House-sitting in Europe
Words by Dalene Heck / Photography by Pete Heck
From Ireland to Brussels, London, and all over Europe, we’ve seen so much of that great continent in one of the most affordable ways possible.
How do we do it? By providing the valuable service of taking care of people’s property (and sometimes pets), in exchange for free accommodations. We have made new friends out of some fabulous homeowners and neighbours spent ample time in places where we could never have otherwise afforded to stay, and even shed a few tears (PETE!) when leaving behind the fur babies we became so attached to. And we’ve done a large portion of it without paying for a place to stay, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in savings.
And we could keep going. If it wasn’t for the Schengen visa rules that require us to leave the area after ninety days, I am sure we would continue this excellent trend indefinitely. We’ve lined up some house-sitting jobs via word of mouth, and there are a few that we’ve even had to turn down. The others were found via websites set up to provide a match between homeowners and house sitters.
Our favorite website to use is Nomador.com. Not only does it have the best functionality of all the house-sitting sites out there today, it is also has the largest number in Europe.
Some basic tips to help you get started:
— Put a decent amount of time into creating a killer profile. This is your first face to homeowners and how they will judge you! Be sure to highlight what would make you a good housesitter, including your love for animals! (Consider that the large majority of house-sitting assignments come with pets to care for.)
— The next most important thing is to line up some good references. If you haven’t house-sat before, use old bosses, landlords, and even friends who can attest to how good you are with animals.
— Check for new listings daily, as hot house-sits tend to go fast.
— When you apply for a house sitting job, tailor your message to the listing. Personalize each one (don’t copy and paste!) to show you are deeply interested.
Take it from us, as we have completed over fifteen house-sits, all over the world. We have spent Christmas in southern Spain, six weeks in Manhattan, and six months in rural Turkey!
Looking for more house-sitting advice?
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Please note that there are some affiliate links in this post.
So jealous that you guys get to do this 🙂 Really looked into this for awhile and it seems that most opportunities are in Europe, ya? Really looking forward to doing this as a mean to travel after I get my US citizenship.
Anyway, let us know when you’re going to be in Turkey. We’re heading there spring-ish next year.
There are a lot of opportunities in Europe, North America, Central America (where the expats are!), Australia and New Zealand. Basically, where it is too expensive to tour for long anyways! I.e. we never could have stayed for 3 weeks in London without it!
We will be in Turkey from Mar thru May! Hopefully we can finally meet then!
I’m currently spending 3 months house-sitting on the Caribbean island of Grenada, so I concur – it’s a great way to live and travel affordably!
I’ve used house-carers and caretakergazette mostly, but will check out trustedhousesitters based on your stellar review!
Ah yes, have seen your photos from Grenada and are a wee bit jealous!
This is how my husband and I want to travel around Europe. Thanks for the information on TrustedHouseSitters.com. We’ll take a serious look at using the site when we finally decide to do it!
You’re welcome JoAnna! I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding something to suit your needs. Good luck!
We love house sitting too. We would never have been able to afford to visit Japan if we hadn’t got 3.5 weeks free accommodation in Kyoto. It’s so expensive there that house sitting saved us $2500, plus we got a big house, kitchen and cute cats rather than a cramped hostel room.
It does seem that most opportunities are in Europe and North America.
You really scored big in Japan with that one (jealous!) Australia and New Zealand have a lot of opportunities too, and it seems to be picking up in Central America where expats typically congregate.
Dear Erin,
I’m so jealous too, could you please let me know through which website you found the housesitting for Japan? Thanks a lot 🙂
Awesome! Thanks for the tips!
I’m looking to do this in the States over the coming months.
There are lots of opportunities in the US! Good luck!
I should look into this! It sounds like a very interesting way of spending your time. Good alternative to couchsurfing if you decide to stay longer at one place!
Absolutely Sebastian! We’ve stayed anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months in one place thanks to housesitting.
I signed up for trustedhousesitters.com a while back after reading your experience and have not had much luck… 🙁 I think it’s because I’m a single dude. I did get offered a couple of assigments (one in South Africa!) through one of the other sites, but the timing did not work out.
I haven’t given up on trustedhousesitters yet though…
I’m in the same boat, Ray! No one really wants to hire on a 25 year old single female, and I even have the references plus TONS of experience taking care of animals! One of my references is a vet! Sigh. Will keep trying.
This is definitely my ideal way of travelling. 🙂
I thought you had one lined up in Montreal??
I am sure it must be harder to a young female to find the first one, but I’m sure it will happen, especially with the awesome references like you have! 🙂 Get a few under your belt and they’ll start lining up for you….
Well, if you’d stop just applying to some guy in Cork named Kevin, you might have a chance! 🙂
It can be a little tough to get your first one (especially as a single), but after that, they’ll start to roll. Make sure you have some STELLAR references online, as I think that is what is helping us get new ones.
