twenty fifth Apr 2025
Studying Time: 15 minutes
Until you be a part of the Navy or work for an airline, you’ll most likely wrestle to earn cash whereas travelling.
Scrounging free flights and lodge stays is getting more and more tough within the post-lockdown, post-‘influencer’ world, and even skilled journey writers now wrestle to journey the world without cost like they used to.
However there are nonetheless some methods to recoup the price of your vacation, from renting out your private home and driveway to taking care of another person’s pet whilst you sightsee.
Lower by the hype and uncover what suggestions do and don’t work now, with our skilled information.
Proceed Work on Vacation
OK, OK, so being on vacation means taking annual go away or time away out of your freelance job. However when you can negotiate working at the very least a few days every week remotely whilst you’re away, you received’t eat into your go away days or vacation fund fairly a lot. With distant work so widespread in a post-Covid world, it’s simpler than ever to barter an extended vacation general, when you can organize to work remotely a number of days every week.
Converse to your boss about how you could possibly work whilst you’re away, and ensure clear boundaries are set about when you’re working and when you’re on vacation. If you’re travelling to a rustic that has an workplace on your firm or purchasers, take into account providing to spend a day finishing up in-person conferences (and a few smooth-tongued workers may even use this to ask for bills in the direction of air journey and a lodge for a portion of the journey).
Freelancers can normally work from wherever, which suggests it’s simple to up sticks for every week or two with out dipping into your financial savings an excessive amount of. Working a few hours a day ensures the revenue continues to roll in, however you’ll be able to make the most of doing it by a seashore or in a fantastic historic metropolis! And keep in mind, when you can tie your journey to work one way or the other, resembling a analysis journey, a few of your bills might be offset in your Self Evaluation.
Earn Cash Renting Out Your House
Renting out your own home out whilst you’re away is an easy – and fairly profitable – method of recouping the price of your vacation, particularly when you stay in a vacationer hotspot.
Airbnb has clearly cornered the market in informal vacation lets, however there are an entire host of apps and web sites on the market that you would be able to sign-up to, together with Vacation Lettings, Vrbo, and Reserving.com, all of that are fairly simple to create and handle an inventory on.
Basic rental websites like Spare Room or Monday to Friday are one other great way of discovering individuals who would possibly desire a full two weeks in a metropolis, the place, let’s face it, most Airbnb visitors solely need to keep for a day or three.
Which web site is greatest?
Spare Room and Monday to Friday tenants are normally younger adults or enterprise folks in search of a stopgap whereas they discover extra long-term lodging. Websites like Reserving.com and Air BnB allow you to checklist for short-term lets, which may give you extra cash when you’re going away at a peak time.
There are only a few legalities to verify earlier than letting out your private home, like whether or not it’s essential to up your insurance coverage. Airbnb, for example, covers you for as much as $1m in insurance coverage, however your personal residence insurance coverage supplier may want you to pay a small payment to incorporate renters to your coverage.
When you have a mortgage, it’s essential to verify if it’s okay with them too, as not all lenders mean you can supply your private home out for short-term lets.
House Swap
For those who don’t need to lease out your private home – or doing so would imply costly modifications to your insurance coverage coverage – you could possibly take into account a house swap with a buddy or vetted particular person, as an alternative. That is the place you turn properties for the time period: you reside of their home, they stay in yours. This was made widespread with the Christmas movie, The Vacation with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. We are able to’t assure you’ll discover the love of your life, however you would possibly uncover an inexpensive solution to usually go to a spot that you simply love!
There are fully free residence swap providers, however going by an company like HomeExchange with a small annual payment means you should have extra safety insurance coverage and different help as a part of your membership. House swaps prevent a lot cash on journey, it may be a solution to discover the world on a restricted funds – so paying an company payment, the place persons are vetted to hitch, might be properly price it.
Lease Out Your Drive
In case your mortgage dealer doesn’t mean you can allow you to lease out your own home, or possibly you simply don’t fancy having another person keep in your house whilst you’re not there, you could possibly at all times lease out your empty driveway as an alternative.
