While the month of October was a pretty expensive month of living in London (which is a bit more indicative of the cost of travel in Western Europe anyway), the month of November was unbelievably cheap thanks to the wonders of housesitting, relatives, and moving on from the pound to the euro.
ENGLAND (London)
The first 13 days of November found me housesitting in a very lovely Borough of London called Richmond. I had the pleasure of taking care of an adorable Siamese cat who loved to snuggle. I was also within walking distance of Richmond Park, the largest of the eight royal parks in London, and the Thames River.
Then straight from Richmond I took the tube clear across London to Loughton where I stayed with family for my remaining 4 days in England. Therefore my housing costs were nil, my food costs very low (as I was able to grocery shop at the house sit and was fed very well by my relatives), and, as I’d already been in London so many times over the past year, my activities costs were very low. I’d already seen almost everything I’d wanted to anyway (that cost money at least).
I loved getting to know the city of London better, have my favorite parks, running spaces, cafes, and neighborhoods, and really got a sense for what it was like to LIVE there instead of just visiting.
The Cost of Travel in London
Accommodation: $0. Not really anything to say about this one except thank you TrustedHousesitters.com and amazing family!
Food: $30.80. Grocery shopping and delicious meals from my relatives for the win!
Sightseeing: $0. Again, after being there for so long, everything that I enjoyed doing involved free things (like running through the royal parks or just exploring new neighborhoods on foot).
Transportation: $15.40. I LOVE walking everywhere, so I only had to top up my Oyster card occastionally for the tube. Plus my relatives were kind enough to drop me off at the airport when it was time for me to leave!
Other: $43.89. This included a night out at the movies with some new friends from a Meet Up group called Girls Gone International (a bunch of awesome ladies who were either studying, working, or traveling abroad and currently located in London), as well as some miscellaneous things like vitamins and shampoo.
TOTAL COST: $90.09
SPAIN (Madrid, Seville)
From London I took a $14 flight on Ryanair to Madrid, Spain (hey the cost of travel doesn’t always have to be expensive). I met some wonderful friends in Madrid, so my spending definitely increased a bit more than normal. But it was a blast, and the fact that I was off the British pound and now on the euro definitely helped my financial situation (the euro is pretty much equal to the dollar at the moment).
The Cost of Travel in Spain (so far)
Accommodation: $242.46 (avg. $17.32/day) - I’m back to paying for hostels now, but for 14 days of accommodation that’s not too bad!
Food: $152.38 (avg. $10.88/day) - Oh tapas how I love you. And you as well sangria. And no of course I won’t leave you out either paella.
Sightseeing: $57.78 (avg. $4.13/day) - A few free walking tours here, a couple cathedrals and castles there.
Transportation: $92.24 (avg. $6.59/day) - This includes my flight to Madrid from London, transportation to and from the airport in Madrid and Seville, the round trip train ticket for our day trip to Segovia, and the train ride from Madrid to Seville.
Other: $0 - Guess I was fully stocked on shampoo and ibuprofen for these two weeks.
TOTAL COST: $544.86 (avg. $38.92/day)
TOTAL FOR MONTH OF NOVEMBER: $634.95
November was one of my cheapest months of traveling yet, and I was living in LONDON no less. But like I said earlier, it’s not exactly a ‘normal’ spending month, as my 16 days in England were somewhat unique.
But I will definitely be looking for more opportunities to house sit in the future! As you can see, it has the potential to save you some serious cash and allow you to live in a city that you might not otherwise be able to afford.
Have you ever tried house sitting while traveling? Did it save your monthly budget big time?
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