House Sitting

In the past I have featured a series of entries about house swapping on this blog. When you house swap, you exchange your home, unit, holiday home or apartment with another house swapper for an agreed period of time. That is, you move into someone else's home - say for three weeks - while they move into your home for the same period of time. You could even swap something unique like a houseboat or motor-home.

Today though, I thought I'd turn my attention to house sitting. House sitting involves you looking after someone's home while they are away for business, on vacation, or working far from home.

With house sitting, the homeowner engages the house sitter to move into their home for an agreed period ranging from a few days to in some cases 12-18 months - or more. In exchange for living in the owners home rent free, the sitter agrees to water plants, care for pets, and do any other tasks the owner asks of them for the duration of the agreement.

Personally, I am really excited by the possibilities that house sitting presents. In fact, early in 2010 I will be house sitting in Melbourne, Victoria, for a period of six weeks.

Since I have never spent more than a couple of days at a time in Melbourne, I can't wait to immerse myself in the life of Australia's second major city. The last time I visited Melbourne would have been back in the early 1990s. Much has changed in the Victoria capital since then, and I am looking forward to discovering just how much the city has grown and evolved for myself.

There are even international house sitting opportunities available to the right candidates. Yes, folks, you could be house sitting a Manhattan condo, a house on the French Riviera, or an apartment in Paris if you have the right credentials. As long as you can show that you are honest, reliable, trustworthy, and have no criminal record, prospective home owners may select you to look after their most precious possessions.

So how do you go about becoming a house sitter (or finding someone to look after your home)? You go online, of course.

All of these sites charge money for prospective house sitters to register their interest. This helps eliminate time wasters and people who have no real intention of following through with house sitting opportunites.

Here are just a few sites to get you started (all fees are in US dollars):
Aussie House Sitters ($60): http://www.aussiehousesitters.com.au/
House Carers ($45): http://www.housecarers.com/
Luxury House Sitting ($25): http://www.luxuryhousesitting.com/
House Sitters America ($30): http://housesittersamerica.com/
House Sit World ($40): http://www.housesitworld.com/

That will do to get you started. There are literally hundreds of opportunities to house sit available right now. If you are planning to travel next year, now might be the right time to register with one (or more) of the above sites, and familiarise yourself with the process. You may also like to try house sitting close to home first, so that you can accumulate some good references from home owners, which can in turn be used to help you get house sitting placements in other countries.

House Swapping Checklist

~ This is the fifth in an occasional series of articles about house swapping your home with another family, thereby making the most of your travel experience in another city or country. The first article was House Swaps: The Practical Way To Go; the second article, House Swapping for Seniors, provided practical advice for that age specific group of travellers; the third House Swapping for a Better World discussed how this concept can help break down barriers between different nationalities and cultures; and the fourth article House Swapping for Families discussed how families as a whole can benefit from exchanging homes with other families. These blog entries are sourced from, and used with the permission of the Aussie House Swap website.

Here are some suggestions for making your house swapping experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

1. Give yourself time to organise everything

Don't expect to go online and immediately find the ideal house swap at the perfect location and the exact time to fit in with your plans. Realistically, it may take some discussion to and fro as to possible dates, and people may be willing to fit in with you but have to change some other arrangements to make things work. This all takes time.

However, it must be said, there are many experienced and first-time swappers who have organised their house swap within a few days of the exchange commencement date. This suits some but it is best to allow yourself a few months to make sure you get everything right.

2. Don't just list, then sit back and wait

You'll have a far better chance of finding a suitable swap if you take the initiative and contact some people, than you will if you just sit back and wait for responses. This may be obvious, but it bears remembering. Finding a suitable house swap does take some effort on your part.

3. Flexibility is important

Realise that it won't necessarily be easy to find a swap for the exact time and location you want. Therefore it's best to be a bit flexible, and stay open to what's available at your ideal time, or to alternative times when your ideal swap may become available.

