It's no surprise that the cost of travel is rising. A report from travel insurance provider Squaremouth found that Travelers planned to spend nearly $10,000 on average for their summer 2024 travel. This figure, attributed to both rising travel costs and inflation, reflects an increase of 7% compared to summer 2023 travel spending and 14% compared to 2022.
To combat sky-high airfares and other rising travel costs, travelers are learning to travel on a budget when visiting other cities and countries. That’s where platforms like TrustedHousesitters, HomeExchange, Workaway, and Worldpackers come in. These companies offer people ways to travel while providing house-sitting, pet-sitting, or other work in exchange for free accommodation.
The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic digital nomads has also contributed to the popularity of these programs. Those who want to travel and work remotely can get accommodation while offering house-sitting or pet-sitting services.
While some programs appeal to young people looking to travel for a gap year, others are popular with budget-conscious retirees. There are even home exchange programs that appeal to families looking to spend an extended period abroad.
How to Travel on a Budget with Home Exchange, House Sitting and Pet Sitter Programs
Home exchange
When Karlyn Owen was looking for someone to care for her cat while she traveled last summer, she turned to Home exchange. While she initially thought HomeExchange only operated on a direct exchange model, Owen learned that wasn’t the case. “I discovered that you don’t have to exchange homes directly,” she explains. “Instead, you can use the points you earn to stay in other people’s homes for free.”
HomeExchange members pay an annual fee of $220 to offer their home for exchange. Once you've added your home and available dates, you can search for exchange options. These can be reciprocal exchanges, where families directly exchange their homes, or one-way exchanges, where you're offered GuestPoints in exchange for hosting someone in your home.
While Owen is camping and traveling with her son, she lists her Los Angeles home and gets a lot of interest from visitors who want to stay in the popular location. This has allowed her to accumulate over 2,000 GuestPoints that she can then use for future stays on the platform. Owen and her son have used their HomeExchange points to stay in places like Seattle, Big Bear, and Mammoth, and she finds that last-minute bookings are sometimes more successful than trying to plan a trip months in advance.
Jean and Michael, two HomeExchange superusers, decided to join the program because of their passion for travel. “We were looking for a more affordable option than staying in hotels or rental apartments,” they explain. “While we are still tourists, we love the idea of living like a local in their community. And of course, having extra space, as well as cooking and laundry facilities, is a huge plus! These savings allow us to travel more often to more places around the world.”
Over the past ten years, Jean and Michael have participated in 65 exchanges through the program, staying in homes in 15 countries on six continents and hosting people from all over the world in their homes during their travels.
“We met wonderful people from all over the world who shared their beautiful homes and welcomed us with joy. We are still in touch with many of them,” they say. “We had grateful guests in our home who always took care of our home as if it were their own. And many of them left us thoughtful gifts that we cherish, including a beautiful drawing of our landscaping and birds.”
Trusted House Sitters
Trusted House Sitters has 180,000 members worldwide, in over 130 countries. Through this program, people hire verified pet sitters to stay in their homes and care for their dogs, cats, chickens and other pets while they are away. This allows pet owners to travel without having to worry about their four-legged friends at home, and allows pet sitters to stay in a new place without accommodation costs.
The TrustedHousesitters platform is used by all sorts of people, from twentysomething digital nomads to retirees looking to travel after their kids leave. The platform also has a large contingent of female travelers who use TrustedHousesitters to safely travel alone.
Bernadine Swale joined TrustedHousesitters after her divorce and retirement because she was looking for a way to live like a local in another country while keeping expenses down. “As a single woman, safety is my number one priority,” says Swale. “With TrustedHousesitters, I know I’m staying in a home within the community, rather than just being a tourist number in a hotel.”
Pet owners and sitters pay an annual fee to sign up with TrustedHousesitters. A pet owner posts dates when looking for a sitter, and can then contact verified and rated sitters or wait for sitters to contact them. Some plan levels also provide access to 24/7 veterinary advice via a helpline, adding extra peace of mind.
Additional home exchange, house sitting and pet sitting services
While HomeExchange and TrustedHousesitters are the most popular programs, there are a number of other options that allow homeowners to connect with house and pet sitters. These programs may have smaller databases, but their rates are generally lower. They may also offer different opportunities and countries that other platforms don’t.
- MindMyHouse: This platform offers house sitting and pet sitting services for an annual fee of $29.
- Nomadism: Most of the available house sitting offers are located in France, although the platform is international. Nomador also offers a three-month Discovery plan for around $32, if you want to try it out.
- House Sitters in America: This service is only available in the United States. Sitters pay $49 per year to register on the site and can choose to charge a pet sitting fee if they wish. Owners can post a listing for free.
- House Guard Match: This platform is focused on Europe, although other locations are available.
How to Travel on a Budget Using Work Exchange Programs
Travelers looking for a different experience beyond house and pet sitting can explore work exchange programs. Sometimes called “voluntourism,” these programs offer a collaborative exchange in which the host provides housing and other benefits, such as meals and access to transportation, in exchange for a limited amount of work performed by the traveler.
Hosts are looking for workers interested in everything from hosting and cleaning at hostels to gardening and helping with harvests on farms. These work exchange programs offer a culturally immersive experience, as workers have time to explore the area when they’re not working.
Remote work
“I remember working in a family vineyard in Italy for Remote work”, says Nausheen Farishta, travel expert and founder of The globetrotters“Every day was an adventure: picking grapes, learning how wine is made, and eating delicious meals with family. It was a great way to learn more about Italian culture.”
Typical Workaway plans require around five hours of work per day in exchange for room and board, but experiences vary. Guests also have the option to contact hosts before their stay to get any questions answered.
While these programs typically appeal to college-age students, they’re open to travelers of all ages. “You might run into gap-year students, digital nomads, or retirees looking for adventure,” Farishta adds. “These programs are great for anyone who wants to travel on a budget.”
Workaway doesn’t just connect hosts with interested workers, it also creates a community where travelers can meet at meetups and find others to travel with. You can sign up as an individual, or couples can group up and even bring their kids. You can also connect with a travel buddy to apply for Workaway positions together.
The Worldpackers
The Worldpackers bills itself as the “safest community to travel and volunteer,” and its users seem to agree. The program offers WP Backup This program helps travelers who have to leave a work exchange early to find a new host. It also provides reimbursement for three to fourteen nights in a shared hostel if necessary, depending on the Worldpackers plan level purchased by the traveler.
Jobs on Worldpackers aren’t limited to traditional housekeeping and maintenance jobs. For example, you can find positions where the host is looking for someone to build a website for their business and create social media content. Tour guides, yoga teachers, and language teachers can also find a variety of jobs on Worldpackers.
Other work exchange programs
Workaway and Worldpackers are the most popular programs for professional exchanges, but you can also find other programs with more specific goals. Global Opportunities in Organic Farms is a platform that connects farmers with workers who share their passion for sustainable agriculture. Hostel Jobs allows workers to post their profiles to connect with hostel managers looking for help. Additionally, HelpX, Work and travel globally And Hippohelp offer a variety of other work exchange opportunities.
Photo by Jaromir Chalabala/Courtesy of Shutterstock.com
