Free Accommodation

     When planning a dream vacation or just a little bit of leisure travel, one of the largest expenses is accommodation. However, there are several ways to get around with your accommodation extremely cheap or completely free! Here is what we have been using for housing:

     1. House Sitting

      House sitting is a free and easy way to stay abroad with no cost for accommodation. We found our first house sit in Mallety, France. It's a very cute area outside of Limoges. Although many house owners may need you to walk their dog or water their garden, it is very little to ask for considering the hundreds of dollars you will save using this method. There are a large number of web sites used to find houses to sit. I've got the best ones for you here:

• Trustedhousesitters.com - This is the site we used to find our place in France. Although there is an annual fee, it is the largest house sitting site on the internet. We payed about $75 for annual access. You can also buy monthly plans. Trustedhousesitters has listings from dozens of countries at all times of the year. Truly an incredible way to get around.
• Mindmyhouse.com - For having a small fee of only $20, you can't beat it. Not quite as big as trustedhousesitters but still a reliable source for house sitting assignments around the world. 
• Housecarers.com - Another popular source for house sitting, with assignments in many parts of the world. Not as much traffic as those mentioned above, but it can still be used to find the perfect accommodation for you. 

     2. Volunteer Work

        Not afraid to get your hands dirty for free accommodation and sometimes food? For backpackers and budget travelers, volunteering your way around the world is a sure way to save money, meet awesome people and get valued life experience. Type of work and hours required varies from place to place. Jerry and I have secured an English teaching position in Casablanca, Morocco for free accommodation and food, unlimited couscous that is. I'll write more about that in the future. We used helpx.net to find our volunteer position. There are positions available in most countries and the sign up fee is small and well worth the value. If you are looking for a more trafficked site, there is always workaway.info, which also has a small fee attached to signing up. You can find a place to go with either of these sites rather quickly. 

     3. Stay in a Hostel 

      When people think of hostel's, they imagine a stinky place with nasty restrooms, scowling unfriendly people and you get murdered in the end. I'm afraid not people. So far, the hostels that I have stayed in have been clean(mostly), comfortable and have been filled with like minded travelers who are fun to talk to and share experiences with. The best thing about them is that they are cheap! No joke, my stay in Paris cost me only 20€ a night. That is far from the cheapest by the way, which is surprising for one of the largest tourist destinations in the world. You can easily find hostels in Europe ranging in price anywhere from about 8€ to as high as 50€. Gives you extra pocket money to explore the sights. 

     4. Cheap Hotels 

      Just as easy as finding a cheap hostel. We booked a double room in Turin, Italy for only 40€ a night. That's for two, mind you, meaning we found a private room for the same price as the hostel in Paris. If you look hard enough, you will find what you are searching for.