Here's another option for you to think about: non-concurrent swaps. This means that a swap partner stays in your home when you're away, but you're not able to simultaneously swap with them. For example, you may go interstate or cross the Tasman for a wedding or a special birthday. By extending your stay, it may be possible for your swap partner to come at that time. Or you may even arrange to house sit for a third party, leaving your place empty.

Either way, your house is vacant at a time to suit your swap partner, but it's not possible or not convenient for you to go to their place at that time. So your partner visits and stays at your place, and then at a later time when they're away doing something else, you stay in their home.

You can even arrange for a simultaneous, three-way swap. In other words, A goes to B's place, B goes to C's place, and C goes to A's place, all on the same day and for the same period of time. This may take some arranging, but we know of an instance where it happened amongst our swappers.

4. Ask lots of questions

Gather as much information as you can from your swap partner. Put together a list of questions on things which may cause you to think twice, or even abort a swap. For example, would be prepared to swap with a smoker? Do you need an Internet connection? Are you allergic to cats? Do you find it impossible to sleep near a railway line, or an airport? What size beds do they have? Do you hate waterbeds?

Are you interested in swapping cars? Is your (or their) Mercedes off-limits? Ditto each of your desktop computers?

5. Sort out the details

Here's a good practice: put it in writing. Get agreement on each party's expectations of the other, including any specific inclusions or exclusions (e.g. they can use the Ford, but not the Mercedes). Decide how the utility bills will be split. Then write it down — in either a hard copy agreement, or an exchange of emails.

6. Check your insurance

In most cases, house swappers are each other's guests. Check with your insurer to ensure you're covered for the normal risks while they're in residence and you're away. (This is usually the case, but don't leave it to chance!)

If you're going to allow your visitors to drive your car, and you'll be driving theirs, it's basic common sense to know exactly what is covered in both cases. Does a nominated party have to drive in order to maintain cover? Does the driver have to be over a certain age? (For example, you may not be covered if your teenage son is driving your swap partner's car.) What's the excess, in case of an accident? Who has to pay it?

7. Clean up your house, yard and pool

Since the launch of Aussie House Swap in 2003 we have received less than two complaints each year regarding someone's house swap experience. Out of these few complaints they have nearly all been cleanliness issue and could have been resolved easily with good communication.

If you want things to be in a clean and tidy state when you return home, you need to have them looking that way before you leave. Don't leave a mess, or a half-done job, and expect to come home to a manicured lawn, a trimmed garden, a spotless pool and a professionally-cleaned house.

It may happen, because some people are very finicky that way. However, you can't expect it if you don't set the example before you leave. Besides, it's a matter of common courtesy to tidy up before guests arrive.

We have swappers who pay for a cleaner to come in to clean their house before they head off for that swap, and many also organise one for when they vacate their swap partners house. A very small cost if you're not into cleaning and want to spend your time on other, nicer, things!

8. Pets

Remember that your house exchange partner is on holiday and the thought of feeding, walking and/or grooming the dogs may not be their idea of relaxing. If you are pet swapping too (caring for each others pets) while on the swap then it's usually fine but if you have a pet and are thinking of leaving it at home but your swap partner isn't please be considerate. Try and arrange a friend or family member to look after it.

If you have agreed to pet care, ask your neighbours to look in on them and (if necessary) feed them after you've gone, in case your swap partners are late in arriving. They can then introduce themselves, which will mean that your guests will start out knowing at least one person or couple right from the time of their arrival.

9. A warm welcome

Why not leave your guests a bottle of wine and some nice cheese in the fridge, with a note on the door explaining where the water crackers are kept? Or if you know they're teetotallers, swap the wine and cheese for a caddy of Twinnings tea and a good brand of coffee, and perhaps some special biscuits. And don't forget to leave some fresh milk!

10. Detailed instructions

You'll probably have explained various routines and preferences over the phone and by email, well before your guests arrive. However, we highly recommend using our Handy House Swap Form found in the menu on the Aussie House Swap website.

