What to do When You’re at the End of Your Rope

Sometimes, alas, that time will come around. Whether you’ve found yourself in a pickle in a short term stint, or your long term exploring has become royally f***ed. The money’s running out, you haven’t found work, your roommates are crazy, you’re just losing your mind and need to recalibrate. You can always rush home, but if you want to avoid home for now, here are some options!

1. Workaway – an extremely useful site that links travelers with skills (skills is said lightly) to people who like to meet people and share their space. You can find anything from “company for my grandparents” to “help me build my shed” to “learn to dog sled”. A caveat would be visa requirements, but on a work holiday that’s not really an issue.
2. Trusted house sitters (or other similar house sitting websites) – if you love pets and miss the ones back home, sign up for this site. Not only have I gotten to snuggle up with dogs and cats and chickens and everything else, but I’ve managed to not have to pay rent for two months straight. Sometimes it can be hard to find a spot, but other times this can make your travel extremely cheap.
3. Hostel work – many hostels give their staff a free bed, but even more hostels let people volunteer for accommodation. Especially budget backpacker hostels. For two or three small shifts a week cleaning or working the desk and you’ve got a little home! Depending where you are, you might also be able to find work through the hostel using their vast network of businesses looking for casual workers. Caveat is that all this may also fall under visa limitations.
4. Au pair or live-in nanny – if you’re wanting to chill longer term, love kids, and don’t want to have to think or plan or consider the next move for an extended period, this is a great option. Again, visa requirements must be considered here, but this is actually a fantastic option that might let you feel like you’ve got grown ups again (without losing your freedom).

It’s not much, but it’s home. When I’m in a pinch I always come back to this list first to see my options, and honestly use these things sometimes as a risk assessor for where I’m heading, just to see if I might have a safety net if things take a turn.