Are you a traveler and want to save money on lodging? We’ve found four ways that will help you with it for sure. They are all different, but are entwined by one important thing: in addition to saving money, they provide a unique opportunity to get to know the local people and their culture better.

We’ve explored in detail four ways to travel anywhere in the world without spending a penny for lodging — house sitting, home-exchange, couchsurfing, volunteering abroad in exchange for an accommodation — and now tell you how the process works in each case, what its specificities are, as well as share useful tips and list popular platforms.

House sitting

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What’s the point of house sitting: you stay at your hosts’ home for free while they’re away, and in exchange you take care of their home and pets. This is a great opportunity if you’re a responsible person: the owners trust you with their home and expect their property to be treated with care.

One of the key benefits of house sitting is saving money on lodging while traveling. Also, your trips will become more conscious: you will be able to delve deeper into the local culture and way of life. And house sitting is also an ideal way to wander the world as a digital nomad (just make sure the house you choose has Wi-Fi).

As a house sitter you may have the following responsibilities:

  • basic house cleaning; 
  • all maintenance of the property (this could be, for example, taking care of the garden or keeping the pool clean);
  • watering of plants;
  • contacting the appropriate service providers if something breaks down;
  • pet care;
  • regular communication with the owners.

It is important that as a house sitter you are unlikely to be able to travel in the classic sense of the word: to leave even for a few days, you will need to discuss it with the owners (especially if there are pets in the house).

How does the process work?

So, first you need to register on a special site (the list of platforms is given below) and create a profile. It is important to pay special attention to the profile, as it will be the basis of the first impressions of the homeowners about your person.

Here’s what you need to include in your account description: previous experience as a house sitter (or something related to housework), experience with pets (most homes have furry and/or feathered pets), your special skills (maybe you have «golden hands» or have done some gardening, etc.), and why you like being or want to be a house sitter.

After creating an attractive profile, you can examine listings from landlords. As a rule, landlords talk in detail about their homes and what they expect from a sitter.

Once you have found a suitable opportunity, you can contact the homeowners directly and tell them why you would like to look after their home. Write your message based on the specific requests described in the ad. Don’t lie or exaggerate, but don’t underestimate your abilities either.

If the homeowners like your message, they will contact you and probably invite you for a video interview. You’ll get to see each other and find out if you have the right «chemistry».

Homeowners are also likely to ask for references. They are, after all, inviting a stranger into their home, and they need to know if they can trust you. If you don’t have that kind of experience yet, ask for references from former landlords, neighbors — in short, anyone who can vouch for you. The more quality references you have, the better your chances of getting the job and finally becoming a house sitter.

Tips

Here are some important tips on how to become a good house sitter:

  • Once again, make sure you have a complete profile and enough details about yourself (including references).
  • Ask the homeowners to create a kind of handbook with all the important information you need to know about the property. Don't hesitate to ask questions - it shows that you are serious about the work.
  • Agree on rules for going on multi-day camping trips. This is especially important if pets need to be taken care of.
  • Talk about hosting guests. Never invite outsiders behind the owners' backs, as it will definitely undermine their trust in you.
  • Arrive early (at least a day in advance). In this way you will explore the house and its surroundings at a relaxed pace, get to know the owners better, and learn about important little things that will come in handy when taking care of the house.
  • Stay in touch. It is important to contact the owners from time to time and tell them if everything is okay with their home. They will appreciate this and will treat you with more trust.
  • Prepare for the unexpected. Make sure you have the right emergency contacts: you need to know where to go if something breaks in the house or pets get sick.
  • Treat your home with the utmost respect. House sitting is an exchange of trust between the house sitter and the homeowner, and each party expects reliability and honesty during the partnership.

Popular platforms

There are many house sitting sites where you can create a profile, pay a membership fee ($20 to $120 a year) and connect with people all over the world. Here are some of these platforms: House Carers, Mind My House, Nomador, Trusted Housesitters, Housesitmatch.

Home-exchange

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Another interesting way to live abroad for free is to home-exchange. The concept is that two people in different countries through a special platform agree to exchange houses for free for a certain period of time. That is, you stay in someone else’s house while his owner stays in yours, and in the end you both have free housing.

The advantages of this method are obvious: you can save on travel costs and experience the life of the local community to a greater extent.

How does the process work?

Most home exchange sites operate under the same scheme:

  • you pay a membership fee to gain access to the platform;
  • then post a photo of your property and fill out the registration form. At this stage, it is important to upload high-quality photos and describe your home in detail;
  • then you choose a house for exchange by studying the existing listings;
  • you contact another user and start arranging an exchange.

There are three basic scenarios for the exchange:

1) Simultaneous exchange: you stay in your exchange partner's house while he stays in yours. This is the most common option.

