Housing. How to live abroad for free

I want to change the situation, live for free in a new place and get acquainted with interesting people? Try Housing.

Housing has repeatedly tried Nikita and Nastya to themselves, who went in a world journey in September 2013. The experience of these guys do not take, and they gladly share them with their readers. In his blog, they describe in detail the adventures, and today will tell us what is Housing. Where to start how to see not only the pros, but also there are a cons (and they still have), where to look for hosts (house owners).

So, the word connoisseurs!

What is Housing

Probably, no one will be difficult to solve the essence of the phenomenon in its name. Housing – This is a deal in which one side needs a caretaker for his home (with animals or garden, for example). And the other – conditionally free accommodation in a particular place.

Housing is official and unofficial. In the first case, it is called "House sitting" &# 8211; People find each other more often on recommendations, but via the Internet, with the help of special sites (their list you will find below), and internally they are not familiar. In this case, both parties are interested at least in neutral relations. Rules and conditions are negotiated immediately. And Housesitters, and household owners (hosts) are interested in positive reviews, so it’s easier to behave, as diplomacy in such respects is more.

In the second case, all the same, only the term no one uses. And this, oddly enough, abolishes some useful rules. People who need a care for the house, just polish friends and acquaintances. There are rules, but they are blurred (both parties think "Well, how to refuse to friends (friends of friends)?"). Personal attitude and evaluation, often subjective. The case in which there is a lot of feelings, is dangerous to end with mutual resentment. And the good end will most likely be only in the case of the decency of the parties or the presence of love (if the friendship is real).

In the second case – unofficial hauseing – it is worth agree only if you know the people well enough people who are invited to you. Remember, look at the house – this is a job. Especially in someone else’s country (in some countries it is easier, and in some more difficult). If the house inhabited by numerous animals, at the same time it has, for example, the garden, if your day is scheduled for the clock – not the best way to think only about friendship (acquaintance), you need to resist the risks, labor costs and staging all the conditions in advance by moving personal sympathy to owners. It was my first experience (not successful, but, let’s say, useful) made skeptically and with fear treat a nikitin idea to take advantage of a similar opportunity in our journey.

Now I am already grateful to Nikita that he pushed my fears, and we plunged into the so-called "official haouseing". Our experience of cooperation turned out to be more than positive.

Family couple we found on one of the websites, looking for Sitters for life on the island part of the province of Bocas Del Toro in Panama. I must say, we are those still adventurers! Description of the house on the island with three dogs, to get to which you can only boat, we grow out. A little disturbed only one fact – shortly before our arrival in place we were informed that the first two weeks would be more couples of children from Spain. We were notified that if we don’t get away for the test week, the guys will go further.
We still do not know how it was necessary to come correctly. On the one hand, the house is large, the island is on the removal and, of course, to live in four of them purely logically safer. On the other hand, the concept of "care for the house" is all understood in different ways and from these differences can be quickly tired, especially if they have nowhere to walk. But, no matter how it was, we consciously decided to stay with guys. And only at the end of the experience understood that they could wonder without them. Although it was interesting to get acquainted with the guys from Valencia!

Step 1. Registration on Housing sites

So, the start of any "official" volunteer is a profile on specialized sites.
Registration and compilation of the questionnaire, as a rule, paid. Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with the specifics of each site before paying registration.

1. housecarers.COM is the oldest of the sites dedicated to Housing. Works since 2000. Very interesting offers. Many people know and enjoy. Subscription cost $ 50.

2. TrustedHousesitters.COM site specializing in HausSitter. Very much luxery-suggestions like: Slit for two dogs in a hefty villa in France or in a country cottage by the sea in California. Many suggestions for the whole world, especially for the USA, Australia and Europe. Use costs $ 9.49USD per month. If you take the average cost in the world for the bedsomest in the hostel on the day, then the cost of using this site will pay off on the very first day of your stay on whose villa.

