House Sitting 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Rent-free Travel in 2024
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Welcome to Pet Sitting 101! Here, we will be diving deeper into the topics you need to know before starting your house sitting adventures.
We’ve been traveling the world as pet sitters for over 3 years now. During that time, we’ve learned nearly everything there is to know about this lifestyle, and now we want to help share that information with new house sitters like you, so you can be empowered to enjoy memorable house sitting experiences too!
Within this guide we are covering 10 main topics to help you gain a comprehensive understanding of how house sit exchanges work. You will also find valuable advice and tips that are especially helpful for new traveling pet sitters. So if that's you, make sure you read this post until the end!
If you’re in a hurry or just looking for answers to specific topics, you can navigate to specific sections by following the links below.
What is a house sit exchange?
A house sit exchange is the trade of free accommodation for free pet care. This means that no money is exchanged between pet sitters and owners.
House sit exchanges are a mutually beneficial solution for pet owners and pet sitters to travel more affordably. While pet owners receive trusted and affordable in-home pet care, house sitters benefit from the opportunity to live rent-free in unique and comfortable homes around the world. Most importantly, pets are happier. Having a house sitter allows pets to stay in their familiar surroundings and stick to their daily routines. This can help reduce the stress that pets may experience while their owner is away on vacation.
What is and is NOT included in this exchange
The only guarantee in this arangement is free accommodation for free pet care. Anything extra, like including food or car for the sitter to use, is up to the discretion of the pet owner.
“Why would pet owners include any extras?”
Two reasons mainly:
Remember that the goal of a house sit exchange is to create a fair and mutually beneficial arrangement. Consider this example, a pet owner is looking for a sitter for their home in the countryside. The home is not accessible by public transport, so the sitter will need a car. If a pet owner is willing to provide their car for the sitter’s use (assuming that their insurance allow this) not only levels the playing field, it would entice more sitters to apply, and enhance the sitter’s experience overall!
The other reason is that owners often want to give back to their sitters out of appreciation. When owners make a noticeable effort to make sure we benefit from the exchange, it encourages us to go above and beyond for them and their pets as well!
That said, “extras” are not expected, they are just an added benefit that can help bring in more qualified applicants.
Keep in mind that in order to house sit abroad and be paid for it you would need a proper work visas, permits, and likely licensing. We doubt it’s worth the hassle! So, if you want to house sit abroad you’re better off sticking to an exchange only.
How to Get Started House Sitting Abroad
To participate in a house sit exchange you will first need to join a house sitting platform. Most will require you to pay a subscription fee. How much the fee costs will depend on what features and benefits are included in the subscription (more on that in a minute).
Once you've joined a website that suits your needs, you will create a sitter profile. Then, you can start applying for house sits that align with your pet care abilities and travel interests!
What platform should I use?
There are dozens of house sitting platforms to choose from. Certain sites are more budget friendly, while others provide more safety features and house sitting opportunities.
When deciding between house sitting sites we personally chose to use TrustedHousesitters.
Their website offered the most abundant number of house sits world-wide, dedicated member support, and a user-friendly platform that just made sense for what we were looking for. TrustedHousesitters has also been around since 2010 and has continued to grow and improve their website ever since. Ultimately, TrustedHousesitters seemed like the safest bet for us to find the best house sits quickly and easily as new house sitters.
Now, depending on your priorities you want to consider other house sitting platforms. If you are interested in learning more about our recommended house sitting websites, we’ve dedicated this blog post to the topic!
Do I need pet care experience?
Pet care experience is not required to be a house sitter, but it is extremely helpful given many house sits include pets.
Caring for someone’s home and animals is a huge responsibility. You and no one else are responsible for the well being of someone's pets and the security of their home.
If you don’t have pet care experience we encourage you to gain some before house sitting. Consider offering to house sit for a friend. Also, volunteering at your local animal rescue is another fantastic option! Not only will you gain pet care experience, but you will be giving back to your community. This will also help your application stand out over sitters who do not possess this experience!
Do I Need a Visa to House Sit Abroad?
A house sitting exchange is not an employment opportunity, nor do sitters receive any monetary compensation. More accurately, sitters are invited by a pet owner to stay in their home and care for their pet in their absence. As long as you are not recieving monetary compensation a tourist visa is usually all you need.
That said, every country will have their own specific visa and border entry requirements, so it’s super important that you investigate what the visa regulations are in the country you intend to house sit in before you go! Visa regulations and immigration laws are constantly changing. It is no one’s responsibility but your own to know what proper documentation is required to enter the country legally.
If you need more information, we recommend reading this helpful blog post written by TrustedHousesitters. They provide more detailed information on the matter here and on their website.
How Hard is it to Get your First House Sit?
This honestly just depends. People have told us they found a house sitting assignment right away. Meanwhile it took us two months before we confirmed our first house sit.
Generally speaking, house sitting is a competitive field. The competition only increases when applying for the most exotic and desirable house sits. It's important to keep your expectations realistic when you first start out. If you're struggling to land your first house sit, consider these quick tips!
Start Local: Owners typically prefer a local sitter over an international candidate. With no long-haul flights to worry about, it's less to coordinate and less stress for them.
Have a Detailed Profile: Think of your house sitting profile as your resume. You want it to stand out. Boost it with detailed information, relevant home and pet care experience, lots of photos, external references, and any volunteer experience you may possess.
Apply For Last Minute Sits: If you have the flexibility, applying for last-minute sits can be advantageous since most sitters will likely be committed to other assignments already.
How to Decide if House Sitting is Right for You.
House sitting exchanges are a fantastic way to travel, but it isn't for everyone! We’ve outlined a few ideas to consider to help you decide if house sitting is truly for you.
You genuinely love animals and enjoy spending your time around them
You like the idea of living like a local
You are searching for an immersive an meaningful way to travel
You are a strong problem solver
You are flexible and adaptable
You want to be a part of a selfless and trust-based community
You want to travel more but need to find a way to cut down on expenses
You can prioritize and have good time management skills
You are responsible and willing to place the pets' needs above your own
You feel confident to handle the responsibilities that come with house sitting, or at the very least you are willing to do the research to properly prepare
How to Know if House Sitting is NOT for you-
If you identify with any of these, you should explore other budget travel options.
You do not genuinely love animals.
You assume pet sitting requires little to no effort and that’s why you want to do it.
You aren’t willing to research what it takes to be a good home and pet care provider.
You get flustered easily in stressful situations.
You don’t do well in situations where you have to solve problems independently.
You struggle to adjust to new environments.
You can’t afford the other costs associated with travel pet sitting.
Final Thoughts
House sitting can be a life changing opportunity. For some, it provides the means to escape the 9-5 life in pursuit of a more affordable and fulfilling lifestyle. For others, pet sitting provides an opportunity to afford the travel experience of their dreams with the company of a wonderful animal by their side.
Pet sitting is undoubtedly an amazing way to travel! But you should only sign up for a house sitting exchange if you genuinely love animals. If you do not have the patience or ability to properly care for animals, we do not recommend that you join these platforms. There are plenty of other work exchange opportunities you can find. There is no need to place the well-being of animals and someone's home at risk because you want to travel cheaply.
We hope this blog post provides you with a thorough understanding of what travel pet sitting is. If you have any questions leave them below! And if you are interested in learning more about the lifestyle be sure to subscribe to our blog. We will be publishing new topics weekly to help you be a more informed and knowledgeable house sitter!
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