we've all spent countless hours looking at friends' holiday snaps on instagram or facebook with a hint of jealousy, wishing we could be sitting on a beach, eating a fancy meal or spending the night in a luxurious hotel room it can seem steep forking out for hotel stays night after night, but one couple has discovered the way to do it for free laura cody, 23, and tanbay theune, 26, have taken advantage of the home sitting craze, which allows people stay in strangers' incredible houses while they are away   without having to spend a penny on accommodation laura cody, 23, and tanbay theune, 26, (pictured in berlin) didn't want to pay high rent in the uk and wanted to travel  laura has written a guide on how to start house sitting her book, their blog, and freelance work help them maintain their travelling life  the couple, who met in cardiff and have been together for years and skype with owners to make sure they land a nice place to stay  the couple have been house sitting since 2013 and haven't paid any rent and bills since they left for their adventures the house owners kindly took the couple to the lone pine koala sanctuary, the oldest and largest koala sanctuary in the world  the couple enjoyed body boarding in sydney, australia on manly beach, just one of the many picturesque places they have stayed near  the couple dined on crocodile, emu and kangaroo at tukka restaurant in queensland and also kayaked along the brisbane river  the couple chose to embark on the adventure together after they became fed up with paying hefty rent bills every month, and discussed their desire to experience the world the option to travel was actually a cheaper one than staying at home, as they realised they could travel rent and bill free by home sitting in whatever country they chose they left birmingham in july 2013, and currently have no plans to stop their worldwide adventure home sitting is a win win situation, as home owners want people staying in their house to deter burglars, and most often, to look after their pets, in exchange for free lodging the couple's gold coast house came complete with a pool for them to enjoy for free  stunning scenery: one of the incredible properties they have stayed at for free was a vineyard in italy  many people put their homes up for house sits because they want someone to look after their pets while they are away  in two years the mathematics graduate and retail supervisor have house sat all over australia, the uk, germany, spain and italy and are currently in finland they also have stays lined up in portugal and the netherlands this year when asked about the best and worst places they have stayed, they revealed their secret for ensuring they stay in the best properties 'the best two have been an italian vineyard and a gold coast sit in australia which had a pool and was very close to the beach,' laura said 'we haven't had a worst one because we skype with the home owners beforehand to check it's nice' bouncing along! the couple witnessed kangaroos in australia on a trip to kangaroo island  the couple, who love animals, often have to walk dogs in exchange for no bills and free lodging (pictured: ancona, italy) since july 2013 they have spent about £10,000 between the two of them, most of it to travel to and live in australia  they use the website trusted housesitters to organise their stays, paying just £599 per month for an annual membership laura, originally from cheltenham, and tanbay, from oldenburg, germany, have only spent £1,000 between them in the last six months on transport and food travelling on the road has also given them the opportunity to earn money with the release of laura's e book, house sitting in australia   a guide for first time house sitters, through their popular blog, travelling weasles, and other freelance work countries they have stayed at include australia, uk, germany, spain and italy, trying many exotic foods along the way  they always pick the cheapest way to travel between destinations, and many owners leave their homes stocked with food for the pair  from major cities, to deserted villages, and houses with pools and beach villas, the range of properties is as varied as length of stay the longest the couple have stayed in a property is six weeks, but they have also done weekend stays too 'the weirdest thing we have seen in people's houses is a life size cut out of edward from twilight,' they told mailonline travel in an email 'the home owners are usually very generous and have given us food, wine and day trips   and one lovely couple gave us a gopro' apart from missing marmite and their families, the two hope to continue their global adventures, saving money as they go 'we now have a life that we don't need a vacation from,' laura said laura and tanbay have visited some of the most beautiful places on earth, just paying for flights, and working on the road  the home owners pay all the bills whilst they are away   including internet   and the couple occasionally looks after pets  the couple would recommend their method of travel for anyone and say they 'now have a life that we don't need a vacation from'
2013 spain house finland germany uk laura cody skype italy tanbay theune australia
laura cody and tanbay theune have house sat since 2013 and travelled the world paying no bills or rent  countries they have visited include australia, uk, germany, spain, italy and finland  they skype ahead to ensure they get a nice house, and have stayed at properties with pools and on a vineyard  house sitting is staying at someone's house while they are away to deter burglars and sometimes look after pets 