Having a automobile in your drive can even do extra to maintain away would-be burglars than that corridor lamp on a time change ever may! You may also make a good whack by merely letting another person park in your property for every week or two. Once more, the quantity you could possibly earn depends upon the place you reside – when you’re stay in a giant metropolis or close to a main sporting venue, like Wimbledon or Aintree the place parking is a serious drawback throughout sure weeks of the 12 months, your drive will clearly be extra in-demand than when you stay on Dartmoor.
There are a great deal of corporations that specialise in driveway leases, together with JustPark.com, ParkOnMyDrive.com, Stashbee.com and YourParkingSpace.co.uk. You’ll additionally discover folks listings their driveways on Gumtree, Fb and different less-specialist websites, so it’s price checking on these too to see when you may earn extra by promoting on certainly one of them.
Establishing an account solely takes a minute or so, and the websites then both take a small minimize from you, the leaser, or, within the case of JustPark.com, add an additional fee on to invoice which the particular person renting your drive pays.
How a lot can I cost to lease out my drive?
The three cities most in-demand by space-shy parkers are London, Edinburgh and Brighton, the place parking close to the centre usually goes from £15 a day (when you exclude the chancers charging £50+). Even within the suburbs, the going-rate begins from £10 a day in Brighton, rising the nearer you reside to bus routes.
It might not sound an enormous quantity, however added up over a fortnight, you could possibly (conservatively) look to make between £70 and £135 renting out your parking house – and that’s assuming you checklist on the very backside of the market. Most of these drives are usually not in essentially the most in-demand components of Brighton, like close to the seashore or station.
It’s an identical story with different touristy cities like York, the place metropolis centre parking has simply rocketed in April 2025, to a whopping £4.85 an hour in metropolis automobile parks (up from 80p an hour only a month earlier than!).
Will I earn extra in different cities?
For those who’re fortunate sufficient to stay in central London, Edinburgh, or York, your drive can pay for quite a lot of Magnums. You’ll be able to simply make £20+ a day for every parking house. For those who’ve a double drive or double storage, you’re £40+ a day – which provides as much as £560 in income throughout your two-week journey away. Have house for 3 automobiles? You would earn £840 to place in the direction of your spending cash.
Clearly, you will have to verify together with your residence insurance coverage supplier to make sure that renting out your driveway or storage doesn’t have an effect on your coverage, and any further money you make over £1000 in a 12 months have to be declared to HMRC in your tax return.
Can I Make Cash Pet Sitting?
In addition to renting out your personal home/drive to make some cash, you could possibly attempt getting paid to remain within the place you’re staying – or, on the very least, keep there without cost. Most individuals don’t pay for home sitting anymore – until you’re required to additionally take care of pets.
The apparent method to do that is by providing your providers as a home sitter. Not everybody can get a home swap, resembling those that lease their properties slightly than personal them, however you’ll be able to nonetheless register on a home sitting web site to remain in somebody’s home without cost.
There are a variety of the reason why somebody would need you to remain of their home rent-free.
An rising variety of folks personal multiple property or spend lengthy durations of time away on enterprise, and would slightly pay somebody to take care of the place than threat being burgled.
Housebreaking charges are highest throughout vacation durations, which, let’s face it, might be when you’re in search of someplace too. Hiring a house-sitter additionally makes monetary sense for residence house owners with a number of priceless contents, like priceless artwork and memorabilia, so having you on-site may really assist decrease their insurance coverage premiums.
What does house-sitting contain?
Home sitting is usually very simple. Your job is to maintain issues dust-free and tidy, maybe carry on high of the backyard and water any crops, and, in fact, it’s possible you’ll be required to take care of a pet too.
There’s fairly a requirement for individuals who are good with canines, cats and different animals, given many pet house owners don’t need to ship their pets to costly kennels and catteries, so when you get pleasure from strolling and grooming animals, and might be trusted to maintain them alive for 2 weeks, you’ll be excellent.
Not all house-sitting corporations pay, however you’ll save a whole bunch of kilos on inns and B&B by taking up the roll of unpaid dog-walker/night-watchman if you’re not off exploring the native vacationer websites.
How do I register?
