We have a lot to thank the sharing economy for. Uber, Airbnb and Turo are just a few of the more popularly known companies. But have you ever heard of house sitting? No, I don’t just mean for a family or friend while they are away. I mean house sitting around the globe for weekends or months at a time.
Traveling for free has never been easier thanks to this branch of the share economy. It has been around for decades but more recently has been gaining traction due to the obvious appeal of not having to spend money for lodging.
There are incredible benefits to house sitting and the next time you are looking to take a vacation but don’t have specific dates or destinations in mind, I would strongly encourage you to check out the sites listed below. Even if you aren’t as flexible with a time or place, you may still be able to find an option that suits you.
Continue reading if you are interested in traveling to destinations all around the world with completely free accommodations.
Have you tried house sitting? If so, let us know about your experience in the comments below!
What Is House Sitting?
House sitting is when someone needs help taking care of things around the house while they are away. Whether it is taking care of pets, gardening, collecting mail, etc. It could be anything. In trade for your services, you are given a free stay at their home.
House sitting jobs can be for days, weeks, months or even years. The majority we have seen have been within the 2 week – 1 month range though. But there are options for all different time frames.
Where Can I House Sit?
Everywhere! Seriously. Take a peak at some of the house sitting websites listed below. We have seen postings from Sydney, Australia all the way to St. Lucia. If you have a specific destination in mind, you can sort by that as well.
The beauty of house sitting is that there are so many opportunities available in all sorts of destinations that you can cross off your bucket list destinations.
How Do I House Sit?
It is simple. Sign up for one or a couple of the sites listed below. Fill out your profile and begin to apply for some gigs! As with anything, the more effort you put in – the better results you will see. Therefore, put deep thought into your profile and how you are reaching out to potential jobs.
It might sound difficult at first to get gigs if you don’t have any prior experience with house sitting, but try to use references from other aspects of your life. These references could be from past work or life experiences that can talk to your character and work ethic. This will help you land your first gig which will turn into your second, third, fourth and so on.
Why Should I House Sit?
Live like a local. See a destination through an entirely different perspective. Instead of a touristy travel trip that is fast-paced, try traveling slowly and intentionally. By staying in a locals home, you are given the advantage for embracing the culture.
Oh and of course, it’s a way of getting FREE ACCOMMODATIONS! If you can be flexible with your travel and don’t mind taking care of some things around the house, it’s a no brainer.
As with Airbnb’s, you have access to a kitchen. This amounts to cost savings when it comes to the price of meals.
With gigs all around the world, it gives you an opportunity to travel for little to no money (depending on transportation costs). It opens your eyes to these places and also opens your opportunities to network with like-minded people all over the world. Have a favorite hobby? Try going to a meet up in the area that you are house sitting. This will help expand your network tremendously.
In some cases, not all, you can bring your pets with you while house sitting. This cuts down on the cost of boarding your pet and the price of hotels. You will of course need to check with the owner to see if this is OK.
What Are The Costs Of House Sitting?
The costs would include the registration fee for any site you decide to join and for your transportation to get to the job. The registration fee is really meant to weed out any non-serious candidates. Also, the fees are so small that in most cases they would be a fraction of the cost of one night in a hotel. Transportation costs can be diminished or at least minimized through wisely using credit cards.
For more about how to get free flights, check out this article!
What Are The Best Sites To Use?
Trusted House Sitters has a $119 per year registration fee. Although this is the most expensive fee on this list, it is mostly likely due to this sites popularity. That is not to say that you won’t find jobs on the other sites (there are plenty of other jobs) but just that this one has the highest volume of jobs available.
Luxury House Sitting has a fee of $25 per year for registration. After this is paid you have access to their entire database of house sitting opportunities. There are listings on here from a variety of places across the globe, from Africa to Canada.
House Sitters of America has a fee of $30 per year for registration. As the name pokes at, it is all USA based.
House Sitter has a $90 per year registration fee. The neat thing about this site is that you can sign up for a month or quarter long membership so it might be better if you are looking to test out the waters. A month long membership costs $30 and the quarter long membership is $45. There is obvious cost savings in signing up for the longer term, 1 year membership but the options provided are nice.
Mind My House has a $20 per year registration fee. This website has a global focus with options all of the world.
The Caretaker Gazette has no registration fee. It is an online resource for you to apply to house sitting jobs. The majority of these postings are looking for individuals with specific experiences (i.e. taking care of horses, a handyman, etc.) but if that fits your profile then go for it! All you have to do is email the address provided in the postings.
Mind A Home has a registration fee of $10 per year. They are another global site that allows you to search for gigs in a destination that you have been yearning to see.
House Carers has a registration fee of $45 per year however they do offer a free option as well that has a lot depth to it so I would start out with the free version before paying.
Nomador has a registration fee of $89 per year for a “confidence option” and also a completely free option for those who are not ready to commit money yet. This website has global opportunities and because of its free option it would be a great place for you to dip your toes in the house sitting water.
Aussie House Sitters has a registration fee of $84 per year. It is targeted specifically for Australians who need a house sitter however the house sitter can be international. A lot of Australians may use this sight rather than one of the larger options because house sitters are more likely to take their gig if they signed up specifically for an Australian house sitting site.
Kiwi House Sitters has a registration fee of $84 per year. Much like the Aussie House Sitters, this is targeted for New Zealand homeowners. House sitters can be international. If you are looking specifically to house sit in New Zealand, this would be a great place to look.
Craigslist is another great option to find a house sitting gig. It isn’t solely dedicated to this but it is free and I have seen quite a few requests for property caretakers. If you keep your eye out, you never know what you will find!
Rover has no registration fee and is a site that is mostly known for dog walkers, but you can actually find house sitting gigs on here as well. Due to the nature of the business, you will be taking care of an animal for this job.
Final Thoughts
Traveling on a budget has never been easier. House sitting provides incredible opportunities for minimal work and you can choose exactly how much work you are willing to provide. This opportunity is amazing and should be taken advantage of! If you are house sitting, planning to house it or debating the idea – let us know in the comments! We want to hear your opinion đŸ™‚
If you are looking to earn more or save more to put towards the cost of planes/travel to your next house sit, check out these articles:
