House sitting opportunities from around the world - Workaway

House sitting with Workaway

Can you see yourself soaking up the sun on a sun bed by your own pool in an island villa? Or walking a dog through the early morning mist along a deserted beach? Popping down from your flat to pick up some bagels in a trendy neighbourhood? Setting up your computer catch up with work by a window with a great view? These might seem like images from someone else’s life, but they could be yours for a while if you volunteer to do some house sitting while you’re travelling!

So what is house sitting exactly?

House sitting is what a volunteer does when someone asks them to live in their home while they are away on holiday or travelling. The house sitter can stay in the property for free, in exchange for taking on a combination of responsibilities. Usually the main reason an owner wants a house sitter to look after their house for free is to look after their pets and to keep the house secure and occupied. However the house sitter may be asked to do other jobs too, like simple maintenance (including looking after the pool and watering the garden), and generally making sure that everything runs smoothly, just as if the owner was at home. All of the facilities in the house, such as cooking utensils, washing machine, TV and Wi-Fi, are available for the house sitter to use free of charge.

Sounds like a great arrangement, doesn’t it? It’s certainly a fantastic way to volunteer and travel the world, saving you heaps of money on accommodation. But let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of house sitting, before looking at some tips on how to find house sitting opportunities on Workaway.

What are the advantages of house sitting?

• Free accommodation – paying no rent is obviously a huge advantage when travelling, and will save you lots money, meaning you can travel for longer.
• Home comforts – sometimes even travelling can get a bit much, and it’s nice to set up home for a while. You can enjoy all the things you dream of when you’re fed up with hostels: doing your laundry, having regular access to Wi-Fi to catch up with your emails, cooking your favourite meals in your own kitchen, and having private space to hang out in that isn’t just a bed.
• Getting a glimpse of other people’s lives – house sitters can enjoy all the details of someone else’s home, the art and décor, the different books and music on the shelves, the garden and pool...
• Connecting to the locals – setting up your life in one place for a while means you can be a regular at local shops and bars, talk to people, and find out much more about the region than you would otherwise. Plus you get to meet the neighbours. Don’t forget to ask your host for introductions and recommendations to make the most of your stay.
• The company of animals – most travellers don’t have pets, or if they do, they’ve had to leave them at home. As a house sitter you can enjoy the cold wet nose of a loyal dog or the warm purrs of a friendly cat, all without the permanent responsibility.
• Routine – this can be great for a while amid the unstructured chaos of travelling: walking dogs, feeding cats and watering the plants can provide a gentle routine that allows you to recover your energy, catch up on work and travel plans, or on sleeping, reading or writing, work on special projects, or even binge watch all the television series you’ve been missing.
• Making a dream come true – maybe you always wanted to experience life in a new city but it just seemed too expensive. Imagine having the time to visit every art museum in New York, to walk both ‘rives’ of the Seine in Paris, or to get to know the trendiest neighbourhoods of Madrid. House sitting lets you hang out in one place that little bit longer so you can get to know it better.
• Having some time to yourself – volunteering with Workaway usually involves an exchange of 4 or 5 hours of work a day in exchange for food and accommodation (find out more here). Although you might be asked to do a bit of watering or patio sweeping on a house sit, you will be free of major household tasks, leaving you with so much more free time to explore the area.
• Escaping tourist areas – like other volunteering opportunities with Workaway, house sitting enables you to discover places you would otherwise never know existed. It’s a great way to go off the beaten track, explore, have new experiences and enjoy the places other people have fallen in love with.

Once you start checking out housesitting opportunities on Workaway, you’ll soon find out that it usually isn’t the house that you have to think about – your responsibility is really for the pets. Of course Workaway hosts want someone who will care for their home, but mostly they want your loving care and undivided attention to go to their beloved pets, or possibly their precious plants. It’s important to know this before embarking on your adventure and to think about the implications of this responsibility. And there may be other aspects of house sitting that don’t suit you.

What are the disadvantages of house sitting?

• You have a responsibility to the pets – this will restrict your lifestyle. Forget overnight trips, you’ve got to be home in the morning to feed the dogs and take them for their walkies.
• Things may be a little quiet – you are likely to be visiting off-season, since that is when home owners will be choosing to travel. Think about the weather and seasonal closures and make sure you are ready to enjoy the delights of a cold and deserted beach resort.
• Things will go wrong – you might need to fix a broken shower, look after a sick animal, sort out a power failure, get to distant shops without a car to stock up on heavy tins of dog or cat food… It’s all your responsibility and there may not be anyone to help you.
• It’s not completely free – you might have some expenses, depending on your agreement with your host: groceries perhaps, bus fares and meals out for sure. Remember to discuss these things in advance – you’ll be saving your host a lot of money, because cat and dog kennels are expensive, so utilities should be paid for by the homeowner. But what about your food? And what happens if their pet needs a trip to the vet? Settle this in advance.
• The big unknown – you won’t know what the owner’s house or neighbours are like until you get there… Check out photos, look at maps, have a Skype or phone call and ask lots of questions before you commit yourself!
• You’ll need to be flexible and competent – no matter how good the instructions are there will be things you have to figure out for yourself. Try to have a few days overlap with your host to get to know the house before you are left to your own devices. And if you’ve never lived alone, this is probably not the time to start trying it out.
• Difficult pets – even if you love animals there are some that may try your patience!
• Isolation – house sitting is very different to staying in a hostel, where you’re surrounded by other travellers all the time. It’s also different to other volunteering opportunities where your host and even other volunteers will be around at mealtimes and in the evenings. If you’re travelling alone and want to socialise and make friends, house sitting may not be the perfect volunteering opportunity for you. However if you and your partner want to settle down to some intimacy for a week or two, it might be just the thing!