Most the principle home sitting web sites cost would-be sitters a small payment to register on their web site. HouseSittersUK, for example, prices £29 a 12 months for entry to its portal, which, as its web site factors out is ‘a fraction of the worth of an evening’s lodge lodging’. As soon as registered, you’ll be able to then start trying to find residence house owners within the space you’re hoping to remain, and chat straight with them to barter what they need and want from you. In the event that they pay, they’ll usually point out this within the advert, however you’ll be able to at all times ask about any remunerations or bills if you message them. In the event that they’re asking you to take care of pets or be aware of explicit errands that would price cash, be sure to have in writing that they’ll cowl any bills incurred (like pet food).
Can I house-sit out of the country?
For those who’re in search of lodging overseas, MindMyHouse.com has listings throughout the US, Canada and Mexico, which account for over a 3rd of all advertisements, in addition to heaps in the remainder of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
Once more, you must pay a small yearly membership payment of $29 (roughly £25) however there are many good trying listings in unique locations. In fact, the house house owners are usually in search of assistance on particular dates (normally after they themselves are going away), so when you’re seeking to go to California, for instance, it might make sense to lookup who’s listed in that vacation spot – and when they’re in search of house-sitters – and, organising your journey round that, slightly than reserving your flights first after which being disenchanted if you uncover there are not any Californians in search of house-sitters the fortnight you’re going to be there.
Can I specify what I’ll and received’t do?
The attention-grabbing factor about this web site is home sitters and residential house owners signal an settlement detailing precisely what’s and isn’t included within the settlement, masking every part from fee (or in any other case) to the state of affairs relating to utility payments, damages, and any chores/duties. The contract additionally ensures your keep, though every occasion can cancel the settlement as much as seven days earlier than you’re because of arrive, so there’s at all times an opportunity you’ll have to seek out different lodging in the event that they cancel greater than every week out.
One other widespread web site is Trustedhousesitters, nevertheless its becoming a member of payment is much more costly, ranging from £119 a 12 months for a ‘primary’ membership. For those who go down this route, it will not be a foul concept to improve to the £129 ‘normal sitter’ membership, which incorporates unintentional and third occasion legal responsibility insurance coverage, in case something goes unsuitable throughout your keep. The premium membership of £249 is right for these wanting to deal with sit greater than annually (it’s nonetheless cheaper than a lodge!) because it consists of sit cancellation cowl.
For those who apply for 5 home sits and aren’t profitable with any of them, the usual and premium plan features a refund in your membership price.
Can I cost a payment to deal with sit?
Though funds are usually not the norm, it’s possible you’ll be capable of negotiate a small payment if there are pets to take care of or some other extra duties, so undoubtedly give it a attempt when you really feel you deserve a small each day quantity.
One girl we all know of at MoneyMagpie usually makes £50 a day as a house-sitter. She solely spends the night and night time in the home, earlier than going to work the subsequent day.
The rationale for this excessive price of pay is the truth that the proprietor of the home has seven canines.
It might price at the very least £10 per canine per day to place these canines into kennels. By paying £50 to a house-sitter who is aware of the canines, the proprietor saves £20 a day.
Typically, although, pay is minimal and begins at £10 a day. Some sitters ask for a meals allowance of £10 a day, very like an worker can do when having to journey for his or her firm. These sitters will usually ask for 45p per mile for gas, once more very like workers receives a commission for utilizing their non-public automobile for work. Each of these funds are non-taxable, not like any precise remunerations, which ought to be declared to the taxman when you meet the minimal threshold.
One other instance of when a Magpie has been paid to deal with sit was when the particular person had a house enterprise that required a number of sending and receiving parcels. They paid £10 a day to cowl the journey to the publish workplace, and to verify the Magpie stayed at residence through the set supply occasions to soak up parcels.
If you’re extra centered on incomes cash slightly than simply discovering someplace free to remain, you’re most likely higher a specialised pet-sitting web site, though you most likely must be an actual animal lover to hassle making use of to those. Most house owners aren’t going to go away their beloved pooch with any Tom, Dick or Harry.
How do I turn out to be a pet-sitter?
