You share my wish for lower travel expenses as well as my love for animals and enjoy staying in nice houses for free? House sitting seems to be the perfect travel hack to spare your budget and enrich your travel experience.  

House sitting is not only an amazing tool for longterm travelers on a budget, but also a great opportunity for a weekend getaway to a fancy city apartment or a wooden house in the middle of nature. 

I started traveling the world in last February and am now living a nomadic lifestyle, moving from one place to another as soon as my visa expiration nears. I soon realized how much I enjoyed staying in especially beautiful accommodations and that crowded, cheap hostels are often not he best environment for a full day of productive and inspiring work on my passion projects. On the other hand, I was not ready to spend more money on nicer places, since a shrinking budget means a growing pressure to earn a lot of money soon which tends to limit the freedom of working on my own business. I began to apply for house sits and it turned out that this was the ideal solution for my accommodation dilemma.  

Walking dogs in Vienna, feeding a turtle in Brisbane - What is house sitting?

House sitting platforms offer home owners the chance to connect with travelers who want to take care of their pets, water their garden plants or just be present in the house during their business trip to Singapore or beach holidays to California. They post an assignment with the dates, some information about their house and its location, cute pictures of their beloved pets and a list of responsibilities for the sitters. Then you can apply for those assignments and might get selected to be the lucky person that lives in a comfy home during the owner‘s absence. 

Attention for all pet lovers - Free affection, love and cuddles 

I know, money counts, but one of the coolest parts about house sitting is that you get to spend time with amazing pets. I am truly an animal lover and as digital nomad it is not that easy to get a dog or cat and take them with you from one place to another - so many obstacles and not a life I wish for a furry companion. Instead, house sitting easily lets me connect with animals all over the world.  

At the first sit, I became the caretaker of two dogs and a tiny kitten and although they often kept me from working on my online projects by cuddling up on me, I deeply enjoyed their affection, love and joyful attitude. Yes, I had to walk the dogs twice daily and feed them all properly, but this is a job of only about 1-2 hours per day in exchange for a real comfy home to stay in for free. Worth it? Absolutely!  

About humble beginnings and getting the big jobs - My house sit adventure 

I just finished my first assignment for a week long house sit and was selected for two additional ones in the upcoming months. At one of them I will take care of a single cat for a few days in a modern flat directly next to a popular beach stretch in Malaysia. The other one is for a whole month in a luxurious apartment in the middle of Kuala Lumpur becoming the playmate of a cat and a sweet kitten. Such a longterm opportunity can actually save me 450€ in travel expenses (due to my current budget) and on top, I get to stay in a whole apartment which is much more convenient and comfortable than most hotel rooms. Want to prepare a colorful salad? Not a problem with this well equipped kitchen. Want to watch TV in your PJs late into the evening? Go for it.  

Once you‘ve collected some reviews from previous sits, it‘s becoming easier and easier to get chosen for following jobs and the chances become higher to stay in much more beautiful places with every new positive reference you receive. 

The jungle of housesitting platforms - My favorite website

There are various platform for housesitting and they all have their advantages and limits, different prices as well as filter options and additional features. They usually charge an annual fee for the membership, which can pay off in only a few days of house sitting if you actually use the endless opportunities on these platforms. 

I myself chose to sign up on TrustedHousesitters which costs 119$ per year, but for me it was totally worth the investment. Their website gives a great overview of the worldwide locations, helpful filters to find the best sits for your needs and they also offer daily email notifications with the newest assignment so that I can react very quickly if a promising house sit catches my eyes. Especially in the UK, US and Australia house sitting is very popular among home owners and some platforms are therefore focusing on these geographical areas. As a longterm traveler I love the fact that TrustedHousesitters has many assignments all over the world and does not only concentrate on one of the aforementioned areas. It is one of the biggest platforms and therefore allows you access to a lot of opportunities, but on the other side you also have to compete with much more people applying for the sits. 

Of course, there are some other platforms out there - you might want to check out MindMyHouse, HouseCarers or Nomador. I actually don't have any experience with these, but together with TrustedHouseSitters they are often mentioned among the best addresses for aspiring sitters,  and I bet they deserve their reputation. 

Membership discount - How to get 20% off your annual fee

If you should decide that you could also profit from lower travel expenses coupled with a beautiful home, you can get 20% off when signing up with TrustedHousesitters by using this link and entering the promo code 'RAF141211'. On top of your own discount, by signing up you will support me with two additional months of membership free of charge and therefore help me to continue writing about my travel adventures and share my passions for raw food, health and an alternative lifestyle with you. 

Got curious? You can actually browse the listed house sittings on their webpage without signing up, so you can look for your dream assignment first and then sign up for applying to the home owners. Have fun selecting your next holiday location!

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Have a wonderful day and a fruitful journey ahead! 

Yours, Anais 

Nomadic adventuress since 2018 | Raw foodie | Health enthusiast | Minimalist | Freedom seeker | Passionate believer in a life full of bliss.

🗺 Time for some more adventures - follow me around the world:    

• Hidden Treasure in the South of Bali - Melasti Beach
• Tropical Fruit Hunting in Kuala Lumpur - Chow Kit Market
• Hiking Under the Stars - Volcano Sunrise Trek in Bali
• Off the Beaten Path in Hpa-An - Discovering Myanmar's Beauty

🍓Hungry for healthy nuggets? Check out my raw vegan posts:

• Daily Dose of Green - Moringa-Pear Smoothie
• My 10 Days on Watermelons - How to Regenerate Your Body
• Taste the Paradise - Explore Bali’s Raw Cuisine
• Green Coconut Smoothie - Tropical Vibes Included

🌟Let me inspire you to explore your full potential, with these lifestyle stories:  

• Free Your Adventurer Within – How to Become a Daily Explorer!
• 6 Reasons why you should start meditating today
• Dreaming of Longterm Traveling? 8 Steps How I Saved Enough Money for 2 Years of Adventures
• How to trick your brain into desiring healthy food