By looking after a home while the owners are away, you can secure luxurious accommodation for your vacation. This is certainly not for the lazy and conservative. But for people like young Britons Laura Cody and Tanbay Ten, who have visited a whole bunch of interesting places without spending a penny on a roof over their heads (literally not a penny).
In exchange for simply living in the homes or apartments of owners who have left for business or vacation, the couple gets spacious rooms, gardens, pools, and terraces at their disposal… The most that is asked of them in return is to water the plants, feed the owner's kitty, or walk the dog. But that’s not too hard, right?
"With this kind of life, you don’t need a vacation"
23-year-old Laura and 26-year-old Tanbay are passionate fans of house sitting, because thanks to this way of traveling their life has turned into an endless adventure. Tired of making ends meet, they calculated that living in strangers' homes and working as freelancers is more profitable than renting an apartment and working in an office. In July 2013, the couple left Birmingham and have no plans to return home yet. Cody and Ten have already lived in homes and apartments not only in other cities of the UK, but also in Germany, Spain, Italy, Finland, and Australia. Their next stops are planned in the Netherlands and Portugal.
In the last six months, Laura and Taibay have spent only $1,500 on moves and food, and their roof over their heads has always been free.
Aren't they afraid of ending up in some shack with inadequate owners? “We haven't had any bad experiences. We always communicate with the property owner via Skype in advance and discuss all the details,” the couple explains.
The longest stay in one place is six weeks. There are also very short stops, literally for one weekend. “Homeowners are usually very hospitable. They often treat us to food and wine, and one nice couple lent us a GoPro camera,” the travelers said.
The last thing was probably very handy, because Laura and Tanbay run a blog Travelling Weasles about their travels, which would be incomplete without interesting photos and videos. The blog, along with Laura's book about house sitting in Australia and Tanbay's freelance gigs, allows them to monetize their wanderlust.
Through the owner's eyes
How to go on vacation with a peaceful mind, knowing that thieves won't break into your apartment and your beloved fish will have plenty of food? Simply place an ad on one of the sites dedicated to house sitting to find a temporary caretaker who wants to vacation for free under your roof. Indicate what you expect from them: maybe they need to light the fireplace to heat a cold house, or dust the furniture?
In return, you need to tell about the advantages of staying within your four walls: the unknown lucky person will be happy to know that you have a pool and a garden, or that you live in the best area of the city.
House sitting works on the principle of mutual benefit and free of charge. There are many people around the world who want to vacation for free, as well as those seeking an altruistic temporary house sitter. And the sweetest house sitting offers go to travelers who already have relevant experience and can provide references from previous homeowners.
Choose right now…
No matter which country in the world you are going to, on sites dedicated to house sitting you can find suitable accommodation. For example, by browsing TrustedHousesitters.com, you can find a place in the French Languedoc (a country house, need to take care of the owners' kitties) or in Brittany (requires looking after a magnificent estate). Or maybe head to Australia and stay in a house located not far from the famous surfer's Mecca – the Gold Coast? There, the owners are going on vacation and are looking for someone to walk their dogs.
Want to visit Costa Rica? According to information on MindMyHouse.com, a local family is leaving for vacation soon and is looking for a reliable person to look after their pets. There are quite a few: two dogs and three cats. But the offer is great: the temporary house sitter will have at their disposal not only a villa with patio, pool, and gym, but also the owner's car.
On the site LuxuryHouseSitting.com, owners of luxury real estate offer their homes and apartments for free temporary use. For example, in June-July you can relax in luxurious apartments in Singapore, a spacious townhouse in San Francisco, or even, why not, on a villa surrounded by greenery in New Zealand.
Julia VERBI.
“Lenta.ru”