Housesitting: Making Long Term Travel Affordable

When I was in my late teens one of my good friends would tell me stories about his older sister, who was busy traveling the world with her husband. She was only a few years older than I was, but was always off on some adventure.  Many of the stories I heard about her sounded embellished and unrealistic. At one point she was allegedly living in Australia, in someone else’s mansion, driving their Mercedes around. “So she was working as someone’s servant?” I asked. “No, she’s housesitting for some people who are spending the winter skiing in the Alps” my friend said. “They left her their car to use, and some money to buy groceries. She just has to take care of their cat.”  That can’t be real, I thought. No one would let a stranger stay at their house while they were on an international vacation. Right? 

As it turns out, it’s a fairly common practice, especially in some parts of the world, and it’s becoming more common all of the time.  As kennels and catteries are expensive, and can oftentimes be a bit traumatic, or at best less than ideal experiences for pets, more and more people are opting to have house and pet sitters care for their pets while they’re away. It also gives peace of mind knowing there is someone at the house in case there is an emergency. e.g. a broken water line, etc. 

Housesits are mutually beneficial arrangements. We love visiting expensive countries like Switzerland, or Norway, but as budget travelers, we can’t afford to stay in high cost of living countries for very long. But, by finding a housesit, we can eliminate our largest expense: accommodation, and that brings the cost down significantly. 

Over the past year we have had the opportunity to do several housesits in the UK, Thailand, Australia, Switzerland, and most recently Belgium. We have been able to stay in some incredible houses, with very generous and hospitable hosts, and have had the privilege to look after some wonderful cats and dogs (and chickens!) 

There are many websites dedicated to housesitting. We have used trustedhousesitters.com, housecarers.com, nomador.com and aussiehousesitters.com.au. (Our trusted house sitter’s link will give you 25% off a membership)

If you are interested in house sitting, here are some tips we recommend:

– House sitting is a job. It does not necessarily have to be a very demanding job, but it is a job and should be treated as such. You are entrusted with someone’s beloved animals, oftentimes these animals are like children to their loving owners. There is the expectation that you, as the care provider will love and care for the animals accordingly. Keep that in mind as you look for sits. The animals should be your first priority. 

– Only apply for sits with animal types that you are familiar with, as well as a number of pets that you can reasonably handle. I once saw a house sit with 38 cats and 8 dogs. I’m sure that would be an ideal house sit for someone, but not for Kelli and I. 

– Be as detailed as possible when making your profile. List the experience you have taking care of animals. Maybe you have watched someone’s cats or dogs before while they were away. It is also good to mention if you are handy with a lawn mower, or fixing things, or dealing with unforeseen issues.

– When you apply for a sit, talk about the animals you will be looking after in your application letter. Ask questions about them. People looking for sitters want to be confident that you will be there for their pets. It is assumed that you will probably do some local sightseeing, and might not be at the house 24/7, but it is probably best to keep your application focused on the pets, and not how you have always wanted to see Paris, and how the house is only a single day by train from Munich. You do not want your application to sound like you are only there to sightsee, or that you will be gone a lot. Make sure your hosts know that their pets are your first priority.

-Try to arrange a video interview before accepting a sit. This will let you build rapport with your potential host, as well as giving them a chance to show you a bit of what their house looks like. Ask them to show you the pets you will be taking care of, if it isn’t too much of a hassle. At the very least confirm the number of animals you will be looking after. (Sometimes listings are not up to date, and you want to make sure there are not any misunderstandings)

– Be flexible. Especially in this pandemic era. Flights may be delayed, and your hosts may not be able to make it home on the day they planned. Let your host know that you have availability at either end of the sit in case there are logistical delays.

– We recommend offering to show up at least a day early, that way you can see the routines your host has for their pets, and it will give the pets a chance to become familiar with you while their owner is present. 

– Ask if there are any additional expectations or responsibilities you’re expected to undertake. Oftentimes there is yard maintenance, or house plants that need caring for that are not mentioned in the listing. 

– Be respectful of your host’s property. This almost goes without saying, but make sure you leave the place cleaner than you found it. (Hire a cleaner if necessary) If you break something, replace it. Respect their privacy. This will maximize your chances of getting good reviews and being invited back. 

We have had the privilege to house sit at some incredible places. We have become friends with many of our hosts, and are always excited when they invite us to come back and house sit for them again. If you are a good sitter, your hosts will tell their friends about you, and their friends may present you with more house sitting opportunities. If you are looking to travel full time, or to slow travel through high cost of living countries on a budget, housesitting is one of the best ways we have found to subsidize your expenses.