Travel Tips for house-sitting Australia

If you’re not an Ozzie and you’re headed to Australia on your career break, you’re not alone! It’s one of the most popular destinations to travel to – partly due to it being easy to work there (thank you working holiday visa) and partly because of the sunshine!

Here are our travel top ten tips to make the transition easier when house-sitting Australia:

1. When house-sitting Austrlia – Read the papers

– local and national. Local ones will tell you about events in your new community, which are a great chance to get out and meet people. National ones will give you an insight into the Australian culture and psyche as well as the news.

2. When house-sitting Australia – Slap on the sunscreen

– Today, when you travel to Australia you’ll see that the country is experiencing the most extreme heat wave for decades it almost goes without saying that daily use of sun cream is important. However, even when it’s cloudy. Australia has a rubbish ozone layer and you run the risk of getting burnt even when the sun’s not out. You need to slather yourself in suncream, all day, every day, wherever you are, whenever you travel.

3. When house-sitting Austrlia – Check tipping policy

– Tipping is not really done in most Australian cities and your tip might even be handed back.

4. When house-sitting Australia – Read up on a bit of local history

– Recent history as well as older stuff. It can help you understand the major events that have shaped this nation, and give you a bit of background especially on Aboriginal culture – it makes any travel you do more meaningful and informed.

5. When house-sitting Australia – Go to the beach

– Aussie beach culture is much more than sitting around getting a suntan. The more you travel in Oz the more you will see this. If you feel up to learning to surf, go ahead, but make sure you get proper instruction, to avoid the embarrassment of being the 10th foreigner to be rescued by a lifeguard that day. The poms especially are famous for it!

6. When house-sitting Australia – Find yourself a decent place to stay

Wherever you travel?whether you are traveling around for 1 month or a year, you might think your accommodation is not that important, but it is. You need somewhere to relax after work, some space on your own – and of course, a decent place to invite back your attractive new friend. House-sitting can provide a great opportunity to live like a local, in the comfort of a home, and it makes your sabbatical more affordable. Register on one of the house-sitting platforms to get your first gig.

7. When house-sitting Australia – Leave enough time to organise your paperwork?before you travel

– You’ll need plenty of time to get your visa – applications can get held up for all sorts of reasons.

8. When house-sitting Australia – Save some money

– You’ll need to demonstrate you have ‘sufficient funds’ before you enter Australia on a working holiday visa – plus you’ll need an onward or return travel ticket. Whether you are house-sitting, enjoying camping and hostelling and other forms of green travel you will still need sufficient funds to prove to the authorities that you are solvent and not going to be depenedant on the state.

9. When house-sitting Australia  – Make sure your CV (resume) stands out

– Yes, there are a lot of jobs for Brits in Australia – but there are also lots of people chasing them. If you’ve got relevant experience or useful skills make sure these are highlighted on your CV.

10. When house-sitting Australia – Talk, talk, talk

– Aussies have a well-deserved reputation for being a friendly bunch, and the more you talk to them, the more you’ll get out of your stay there. You might even get invited to a barbie!

To register as a House-sitter to enjoy green travel and improve your chances of finding free accommodation follow the link to HouseSitMatch REGISTRATION