The pet-sitting platform Rover doesn’t cost you to register and as an alternative takes 15% of any cash you make, very like Airbnb does. A whole lot of the sitters on its web site are execs who both personal boarding kennels and catteries, or run skilled canine walkers providers, and so they clearly cost huge bucks. That mentioned, there are others who supply a extra conventional house-sitting service, which is clearly most well-liked by many pet house owners whose animals are too nervous or previous to go to a kennel or cattery, so that you would possibly be capable of undercut the professionals, and internet your self a good payment to assist offset a few of your different vacation prices. When you have a police DBS verify and may get references from different pet house owners testifying to your dog-whispering prowess, you’ll additionally significantly increase your possibilities of getting chosen.
Once more you’ll discover listings throughout the UK on Rover, in addition to in widespread vacationer locations just like the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway – the place inns are notoriously costly.
For those who plan to take care of somebody’s pet, you actually must look into getting public legal responsibility cowl, in case the canine bites somebody whilst you’re out strolling them, for example. {Many professional} house-sitters take out public legal responsibility insurance coverage even when they by no means take care of pets. You by no means know what kind of any blow-back you would possibly get from the house proprietor if issues go unsuitable, so it’s at all times higher to be secure than sued!
Get Free Meals and Lodge Stays as a Thriller Diner and Customer
There are many businesses on the market that make use of folks as thriller customers for inns and eating places. Some pay however most supply merely the bills again of the meal or lodging. They are going to usually stipulate whether or not it’s essential to order a specific factor, ask for assist (resembling ‘might I’ve an iron dropped at my room?’ to check room service), and different such issues. You will want to allocate a while to finish the duties – however it can lead to free stays and meals.
What’s going to I’ve to do?
Usually, thriller diners are given a easy questionnaire to fill-in after their go to, asking them to price how pleasant the employees have been, how clear and presentable the restaurant regarded, and different maybe brand-specific questions, like did the meal arrive inside a sure time after ordering.
Plenty of college students and retired folks do thriller purchasing or thriller eating work as a part-time job, however when you’re actually solely involved in doing it once in a while to cowl these dinners away, you could possibly attempt signing up for a web site like MysteryDining.
Whereas most individuals who use the app assessment eating places of their native space, it let’s you replace your preferences when you’re travelling, which means you’ll be able to choose to assessment eating places and inns, for instance, whilst you’re elsewhere within the UK. They even have some worldwide partnerships, which means you could possibly eat without cost whereas on vacation in components of Europe, the Center East and America.
Can I receives a commission for evaluations?
MysteryDining doesn’t pay you for every assessment, however affords ’capped reimbursements’ – ie. cash to pay for the meal or lodge room you’ve been requested to assessment. It really works on a tiered system (with bronze, silver, gold and platinum ranges, relying on what number of evaluations you’ve carried out). Not surprisingly, one of the best gigs, like lodge stays, spa visits, meals at high-end eating places, and afternoon teas, are reserved for folks with extra expertise – which you achieve, initially, by reviewing lots of ‘fast service’ eateries, like Pret A Manger.
If residing it up without cost isn’t sufficient, you will discover paid gigs right here, though they require a bit extra dedication and energy, and, are frankly, extra of a job than one thing you’ll be able to simply casually do whereas having fun with a much-needed break.
Make Cash Promoting Your Vacation Pics
For those who’re travelling someplace a bit distinctive or off the overwhelmed observe, nevertheless, and are a superb novice photographer with a DSLR digicam, you would possibly as properly give it a go, because it’s shocking how few photos the picture businesses have of huge swathes of Africa, for example.
What kind of photos will promote?
Clearly there’s little or no demand for brand spanking new photos of Desk Mountain or Kruger Nationwide Park. However you’d be shocked at simply how few photos there are of different comparatively mainstream African locations on most image libraries.
For example, when you kind ‘fisherman + Gabon’, ‘hyenas + Namib-Naukluft Nationwide Park’ or the title of a seashore in Zanzibar or Mozambique into a photograph library search bar (like an image editor seeking to illustrate a narrative would do), only a few photos will probably come up.