This will help inform your guests where things are kept, list important phone numbers, explain how the TV, air conditioning and so forth work, and remind them of any peculiarities they need to know about.

You can also list recommended restaurants and attractions, and write down any other local knowledge you think they should have. (E.g. "Rusty's allowed to sleep on the lounge, but don't forget to let him out first"; or "Must book! Best steak in town.")

For more information…

Please visit our website. There is a considerable amount of information available. If you can't find what you are looking for then please contact us.

How much does it cost?

Aussie House Swap membership is only $65 per year! However, if you do not manage to house swap in your first year we will give you another 12 months membership absolutely free! This is our guarantee to you! For $65 (less than the cost of one nights motel accommodation) you can make as many house swaps as you like within your 12 months.

Article courtesy of Aussie House Swap website. Like our Partner site, Home Away, Aussie House Swap gives you the opportunity to stay in someone else’s home, while they stay in yours.

House Swapping for Families

~ This is the fourth in an occasional series of articles about house swapping your home with another family, thereby making the most of your travel experience in another city or country. The first article was House Swaps: The Practical Way To Go; the second article, House Swapping for Seniors, provided practical advice for that age specific group of travellers; and the third House Swapping for a Better World discussed how this concept can help break down barriers between different nationalities and cultures. These blog entries are sourced from, and used with the permission of the Aussie House Swap website.

While virtually every individual and couple can enjoy lots of advantages through a house swapping (home exchange) holiday, perhaps families stand to benefit most of all.

Think about it.

Firstly, there are the monetary savings to be gained: no accommodation costs; cooking "at home" instead of going out for meals; free use of car; free laundry, clothesline, dryer and DYI ironing.

No doubt there will also be other savings. For example, you can't stay cooped up together in a hotel room for long. You'll need to spend a good deal of time out and about for the sake of your mental health. And while you're out, you'll inevitably end up spending money on something.

Besides, there's so much more room in a house and yard. Even a normal apartment will be a lot more spacious than a hotel room. So you won't have to go out for your sanity — just to visit local attractions, go shopping and so forth.

Here's something else to think about if you've got children. Why not arrange to house swap with another couple who have children of a similar age? Then you'll each have the necessary items on hand when you get to your destination — whether it be a cot, a high chair, a stroller, a trike or bike. Plus toys and games, books, children's videos, DVDs and the like. None of which (other than one or two special favourites) you will have to take with you. So you'll be able to travel that much lighter.

Even if you're travelling by car, and have a little more room to take things with you, you won't need to cram every corner to get bulkier items in. You'll be able to travel in a lot more comfort.

You may even find a backyard cubbyhouse and swing set at your destination. (Or maybe you'll be on the lookout for things like this, before deciding on which house swap to choose.)

And what if it rains during your holiday? Staying in a normal house is a whole lot more pleasant for a family than being cooped up in a hotel room, or a cramped guesthouse, caravan or tent.

Having constant access to a laundry and iron will also help you travel lighter, since you can pack less clothes when you're able do the washing more often. Especially kiddie clothes, which tend to need changing more than once each day!

Let's return for a moment to the monetary savings you make through house swapping, which are likely to amount to at least hundreds and possibly a couple of thousand dollars. Instead of rationing visits to fun parks, aquariums, "sea worlds" and the like, you'll be able to afford to take the kids to explore as many of these attractions as you like. And STILL come home with a lot more of your hard-earned cash, rather than an empty wallet or purse, and a credit card that will take months to pay off.

When you add it all up, house swapping (home exchanging) really is tailor-made for families!

How much does it cost?

Aussie House Swap membership is only $65 per year! However, if you do not manage to house swap in your first year we will give you another 12 months membership absolutely free! This is our guarantee to you! For $65 (less than the cost of one nights motel accommodation) you can make as many house swaps as you like within your 12 months.

