So.... how did I end up house sitting in Finland? I originally started house sitting because I was sick of paying high rent in the UK, didn't want to do it any more and house sitting sounded like a great alternative. And a great alternative to renting it was!
House Sitting: Why I Do It, How I Got Into It
For two years I lived for free in hot countries that are the top of many people's travel bucket-lists that, as a poor 21 year old I hadn't even dreamt of being able to put on mine, like Australia, Spain and Italy. But after those two years I branched out of well known bucket-list destinations and started saying yes to house sitting in more 'unusual' places.
Because it's not just the hot, let's say "well-known" countries that need house sitters. House sitting can take you ANYWHERE in the world. For example, one of the more unusual places I ended up house sitting was Finland. So without further ramble, what was it like for me to house sit in Finland and, more importantly, what are some reasons that I think you should house sit in Finland too:
7 Reasons to Do a House Sit in Finland
I personally feel like there are many reasons to house sit in general and many reasons to visit Finland too, but what about reasons to house sit specifically in Finland?
#1. House sitting is free accommodation!
I think one of my most commonly said phrases on this blog is that house sitting means free accommodation. This is true for Finland as well, of course, but why is it especially important here? Finland is expensive - according to the Helsinki Times it's the seventh most expensive country in Europe, with the eighth highest food prices. When it comes to travel, (and really life in general), accommodation is one of the most (if not the most) expensive expense. The average cost for a hotel in Helsinki is somewhere between $100-200 per night(!) So how do we eliminate all these costs? House sitting. Other than a yearly subscription fee, (which will cost you less than one night in a hotel, and can easily give you a year's worth of accommodation), house sitting means free accommodation. Even in expensive Finland. So yes, my top number 1 reason to house sit in Finland would be to get free accommodation in one of the most expensive countries in Europe.
#2. You already know some locals in Finland!
Another positive of house sitting is that you are guaranteed to meet some locals (or at the least, expats, who, let's face it still do live in the country and still do have their own unique experiences). House sitting in Finland is no different - you will be house sitting there for a home owner. Generally with house sitting, you will spend a day or two with the home owners before they leave - so they can show you how the routine works and so the pets (if there are any) can get used to you around the humans that they already know. Sometimes, if you and the home owner(s) are comfortable with this, you might arrive at the house sit after they've already left and not meet them - but chances are even in this case they will leave you with local tips, and with emergency contacts who live nearby.
As to my own experience, the home owners picked us up from the airport - which was nice, and saved me and my partner having to get a bus or a taxi to their place (another saved expense). They took us to the supermarket so we could stock up and use their car to bring the food back to theirs. They gave us lots of maps, brochures and recommendations of things to do in Helsinki. They also lent me some extra warm scarves and hats which was very much appreciated.
Whilst having local contacts in useful pretty much anywhere you travel to (and again such a positive about house sitting), I think it's especially useful in Finland. Firstly, Finland is not one of the most popular places to visit in the world, so there are fewer resources for travellers and tourists. Secondly, Finnish is one of the most unique languages in the world so it's not like you will able to just guess what's going on (though I'm realising as I write this that this point is kind of moot because most Finnish people speak excellent English..) but thirdly, whilst Finnish people (as a general sweeping statement) are kind people, they are also (as another general sweeping statement) extremely shy and introverted - I for one have never been on such silent public transport anywhere in the world - thus again it is so useful to know some people who 'have' to talk to you and share their tips :)
#3. House Sitting in Finland is Beautiful!
Finland has a lot of space and not a lot of people - in fact it only has five million, which works out to just 18 people per square kilometre. Hence it has lots of beautiful, unspoiled landscapes. I saw so many hares in Finland, which I really liked. Where I come from (the UK) hares are pretty rare, so it was nice to see them thriving. I was house sitting in a suburban part of Helsinki - 20 minutes away from the centre by metro, but there were still lots of wooded areas and lots of hares. Sometimes they even came and sat on the lawn.
So yeah, how can I relate this back to house sitting? Well Finland is beautiful, and it's nice to house sit in a beautiful place. More often than not house sitting comes with a pet or two, and if that / those pet(s) are dog(s) you can enjoy the nature with a furry friend or two. I really like nature, I like going for walks, but I know I wouldn't have spent as much time in beautiful Finnish nature if I hadn't have been looking after a dog, so I'm really grateful she was there with me.
#4. You will probably have a furry friend to care for!
