Tips on how to Change into a Home-sitter in France

On this article, I’ll be outlining the very best methods to grow to be a house-sitter in France. Alongside my husband, Rob, I’ve been touring the world repeatedly for 2 years. I frequently use home and pet-sitting websites to reinforce our experiences and preserve our lodging prices down.

There are a number of glorious web sites out there for home and pet-sitting. Realizing the very best ones and easy methods to use them effectively will show you how to safe house-sitting jobs in France and the remainder of the world. I’ll be outlining all my experiences, good and dangerous, on this article.

I’ve accomplished over thirty housesits; starting from taking care of a small ranch in Tucson, Arizona, to caring for beach-loving canine in Santa Theresa, Costa Rica. I house-sat and pet-sat three totally different instances in France over 2 and a half months. This included taking care of 2 cute canine, 2 cute cats, and a menagerie of birds, simply outdoors of Toulouse, France.

Since I began home and pet-sitting, I’ve not solely obtained free lodging worldwide, however I’ve realized loads and have some good tricks to cross on. Home sitting is an effective way to fulfill new individuals and uncover totally different components of a rustic that you just may not in any other case get to see. Let’s get began.

Tips on how to Change into a Home Sitter in France

There are a number of nice web sites out there for any burgeoning home and pet sitters. Discovering the fitting one for you is the primary vital step to take. Completely different websites have totally different professionals and cons, so learn on to search out out extra.

1. Trusted Housesitters

Trustedhousesitters.com is my go-to web site and the one I’ve used greater than another. Their app and website-based platforms are simple to make use of and there’s all the time a ton of listings out there. I simply checked, and at the moment, there are 6,530 listings accepting purposes for housesits around the globe…lots of that are luxurious home sitting gigs.

My favourite facet of Trusted Housesitters is the flexibility to avoid wasting your searches. For instance, once I was searching for choices in France, I set my dates, my location (nation or metropolis/space), and different search standards. When you don’t get any hits instantly, it can save you a search and be alerted when one suits the invoice.

Fundamental yearly membership begins at $95 and permits for limitless purposes and housesits. Increased-tier memberships embrace totally different advantages reminiscent of insurance coverage, vet chats, premium customer support, and a search and alert operate. The highest membership is $190 a 12 months. Goats On The Street readers obtain 20% off utilizing this hyperlink and promo code GOATS20.

2. Home Carers

Housecarers.com is an easy-to-use website-only home and pet-sitting web site. Though the variety of listings can’t compete with Trusted Housesitters, it’s a nice concept to maintain your choices open and to construct your profile. Most individuals itemizing their property solely use one web site, so the fitting posting for you possibly can be ready on one other platform.

Housecarers.com doesn’t but have an app facility, so you need to head to the webpage to maintain up to the mark. Members obtain electronic mail notifications and alerts for attainable housesits and when speaking with a bunch. The performance of the searches is nice and might be well-tailored to go well with numerous preferences, places, dates, pets, and so forth.

Housecarers.com is an reasonably priced introduction to the world of housesitting. They’ve a free membership that means that you can peruse all their listings in full. To use, you’ll must grow to be a fully-fledged paying member which at round $50/12 months is a good deal.

When you’re considering of changing into a house-sitter in France, Housecarers.com is likely to be a very good place to begin to get a really feel of what a housesitting web site provides and the way it all works.

☞ SEE ALSO: Tips on how to Put together For Your Home and Pet Sitting Job

3. Workaway

Workaway.information is maybe higher generally known as a volunteer/cultural alternate web site than it’s for housesitting, nevertheless it shouldn’t be neglected. I’ve used it to search out placements everywhere in the world the place meals and lodging are exchanged for 4-5 hours of labor a day. Nevertheless, it has since grow to be a invaluable device of mine for home and pet sitting.

One in every of their most important search choices is house-sitting and at a fast look, there are over 500 listings searching for sitters around the globe, together with many individuals searching for a house-sitter in France. Their web site and app are simple to make use of, listings are all the time effectively offered with loads of particulars, and communication with hosts is often fairly environment friendly.

Membership prices round $50/12 months or $30pp/12 months when a pair indicators up with a joint membership. I’ve made some terrific connections, long-term pals, and international contacts through Workaway. I extremely suggest it as a string to your house-sitting bow. See Additionally:

4. Thoughts My Home

Mindmyhouse.com is among the longest-serving on-line platforms for house-sitting. It started in 2005 and has a terrific open ethos that advantages everybody concerned. They’re additionally one of many most cost-effective round at simply $29/12 months.

I really like Thoughts My Home for the close-knit really feel of the corporate. If in case you have a problem, you’ll seemingly converse on to one of many house owners of the corporate. They play an energetic function within the day-to-day. The ‘About Our Members’ part of their web site is a good characteristic. It reveals what number of hosts and sitters are at the moment energetic and the place they’re. Proper now, customers are at round 12,500 individuals.

For my part, Thoughts My Home may simply be the fitting choice to get you began when you’re missing somewhat confidence in embarking on your own home and pet-sitting profession in France.

5. Nomador

Nomador.com is a good web site when you’re seeking to grow to be a pet sitter or home sitter in France. Though they do have listings around the globe, there are a ton in Europe. Their web site is similar to Trusted Housesitters, priced equally, and equally as simple to make use of.

An excellent membership choice with Nomador is their 3-month short-term fundamental bundle. It permits new customers to dip their toes in and see if the housesitting sport is for them. Added advantages reminiscent of insurance coverage, premium customer support, and early entry to new listings include increased membership costs. The highest-end bundle is round $190/12 months.

Regardless of not having an app, Nomador is a good choice for newcomers to accommodate and pet sitting. See Additionally: Inquiries to Ask a Dwelling and Pet Proprietor Earlier than Accepting a Job

Private Expertise Housesitting in France

My husband and I pet-sat in France for simply over two months. It was superb! Even in mid-November, it’s heat sufficient to drink a beer outdoors within the south of the nation. Whether or not you’re in a small city out within the countryside or one of many huge cities, it’s such a gorgeous vacation spot with one thing for everybody.

Home-sits in France usually embrace a pet, or pets, to take care of. In rural areas, a component of gardening and watering often comes into the equation too. Simply housesitting listings (no pets) do come up, however for essentially the most half, a pet or pets are usually all the time a part of the cut price. Every time I’ve been a house-sitter in France, the hosts have included a automotive too (extra on this later).

I sorted 2 lovely largely out of doors cats in Bergerac, the place my largest job was sustaining the swimming pool! Then I moved additional north to Limoges and took care of a pleasant little Jack Russel terrier known as Alfie. My last cease was simply outdoors Toulouse, within the tiny however pretty village of Cologne – 2 cats, 2 canine, and let me rely… 23 birds!

☞ SEE ALSO: 15 Professionals and Cons of Home and Pet Sitting

Greatest Areas to Home Sit in France

As I’m initially from the UK, I’ve visited France many instances previously. There are many nice areas to go to from small cities within the countryside to very large cities. Listed below are just a few of my high locations to contemplate house-sitting in France:

1. Paris

Probably the most iconic, and maybe the obvious, place to take pleasure in house-sitting in France is the French capital, Paris. It’s a really fantastic metropolis filled with artwork and tradition that bubbles with life and environment — there are limitless issues to see and do in Paris. World-class eating places, cool bars, and cafes that set the usual for espresso tradition worldwide are round each nook.

Home-sitting in an enormous metropolis like Paris will imply extra of an city setting and the expertise will likely be akin to a metropolis break fairly than a rural retreat. Smaller metropolis homes and residences appear to dominate most of the listings I see on the housesitting websites for Paris. This in fact comes with the additional benefit of getting on a regular basis facilities in your doorstep.

I haven’t but been to Paris for a housesit, however have visited many instances for brief weekend breaks. It might be a tremendous place to base your self as a house-sitter in France.

Location: Paris is situated in direction of the North of France, round 2.5 hours from the coast and three hours from neighboring Belgium. Discover it right here.

2. Bergerac

My first expertise as a house-sitter in France was truly in Bergerac and it’s the right place to kick issues off. The attractive and historic city dates again to the Center Ages and has many well-preserved medieval buildings. It sits on the gorgeous Dordogne River and is a well-liked vacation spot for vacationers.

An excellent profit to house-sitting in Bergerac is that lots of people converse English. That is as a result of quantity of British vacationers and expats that reside within the area. I ordered a spherical of drinks in my greatest dangerous French, and the waitress responded in a thick London accent, “Lets speak in English as an alternative?”.

There are a great deal of cute cities located close by reminiscent of Pereguex and Riberac, and Bordeaux is simply over an hour away. Good transport hyperlinks make getting out and about simple. It’s often fairly low cost too. I used BlaBlaCar a number of instances, which is a good ride-sharing app unique to Europe and really low cost.