Article courtesy of Aussie House Swap website. Like our Partner site, Home Away, Aussie House Swap gives you the opportunity to stay in someone else’s home, while they stay in yours.

Image for illustration purposes only

House Swapping For A Better World?

~ This is the third in an occasional series of articles about house swapping your home with another family, thereby making the most of your travel experience in another city or country. The first article was House Swaps: The Practical Way To Go, while the second article, House Swapping for Seniors, provided practical advice for that age specific group of travellers. These blog entries are sourced from, and used with the permission of the Aussie House Swap website.

I'd like to spend a few moments looking at a side of house swapping which is real, but probably not given a lot of thought – especially by those who haven't as yet taken part in an actual house exchange.

And that is the role that caring, sharing and generosity of spirit plays in a house swapping program, such as that facilitated by Aussie House Swap. Because when all is said and done, the parties to a house swap are engaging in what is virtually an act of trust and intimacy by opening their homes to each other.

Your home is, after all, very much a reflection and almost a defining part of who you are. It's your "inner sanctum," the private place to which you withdraw after a day out in the world of business and commerce, or even of social or community activity. It's where you rest up, kick off your shoes, and let your "real" self emerge. And where you literally wash your dirty laundry!

The home is where you and those closest to you share your private lives and your most intimate moments. It's also at times the scene of some very difficult passages in your life, and the place where you have to deal with some of your most thorny issues. And it's where you retire to when your working life is done. Opening your home to others is without doubt sharing part of your private, inner self with them.

Inviting somebody into your home is also a demonstration of your hospitality – whether it's to hold some kind of meeting, to stay for a period, or simply to share a meal together. All the more is this the case when you completely vacate your home for a number of weeks, and allow another family or couple the full use of it.

In every way the home is regarded as a special place, the opening of which to strangers, friends and family alike is an act of grace, openness and acceptance. So when two homeowners agree to swap homes, and actually make the exchange, they are showing a considerable amount of trust in each other. They're giving and receiving value, and sharing something which is fundamentally private, in a spirit of generosity.

They are, in their own small way, displaying the kind of attitudes and taking the kinds of actions which – if practised on a grand scale – could genuinely make the world a better place for all. Which, when you think about it, is a pretty worthwhile thing to do, and counters just a little of the animosity, fear and selfishness which is unquestionably harming the home of us all, the earth.

Swapping houses is also engaging in a level of mutual confidence that your home and its contents will be treated with respect, and handled carefully. That this confidence is warranted is shown by surveys which indicate that damage rarely occurs when houses are swapped, and that when it does, it's nearly always of a minor nature.

House swapping also gives you the opportunity to get to know some of the locals, and experience their lifestyle, habits and surroundings by living "in the community," rather than spending all your time in the artificial environment of a hotel or similar holiday accommodation, and just seeing the tourist attractions.

Furthermore, a house swapping holiday allows people with disabilities to take their own time, and when they need it to rest undisturbed – instead of being bumped and jostled in crowded resorts, or disturbed by maids needing to make the beds and clean up the room to meet their schedule, not yours. It's even possible to seek out house swaps with other disabled people, and each have the use of facilities – ramps, special bath rooms, toilets and the like – which are designed for their special needs.

Hosting
As well as straight swap overs covering the identical period of time, some people enjoy "hosting" another couple, then later on being hosted by them in return. This simply means that the owners remain at home, and host their swap partners as guests and visitors for an agreed period. They enjoy each other's company, do some exploring and shopping together, see some of the sights, and perhaps fish or play a round of golf together. Then at a later date, they reverse the process. The hosts become the visitors, just as the visitors become the hosts in their home and town.

Hosting is a great way to build new friendships, and increase mutual empathy and understanding between people of different backgrounds and from different parts of the country, or even overseas.

How much does it cost?
Aussie House Swap membership is only $65 per year! However, if you do not manage to house swap in your first year we will give you another 12 months membership absolutely free! This is our guarantee to you! For $65 (less than the cost of one nights motel accommodation) you can make as many house swaps as you like within your 12 months.

