Do you long to travel to far away places and experience as many different cultures, historic sites, beautiful scenery and interesting people as possible but think you will never be able to afford it? Maybe you have dreamed of living abroad for six months or more, or perhaps you are considering moving across the country, or even across the world, but want to try it out for a few months or even a year before making a life-changing commitment.

What if I tell you that there really is a way to be a world traveller without breaking the bank? In fact, what if I tell you that I have found a way to do it on a "poverty" budget. Really. And in some cases, I even get paid to do it!

Two years ago I would never have imagined I would see the wonderful sights and places I have experienced in just the last 14 months. Back then I was in the middle of a partnership breakdown which had turned very ugly and had burdened me with huge legal fees soaking up all my time, energy and money. Finally, unable to work and completely out of money, I was forced to rely on the charity of friends to put a roof over my head and feed me until I could sort out a solution. Without their help I would have been on the street!

I began to scour the Internet researching ways to earn an income that didn't involve any sort of monetary investment. It became apparent that I could earn at least some money writing blogs, information and review pages but it would take me many months or even years to begin to earn enough to fully support myself through my writing, and I owed it to my friends to be a least a little bit more self-sufficient now.

While browsing the Internet I happened across an article written by a British man who had given up his job to follow his dream of becoming a full time writer. Like me, his income plunged to nearly zero. One day a friend whose job often took him away on long assignments asked if he would be willing to watch his London house whilst he was away for six months. Of course he said yes, and soon word got around among his host's friends that he might be available when they were away too. Before long he found that he had enough house sitting assignments to keep a roof over his head the entire year through, and in fact, he had to turn down some requests. This man had discovered a whole new lifestyle. He had become a House Sitter.

Simply put, a house sitter is someone who lives temporarily at your home whilst you are away and watches over it as if it were their own. By watching over it I mean they attend to all the normal chores involved with making a house a home; tending the garden, taking in the mail, keeping it clean and tidy and looking lived-in so that it does not become an easy target for burglars. Some homeowners may have needs which extend beyond just the care of the house and garden, such as feeding and exercising pets or even livestock.

The length of house sitting assignments generally range from a few days to a few weeks or even a month or more. Recently, perhaps due in part to the sluggish turnover of real estate, I am seeing quite a large number of assignments of a year or more.

There has been a worldwide surge in available assignments as Homeowners everywhere begin to recognise the value of using responsible sitters to secure their homes in their absence. The availability of the internet now makes it very simple to connect homeowners with prospective sitters, no matter where the assignment may be. Several of the best directory sites are listed within this article.

For those with a sense of adventure and a desire to live a life less ordinary, becoming a house sitter can be the doorway to a new world full of change and diversity, but it is important to note that should not be seen as a business. The opportunity to live, rent free, in new and interesting places is the biggest benefit most house sitters will ever experience. And for some, especially artists, photographers, writers (like myself), the experience may well be a treasure trove of creative inspiration.

Can I Earn a Living as a House Sitter?

Probably not, but if you work it right you might be able to supplement whatever income you already have or re-distribute how your income is spent by greatly reducing your living expenses. There are those who are able to live on their income as House Sitters. These people sit full time, year round and have established themselves with their own websites or a high end agency which caters to the wealthier homeowners who actually expect to pay for your services. Rates average about £35 to £40 per day, but remember that if you are paid through an agency, only a part of this (perhaps £10 or so per day) goes to you directly. Basically, the real payment you receive is free accomodations. Any additional money you might receive is simply pocket money.

You should know that if you are just starting out or house sitting part time you will find it very difficult to find homeowners who want to pay you anything at all. The average homeowner feels that it is a fair trade that you watch their house (and usually a pet or two) and in exchange for rent free accomodations. And indeed, this will usually be an acceptable trade.

While I am on this subject let me point out that it is important to identify exactly what the needs and expectations are. If the homeowner is expecting you to feed and exercise several animals twice a day and never be gone more than 3 or 4 hours at a time, you will find that you have little time for your own enjoyment. If you don't mind giving this level of service, fine, but do charge a fair fee for it. I should mention here that because of the level of dedicated service I offer I rarely house sit for free but will consider it if the accommodations are exceptional and in a highly desirable location and there are no pets (I might make an exception with a cat).

The bottom line is that house sitting should benefit the needs of both the homeowner and the sitter!

Almost anyone can become a house sitter but there are several things to consider before taking the plunge. Freedom of movement is, of course, the most important requirement. Keep in mind that assignments are often arranged last minute, so having dependent children, significant debt, pets of your own, or a 9 to 5 on site job will not be suitable. The best candidates for the job are usually free lance workers (such as writers and website designers), have an independent income source, or are retired.

Many homeowners prefer couples as their house carers, especially when the property is large or if there are several pets to be cared for. And indeed, house sitting is particularly well suited to couples, if for no other reason than they are able to back each other up in the unlikely event of crises or illness. I have done most of my house sitting jobs alone but having a companion to share the experience with can make it a lot more fun.

Every house sitter should be in reasonably good health and have adequate medical coverage. In general, most tasks you will be doing as a house sitter are easy and require very little in the way of physical fitness. However, many assignments require light to moderate garden maintenance of some kind, and a lot of houses, especially in Europe, are quite old and very often several stories high with steep, awkward stairways, so be sure your physical fitness is at least suitable for this. If you are caring for dogs as part of your assignment you should be able to manage a brisk 20 or 30 minute walk once or twice a day with no problems.

Accidents and illness sometimes happen, even to the fittest, so make sure you have medical coverage of some sort. If you have your own medical insurance plan, check with the company to see what kind of arrangements can be made when you are out of state or country or simply buy travel coverage. It's cheap and easy to get online and will cover you for any injuries or illness while you are away.

More info coming soon, so please check back!

If you are an English speaker (and you probably are if you are reading this!) there are many places that you can travel where English is spoken and in fact, English is fairly common as a second language in most major cities throughout the world. However, if you plan to visit outside of major cities (and if you are house sitting you probably will be doing just that) it is very wise to learn at least some of the local language. When I recently spent three months in a small village in south western France I found very few people who spoke English, in fact, no one in the little village of Levignacq spoke any English at all, except for the owners of the house I was sitting. I had to do some quick learning but as I was immersed in the language for three months it was not too difficult.

There are some great online language learning programs which will help you with the basics. Check out the links in this section for my top picks.

If you are considering taking a house sitting assignment abroad be sure to check out the availability and cost of public transportation. Good public services are generally adequate only if you are in a very large town or city. I know from long experience that in the United Kingdom, bus and train services outside of major cities have deteriorated badly and can be very costly unless booked weeks in advance. A trip which by car might take two hours can easily take eight hours by bus! Though there are probably some very notable exceptions, this is the condition of public transportation in most of Europe so do your research first.

Many homeowners are willing to allow their house sitters use of a family car, but be sure that they are willing (and able) to also put you on their insurance - it is usually fairly cheap to do this. And don't forget that every country has different driving practices and laws, so do some research online before you go. When I first came to the UK I had to learn to drive on the "other" side of the road and I can tell you, it was a real challenge! When I recently visited France I found reverting to driving on the right side much easier and the roads were better marked, though in French, of course.