2) Non-simultaneous exchange: you stay in the other person’s house, and he stays in your house at some other time. That is, for the duration of the guest’s stay in your house, you will have to look for somewhere to live temporarily. This option is most actively used by owners of country houses — for them this option is quite convenient.

3) Exchanging hospitality: You host your exchange partner in your home as a guest, without going anywhere yourself; and the same thing happens on someone else’s turf.

Tips

There are a number of guidelines that will make your home-exchange experience enjoyable:

  • Explore different home-exchange sites and see what they have to offer — there are actually a huge number of options.
  • Talk a lot with your partner before exchanging places. During these conversations, you'll get to know each other better and see if you'll be comfortable interacting. It's also worth reading the comments on that person's profile from people who have already exchanged homes with them.
  • Be sure to indicate in your profile whether or not children and pets will be allowed in your home. Also keep in mind that if your exchange partner has a pet, you may have to take care of it — all this needs to be stipulated beforehand.
  • Start your home-exchange experience at the nearest point on the map. You can arrange to exchange for a weekend or a few nights. That way your first exchange will be more budget-friendly and less risky.

Popular platforms

Finding home-exchange opportunities is no problem — there are many thematic sites. They may differ in the number of houses available, as well as in geographic focus (some only work within a certain region).

Here are some popular platforms: Home-exchange, HomeforSwap, Peoplelikeus, Homelink.

Couchsurfing

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The concept of couchsurfing is mutual and gratuitous hospitality of travelers: community members provide each other with overnight accommodations while traveling around the world. Typically for two or three nights, but lengths can always be negotiated. The main thing is to be interested in getting to know people, because if there is no desire to communicate, it is better to just rent a room in a hostel or hotel.

In addition to saving money, couchsurfing attracts travelers to see life and culture of the country from the inside: only local can tell (and perhaps even show) where the best pizza in town and which places are definitely worth your attention.

In what places to find a bed will be problematic (but not always): in resorts, or very popular cities (Prague, Barcelona), in countries with a conservative way of life (Japan, South Korea), in undeveloped states (Cambodia, Laos), and in Cuba, the authorities do not allow local residents to invite foreigners to visit. It should also be taken into account that one person is usually a little more welcome than a company.

A little special terminology: couchsurfer — someone who is looking for a free place to stay while traveling; host — someone who takes a guest and gives him a place to stay; couch — a place to sleep overnight; fit in — to get to a host for the night.

How does the process work?

First of all, you need to create your profile. A detailed description and some high-quality photos are the key to a good first impression of you (which is very important).

After filling out your profile, you can start searching for a host. When you enter the name of the country and city you want in the search line, you will see a list of all the people who are ready to host.

Now you can read their profile and send inquiries. Be sure to specify what dates and for how long you want to stay, as well as why you preferred these particular hosts (maybe you have common interests, etc.).

Tips

Let’s move on to helpful tips:

  • Look carefully at the profile of the people you want to stay with. Find out what they like and what you have in common. Pay special attention to reviews — they form the image of a trustworthy host and help you avoid unpleasant surprises.
  • It’s important that your profile has reviews, too. If you are new and don’t have one yet, you can ask your friends or acquaintances to write a personal review.
  • Send many requests at once, especially if you are going to an expensive city — not everyone will answer.
  • Contact hosts with a request ahead of time (at least a few days in advance) so they have time to include your visit in their plans.
  • Communicate with your hosts and take an interest in them; ask them for advice of places to go or explore the area together; don’t forget to thank them for their hospitality. The host will be pleased if you bring them a souvenir from your home country.

Popular platforms

In addition to perhaps the most famous platform in the world Couchsurfing, there are so many more thematic sites. Here are some of them: BeWelcome, Trustroots, Warmshowers, TalkTalkbnb, Staydu.

Volunteering abroad in exchange for an overnight stay

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Another fun and educational way to travel and save your budget is to volunteer in exchange for an overnight stay. A meal is usually included as well.

Volunteering abroad allows you not only to live with the locals, but also to share their daily work and get to know their way of life; still in this way you can learn new skills, and visit places that are not on the tourist itinerary.

Here are examples of things you can do as a volunteer abroad: work on an organic farm, cook at recreation centers or retreats; do gardening and landscaping, teach a local foreign language, etc.

How does the process work?

In general, the procedure is straightforward: you create a profile, fill it out, and then get access to volunteer opportunities around the world. In most cases, you will have to pay a membership fee to access the platform.

Tips

Before you go on a trip, do thorough research not only on the country you are going to, but also on the type of work you will be doing as a volunteer.

Note an important point: some hosts may consider you as a cheap labor, so be sure to read the reviews. But if you do encounter such an attitude — just leave the place, and be sure to provide feedback on the website.

Popular platforms

Here are websites you can use to find volunteer opportunities abroad: HelpStay, Wwoofing, Workaway.