House sitting is absolutely something we’re going to try to do through the word’s more expensive destinations. Thanks so much for your insight.
No problem Brian – and good luck!
Housesitting sounds like such a great way to do extended travel. I’m glad it’s worked out so well for you guys!
Thanks Emily! It really is ideal for us as we typically prefer to travel slow (get less tired out that way)!
That’s such a great way to travel!! I love it 🙂
What a perfect way to travel and live like a local! Sounds wonderful to me and I will definitely be looking into it!
Honestly I first thought housesitting sounded too good to be true. And I probably would’ve kept that opinion, except I started reading your blog and now I see housesitting really is a viable accommodation option for travelers. I can’t see myself signing up right away, just because I can’t travel until after April. But once my school year is done I’ll definitely look into this. I mean it’s pretty hard to argue with something that can provide free accommodations in New York City.
Oh yes, I think we scored big on the NYC job. Never could we have spent 6 weeks in that city without it!
Great article! Thanks for sharing, and I can’t can’t wait to share it with the OTP community (and try out couch sitting myself)! 🙂
This is so great! Is this site mainly for Europe? Any recommendations for a site to use for South America?
I love these posts because I’m itching to start housesitting. I suspect getting the first couple of opportunities might be the difficult thing. Hopefully I can make it happen like you guys!
Make sure you have some good references lined up and hopefully it won’t take too long!
I wish I’d known this were an option when I was doing more long-term travel while living in Europe. Sounds like so much fun!
We never could have spent as much time in Europe without it!
Wow that’s a great idea. We’re planning on spending indefinite time in Europe next year and house sitting sounds perfect. Free accommodation! Thanks for the tip.
Good luck Dean! It is a great way to see Europe!
We hope your Turkey gig allows you time at Cappedocia. That was one travel site we will never forget. We loved Turkey.
We do have some freedom to travel around the country, and we’re definitely going to make time for Cappedocia!
I really hope to do this in the near future. Looks like such a great option.
Great informative post. Something i would definitely have to look into. I suspect it’s a lot harder to gigs as a single guy than as a couple, right?
Hey Tobias – I suspect it might be a little harder (although I have seen some ads asking for just a single). I think the number one thing to landing a job though is references – line up good references (even if you have no experience housesitting, find people that can speak to your character) and you’ve got a good shot!
Wow, thanks for the info! I’d love to give housesitting a try.
I have to admit that this is one area I haven’t considered as much as others (to save costs) but I would definitely reconsider after reading this article – especially if I’m ever in Europe!
Yes, in Europe it can definitely save big bucks! But it’s also a great way to see holiday destinations (Central America) where expats tend to have homes. Oz and North America are big into it to.
We will look into this when we are traveling I think. It had never even occurred to me to housesit while traveling
What a great way to spend your time abroad! I’m hoping Gerard and I will have the opportunity to do this in the near (near near near) future. Lol. Great post and thanks for the discount! 😉
Good luck Kieu! Hope you find something in the near near near near future! 🙂 There are great opportunities going up everyday.
House-sitting changed my life when I was in Costa Rica! I upgraded from a one-room to hut to a stunning four-bedroom — and saved money.
That’s the way to do it!! Not too shabby to find something in Costa Rica either…after our chilly times in Europe, we may need a tropical locale soon! 🙂
Definitely looking it up now guys. Thanks for the link to it. Hopefully we get to use it somewhere next year travelling through Europe. How hard is it to get your first place?
We got our first one very easily, it was the very first one we applied for! The most important thing is to make sure that you have great references lined up, even if they are character references (because you haven’t done it before). Maybe even get a reference from an old landlord, anyone who knows how you are with pets, etc.! Good luck!
wow, that sounds really really cool. should try that. (while I read this post I couldn’t stop thinking about Jude Law in “The Holiday”) 🙂
Hmmm…would have to say that I wouldn’t mind if Jude Law happened to be waiting at one of the houses (I’m hoping Pete doesn’t read this comment!!)
I cannot wait to take advantage of this wonderful way to see the world and provide a service. Brian and I will definitely be doing some housesitting… thanks for teaching us all about it!
Can’t wait to hear about where you will land your first gig! If you ever need any help with it, just let us know! 🙂
I agree with your article! My husband and I spent 2.5 months traveling around the UK and are now in France in one of the poshest areas of the world. Housesitting (via trustedhousesitters.com) has made this possible for us, and we’ve made some great friends.
I am curious to know if you’ve had many bad experiences with pet-sitting. We have had 2 pet-sits (out of 5) with houses that were incredibly cluttered and dirty, and it made our stay much less enjoyable. We’ve gotten pretty used to cleaning and organizing people’s homes while we travel.
