We took two longish vacations last year -- 3 weeks one time and 2 weeks another. Both times we had a house-sitter come and stay at our place -- the first time primarily to take care of the garden, the second time to watch the garden and the dogs. Both times we used the same couple, who we found through
http://www.housesittersamerica.com. They are coming back to sit for us a month this fall.
They did a great job of looking after the house, cutting the grass, watering the garden, walking the dogs and keeping them company, and when we came home, the house was cleaner than it had ever been. And you can't beat the price -- free. In exchange for the privlege of staying in your home rent-free, they look after everything.
Though we have used the same couple all three times, I wouldn't hesitate to use the service again. You post an ad on the site with your general location and dates you need covered, and anything special you need the sitter to do (such as look after animals). Sitters contact you if they are available. It helps if you have a nice place in an area people like to visit. I got 14 responses within hours of posting my ad.
The couple we have used do this full time -- they sold their house and most of their belongings, put the rest in a Prius and are on their second year as nomads. He works IT full-time, but remotely. They have stayed in great places all over the US (including a couple of stints in Hawaii). So this might be a viable path for someone on this board who wants to travel cheap.