Even when there are a number of related photos on the web site, there’s a superb likelihood people who these pictures will have already got been used by the image editors at specialist publications (and even mainstream media homes), which means your snap might be precisely what they’re in search of subsequent time they search a type of phrases.
For those who’re going even additional off the vacationer path to go to family members in Nigeria, for instance, then you could possibly actually clear up. You’d be shocked at how few good photos there are of a rustic of 200 million folks!
The place do I join?
There are many on-line businesses. Some widespread websites embrace:
Whenever you register your particulars, the location will normally ask you to ship between 5 to 10 pictures so it could take a look at the standard and sort of pictures you ship them. In case your pictures don’t conform to the location’s necessities, they are going to be rejected.
If this occurs, don’t fear – simply attempt once more, taking their feedback into consideration. Generally it might simply be as a result of they have already got too most of the type of picture you’re sending.
After your footage have been checked and cleared you’ll be notified after they go stay on the web site, normally after about 24 hours.
Then there’s nothing to do after that besides wait till folks purchase your pictures. As soon as your account reaches a sure restrict you will get your palms on the money.
Authorized points to contemplate
There are a number of authorized points to contemplate earlier than you add any pics on to a photograph library. For example, footage of identifiable homes or fashions (any one that is within the picture) will usually want a launch kind. That is signed by the mannequin or home proprietor to quote that their permission has been given so that you can revenue from their private belongings. Every web site has a launch kind so that you can obtain when you want it.
You also needs to keep away from taking footage of automobile registration plates, firm logos (these is perhaps Registered Commerce Marks) and something that might be thought of inflammatory (racist graffiti, for instance). You could verify the legal guidelines of the nation you’re in to determine what you’ll be able to and may’t take pictures of in a public house, too.
Journey for Free by Being a ‘Group Chief’
A whole lot of journey corporations supply a reduction if a big group is reserving collectively. These embrace main manufacturers like Virgin Holidays and Eurostar, which will give massive teams of 10 or extra a ten% low cost. The apply can also be widespread amongst specialist tour ops that organize snowboarding journeys, strolling holidays, biking excursions, golf breaks and safaris. These specialists usually enable the tour ‘chief’ or one that organized the group reserving to journey without cost, as a thanks/incentive for organising the journey and to encourage them to rearrange extra sooner or later.
For those who arrange a bunch vacation for mates or household you could possibly be rewarded on your effort by pocketing that low cost your self (agree it with your pals first in fact).
Not solely will the travelling be cheaper, you would possibly then be eligible for cheaper entry into sights, too. These could also be museums, amusement parks and so forth. It’s primarily simply one other method of shopping for in bulk.
Earn Cashback on Flight and Lodge Bookings
The opposite simple solution to make free cash in your vacation is by paying for as a lot of your journey on a credit score or debit card that pays you a refund each time you spend. Even higher if you may as well buy by way of a cashback web site like Quidco or Topcashback, to stack the rewards.
A whole lot of financial institution playing cards at the moment are de facto ‘reward playing cards’ that pay you each time you employ your card to purchase items and providers. Usually this reward money is a flat share price, which you earn every time you employ your card. Different banks might crew up with particular corporations, which regularly change on a month-to-month foundation, and supply a refund or further a refund every time you purchase one thing with certainly one of their companions that month.
Clearly, when you’re travelling overseas, the small payment you earn every time you spend will (normally) be offset by overseas transaction charges, however you could possibly make a good chunk of cheddar when you use a reward card to guide flights, pay for a package deal vacation, or when you guide inns and different vacation necessities by a UK web site earlier than your journey begins.
Earn Avios factors if you spend
A substitute for utilizing cashback is to earn Avois or Virgin Reward factors in your each day spending to avoid wasting all year long, for discounted flight, airport lounge, and lodge prices. The British Airways bank card and Virgin Reward card supply these – however take a look at others like Amex Rewards as they might even be a part of a factors scheme.
You’ll be able to usually get further bonuses too, resembling a free companion voucher when you’ve earned a sure degree of factors – which means you’ll be able to take a buddy or companion in your journey without cost, too.
