Fi, a decent night's sleep, use of a car -- you can't deny it would be a lot more comfortable than a hostel dorm bed!
And the downsides?
It takes an awful lot of work to be a housesitter -- sadly, it's not as simple as just showing up, moving your stuff in and and then relaxing for the next few weeks. The homeowner is entrusting you with their property and you'll be expected to take very good care of it. Pets require attention, feeding and walking, and you'll be expected to keep in touch with the homeowners at regular intervals. On top of that, you'll be limited in the amount of travel you can do -- there's usually no overnight trips allowed because of the pets.
Looking after somebody else's home is a lot of responsibility -- and it's your issue to sort out if something goes wrong. The oven could break, or the dog could get sick, or the power could go out. It's up to you to figure it out.
Finding your first housesit is tough. Without previous experiences or references, you'll struggle to find a homeowner willing to entrust their home in your hands when they could do so with someone with a dozen glowing references. It can be disheartening to receive rejection after rejection.
Lastly, housesitting isn't great for those of you who travel with fixed plans. Trying to find a housesit that fits in with your plans, especially if you have fixed dates for where you want to be somewhere is near-impossible.
Where do I find a housesit?
There are several websites that offer housesits online, and we recommend signing up for 2 or 3 of these sites in order to maximize your chances of finding somewhere that fits. While you can browse all of the available housesits on the websites for free, it's always best to already have a profile on the sites. You'll be able to sign up for email notifications for any region of the world and will often be notified of upcoming housesits before they go live on the site.
Here are some of our favorite websites to check:
Trusted Housesitters ($79/year) is one of the biggest housesitting websites on the internet so you'll be able to find lots of housesitting opportunities from all over the world. Of course, the downside of this is the increased competition -- you'll often be competing against a dozen other people, and maybe even more than 100 if it's somewhere like Manhattan.
House Carers ($50/year)has much less competition than Trusted Housesitters, and has most of its housesits located in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Mind My House ($20/year) is a similar size to House Carers and has housesits in similar locations. Mind my House has the cheapest subscription fee so is definitely worth a look.
Now that you've signed up for a couple of sites it's time to make your profile as attractive as possible.
You'll want to fill in as much information as possible, so make sure you don't leave any sections blank. Include lots of photos and let the homeowners know how much you love looking after animals. Include any information that you will think will be relevant and help your case -- are you a homeowner? Do you have any previous housesitting experience? Do you love gardening? Do you have any pets of your own?
If you don't have previous housesitting experience then speak family members, friends or colleagues that can write references for you and vouch for your reliability.
Any other tips?
Sign up for email notifications on each of the websites so that as soon as a housesits goes live, you'll be one of the first people to be notified of new placements.
Remember to ask questions and make sure that the property has everything you personally require. If you need to be connected then make sure that the property has reliable wi-fi. Check public transport options and find out whether the property is easy to get to. Make sure you know exactly what your responsibilities will be -- how much care do their pets need? Do they need to be fussed over and walked multiple times a day? Same with the house maintenance -- do gardens need to be cared for, plants need to be watered? How about contact with the homeowners? How often would they like to speak to you?
Yes, it's fantastic that housesitting is a way to get free accommodation but don't let that be your only deciding factor. If you're going to be spending six months in a rainforest with no power, no connectivity and no way of getting around you won't be able to enjoy yourselves very much!
Overall, housesitting is one of our favorite ways to save money on accommodation. You get to experience home comforts in a new part of the world while slowing down and getting to take care of adorable animals.
