For most, accomodation is the biggest expense (flights aside) when we travel. So what if I told you, you could get free accomodation, and good accomodation at that.
Here are two ways you can get FREE accomodation all over the world!
Workaways
Workaways is a platform that connects hosts with workers – the idea is you work for a set amount of hours per week in exchange for free accommodation or board. Easy right?
Pros of Workaways:
➕ there are a lot of opportunities all over the world
➕ you can experience life like a local
➕ the opportunity to meet new people
Cons of Workaways:
➖ you usually have to work 4 – 5 hours a day
➖ there is a $44/year fee to join the platform
➖depending on the Workaway you could be in a dorm room or sharing space with others
The jobs and hosts vary widely from marketing and video editing to farming and teaching – the list is endless and so are the country’s you can work in.
Tips & considerations for using Workaways
- This is an amazing opportunity for anyone wanting to travel long term and save some $$ BUT if you’re working online (like us) with a decent workload you’ll need to weigh up if it’s worth it for you. Doing 15 – 20 hours per week for your hosts and then a regular workload can be tough going and leaves little time for exploring.
- Just like any job, you want to put your best foot forward but always be open and honest.
- Be flexible. If you’ve got a set destination and timeframe in mind you’ll be narrowing your possibilities a lot and could miss out on some great opportunities.
- Reviews are Workaway currency. Just like most things online today, a glowing review can really help you seal the deal so be prepared to take some opportunities that may not be your ‘ideal’ situation to build up your profile.
Another option is…
House Sitting
House sitting is a type of volunteering where a volunteer stays in an owner’s home while they are away on holiday or traveling.
With housesitting you are almost always actually PETsitting so you will have responsibilities but it’s usually less of a time commitment than Workaways
Pros of housesitting:
➕ also opportunities all over the world although we’ve seen limited opportunities in South America
➕ you generally don’t have to work other than looking after pets, gardens and the home
➕ usually you’ll have the whole place to yourself
Cons of housesitting:
➖ if you don’t like pets this isn’t for you
➖ you need to be home to look after the animals so can’t get so big/long day trips
➖ the subscription fee is $119/year
➖ can be isolating being on your own
Tips & considerations for using House Sitting
Be transparent. Like Workaway, reviews are super important for a house-sitter. Being honest and make sure you are upfront about any time you may need to spend away from the home and/or pets you’re supposed to be watching goes a long way.
Stay in communication and be open to meeting your hosts before you sit that start. That could mean arriving a day early in your house sit city or location. By setting up a meet and greet before your trip, you can make sure you both feel comfortable with each other. During the stay, should anything come up that either of you need to address, be sure to contact the other party as soon as possible. It’s also a good idea to enter into a pet sitting contract to ensure both sides respect each other’s needs and wishes while they are separate.
Think about what you are willing to do in exchange for free accomodation in someones home. Pets will often have strict routines, need medication, exercise etc so if you aren’t comfortable with the requirements it’s probably not for you as tempting as it may be to ‘give it a go’.
