I’m currently in the middle of three weeks of vacation in Paris, France. I’m staying in a two-bedroom, 1.5 bath, clean, and spacious house with Netflix, a roomba, and a cat. My 24-night stay cost me $26.61, or $1.10 a night. And you can too!

How? You ask...

Did you catch the part about the cat?

Nomador.com is an international house and pet sitting website popular in Europe as a whole but particularly in France. And it is super simple. People allow you and your travel companions to stay at their house for free in exchange for caring for their pets and household. If you don’t like pets or are allergic to some, Nomador is still for you. The level of input from the house sitter is greatly varied - from watching a farm with a dozen animals to watering a garden every few days. You can filter based on which animals or household activities you’re willing to take care of during your stay. Obviously the more you’re open to the more options you’ll have, but there is something for everyone. Currently I am caring for one very independent cat and a handful of household plants. 

Those of you good at math or just reading intently may see a contradiction here. I say I paid $26.61 and yet I am staying for free.. Something doesn’t add up.

Nomador allows you to browse available house sitting opportunities in any location for free and create a house-sitter profile for free. They also allow you three messages to house sitting opportunities for free. However, after three messages you cannot send more without subscribing. Luckily, the subscription costs are subtle and completely worth it, even if you use the service only once. It costs  €25* for 3 months or €65 for a year (*when I paid the conversion rate was $26.61). The amount per day is dependant on how much you use it and how long you stay. 

I have really enjoyed using Nomador. Are there some things I would like to see redesigned on their website? Absolutely. But I have met amazing people and pets through Nomador and it has allowed me to stay in some very expensive cities at almost no cost. It is a great option for solo travelers (cheaper than a hostel) and families, alike (this house has beds for 6 and a pull out couch). 

But Nomador is not the only platform, and is not popular in all parts of the world. If you’re going somewhere Nomador isn’t or aren’t finding a stay that suits your needs on Nomador, my list of other great websites for nearly-free and inexpensive alternative housing sources is  coming soon!

Have you ever done petsitting on vacation? Or a house swap? What are your go-to methods for finding cheap places to stay on vacation? Comment below!

-Ff