Article courtesy of Aussie House Swap website. Like our Partner site, Home Away, Aussie House Swap gives you the opportunity to stay in someone else’s home, while they stay in yours.

Image used for illustration purposes only.

House Swapping for Seniors

~ Here is a second article about house swapping courtesy of the Aussie House Swap website. The first entry can be found here...

When you start to examine the sorts of people who take readily to house swapping, it comes as no surprise to see seniors well represented.

Naturally, many of the advantages of house swapping for holidays apply equally to seniors as they do to couples and families with children.

Rather than repeat them here, I'll refer you to our articles discussing these in detail. (House Swaps - the practical way to holiday and House Swapping - homemade for families)

As well as most of these advantages, the special circumstances of seniors give them some extra incentives and benefits when it comes to house swaps.

For example, when seniors take a holiday, they're not only looking at the out of pocket costs — which working couples can eventually recoup from their wages, salaries and overtime — but as retirees, seniors are looking to preserve a finite and probably dwindling retirement nest egg, which they have little or no chance of replenishing to any great extent.

Thus they generally have to watch their reserves pretty carefully, when it comes to fun things like holidays. House swapping is therefore especially attractive, with its "cost-of-travel-only" advantages.

Besides, seniors are less likely to be heading for the theme parks and carnivals than are the younger generation. For them, a house in the country or a cattle station is often just as attractive as a seaside resort or a big-city property (if not more so). This means that they're often available for those swaps which are not as popular with families (whether for reasons of location or season).

I spoke to several senior couples who had exchanged houses through Aussie House Swap. Here are some of the things they pointed to as their reasons for house swapping (and some distinguishing factors, compared to the younger fry):

One couple were especially conscious of the "shrinking nest-egg syndrome," and saving money was high on their list of reasons for swapping. Exploring the country was another of their motivations, so they planned swaps that would allow them to visit preferred locations over a period of months each year.

Having decided to register with Aussie House Swap, another senior couple had a definite preference for swapping with other seniors. They were clearly more comfortable leaving their home in the care of another retired couple, than having families staying in their house.

Senior house swaps are often for longer periods than family swaps. This just makes sense, given that retirees have more available time, and can swap more easily in non-holiday periods than families, whose predominant reason for swapping is to enjoy inexpensive vacations in fun locations.

Factors like these no doubt account for the high percentage of retired people amongst our growing house-swapping base.

Hosting
As well as straight swap overs covering the identical period of time, some people (especially seniors) enjoy "hosting" another couple, then later on being hosted by them in return. This simply means that the owners remain at home, and host their swap partners as guests and visitors for an agreed period. They enjoy each other's company, do some exploring and shopping together, see some of the sights, and perhaps fish or play a round of golf together.

Then at a later date, they reverse the process. The hosts become the visitors, just as the visitors become the hosts in their home and town.

Hosting is a great way to build new friendships, and increase mutual empathy and understanding between people of different backgrounds and from different parts of the country, or even overseas.

How much does it cost?
Aussie House Swap membership is only $65 per year! However, if you do not manage to house swap in your first year we will give you another 12 months membership absolutely free! This is our guarantee to you! For $65 (less than the cost of one nights motel accommodation) you can make as many house swaps as you like within your 12 months.

Article courtesy of Aussie House Swap website. Like our Partner site, Home Away, Aussie House Swap gives you the opportunity to stay in someone else’s home, while they stay in yours.

Image for illustration purposes only

House Swaps: the practical way to holiday

~ Last night I was researching article ideas for this blog, when I discovered the Aussie House Swap website. When you house swap, you exchange your home, unit, holiday home or apartment with another house swapper for an agreed period of time. You could even swap something unique like a houseboat or motor-home. The Aussie House Swap website has a series of excellent articles about the benefits of house swapping, and have given me permission to reprint all of them on this blog. Here is the first one.

