Learn How to Travel Around the World without Paying for Hotels
Have you ever wondered how some long-term travelers are able to afford a life on the road? After all, sleeping in hotels can get expensive and easily break your travel budget.
To answer this question, we turned to the traveling couple behind Hecktic Travels to introduce you to the wonderful world of house-sitting. Learn how they successfully spent the past year traveling to Honduras, Ireland, Belgium, the UK and Spain without paying for hotel accommodations!
House-Sitting Around the World – 5 Questions with Hecktic Travels
Before we get started, please introduce yourself and tell us about your recent travels
We are Dalene and Peter Heck, a couple of Canuckleheads who sold all our belongings in 2009 to travel. We spent a year traveling around South America and returned to Canada for a family wedding, half-expecting to want to settle down after being surrounded by the comforts of home. We weren’t in Canada long when we realized that we wanted to be back out on the road again!
Since then we have spent six months in Honduras, two in Ireland, and have cruised around Europe since last summer. We are enjoying the sun in Morocco right now before we had back across the Atlantic for some time in New York City.
Q1. You have spent much of your travels house-sitting in various parts of the world. Can you explain what house-sitting is all about and why you prefer traveling this way?
House-sitting is essentially an exchange of services between a home owner and someone looking for a place to stay. The home owner needs to be away from their property, yet does not want to leave it empty for a variety of reasons – pet care, security concerns, etc.
As house-sitters, we move in for the duration of their absence and essentially live rent free while taking care of the property.
This is our favorite way to travel for many reasons! We love having a place that feels like “home” on the road; if even for a short period of time, it allows us to enjoy comforts that we wouldn’t get in hostels. The jobs we have taken have ranged from two weeks to six months, which also means we get to spend more time in one area and really get to know it well.
It is also very good for the budget – for our six month house sit in Honduras, we spent only $4,000 the entire time as the only costs we were responsible for were food, gas for the vehicle, and other personal expenses.
House-sitting has taken us to Honduras, Ireland, Belgium, the UK and Spain. Coming up we have jobs in New York City and Turkey! For us, it really doesn’t get much better than this.
Q2. If our readers are interested in house-sitting in Europe, how would they go about doing this? Where do they start?
There are several websites that match potential house sitters with home owners, and many of them have different areas in which they excel and have lots of listings. Wannabe housesitters should start by perusing all of the available housesits on each site to see which might be the best fit (it is possible to search through all jobs before buying a membership on most sites).
Consider buying memberships to more than one website to improve your chances, spend a good amount of time setting up an attractive profile, and sign up for email alerts based on desired locations.
Our preferred websites are (in order of preference):
1. Trustedhousesitters.com – This excellent site has the best functionality of them all, with great opportunities in Europe (as it is based in the UK). Use the promotional code HT09 and get 25% off an annual membership!
2. Mindmyhouse.com – Another well designed site with a good number of jobs in Europe
3. Housecarers.com – The least user-friendly website but has plenty of opportunities around the globe
Q3. What has been your best house-sitting experience and why?
Our very first one was still our best – in British Columbia!
When we decided to continue traveling but also wanted to rest up a bit, we scored two months in the Kootenays. The home owners were awesome to deal with, it was a beautiful house in the mountains, near excellent hiking and they even left kayaks on Upper Arrow Lake for our use. It was the perfect setting and we would go back to house sit there in an instant if our schedules ever mesh.
Q4. Do house-sitting assignments dictate where you will travel next or do you look for house-sitting opportunities after your travel plans are set?
They definitely have dictated our travel plans for us so far. We watch for new opportunities closely and then jump on any that fit our timeline and are in an area that we have always been interested in seeing.
We are just about to start a 6 week house sit in New York City that we applied for on a whim, same with the one following that for three months in Turkey. When we started our two month house sit in Ireland last June, all we knew was that we wanted to get to Europe, and lo and behold, we were soon offered two months in a 10th century manor in the middle of the country. What an experience!
Q5. Can you share some tips that might help a first time house sitter? What should a newbie look for when researching house sitting options?
A newbie, first and foremost, should outline their own expectations. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of securing such an opportunity and forgetting to make sure that you will actually enjoy your stay there.