3. Helpx.NET – registration is free, but to gain access to the contact data of the hosts, you need to pay a 2-year subscription for € 19 or US $ 26 or £ 17 by PayPal.
Site one of the oldest among volunteer projects. There are a lot of suggestions for the exchange of housing to work + food, but there are also offers for HausSinging, there is among what to choose. Often those who are looking for volunteers forget to update the profile or delete the search page, and they continue to write. But they do not answer. In this case, it is convenient to use the search for new proposals.
Another convenient tool is searching on the map where you can immediately see where the host is about how far from you, the sea or in the mountains.
Through Helpix we worked in Australia and in the US.

4. Workaway.INFO – Site Poneee than Helpix. Many interesting suggestions, but also a lot and those who are looking for a job, will need to compete for the place. The service is becoming more and more popular.
Registration for a pair (if you travel and work together) is 38 USD, for solo 29 USD. Payment also via PayPal.

5. Workingtraveller.COM – pretty new site. Registration and use free. You can immediately see on the map, is there a host in the required region. Of the minuses, only a small number of proposals in specific regions of the type of Central or South America.

We are registered on several services and when we are looking for options, make it a maximum to choose the most interesting place.

If you have ever arranged to work and accounted for a resume, then follow the same rules (how to work a dream). Write about yourself everything is most honest, I do not miss any dignity 🙂 Live text attracts good! Do not hide your hobbies and skills, like skill skills, skills to draw, love for animals, hikes and mountains, skills to build or care for the garden. The most important thing is to keep honesty (do not take on what you can actually do), to be open and friendly. Most often, look at the house necessary because of animals living in it. If you did not happen to this earlier, animals need to love.

Step 2. Mailing request

And so, there was a vacancy that seems to you suitable. It’s just the very beginning of the way. Quite often "satisfying" the need for volunteer, the status of the sentence just forget to change. Therefore, you should not write one request and expect the answer to weeks. It is necessary to find (depending on how much it you need) as many sentences as possible, and write to all. The procedure is worth repeating at least once a day. Good offers are flying very quickly!

Step 3. Select option

You have a few positive answers, and you break your head as you choose. Keep in mind that in seventy percent cases there are lining, "non-promotion" and "misunderstandings". Unfortunately, our and not only our experience shows that an unexpected refusal or the inclusion of the "freezing" regime of negotiations is common practice. At that end, as well as you are interested in the best option, and, unfortunately, everything is solved without sublimation (and sometimes just a non-ultimate – silence). At this stage, the most important to identify the most reliable vacancies, especially if the direction of the path (tickets, the intersection of boundaries and T.NS.) Of course, it is worth watching circumstances, remember that there are also people who are not worth throwing or bringing. It is necessary to find a balance, and remain as long as possible in touch with the maximum number of applicants. If in the selected option to be confident to the end is impossible, it is better to have a couple of unclosed vacancies.

Disagreement of living conditions, supervision conditions, rules – stands still in correspondence. Maximize all the important questions for you. For example, some houses cannot be removed for a day, or other volunteers will also be considered at home.

Step 4. Personal meeting

At a personal meeting, you can follow intuition and common sense. If you feel that on the other hand, a complex character, a special perception of the world or something else, and you certainly want to stay – do not hesitate to find out everything to the end. Do not hesitate or do not refuse to draw up a contract (if you are offered, or you will be so calmer). As a rule, for the owners of the house, to leave other people’s lovers with loved animals – this is also a big adventure. Those who agree to her, exactly as you are interested in justice, confidence and tranquility.

It is worth remembering that animals and the house left for you are a big responsibility. The very phenomenon of Housing is vividly due to the realization of this responsibility, it gives rise to confidence.

It is worth agreeing in advance about Test week, If the place has features. For example, we arrived a week before the owners departure to get a full-fledged briefing in the life in Mangri (somewhere in the middle of anywhere), as well as the use of a motor boat. Especially, the test week is good if you need to look after living.

Best before the departure of the hosts to ask as many questions as possible, and write out the answers not to write out 🙂

Do not be afraid of difficulties!

In principle, as soon as you got involved in this case, proceed as the heart prompts and dictates the situation. Keep decency so that this wonderful idea is not bent and continued to develop, but at the same time remember that it is worth considering exactly the number of cases that you can cope. Housitting is also a job. But for this work you will get something more than money.