When you first start house sitting abroad it can be a little overwhelming - there's a lot of competition between the other house sitters and you may well have fewer references than everyone else. And what about when you do finally nab your first house sit? You might find yourself house sitting in a completely new country with all the excitement and challenges that can bring. Don't worry, we've written you this list of the BEST countries to start house sitting abroad in, countries that often have an abundance of house sits, are easy to navigate for people who speak English (I'm assuming if you're reading this, you can 😂) and are easy countries in general for first-time travellers. So sit back, relax and enjoy free accommodation worldwide thanks to house sitting abroad:
1. House Sitting in Australia
We will always be biased and say house sitting Australia is the best country to start - because it's the place where we ourselves started house sitting. We did eight back-to-back house sits across this amazing country for nine months straight. Thanks to house sitting we managed to see hot spots like Sydney, Byron Bay, Kangaroo Island, Blue Mountains, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and more; but also got to see off-the-beaten-path places like Esperance, Ballarat and Glen Osmond.
Why is house sitting Australia great for first-timers?
First things first, there are loads and loads and loads of house sitting Australia opportunities, it's a really popular concept there with homeowners. So even with the competition of other house sitters, you're almost guaranteed to get a sit - there are just so many to go round.
Secondly, said homeowners tend, on average, to go on holiday for much longer than say Americans or Brits. I think it's partly because Australians get better holiday leave, and partly because if they're going anywhere, they've got to go for a long time to make it worth it because it takes them so long to get there. Our house sitting Australia jobs ranged between two weeks and six weeks long, but the average was a month - this is great news for first-time house sitters, the longer the house sits, the easier it is to settle in and truly get to know a certain area of the world.
Thirdly, Australia is super easy to travel round - everything is in English, of course, and many of their systems are similar to the UK/USA. So you're not likely to get culture shock and want to go home immediately. Saying that though, there are so many new and exciting things in Australia you definitely will feel like you're travelling. Case in point, the weird wild animals.
Bonus point - Australia is hella expensive for travellers with accommodation setting you back a minimum of $30 a day (for something horrible), house sitting Australia is the only way to travel Australia both luxuriously and on a budget.
2. House Sitting in the UK
Despite being from the UK myself, we've still done eight house sits in England, and think it's a great place for newbie house sitters to start house sitting, even if you're from the UK too.
Why is the UK great for first-time house sitters?
The reasons that the UK is great for house sitting are similar to the reasons that Australia is: there is an abundance of house sitting opportunities in the UK. Like Australia, it's becoming more and more popular, especially in hot spots like London, Devon, Edinburgh and the Lake District. You're almost guaranteed to get a sit here.
Accommodation in the UK is also very expensive, and not great quality, so again house sitting is the perfect way to travel in comfort but on a budget. Of course English is the spoken language so navigating travel and communicating with the homeowners is easy-peasy. Last but not least, the UK is relatively tiny compared to say the USA or Australia, you can definitely find enough house sits to make sure you do get to 'do' the whole country.
3. House Sitting in Germany
We've done three house sits in Germany - two in Hamburg and one in Berlin. Whilst I wouldn't necessarily recommend house sitting in Germany for those who don't speak German, house sitting Berlin is another matter. No, Berlin isn't a country, but if you are a newbie house sitter I'd definitely recommend trying your hand at house sitting there, for the following reasons:
Why Berlin is great for first-time house sitters?
Like Australia and the UK, there are a lot of house sits going in Berlin, and it should be relatively easy for you to nab your perfect sit. Unlike the rest of Germany, the language barrier shouldn't be too much of a problem in this capital - Berlin is very English speaking friendly. It's hands down one of our favourite cities in the world, it's fun, it's quirky, it's cheap and above all, it's super cool. The public transport system is easy to work out and the food there is excellent.
4. House Sitting in Thailand
We house sat once in Thailand and it was a great way to experience this marvellous country. Case in point: you can't drink the tap water in Thailand, but the house we sat in had special plumbing so you could. South East Asian Airbnb's tend not to come with ovens either, so this was the first time we experienced an oven in months - it was heaven!