Speaking of the dog.. She deserves her own point! Most people can go on holiday and leave their home alone, so whilst house sitting might have originated as people caring for other people's homes, it's basically evolved into what would be more accurate to call 'pet sitting'. For example, in my house sit in Helsinki Finland I was looking after this dog:
So if you're an animal lover like me, sharing your adventure with a sweet dog or cat (or both!) in Finland will add that extra special something to your trip. As someone who travels full-time, it can be hard when you feel like you're missing out on the stuff that people can have when they stay in one spot - the top of that list for me is living with animals, so it's so nice to be able to still have that whilst travelling.
#5. It will take you to places you wouldn't necessary go to (in a good way)
If I had been paying for accommodation in Helsinki, no doubt I would have got something as close to the centre as possible. Which no doubt would have been in an touristy, less authentic area. With house sitting, you're guaranteed to be living in places where real locals actually live, because you're literally living in their house lol. The house sit I did in Helsinki was accessible to the centre but still 100% local only - think Eastern European bloc houses set next to wooden houses with saunas. I know for sure that house sitting gave me the opportunity to live like a real local which I probably wouldn't have had otherwise.
#6. ..at a time you wouldn't necessarily choose
Now, the nature of house sitting is that whilst you do get a say in where you go (you only apply to the house sits that are in the countries or places that you'd like to go to), when you go is dependent on the home owners - you can only house sit for them when they decide they want to go away (of course). Naturally, you still have some say in it - if you can't do the dates you don't apply to that sit, but it's not like you can say "I want to go to Finland for these specific dates" like you would be able to do if you were staying in a hotel or hostel. You see what dates the home owners want you for and apply if you agree.
Hence why I found myself house sitting in Finland in January - I'm not so sure I would have picked January but this is a reason I love house sitting - it adds an element of 'fate' and fun that makes travel so exciting. Would I have chosen Helsinki in January? Probably not. Am I happy that I got to go to Helsinki Finland in January? Absolutely. Am I even happier that my accommodation was free thanks to house sitting? You betcha! My point is, and I believe any long-term traveller will back me up on this - the best parts of travel, the things you never forget, almost always come from some kind of surprise - a surprise destination, at a surprise time - house sitting offers both.
#7. The Food in Finland!
As I said in point 1, Finland is expensive - and that goes for the food too. But whilst there's an obvious money saving perk to house sitting (that perk being you don't have to pay for accommodation) there are another less obvious money saving perks - for example, you get your own kitchen. Anyone who has ever cooked at home in most of the countries in the world will tell you - it's cheaper than eating out. Sometimes astronomically so. With house sitting, you get full access to the kitchen and whilst I'm sure you will go to some great restaurants in Helsinki, you will save a tonne by not eating out for every meal.
This is unlike a hotel where maybe you will have breakfast included but you're not going to have the option to cook a full lunch or dinner in your room. (Okay maybe some substandard noodles, but nothing to what you'll be able to cook in your own kitchen, or rather someone else's that you're tending). Even in a hostel whilst it's true you will probably have a kitchen to cook in, it's also true that it's not going to compare to a home kitchen, and you won't have to share it with lots of other people either.
Everything You Need for House Sitting Finland:
Here are a couple of things I'd recommend taking with you/taking care of before you go... it's not a complete list but I hope you, dear prospective house sitter will find useful:
- Trustedhousesitters discount code: we found this house sitting Finland job (and all our other house sits) through Trustedhousesitters. Click here for a 10% Trustedhousesitters discount code!
- cheap flights to Finland: To get to your house sitting Finland job, you'll most probably be flying (or maybe getting the ferry from Estonia). If you fly, I super recommend Kiwi, they don't just find the cheapest flights to Finland, they also find you the most convenient, just take a look.
- warm clothes (though the home owners will hopefully lend you some): Finland is freezing. It's the furthermost we've ever been above the equator and with our 'hand luggage only' rule on flights we would have been stuffed! Luckily our home owners agreed to let us borrow their gloves/hats/clothes. We also have a list of winter stuff to pack for Canada (which is sort of similar I guess);
- travel/health insurance: Finland is one of the safest places in the world, but still rule number one of travel is don't forget your travel insurance!
Wrap Up: House Sitting Finland
I enjoyed house sitting Finland, it's not somewhere I would necessarily have gone to without house sitting (because it wasn't at the top of our bucket list), but I'm so glad I ended up there - that's truly one of the best things about house sitting: it gives you the opportunity to go to slightly off-the-beaten-path destinations that you wouldn't necessarily have ever gone to. And those places will probably be your favourite ones! So do you fancy house sitting in Finland? Go for it! Btw, here's a video about we made about house sitting, to give you guys some extra help :)
P.S.: If you're interested in a way of travelling and getting accommodation cheaply, you might wanna check out house sitting. Trustedhousesitters.com was kind enough to provide us and our readers with a 10% discount, feel free to click on the link to use it :)
