I'm a house sitter and I stay for free at amazing places around the world
My partner Nick and I spent last Easter on a farm in a Cotswold village. We read books, had lunch on the terrace and took long walks along the paths between the fields of canary yellow rapeseed. With an aga, original artwork and a private bathroom with roll-top bath, this limestone mansion would have cost thousands of dollars to rent, especially over the Easter holidays. But we stayed for free, in exchange for looking after the owners' friendly cocker spaniels, a long-haired cat and the children's hamster, while the family went skiing in the Alps.
We landed this amazing break thanks to Trusted Housesitters, a website that connects homeowners with housekeepers around the world (£99 membership for a year). House Sitters UK offers a similar service, but only covers that country (£29 per year). Unsurprisingly given the state of the economy, companies offering babysitting services are reporting a boom this year. Trusted House Sitters saw a 130% increase in new members compared to 2019, and owners more than doubled the number of applications for UK sitters.
We We discovered Trusted Housesitters in the summer of 2013 when Nick quit his job and we decided to leave our London flat and go on a road trip for a while. Money was tight so we had to get creative and decided to give babysitting a try. Creating a profile detailing our animal, gardening, and domestic experience, we posted it, along with some energetic photos of ourselves among the poppies in Italy, and got our fingers crossed.
We didn't have to wait long. We were quickly contacted by Rachel and Frank, who were desperate to make a break from their smallholding in County Wicklow, Ireland (and were perhaps convinced by my time as a jillaroo at a sheep station in Australia) We were greeted by excited sheepdogs and introduced to their chickens, ducks (which produced fresh eggs each morning), pet sheep and a tabby cat called Bruiser.Sunny days were spent with the dogs – picking big blackberries, walking in the Wicklow mountains and swimming among the seals at Clogga Cove We were hooked and realized the house sitter could help travel on a budget.
Seats have included a three-story townhouse in London and a lakeside pad in Montreux, Switzerland, and we finished our year caring for two Labrador crosses at a farmhouse on the Isle of Lewis. It was a magical journey: we explored the atmospheric standing stones of Calanais, picnicked on wild beaches where Vikings once landed (and where we saw a whale carcass eaten by crows), and watched porpoises leap from a glassy sea.
Nearly a decade later, we are still housesitting. Nick retrained as a teacher, and we've moved to the UK, and sometimes overseas, during school holidays when accommodation is at its most expensive (and the need for babysitters the greatest) . Although getting...
My partner Nick and I spent last Easter on a farm in a Cotswold village. We read books, had lunch on the terrace and took long walks along the paths between the fields of canary yellow rapeseed. With an aga, original artwork and a private bathroom with roll-top bath, this limestone mansion would have cost thousands of dollars to rent, especially over the Easter holidays. But we stayed for free, in exchange for looking after the owners' friendly cocker spaniels, a long-haired cat and the children's hamster, while the family went skiing in the Alps.
We landed this amazing break thanks to Trusted Housesitters, a website that connects homeowners with housekeepers around the world (£99 membership for a year). House Sitters UK offers a similar service, but only covers that country (£29 per year). Unsurprisingly given the state of the economy, companies offering babysitting services are reporting a boom this year. Trusted House Sitters saw a 130% increase in new members compared to 2019, and owners more than doubled the number of applications for UK sitters.
We We discovered Trusted Housesitters in the summer of 2013 when Nick quit his job and we decided to leave our London flat and go on a road trip for a while. Money was tight so we had to get creative and decided to give babysitting a try. Creating a profile detailing our animal, gardening, and domestic experience, we posted it, along with some energetic photos of ourselves among the poppies in Italy, and got our fingers crossed.
We didn't have to wait long. We were quickly contacted by Rachel and Frank, who were desperate to make a break from their smallholding in County Wicklow, Ireland (and were perhaps convinced by my time as a jillaroo at a sheep station in Australia) We were greeted by excited sheepdogs and introduced to their chickens, ducks (which produced fresh eggs each morning), pet sheep and a tabby cat called Bruiser.Sunny days were spent with the dogs – picking big blackberries, walking in the Wicklow mountains and swimming among the seals at Clogga Cove We were hooked and realized the house sitter could help travel on a budget.
Seats have included a three-story townhouse in London and a lakeside pad in Montreux, Switzerland, and we finished our year caring for two Labrador crosses at a farmhouse on the Isle of Lewis. It was a magical journey: we explored the atmospheric standing stones of Calanais, picnicked on wild beaches where Vikings once landed (and where we saw a whale carcass eaten by crows), and watched porpoises leap from a glassy sea.
Nearly a decade later, we are still housesitting. Nick retrained as a teacher, and we've moved to the UK, and sometimes overseas, during school holidays when accommodation is at its most expensive (and the need for babysitters the greatest) . Although getting...
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