Consider such things as: Would you want to take care of pets? How many and what kind? Would you rather be in a remote area or city? How much are you willing to pay (sometimes home owners will ask for utilities to be covered)?
Also, when in conversations with potential home owners, be sure to ask any and all questions that you may have – never leave anything unanswered as it has the potential to cause misunderstandings and problems down the road.
~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to Dalene and Peter Heck for sharing their house-sitting experiences! You can follow their adventures by visiting their travel blog or following them on twitter and facebook.
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This is great and very helpful tips. When we travel, we always accommodate and have no choice on expensive hotels, however, i prefer to travel places that i am connected to friends and relatives to get it on a cheaper way.
Staying with friends is also a great way to avoid those expensive hotels 😉
Great post! I liked the additional information different from their Housesitting 101 post. I especially enjoy staying in one place for more than few weeks; it sure beats rushing from place to place!
Thanks Dayna – the more housesits we do, the more we learn about how to do it! Staying in one place for a longer period of time is definitely the biggest benefit for us. We are typically very slow travelers (despite what our website name might suggest – haha!)
We’re thinking about doing a house sit in Europe this summer so this has been helpful for us as well
This is a good to know option. Thanks!
Glad you found it helpful Christy
What great resources for finding free accommodation!
Indeed! Thanks for stopping by Brock 😉
i’ve been reading so much about this lately, it has actually influenced by travel plans. What a fantastic way to travel!
YES! Then we have done our job!! Now, to just find the CEO of Housesitting to pay us for it. 🙂
Excellent! I’m glad you found the interview helpful 🙂
They are the housesitting spokespeople of the world right now, love it!
hah! Yes, they are!
Erin and Simon from “Never Ending Voyage” are also a wealth of information when it comes to house sitting 😉
Love the hecks! They can housesit my house any day! Well… if I had a house 😉
hah! Yes, the house is definitely an important part of the equation… 🙂
Haha! Yes, that is an essential first requirement. Get a cute dog or cat too, and we’ll be all over it. 🙂
An excellent idea! This is something I’ll defiantly consider doing next time we’re on a long term journey.
It certainly becomes a more attractive option if you have the ability to travel slow and spend a few months in each place
Wow, this is a great lead…I’ve been struggling to figure out what to do with our cat while we go away for 4 weeks this coming March! (We are in the US, in the San Francisco Bay area if you know anyone that would be interested in a free place in an expensive city in exchange for minimal cat care!)
Thanks for stopping by Cassie!
Hopefully someone reads this post and is interested in taking you up on your offer 😉
Bookmark worthy 🙂
Indeed! 🙂
this is perfect! i already i enjoyed reading here .. I wonder if i can get a house sitting here in my house 😀
WOW! Now this is some super cool, unusual, out-of-the box thinking. Both in what your interview subject does and that you picked up on reporting it. Excellent, catchy, title, btw!
Glad you like the title… it is kinda catchy, isn’t it? 🙂
Great post guys.
We are yet to house sit while travelling, although have been asked a few times, it unfortunately hasn’t worked out in our travel plans. In april this year we will be house sitting for friends…although it is just down the road from our apartment! Does that still count?! 🙂
That still counts 🙂
We have yet to house sit on our travels as well. It’s the perfect option for long term travelers that are flexible on time and location, but we often find ourselves on a time crunch and can’t seem to make it work.
What a helpful post. I thought I was saving money when I rented a villa in France, but this is an even cheaper way to travel long term. Thanks for the info.
Glad you found the post helpful Carol! 🙂
I envy you for traveling so much. I haven’t traveled far to Europe yet. But how do you manage to gain the trust and confidence of the home owners? What if they’d think that you’re a thief or some hooligan out there?
Interesting post! I like it very much!
-Joshua
Thanks for your comment Joshua. I don’t have an answer for you, but it’s my understanding that each candidate and home owner have a profile with references and reviews. This will certainly mitigate the risk.
