Housesitting. In Italy. Magnifico!
Regular followers of this blog and our podcast will know we are no strangers to housesitting.
We spent three months housesitting around Europe when we travelled the world with the kids for a year.
From there, we were hooked, and in the last five years (both as a family and as a couple), we have clocked up twenty-seven housesits worldwide.
It’s official.
We are now professional housesitters.
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Housesitting in Italy. How (we) Travel The World For Free
We are currently in Porto Santo Stefano in Tuscany, Italy.
We are staying here for six weeks, and guess what?? It isn’t costing us a penny. Not a cent. Not even a Euro. Nothing.
Why?
Because we are housesitting. It was one of the housesitting positions that came through in our email, and (obviously) we jumped at it.
Why Housesitting?
Housesitting is (without a doubt) one of our secrets to how we afford to travel the world. We LOVE it.
As I said earlier, we started to housesit when we travelled the world with our teenagers for a year.
We were on a very tight budget – you can read about our hilarious adventurers in my latest book, The Travel Bog Diaries (cheeky plug!), and housesitting was a fabulous way to see the world without breaking the bank.
We went to 37 countries in total, including Italy.
While I could give you plenty of Italy travel tips, there is nothing more valuable I can think of to share with you than the experience of house sitting.
Are there any Downsides to Housesitting?
Of course.
Caring for people’s homes and pets isn’t all a bed of roses.
Far from it.
There are many housesitting pros and cons, and you MUST do your homework before committing.
But.
If you are willing to step out of the box and long to see Italy (and many other of the most beautiful places in the world), then housesitting may be perfect for you.
Would you like to do the same? Would you like to know the inside secrets of Housesitting? Keep reading!
Use This Link For The BEST Housesitting Discount:
Sign up to TrustedHousesitters HERE to get your 25% discount!
Housesitting in Italy Podcast. How to Travel The World For Free
Listen to the podcast below while you read, and we will reveal everything we know about our favourite topic of conversation – Housesitting!
Why we LOVE Housesitting (and you will too!)
The first thing we get asked when we tell people about housesitting in Italy is, ‘which company do you use?’.
Housesitting Companies
You only have to type into Google housesitting companies, and a ton of names will appear.
However, there is only one company we use, love and trust: TrustedHousesitters.
Those serious about knowing more can read my trustedHousesitters review, and you’ll never ask another question again!
Housesitting in Europe so Far…
So far on this trip, thanks to TrustedHousesitters, we have housesat a cat in a beautiful old mill in Normandy, a dog in an ancient Chateaux in the Loire Valley, and now here we are…looking after a very laid-back and friendly pussy cat in Tuscany, Italy.
In an Italian home with million-dollar views of the Mediterranean.
Mamma Mia!
Want to try Housesitting? Use This Link For a 25% Housesitting Discount:
Sign up for TrustedHousesitters and use my exclusive discount code to save yourself a WHOPPING 25% on HOUSESITTING membership by clicking here.
How Housesitting Works
While there are a few definitions of housesitting, my explanation will hopefully be simple:
House sitters provide pet and home care in exchange for accommodation. Neither house sitter nor pet owner pays for this exchange.
Both sitter and homeowner use a company (in our case, TrustedHousesitters).
Homeowners travel worry-free, and sitters experience some of the world’s most unique travel destinations without breaking the bank.
TrustedHousesitters gathers pet and home sitting assignments from owners around the world and presents them to YOU (the pet and home sitter).
Sign up For TrustedHousesitters (FREE!)
You hear about TrustedHousesitters through a friend or on a website. You go to the site and sign up using your email.
This part is completely free.
Once you are signed up, TrustedHousesitters will send you lists of new houses looking for pets/housesitters each week.
You can narrow your search down to each country.
So, for example, if you are only looking to do housesitting in Italy, then you will ask only to be sent houses in Italy.
Easy peasy.
Houses and Pets to Care for in Italy
Below is a typical screenshot of the housesits in Italy! Click the image to see more like this!
To give you an idea, I have also included a typical screenshot of the housesits in the USA! Click the image to see more USA houses waiting for YOU to stay in them!
Becoming a Member of TrustedHousesitters (Get ready to travel!!)
Once you get into the swing of looking at houses, you decide that you would like to go all in and become a member of TrustedHousesitters.
Being a member allows you to apply for housesits (or if you are on the other side of the housesit, look for wonderful people to come and look after your house and pets while you go on vacation).
Want to visit Italy? You chose the “houses available in Italy”. You check your dates, apply to the owner and wait to see if you are chosen.
Special 25% Discount For My Lovely Readers! Yay!
The basic membership (which is the one we use) will cost you approximately $120 a year.
Think about that.
You’ll make that fee back on your first night’s free accommodation.
Even better than that, you can join by using my exclusive discount code to save yourself 25% by Clicking here.
Remember what I said earlier? Housesitting isn’t the golden ticket to travel.
There are times when housesitting sucks, BUT if you have read my full Trustedhousesitters review, and know what is expected of you (and them), housesitting will reward you with the most amazing travel experiences you can imagine.
I promise.
Use This Link For The BEST Housesitting Discount:
Sign up to TrustedHousesitters HERE to get your 25% discount!
FAQ: What if I don’t like Animals?
A: All is not lost. Some housesit do not have any pets. Use the filter to say “no pets” if you prefer not to look after animals.
Your choices will be reduced, but it is still possible.
Would you love to stay connected and read more about how to travel? Join me!
Listen to The PODCAST NOW!:
“How We Are Staying In Tuscany For Six Weeks For FREE (And You Can TOO!)”
Want More Brilliant Podcast Episodes Like This?
Episode #1: Meeting Our Teenage Daughter. Life at 17.
Episode #2: Our Son at 20. Homeschooled. No College. Three Jobs.
Episode #3: We Met Online. The Māori Subscribers Who Changed Our Lives.
Episode #4: The REAL Reason We Left the UK.
Episode #5: When Your Daughter Quits School. Now What? With Tessa
Episode #6. Dealing With The Mistakes You Make Online
Episode #7. We’re Leaving New Zealand.
Episode #8: Why I’m Terrified to Travel.
Episode #9: How We Afford To Travel the World
Episode #10: Greece?? For a Month?? How Much Does THAT Cost??
Can’t Wait To Travel Again? Here’s Some Inspiring Content For You!
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How to Travel The World For Free. Or at Least Very, Very Cheap.
Italy Travel (Like You’ve Never Seen Before. In Your Life.)
I’ve joined housesitters but I have yet to get selected for a sit. Im curious what you put in your message to the owners?