How to Stay Free Anywhere in the World

With the sharp drop in long-haul ticket prices, travel is easier and cheaper than ever before. However, the second largest expense when moving to a new location is, of course, housing. Airbnb may have revolutionized the way we travel by offering home-based accommodations for a fraction of the cost of a hotel room, but those costs are still increasing.

Fortunately for the low-income among us, it is perfectly possible to travel around the world for free, and I don’t mean just crashing on a friend’s couch or pitching a tent behind McDonald’s. In recent years, a number of homecare services have emerged, connecting travelers looking for a comfortable bed (or stunning ocean views) with homeowners looking for a guardian for their pets and plants.

Travel the world

This system has worked well for people like Gabrielle Yetter, who has spent nearly four years in households around the world with her husband. The two lived in Cambodia, but after leaving, they decided they wanted to continue their journey. They signed up with the TrustedHousesitters website, which they thought “might be a good way to just listen to the jolts to see what options are available for home seating,” Yetter said.

It turns out the possibilities were endless. They made their first foray into a household in England, where the Yetter family lives, and from there they simply decided to continue. They traveled all over the place, from New Zealand to Italy to Nicaragua, an experience that was no worse than it sounds, Yetter said. “The whole idea was to go somewhere. We had nothing to bind or hold us back, ”she said. “Basically, we just thought it would be a great way to see the world.”

Things to consider before leaving

While sitting at home can be pretty ideal, keep in mind that it can also be quite competitive – after all, there are many other people looking to stay at this impressive Moorish cliff mansion on the Irish coast. To maximize your options, you’ll want to explore options for not only sitting at home, but pets as well, as this is where most ads are.

Yetter suggests making a very thorough profile that really tells you how well you’re going to look after someone’s valuable crocuses, or more importantly, their beloved cats and dogs. Are you a pet owner yourself? Have you volunteered or worked with animals? Feel free to sing the praises of your profile.

“It’s really about a person who wants you to take care of a pet. It’s not that they want you to take care of the house, ”Yetter said. She added that it’s also a good idea to use profile pictures of you with animals, which “you think it’s taken for granted, but not everyone does.”

Yetter also recommends that you jump straight to the ad you want. “The place we were in Cyprus? They said that 67 people had applied for it, ”she said. She tends to have a ready-made response form that she can quickly customize when the list she wants pops up. And in this answer: “You are not just saying hello, I want to come and sit with you, because I liked the look of your animal,” she explained. You want to point out why you, in particular, could be the optimal caregiver, preferably by pointing out specific examples, citing your successes – perhaps you had a house (and it didn’t burn down!), Had a pet (and lived a long time). long and happy life!), or already have experience caring for houses and animals while they are away.

Jennifer Ambrose, a yoga teacher and writer who has stayed at home nearly a dozen times, agreed that individual responses to lists are important. “I have heard some homeowners say that when they post an ad, they receive letters that they think are in the form of a copy and paste letter,” she said. This method is not only ineffective but also inappropriate for caregivers, as careful reading of the landlord’s message is the best way to make sure there are no surprises on arrival at the property.

Neither Yetter nor Ambrose reported any negative experiences other than the sad incident in Tucson when a rattlesnake was bitten by a dog that caused Ambrose to sit. (Don’t worry, she took the dog to the vet and it worked out!) But both stressed that it was important to be comfortable with the homeowner before showing up. Make sure they have preliminary reviews and that their profile is carefully crafted, including detailed photos. Often times, a homeowner requests a Skype session to better understand who exactly will be living in their home. But if they don’t, the sitters can ask for it themselves.

“Asking as many questions as possible during a phone call or e-mail with someone is really important because there aren’t many surprises then,” Yetter said.

Now that you know what to expect when you tackle your first homework assignment, it’s time to take a look at some of the most popular services.

Reliable

TrustedHousesitters is the largest name in the household, which means it has the most opportunities for potential caregivers and pets to date. Although the highest concentration of homes is found in the UK, USA and Australia, there are also listings in places like Cape Town, South Africa, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. The site has up to 300 new listings every month, and a notification service alerting sitters of new assignments makes it easy to jump into a good catch as soon as it becomes available.

TrustedHousesitters charges homeowners and sitters an annual $ 119 fee, which makes it cooler than other sites with a pretty big difference. But it also provides most of the possibilities, which means that once you start building a reputation on the site, you will have a competitive edge when it comes to travel anywhere in the world.

MindMyHouse

MindMyHouse is perhaps the second most popular home option. While it only features a subset of the ads that TrustedHousesitters boasts, at $ 20 a year for caregivers, it’s a lot cheaper as well. The low fees combined with the site’s good reputation make MindMyHouse a great option for people who just want to jump into their home life without having to make big financial commitments in advance.

Nomad

Nomador is heavily oriented towards Europe, especially in France, where he started. But since its launch in 2014, the service has definitely gone global. The Nomador costs $ 89 a year for both caregivers and homeowners, although it does offer a “discovery option” that allows you to try out the platform before making a purchase.

The company’s ethics emphasize building connections and building community, so in that spirit, Nomador also has a cool stopover feature that allows homeowners to offer overnight stays for one or two nights if they travel elsewhere. Consider couchsurfing, but … no!

Home care

The Australian company HouseCarers has been doing housekeeping since 2000, making it the longest running service on the market. During this time, he has amassed a significant number of available sites, mainly in Australia, New Zealand and North America. It costs $ 50 a year, but with about 300 new homes added a month, HouseCarers offers great affordability and affordable options.

Expat Facebook Groups

While Facebook and not a service of home care, it is home to a number of emigrant groups in Facebook in nearly every city, where there are immigrants . In addition to social gatherings, tips, and items for sale, members of these Facebook groups regularly post about sit-at-home opportunities. (Some popular destinations for expats actually have pages dedicated solely to household chores.) It’s worth looking if you’re interested in staying at home in a specific location but don’t want to pay a commission or otherwise go through the service. …