What a great idea, and something I have never thought of! My dad is planning on travelling to France for a few months next year, but was worried about leaving the house unoccupied. I’m going to send him this post for him to consider. Thanks 🙂
Great! I’m glad you found some value in the post Catherine. Hopefully your dad finds a solution 🙂
I never thought of this before! Thanks to Dalene and Peter for sharing their insights!
It’s certainly a different way to travel and experience a country! 🙂
Thank you! What a great interview! I am definitely jumping on this idea. I am 17 months on the road. This is perfect for me!
Thanks again!
Great! I’m happy this interview was helpful Chrissy 🙂
Very informative interview with a couple of bloggers who really do things their own way.
Indeed!
Thanks for stopping by Robin
Great resources and recommendations here.
House sitting is such a fantastic way to travel the world. Even if you just have a week or two off for vacation, it’s the perfect way to cut accommodation costs.
To be honest, it’s the only time I ever do any housework. 🙂 Dunno, but somehow cleaning up someone else’s pad is a lot more fun than cleaning up my own.
I always ask if there are lots of houseplants or a garden to take care of, too — esp. one that involves more than just a bit of watering the grass. I have exactly zero experience with green stuff and it shows (badly).
House swaps are another good way to save money on accommodation but — alas — you need a house to swap . . . so that counts me out.
Thanks for your feedback Hana.
It’s great to hear from others that are taking advantage of this unique travel style.
Cheers! 🙂
Oh my gosh. I just couldn’t believe that you can really travel around the world without having to pay for a hotel or accommodation. So how much did you spend in this travel?
I envy you so much!
-Katrina
I guess it really depends Katrina. There are a lot of variables that can impact this number. It’s certainly much cheaper if you don’t have to pay for accommodations!
wow! never knew we can travel around and find free accommodation. thanks a lot for the info.
Glad you enjoyed the post mr. or mrs. website person
I like this post because I always do travelling its good for me..
This is a very wonderful and helpful tips. I am now thinking on applying this tips this coming summer.
Awesome Donald! Glad you found some value in the post. It’s certainly a unique way to travel and experience a country!
I’m definitely saving this article. What great resources for house sitters.
Cheers John! Glad you found it helpful 🙂
This was really helpful information. I would love to know a little bit more about how to avoid picking bad people?
We are not the experts on house sitting, but my guess is to do reference checks and hope for the best! 😉
This is really great information. I have been thinking of applying to be a house sitter as a way to sustain long term travel, but I didn’t know where to start. Many thanks to the helpful links you provided! I’m curious, have you ever tried Couch Surfing or organizations like WWOOF? I think there are a lot of options for free or cheap accommodations that travelers aren’t aware of, and it’s a shame because they could be saving tons of money and having more enriched experiences as well!
Thanks for your feedback Hannah.
We have heard of both Couchsurfing and WWOOF’ing but we have yet to test either out. We’ve heard both good and bad experiences, but I think it’s highly dependent on the traveler and his/her expectations.
It really comes down to what you’re willing to tolerate to reduce your travel budget.
Amazing article! As I am looking at a drastic life change – this may help considerably! I have only house/pet sit for friends at home…time to expand my search. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for this guys. I’m hoping to persuade my boyfriend we need to leave our jobs and travel the world, but of course he’s worried about the money. We’ve volunteered before, but never housesat – we definitely need to look into this!
This is really cool .. you really know how to handle stuff .. You tips are also really smart … I will try it out .
Are there really home owners who would dare leave the safety of their house to total strangers, especially travelers? How do you verify a good “home sitter” if ever you are the home owner?
Thanks for sharing these fantastic tips. I will absolutely use these ideas so that I can’t pay for the hotels during my trip. Most of the time, what I always do during my travel in order for me can save for the hotels, I stay on my friends or relatives on the place.
It seems like a great way of travelling without spending alot of money on hotels. I’m suprised house owners will rent out properties to complete strangers without them paying rent.
I never heard of housesitting before as a way of seeing the world. Having read above article and am now reading http://www.hecktictravels.com and the housesitting sites.
I class myself as a nomad as I have no house, also got rid of everything I own , scanned all my photos and go about with just 15kg of stuff in a small suitcase, a Mac and IPad.
I am very excited about the house sitting idea.