So you’ve heard stories of people house sitting in amazing properties rent-free. And after reading the pros and cons of house sitting, you're interested in trying it for yourself. Here are some tips for finding house sitting opportunities on Workaway and some FAQ about house sitting.

How to find a house sitting opportunity on Workaway – the next steps

Workaway is the world’s leading community for volunteering and cultural exchange. Lone travellers will find plenty of opportunities to meet and connect with the locals, but Workaway also offers many opportunities for couples, friends and families. Workaway has more than 50,000 opportunities and many of them are looking for house sitters – this is the perfect way to make travelling affordable anywhere in the world, or to allow you to travel for longer. Whether you want to visit coastal paradises, inland cities or farms, or get right off the beaten track and immerse yourself in wild nature and local life, the perfect host is waiting to hear from you. It doesn’t matter whether you are exploring during your summer holidays, or seeking a gap year adventure, the volunteering opportunities are almost unlimited and will guarantee you have the time of your life.

Like other volunteering opportunities, Workaway house sitters save money on accommodation, while traveling on vacation, or when living nomadically. House sitters can experience living like locals in different countries and cultures around the world, for anything from a few days to several months, or sometimes even longer. Although there is not a separate list of hosts looking for house sitters, there are plenty of house sitting opportunities available all over the world that can be found on the Workaway site. When using the Workaway search tool, just enter “house sitting” in the text box on the host search page and start choosing from hundreds of hosts currently looking for house sitters all over the world. Some of these are one-offs but others are more regular, since ex-pats often return to their mother countries regularly to visit family members.

Who can become a Workaway house sitter?

If you’re very young, or look like a violent criminal, you’re probably going to find it hard to get a place! But if you’re responsible, trustworthy and a genuine animal lover, you stand a good chance of becoming a house sitter.

Competition can be steep, as many volunteers like the idea of some independent time and more and more people are learning about the money-saving benefits of house sitting. So when you write to your host looking for a house sitting opportunity, make sure you give enough information to inspire confidence. It will help if you can offer a testimonial or reference, and don’t forget to ask Workaway hosts that you’ve already stayed with to give you a review.

Remember, although all volunteering opportunities are based on trust and part of the sharing economy, house sitting involves even more trust than usual, because you will be left in charge of the owner’s beloved home and animals.

How long do Workaway house sits last?

House sits can last from a couple of weeks to a few months. Usually they cover people’s holidays, so one to two weeks is common.

Do Workaway house sitters supply their own food and household items?

This will depend on your agreement. Some hosts will provide your food, but others will expect you to do your own shopping. Make sure you discuss this. Pet food should obviously be paid for by the house owner, and the owner should also make sure items like toilet paper, cleaning sprays, clean cloths and dishwasher tablets are fully stocked up before the house sit begins.

Do Workaway house sitters need their own car?

It isn’t essential to have your own car, but you might find it difficult to live without one in a remote location. Ask your host about public transport and shops before committing yourself to a house sit.

Does the volunteer house sitter need to clean the house?

Again this will depend on the agreement you make with your host. The house owner’s main concern is usually the welfare of their pets, but it would be very strange behaviour to stay in someone’s house and leave it dirty. If you haven’t agreed to do more, then a basic clean up is advisable before the owners return. If you’ve been sleeping in the owner’s bed, it’s also nice to wash the sheets and make the bed for them, especially if they’ll be getting back at night. Both the house owner and sitter should leave the home clean for each other out of basic courtesy. And remember, if you get good reviews, you will find it easier to get other house sitting opportunities!

What jobs will you have to do as a volunteer house sitter?

House sitting duties vary hugely from job to job; you could have an easy-maintenance cat that just needs dry food and water topping up (quite rare though), or a whole zoo of animals that require medication, multiple walks and even special meals, along with a list of household jobs.

Volunteer house sitting and healthcare

If you are planning to visit any country as a volunteer and not as a tourist, you must have the correct visa. To find out about the latest requirements, you need to contact the Embassy in your home country before travelling. And please don’t forget to take out appropriate insurance to make sure you qualify for healthcare!

House sitting can be a fantastic way to travel and to get to know a new place at a low cost. For house owners, it’s a brilliant way to keep their pets happy while they’re away. If you’re ready to expect the unexpected, enjoy someone else’s home and kitchen and love someone else’s animals, then house sitting could be perfect for you. Why wait any longer? Join Workaway and get planning your trip! And once you’re there, making yourself at home, remember to get out and visit the area as much as possible – you’re still a traveller after all!