Location: Bergerac is situated in direction of the southeast of France, round an hour east of Bordeaux and 6 hours south of Paris. Discover it right here on the map.

3. Toulouse

I house-sat and pet-sat simply outdoors Toulouse for a few month. My location was fairly a small city simply outdoors of the town nevertheless it was very easy to get to central Toulouse. Fortunately, the hosts left their automotive behind to be used throughout our keep. There’s an categorical prepare into Toulouse that I traveled on loads, which at sure instances of the day prices round $1.

Toulouse is called ‘The Pink Metropolis’. That is as a result of variety of terracotta brick buildings that give it a heat and rosy glow. The Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, runs by way of Toulouse, with many nice spots for leisurely strolls, boat rides, or just enjoyable.

Toulouse has a bustling vibe, with energetic markets, cafes, and a thriving restaurant and nightlife scene. A visit to the Convent des Jacobins is a tremendous expertise. Drinks beside the Garonne River and Pont Neuf are additionally a should. Home-sitting on this area could be ultimate for anybody searching for quiet retreats on the outskirts, barely outdoors of a extra fast-paced metropolis expertise.

Location: Toulouse is situated within the southern a part of France, round 105 miles (170 km) from the border of Andorra and 155 miles (250 km) from Spain. Paris is round 420 miles (678 km) to the north.

4. Montpellier

Montpellier was the primary metropolis I visited in France and it provides a singular expertise for anybody contemplating changing into a house-sitter in France. One in every of my favourite issues about being a brief native is not only visiting however actually dwelling someplace. Think about waking up in a centuries-old residence with slim medieval streets simply outdoors the doorstep – that’s Montpellier!

An excellent perk of housesitting in Montpellier is indulging within the many culinary treats. Recent produce is offered each day at native markets and there are a number of excellent eating places and cafes everywhere in the metropolis. Montpellier can also be identified for its energetic environment due partially to it being residence to considered one of Europe’s oldest universities.

Past the town, housesitting within the Montpellier space may even embrace seaside stays alongside the Mediterranean coast or extra rural houses surrounded by the pure great thing about the area. Situating your self right here would provide the freedom to discover the seashores, spend time in nature, and embrace a vibrant metropolis as a house-sitter in France.

Location: Montpellier is situated on the Mediterranean coast within the south of France. It’s round 2.5 hours east of Toulouse, 3.5 hours west of Good, and 280 miles (450 km) to the Italian border. Click on right here to search out Montpellier on the map.

5. Limoges

Limoges was a brand new metropolis for me. I knew it was a reasonably centrally situated, huge metropolis, with a college, and that it had good direct prepare hyperlinks to my subsequent already-confirmed placement in Toulouse.

I’m glad I opted to go to Limoges. It’s a metropolis steeped in historical past and it exudes an old-world appeal, with its cobblestone streets and half-timbered homes. Though my house-sit was a reasonably trendy residence, house-sitting alternatives right here could possibly be for centuries-old houses. What an expertise that may be!

There are some nice museums, a powerful cathedral, and a few fascinating historic websites that can delight fellow historical past buffs like me. As a college city, there are many cool bars and nice locations to eat to go well with each price range, and there’s all the time tons happening. My husband and I spent his birthday in Limoges and it was an ideal day of meals, drink, and cultural sightseeing.

Location: Limoges is situated pretty centrally in France, edging in direction of the south. It’s round 4 hours south of Paris and three hours north of Toulouse. Discover it right here on the map.

Is France Secure?

I discovered France to be a protected place to go to, and it’s thought-about a protected vacation spot for vacationers. Like all nation, it’s vital to stay vigilant, particularly in crowded vacationer areas the place petty theft can happen. Train widespread sense, reminiscent of maintaining a tally of private belongings and staying conscious of your environment.

French authorities take safety critically, and main vacationer websites are sometimes well-monitored. As a house-sitter in France, do your greatest to remain knowledgeable about any advisory warnings, and in case of any emergency, dial 112 the European emergency quantity. Having an insurance coverage coverage to cowl issues reminiscent of private harm, lack of belongings, and theft is all the time extremely advisable.

If it’s your first time as a house-sitter in France and you propose to drive, it’s all the time a good suggestion to familiarize your self with native driving laws forward of time. Don’t be taught issues the arduous manner, particularly when you’re renting a automotive or utilizing the house owners’ car. Even skilled drivers will profit from a fast read-through of one other nation’s driving customs.