Why Thailand is great for first-time house sitters
If you're looking for a country that has culture, great weather, delicious food, and lovely people - go to Thailand, it's one of the best countries in the world! In terms of house sitting, there are many expats in Thailand (mainly from the UK and Australia) who are dying to find house sitters, I'd go as far as saying that the demand for house sitters actually outweighs the supply of them over there. Why? I guess people are put off by being in a country 'so foreign'.
Don't be put off though, Thailand is one of the easiest countries to travel around, and if you're house-sitting for expats you won't have to worry about a language barrier. When it comes to (touch wood you won't have to, but it's important to consider), going to a vet, in our experience the homeowners will have already considered this: either they have an English speaking vet, or they will find a friend to help you out.
5. House Sitting in Spain
For six weeks we tried house sitting in Spain, in a beautiful house by the beach which had its own pool.
Why Spain is great for first-time house sitters
Like Thailand, Spain is full of homeowners desperate for a house sitter. But whilst Thailand might be a little out of the comfort zone for first-time travellers, Spain definitely won't be, especially not the South of Spain. House sits in Spain crop up all.the.time. It's definitely a great country to start house sitting in. Oh yeah and another plus is the fact Spain was recently named the best country for digital nomads — with services like Remote making overseas remote working easier than ever, you can combine house sitting with your day job (just as long as your hosts have a good Wi-Fi connection!) Oh, and one more thing: the sun.
6. House Sitting in Singapore
We spent a long weekend in Singapore and it's somewhere we've been meaning to go back to and explore further. There are tonnes of house sits there! Our best bud Sabrina from Just One Way Ticket is doing back-to-back house sitting Singapore jobs there for the next two months.
Why is house sitting Singapore perfect for first-timers?
Singapore is the perfect spot in South East Asia if you're feeling a little overwhelmed by all the crazy and a tiny bit homesick - you can drink the tap water there, everything is super modern and clean, and if you're British you'll no doubt love the fact that they have British plugs. Singapore has even more expats than Thailand and Spain, and there is a lot of money there. So for first-time house sitters, that means: luxury house sitting Singapore jobs galore!
7. House Sitting in Canada
Canada is one of our favourite countries in the world, we spent two weeks there and we'd love to go back. Accommodation is expensive there though so we will probably go back and try house sitting in Canada
Why house sitting in Canada is good for first-timers
Stepping over the fact that Canada too is easy to navigate, has lots of sits going and most people speak English, I think there is just one main reason we think house sitting in Canada is perfect for your first time: Canadians are just so nice!!! And this is really important: a house sit is only as nice as the homeowners. Because if you don't feel comfortable with them, you probably won't feel comfortable in their house (regardless of if they're there or not)
[Of course, we recommend always Skyping with a homeowner before you agree to house sit for them, to avoid this problem, but double up your chances of having nice homeowners by house sitting in Canada!]
How to Find Your First House Sit?
I could go on forever, I also think New Zealand, Dubai and the USA would be great for your first sit. I also wrote a whole post about house sitting Europe. Ultimately it's about finding that balance between somewhere you're dying to visit, and somewhere where you can be a good house sitter.
But how do you find your first ever house sit? We found our first house sits on Trusted Housesitters and actually all 30 of our sits since. We also wrote a whole post on How to Start House Sitting for first-time house sitters, so I hope that's useful to you! We can also offer you a 10% TrustedHousesitters discount code!
Other Resources:
Once you do get your first house sit, here are a few things that you will need:- Travel Insurance - read our review of World Nomads Travel Insurance and find out all the times we got injured whilst house sitting abroad
- Kiwi - the only flight comparison site we use, because it's the only one that finds the best flights
- Megabus - useful for bus journeys in Western Europe and the USA
Wrap Up: House Sitting Abroad
From hot house sitting Australia to chilly house sitting in Canada the possibilities for house sitting abroad are almost unending. We hope this house sitting blog post has been useful to you, let us know in the comments below if you have any questions. Oh and before I forget: we have also made this video for newcomers to house sitting -- enjoy :)
P.S. Trustedhousesitters.com was kind enough to provide us and our readers with a 10% discount -- click on the link to use it!
ABOUTME
We overland. We eat plants and fungi. We live outside as much as possible. We are all connected. A female travel blogger overlanding and writing about ecotourism, ethical and sustainable travel, socially conscious travel and housesitting. An online travel magazine since 2015.
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