If one good thing came from COVID, it’s the long-awaited death of office culture. It’s 2023, and people are realising there’s more to life than spending hours commuting to a soulless city box. Luckily, many companies are recognising this change, but unfortunately, the industry I worked in (property) is predictably old-fashioned. So I quit. I realised I don’t want another 9-5; I want to focus on copywriting and get out of London. And so began my hastily concocted budget travel plan.
My number one aim is to travel on a budget. I am travelling around Europe, which is not necessarily a cheap continent, but is a good place to start as a solo female traveller, and easy for my girlfriend to visit me. Accommodation is one of the highest travel costs, and although hostels are a great way to meet new people, they can be draining long-term. Luckily, I’ve been able to arrange nearly a month of accommodation, staying in entire houses or apartments, for free!
How to travel without paying for accommodation
When I lived in New Zealand, I stumbled across house-sitting. I could stay in people’s houses, for free, in exchange for looking after their homes and pet(s). I love animals, so this was a win-win situation. My first sit was over Christmas in a beautiful former summer camp in the Northland countryside; I cared for the sweetest blind and deaf dog, a cat, and a herd of sheep and cows. It was an incredible experience. I only sat a few times in New Zealand, including a month-long sit while I was working in Wellington, which saved me in-between flat rentals, but I realised it was an excellent way to facilitate travelling on a budget.
Fast forward a few years and I re-discovered Trusted Housesitters, the platform for finding free accommodation or pet care worldwide. They have thousands of sits available; popular locations are the US, the UK, and Australia, but they have a good selection across Europe as well as areas in South America and Asia. A year membership is £129 which enables full access to unlimited worldwide sits and includes accident and liability insurance, video calls with vets, and customer support. They even offer a money-back guarantee if you don’t have a sit confirmed after five applications.
How I planned my trip
I want to travel where I’ve not been before but didn’t have specific locations in mind, so I looked at all sits in Europe and started applying. Tip: you’re more likely to secure a sit if you have references. I have worked with dogs and have external references, but these could also be character references or from family and friends; you’ve walked your cousin’s dog? Great, get them to write you a recommendation.
After a couple of applications, I confirmed my first sit in Luxembourg caring for two dogs, and from there, I looked at areas I could reach by interrail. It does take some logistical planning, but I found there were enough sits to cover nearly a month of travel. I have currently planned to travel from 3rd April – 2nd May, and I only have a three-day gap and a couple of separate nights in-between sits. As well as Luxembourg, I have sits confirmed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Germany, Geneva – Switzerland, and Ronda – Spain.
Additional budget travel tips
To keep costs as low as possible, I recommend:
- Enjoy free activities. Hike, swim in the ocean, explore the area and take in the sites. Many cities have free entry to museums or other attractions. Obviously, you’ll need to spend some money on activities, if you want to and can afford to do something you should! But it’s all about balance; enjoy the free things too.
- Buy groceries and cook your meals, take packed lunches out on day trips. This is another great thing about sitting through Trusted Housesitters; you will have access to a kitchen.
- Research cheap restaurants when you do want to eat out, street food or markets are always a good shout. Talk to locals for recommendations.
- Walk as much as possible. This is also the best way to experience a new area and see things you might otherwise miss.
- If you can’t walk, take public transport. Avoid taxis if you can.
- This is Europe-specific, but get an interrail pass! Their youth pass is for 12-27 year olds and there are different travel options. I got five days of travel for €223, and you can take as many trains/buses as you need in one day.
- To end on an obvious one, keep track of what you’re spending! Whether you allocate costs daily, weekly, or by location, you need to know if you’re travelling within your budget.
I was extremely pleased to discover this site. I wanted to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to look at new stuff on your blog.
Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed my posts! New stuff coming soon!