Professionals and Cons of Being a Home Sitter in France

There are professionals and cons to staying wherever. Listed below are just a few of the important thing factors which have cropped up throughout my time as a house-sitter in France:

Professionals of Dwelling in France

• High quality of Life: France persistently ranks excessive for high quality of life. It has a robust healthcare system, glorious public companies, and a very good give attention to work-life steadiness.
• Culinary Paradise: Famend for its gastronomy, France has a various and beautiful tradition with meals that’s deeply ingrained in its tradition and historical past. As a house-sitter in France, you’ll be spoilt for alternative!
• Public Transportation: Environment friendly and intensive public transportation networks make commuting and journey inside France handy and eco-friendly.
• Cultural Richness: France’s wealthy artwork, literature, and structure historical past is unparalleled.
• Scenic Landscapes: From the picturesque countryside to the gorgeous Mediterranean coast, France is residence to many breathtaking landscapes.
• Unimaginable Wine: France is well-known for making among the greatest wine on this planet. Good bottles of wine can be found in supermarkets for as little as $2.

Cons of Dwelling in France

• Paperwork: France is understood for bureaucratic processes that may usually be advanced and time-consuming.
• Language Barrier: The language barrier might be difficult for a house-sitter in France who isn’t fluent in French. Although many French individuals converse English, many additionally don’t.
• Strikes and Protests: France has a historical past of strikes and protests, which may sometimes disrupt public companies and transportation.
• Price of Dwelling: The price of dwelling in sure areas, particularly in main cities like Paris, might be comparatively excessive in comparison with different nations.
• Climate Variability: Whereas France usually has a nice local weather, climate situations can range, and a few areas expertise excessive temperatures and climate occasions.
• Severely Rural Areas: When you like having facilities in your doorstep 24/7, a few of France’s extra rural areas will not be for you as they lack on a regular basis conveniences. Many small cities and villages require a drive into greater cities for companies.
• Weekend Hunters: Searching with weapons or packs of canine is a well-liked pastime in lots of areas of France particularly on weekends. When you’re pet-sitting or planning to grow to be a house-sitter in France take additional precautions and search recommendation out of your hosts about the place to go and when.

Suggestions for Home Sitting in France

With a lot to contemplate earlier than taking up a list, I’ve put collectively just a few of my high suggestions for house-sitting in France:

• Know your location: France has some very rural areas and housesits could also be manner out within the countryside unsupported by public transportation. Be totally conscious of the precise space you’re heading to and the way simple it’s to get to grocery shops, cafes, and so forth.
• Ask a few automotive: If the individuals you’re housesitting for are leaving the nation they might be leaving their automotive behind. Most often, the insurance coverage in France covers anybody with a legitimate license to drive a correctly insured car – good for a house-sitter in France!
• Be taught the market schedule: Weekly markets are nonetheless a extremely popular factor in France, it’s how loads of locals get most of their produce. You’ll discover the whole lot from garments and quick meals to contemporary and reasonably priced groceries at a city market.
• Carry some money: Most locations, even the markets, settle for card funds however not all. When you’re staying outdoors of an enormous metropolis discovering a cashpoint that doesn’t cost a hefty charge is usually a actual ache. Seize an affordable money float when you may.
• Put together for spotty WiFi: Most hosts will likely be clear and upfront in regards to the WiFi scenario. We’ve had just a few connection points in rural France so I like to recommend having a pay-as-you-go SIM for knowledge as a backup.
• Plan your buying: Many supermarkets, even the actually huge ones will shut round midday on Sundays. So plan your buying accordingly.
• Put together to make fires: I discovered that many rural homes in France have been heated nearly completely by a fire. Hosts ought to all the time go away you ample provides of wooden and present you easy methods to function them, however constructing good fires is a necessity out within the French countryside.

Home Sitting in France: FAQs

Listed below are some solutions to essentially the most generally requested questions on house-sitting in France:

In Conclusion

I hope this text has helped with some concepts on easy methods to grow to be a housesitter in France. It actually is a superb nation and one which I really feel everybody ought to expertise sooner or later of their lives.

Home and pet sitting gives a tremendous alternative to journey extra cost-effectively. For me, it additionally heightens the expertise of each journey. I’ve made some lifelong pals alongside the way in which, with each the individuals I’ve sat for and their pals and neighbors.

I rave about home and pet-sitting to anybody who will hear. It’s one thing that’s modified my life and has opened up so many home windows of alternative for journey that I by no means thought attainable.

Good luck!