Note: This page contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through these links, we may receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. You can read more about our affiliate partnerships on our policy page.

how to stay anywhere for free

august 26, 2020

If you love to travel, you already know that lodging can represent a big chunk of your total spending on any given trip. Even if you’re a solo budget traveler and willing to stay in a barebones hostel, those nightly charges can start to add up quickly.

Well, what if we I told you that there are some very clever nomads out there who have figured out how to stay anywhere for free?

It’s sort of hard to believe, but it’s true. Whether you’re traveling alone, with children or pets, and/or you’re a couple, there’s a vast network of tools you can investigate to make your biggest travel dreams a reality.

1. House Sitting

Basically speaking, house sitting is exactly what it sounds like. You’re hired to take care of another person or family’s home while they’re away. Sound easy? It can be, but you’re still being hired for key responsibilities while that homeowner is away. In a lot of cases, you’re not just taking care of the home itself, but you’re being asked to care for pets, plants, a yard, and any other household maintenance.

Despite all that, house sitting can pay off in BIG ways.

Think of the last vacation you went on for at least a week. Unless you redeemed reward points, stayed with a friend, or hit the lottery, you most likely spent at least some of your hard-earned money on lodging. House sitting is another tool to consider when planning travel that can help you lessen or avoid those lodging costs altogether.

Unfortunately, house sitting is no longer the well-kept secret that it once was. There are entire magazines, blogs, and websites all dedicated to understanding the process, providing resources, and matching potential house sitters with property owners all over the world.

On the plus side, there are endless opportunities out there to house sit. At the same time, the amount of willing and competitive house sitters is equally exploding as is the amount of information, leaving the newbie house sitter with quite a lot to learn.

The most prevalent way to start house sitting is to set up a profile on one or more of the popular house sitting websites. TrustedHousesitters, House Sitters America, HouseCarers, Nomador, and Mind My House are all industry leaders. Users select house-sitting jobs to apply for based on their availability and destination of choice. In some cases, house sitters are paid, especially if pet care is involved. Other times, it’s an even exchange, meaning your compensation for services is staying in the home for free.

The caveat? Applying to become a house sitter on these sites isn’t entirely free. Apart from Nomador, which has a free option to start, you’ll pay an annual fee to create a profile and apply for house sits on each website. How much? The range is pretty big, between $20 and $100 and up, per website.

Still, if you’re in a remote work position, and/or you’re flexible with when and where you go, house sitting can be a great way to see the world while cutting out some of these lodging costs.

2. Home Swaps

Another way to travel and stay for free is through the advent of home swapping sites. Like house sitting, there are many websites dedicated to pairing travel seekers with homes that are available for swap by exact date, future dates, or through a flexible point system. HomeExchange and Love Home Swap are just a few of the industry leaders. And just like house-sitting websites, they charge an annual fee to use their service.

Dreaming of a trip to Hawaii? Instead of dropping several thousand on a vacation home, you can swap yours with another family. Need a car? Some of the home swaps include that too.

If you’re considering home swapping, it’s important to read all of the insurance stipulations first.

All in all, home swapping can be a great consideration, especially if you’re traveling quite a bit already. Why? While your gone, you can list your residence and earn points, which can then be redeemed for stays around the world.

3. Couch-surfing

Couch-surfing. It’s not just a retro term anymore. All the cool kids are doing it, and we mean that somewhat literally.

Did you know that there are whole online platforms dedicated to connecting travelers with simple accommodations like spare bedrooms, inflatable mattresses, and couches? Well, it’s a thing, and savvy nomads are crossing borders all over the world simply by way of the curious-cool generosity of others.

Couchsurfing, Trustroots, and BeWelcome are just a few places to start when exploring these free travel options. These are community-driven social networks and organizations focused on connecting travelers and hosts.

Create a profile, share your travel dreams, and search for potential hosts in the cities you’d like to visit. It’s pretty much that simple. There’s even a community for bicycle tourists, Warm Showers, for cycle enthusiasts and those who support them.

And these are hardly small or niche networks. Warm Showers, for example, boasts 155,049 members and 94,965 hosts in 161 countries. Pretty impressive.

While we love producing our own content, we also love discovering the work of the many talented creators out there and sharing them with you. But unlike many website owners who simply pluck (and I guess we mean steal) images and content from other sites, we are strongly against this. We believe it’s important to pay for the hard work that these artists do, and we want to champion a greater message around this. 

If you’re a content curator, web designer, blogger or online publisher, and you’re looking for a better solution for stock images and creative assets, we encourage you try Adobe Stock. They have a really cool intro offer where you receive 10 Adobe Stock images for free! And you get to keep those assets even if you cancel your 30-day free trial, which is pretty awesome if you ask me.