If you’re a digital nomad, one of the most important things to your success is finding a comfortable place to stay. This can be challenging, especially when you’re on a tight budget. But did you know that there are luxury villas that offer free accommodation in exchange for work? This article will tell you how to find and land these opportunities!
My business partner Kevin and I have spent the last three years traveling the world while staying in different accommodations. We have stayed in everything ranging from hostels to couch surfing to camping, then all the way up to five-star resorts. I am constantly amazed by how many opportunities digital nomads have to find free or greatly discounted accommodation if you know where to look and are willing to put in a little work.
In this article, we will discuss the top way for digital nomads to land free accommodation while staying in luxury resorts. This method is tried, true, and tested and does not require you to have a social media following, expensive equipment, or any particular skillset!
Why would a property manager let you stay there for free?
Okay, why would a property manager in charge of a multi-million dollar home allow a digital nomad to have free accommodation?
A property manager’s job is to ensure that the home is rented out as much as possible, and they will often take any opportunity to fill a vacancy.
So if you can find multi-million dollar properties with many vacancies, then it is your job to convince them that you have the solution to their problems!
Next, we reach out and introduce ourselves and explain that we are digital nomads looking for a place to stay in exchange for work.
We offer to do things like social media, content creation, or even just general maintenance and cleaning around the property.
In our experience, most property managers are more than happy to have someone staying there in exchange for some work. While you can offer a ton of services for work, here is our five-step system that we have found to be the most successful.
Step 1. Find luxury properties with a lot of vacancies
The first thing that we do is look on websites such as VRBO and Airbnb for luxury properties that cost over $1000/night and have many vacancies.
This is important because you want to ensure that the property manager is motivated to have you stay there and that they will not be able to rent the property even if you’re not there.
I recommend looking for properties in locations popular with digital nomads, such as Bali, Thailand, or Portugal.
Step 2: Do a quick analysis of the property’s website and listing page
The next step is identifying the properties that will give you the highest chance for success. There are some things you will want to look out for, and here is a list of criteria to help you find the perfect properties to contact.
- They have very few photos or poor-quality photos
- They do not have a video
- They do not show up on google when you search for that property.
If they meet even one of the mentioned criteria, then you are in business!
Step 3. Message the property manager and present the idea that you can generate more bookings
Messaging property manager is critical because you want to build a relationship with them and show them that you are a valuable asset.
When we message the property manager, we always include the following:
- An introduction of who we are
- What we do (we make videos and take photos)
- And how our skills can help increase their bookings (by making a video or taking photos of the property to post on social media or their listing page).
It is also important to note that it is your job to convince the property manager that you have the solution to their problems )we will later discuss what it is we offer).
Step 4: Follow up and close the deal!
Once you have made your offer, it is time to follow up! We like to send a quick email or message summarizing our offer, and then we like to set up a call so that we can answer any questions that they may have.
After the call, we like to send one final email confirming our agreement, and then we want to schedule a time for our stay!
Step 5: Travel to the destination, and provide your services in exchange for accommodation.
The final step is to travel to the destination and provide your services in exchange for accommodation!
We like to ensure that we are providing value every step of the way and that we are always over-delivering on our promises.
Our winning offer
Okay, great, you now know the selling process to becoming a digital nomad and landing free accommodation in luxury villas. Still, the next thing to figure out is what do you offer in return for free accommodation?
Here is the system that we offer every time.
Promotional videos and photos
The easiest thing you can offer as a digital nomad is to create a promotional video and some photos of the property.
You can use this to create social media content or even post it on the listing page to make it look more appealing.
The great thing about this offer is that it requires very little work on your part, and you can usually get the entire project done within a day or two.
A lot of times, all you need is your phone and some basic editing skills!
If you want to go above and beyond, you can also include drone footage or even professional photographs.
Just remember that the key is to make an offer that is valuable to the property manager but doesn’t require much work on your part.
There are two types of promotional videos that we like to offer as digital nomads. Property videos and lifestyle videos.
Property videos:
Property videos are great because they show off the property’s features and help increase bookings. We like to film the video the first day we arrive, so things are clean and in order, and then we want to edit it and send it to the property manager within a day or two.
Lifestyle videos:
Lifestyle videos are great because they show off the lifestyle that you can have if you stay at the property. We like to film these videos throughout our stay and edit them at the very end. We love this option because often when we tell the local restaurants and tour guides that we are filming a promotional video, they give us free activities and discounts!
2. We run a social media ad campaign boosting the videos and photos we took
The second thing we offer is to run social media campaigns for the videos and photos we took.
Most people think they need to have a massive following on social media to be effective, but that is not the case!
You can get a ton of engagement and reach by running ads on Facebook and Instagram.
The key is to target the right people and create an exciting ad that will make people want to click through to learn more.
For example, if you are promoting a luxury villa in Bali, you might want to target people who live in cold climates (like Europe or North America) and who have been searching for Bali on Google.
You can also use interests like “luxury travel” or “vacation rental.”
Becoming a full-time digital nomad
Becoming a full-time digital nomad is a great way to see the world and live a lifestyle that most people only dream of.
The best part is that it doesn’t have to be expensive, and you can make money while you travel!
If you are thinking about making the jump, we will encourage you to research and figure out what type of work you can do from anywhere in the world.
For example, if you are a freelance writer, you only need your laptop and an internet connection. Or, if you are a graphic designer, all you need is your laptop and an internet connection.
Once you have figured out what type of work you can do from anywhere worldwide, the next step is to start reaching out to potential clients and property managers.
The key is to offer something of value, like a promotional video or social media campaign, in exchange for free accommodation.
If you can do that, you will be well on living the digital nomad lifestyle! Thanks for reading, and we hope this helps. let us know in the comments if you have any questions. 🙂
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