In some ways, this is the easiest article on this site to write. That's because there are just so many advantages to house swapping as a practical and inexpensive way to enjoy your regular holiday break — or even the vacation of a lifetime, in that exotic locale you've always wanted to visit.

What makes house swapping a very practical way to holiday for most people is the enormous saving all parties make on accommodation costs. Remember, house swapping means just what it says — two homeowners literally exchange houses for an agreed period, at no cost to either party.

For most vacations of a couple of weeks or longer, accommodation is the single most expensive item on the budget. And even if it's not number one, it'll almost certainly be number two.

Just imagine having that cost deducted from your holiday expenses!

Through a vacation house swap, you'll also enjoy the tremendous convenience of a fully equipped kitchen. You won't need to go out for meals day and night, and can eat out purely when you want to. Besides the convenience, you will of course save a great deal more money this way. In fact, you probably won't spend much more on meals than you would if you'd stayed at home!

Some further benefits that house swapping offers are more space, privacy and comfort than almost any hotel, motel or resort can give you. And with Aussie House Swap, you can check out available swaps online, well in advance of your trip. This way, you are able to look at exactly what's on offer. No more arriving at places which don't live up to their glossy brochures. (And haven't we all done that more than once!)

Your house swapping partner/s will also be able to fill you in on what's hot and what's not in their neck of the woods, with up-to-date local knowledge, and their own recommended spots to visit. Places that won't necessarily be in the tourist guides. Possibly even places of great natural beauty, or fine cuisine, that are free from hordes of tourists. Or great eateries where you need to make an advance booking to get the best tables. Remember, local knowledge and personal recommendation always beat paid ads in a tourist guide or a weekly "What's On" magazine.

Lots of people even swap cars when they exchange houses during their holidays. If your swap involves a flight, you'll save on car hire — or avoid the inconvenience of always having to rely on public transport — that comes with a traditional hotel, motel or resort vacation to a distant destination. Once more, a significant cost saving accompanies the choice to house swap.

And talking of car swaps, even if you're going to a city to which you could have driven, by flying you'll be there much more quickly. You may well have a full extra day, or even more, in which to enjoy your holiday, by not having to drive there and back. And the cost of a flight (especially one booked early at cheaper rates) will be more than affordable due to the absence of accommodation costs.

Furthermore, partly because of the big cost savings, you may find yourself considering holiday spots you wouldn't otherwise have thought of. Perhaps even out-of-the-way places, far from the normal tourist beat, with no hotels, motels or resorts within miles. For example, a pristine beach, a trout stream or an outback cattle station may grab your attention as you scan the available swaps.

And there's no need to settle for the "same old same old" every year. This year, why not cross the Tasman and visit our friendly neighbours? Then next year, check out some of the islands. Followed by a visit to the mountains the year after that. There really is no end to the wonderful opportunities and possibilities that house swapping vacations can present. You can literally make each holiday a new and exciting adventure, with the extensive and growing Aussie House Swap database to choose from.

There's also, of course, the security you gain by exchanging houses with another swapper. Instead of leaving it empty, with mail, junk mail and newspapers piling up (in between being collected by the neighbours) — a virtual invitation to vandals and thieves — your house will continue to be occupied while you're away.

Not to mention that your swapper will be able to take care of your pets, saving them the trauma of going to an unfamiliar kennel or cattery, and you the trauma of paying the bill when you get back home!

In fact, there are really only two problems with taking a house swap holiday: firstly, choosing between the many delectable alternatives which are available, and secondly, deciding what to do with all the money you'll save!

How much does it cost?
Aussie House Swap membership is only $65 per year! However, if you do not manage to house swap in your first year we will give you another 12 months membership absolutely free! This is our guarantee to you! For $65 (less than the cost of one nights motel accommodation) you can make as many house swaps as you like within your 12 months.

Article courtesy of Aussie House Swap website.
Image for illustration purposes only