Nomador allows you to travel the world, all while looking after houses and pets at no cost.  Simply put, it’s a great way to stay at a house for free in exchange for looking after it.

If you like the idea of this concept, then I want to show you how Nomador works.  I have mentioned it briefly in my ways to make money doing nothing post, but I figured it would be time to show you how it works in detail.

Yes, it’s a very legitimate website, but the question is if it’s worth your time.  That’s why I like to do these reviews.

So, if you like the idea of housesitting, and oftentimes, watching some pets, then this could be a great way to travel and have your lodging covered.

Let’s begin!

How Does Nomador Work?

To start getting considered as a house sitter on Nomador, the company will first ask you to create your profile.  Before you create a profile, however, let it be known that there are two profile options you can choose from.

The company does have a “free” Discover Option, which allows you to decide if the house sitting process is worth it to you.  During this probation period, you can search for house sitting opportunities, use the internal messaging feature as well as receive badges and recommendations.

However, if you want to increase your chances of getting hired, the company highly recommends you sign up for the “Confidence Option.”  This option allows you to view offers reserved, apply to offers reserved and even show up on the first page of the results when a homeowner searches for a house sitter.

Basically, the company wants you to sign up for the premium option, and if you don’t, you won’t be seen.  This option will cost you about $99 a year, less than $10 a month, so it isn’t much.  If you find a job, you should easily be able to offset this fee.

Creating Your Profile

When you’re creating your profile, the company will want to know more about you, including the basics, such as your name, occupation, hometown, etc.  It’s nothing different than any other profile being created on a website such as this.  This will be found under the “ID” section and you must fill this out in order to contact homeowners if you’re interested in any listing.

Aside from the basics, Nomador also wants you to manage your “trust profile” so that owners can be comfortable in hiring you.  This will include proof of identity, proof of address as well as confirming your bank details.  If you do all of these, as well as confirm your email, then you will be looked at as “trustworthy” on the platform.  The more you add, the higher your trust index becomes.  You start out as a “1,” but you will want to increase this to boost your chances of getting jobs.

Besides the basics, you will need to create a traveler profile.  Keep in mind that this is a resume of sorts, as you will be asked to give great details about yourself as well as let people know about your interests, etc.   The more you’re able to describe yourself and instill trust, the higher your chances of getting hired can be.  When people are interested in you, they will click on your profile and see if it’s a match.  The more details you have, the better your chances of getting hired may be.

During the profile process, the company gives you examples as to what you should include to make your profile as efficient as possible.

Finding a House to Sit

Even if you haven’t completed your profile yet, you can search for houses to sit to see if it’s something you’re interested in.  Depending on what you’re looking for, your results will vary.

To see which houses are available at the moment, you will want to click on the “find a house sit” button in the toolbar and then filter your results to narrow down your search.

For example, let’s say I was planning a trip in the near future, but I wanted to stay in the United States and didn’t care where I was staying.  In this case, I would just type in the United States and then see what’s available.  However, if you have specific dates in mind, you can input those as well to, again, narrow your search.

So, for example, using that United States example, I was presented with more than 800+ opportunities, as seen here…

These are just a select few, of course, but get the idea.  That first home is available from April to July, whereas the Irvine home is only available for that week.

If any are of interest to you, just click on the house and then read the host’s profile.

On this page, you will see what they need from you as well as what the house has to offer.  For example, that first house expected the following:

As you can see, they expected someone to care for their friendly cat while they are away, as well as water some plants, bring in the mail and just take care of the house.  It’s not much, but this is what you can expect with most house sitting gigs listed here.

NOTE:  You can also set up an alert if you find nothing that matches your filter.  If you do get an alert, just make sure you apply as soon as possible since good gigs go fast.

Applying

If you do find a job you’re interested in, then you can contact the owner to work out the details.  Before you contact the owner, however, you will need to upload at least one document to prove your identity in order for the website to allow you to comment.  Once you do so, you can work out the details via the in-house messaging system.

Aside from applying, you can also make your profile visible, where home owners can find you as well.  This comes back to your profile, where you want to make sure you sell yourself as best as you can.

What Are People Saying

Most of what I read from the customer’s side seemed to be positive.  Many loved the people they worked with as well as the fact that they could exchange their house in turn for some simple chores.

Like anything, however, there were negatives.  As thousands use the service, there will be bad apples, from people being ghosted to house sitters not living up to their expectations.  You could check out some of these reviews, both good and bad, on SiteJabber.com.

Overall, the vibe seemed to be positive, and like any service, there will always be bad apples floating around out there.

The Pros

• a free basic membership is available
• people can reach out to you via your profile
• very easy to navigate
• you can browse listings without signing up in full
• house sitters don’t have to pay for a listing, which means more opportunities for you

The Cons

• verifying your identity can be a pain
• one of the more expensive house sitting websites
• still in growing stage — not as popular as others

Final Thoughts

7/10Overall, I think Nomador is a wonderful resource to use if you’re looking to travel the world and want a free place to stay.  Sure, it will take some planning, but this option could save you hundreds, maybe even thousands in lodging fees.

While you won’t get paid, the savings, I feel, are worth it, as long as you use it for traveling purposes.  If you’re going to stay around town, it doesn’t make sense, unless you’re homeless.

In the end, Nomador, is one to consider.  Sign up and see what’s out there.  If there’s something you like, reach out to the owner as well as wait for the owners to reach out to you.  Once you gather enough reviews, you can find yourself with a lot of opportunities you can’t keep up with.

That wraps it up.

As always, if you want to comment on Nomador, you’re more than welcome to do so in the comments below.  Thanks for stopping by.