For those who want to travel this way, I’d recommend keeping your eyes open and getting as much information about the gig as possible before you commit. The fewer surprises, the better! 🙂
100% agree with you Rachel about getting as much information about the gig up front as possible. This is something we have learned along the way. This is an important part of our Housesitting 101 tips (https://www.hecktictravels.com/housesitting-101). Ask for photos, references, have a skype conversation(s) etc.
About the bad experiences, we have had no issues so far. That being said, we have had a varied level of cleanliness in each stay we have been in. As long as our living space is up to our standard we’re fine with that. One thing this has taught us is that we have also learned to just go with the flow.
You have Vonda and I very excited about trying this. We will be in Mexico or Central America (maybe Ecuador) for two more years then we are going to make the leap “across the pond” so to speak. Since we are working so hard learning Spanish, do you have any personal exposure to housesitting in Spain?
I think we’ll look into this during our next big trip. 😛
We’re currently in Serbia, which is outside the Schengen region. I can’t remember how long you have to be out before heading back in, but perhaps you can visit here (or other places like it near by) until you can go back in?
Ves
We would have loved to visit Serbia, but unfortunately it is not in the cards for this trip. Maybe next year after Turkey we will make our way back down 🙂
In regards to the Schengen, the rule is in a 180 day period you can spend 90 days within the Schengen. Once the 180 days is up, you start all over again.
Awesome! James and I are definitely going to sign up! We are going to be staying in Brisbane (and hopefully working) but after that all plans are open! We will definitely use your promo code when we sign up.
Oh and just a suggestion, when I clicked on the housesitting link it opened in this window…which took me away from your blog. You should consider having links open in a new tab.
Heard about this but never really gave it serious thought until I read this piece. Thanks for this. What a great idea. We are not young party animals anymore. I would think we would have a good profile. Will certainly sign up with your code.
We fit in the “not young party animals” mold as well, and that certainly helps on the profile 😉 Thank you so much for signing up and if you have any questions let us know.
I am so glad to have found you via Twitter! Love Twitter for making the world a smaller place.
What a neat idea to do housesitting. I’ve never thought of doing that, but having read your blog, will definitely look into it in the future.
You have an amazing following. Am now following your blog as well.
Thanks Doreen, we’re glad you found us too! If you ever need more info on housesitting, just let us know! 🙂
Thanks so much for this review! This is something that we’re thinking about doing next year and this is super helpful.
Thanks Akila. We have loved the opportunities we have had to sit in Europe. There are so many, which means that this concept is really picking up steam. If you have any other questions about this let us know, we have some great contacts. Best of luck!
This sounds like a fabulous idea! I’ve heard of some of the services, and figured they could be a lot of fun, but have not heard from anyone with first hand experience! Thanks for sharing! I like Nora’s spot in the Caribbean, sounds like a great way to visit somewhere expensive!
Yes Shani, Nora has a pretty sweet gig for sure!! House-sitting has brought us to some pretty cool places. 6 months in Roatan, Honduras, 3 weeks in London, 2 weeks in Brussels, 2 months in Ireland in a 10th century manor, 3 weeks in Southern Spain, just to name a few. Plus we have 2 sits lined up, 6 weeks in NYC and 3 months in Turkey. A very economical way to travel. It’s certainly gaining some popularity. We love it and fully endorse it!!! Thanks for your comment!
Can you provide some information on the Schengen VISA issue. After 90 days in country you have to leave and cannot reenter until 90 days have passed. How do you deal with sits that might run over 90 days, or two different sits that would violate the 90 day rule. Finally, what if your sit is going to be for over 90 days. Is there a process for staying for 6 moths for example? How have you dealt with this?
Hi Michael – so far, we’ve worked around Schengen, and not taken any sits over three months in those areas. What we have done is bounced around into countries that aren’t a part of it (the UK, Ireland, Turkey, to name a few). As far as I understand, there is no easy way to get a visa extension. Check out this article by Nomadic Matt about working around it though, where he suggests there are some ways: http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/how-to-legally-stay-in-europe-for-more-than-90-days/ Also, if I was ever in a pinch and knew I was going to be over my Schengen days, I would enter/exit through a country like Italy – have been through there quite a few times this year and they NEVER check through my passport, they hardly even glance at it! 🙂
Hey all
I’m interested in doing house-sitting and I love that you can do house-sitting for such long periods at a time. However, I’m only then worried about costs for food and transportation. How did you guys deal with these costs?
Thanks!
This post explains all! https://www.hecktictravels.com/how-to-travel-long-term
Thanks for all the information.
Just a question about the Nomador website, when you look up countries, it lists quite a lot of choices but when you choose the option to “limit search to house-sits that are still available”, the number of choices greatly diminishes. Does that mean the other homes are completely unavailable? I just found it confusing that listings show up that say, “listing closed for this period” or “no longer available for this period”.
Thanks for your help!
Yes Chad, that means that those are no longer available, unfortunately!