The Ultimate Guide to Become a House Sitter: Travel with Free Accommodation

How does it sound to be able to travel the world without paying for accommodations?

Let me introduce you to the world of house sitting, a convenient arrangement for travellers and homeowners where they exchange free house and pet care for a free stay. The house sitting job can be for a few days, weeks, months, or even a year.

But first things first: Must love dogs!

Or cats.

Or whatever furry or shelly creature will end up in your hands.

A big chunk of our travel plans is based on finding house sits in places we want to visit. If you’re an animal lover, you like to meet new people, and you’re detail-oriented, this is the best deal out there. Nothing can beat free accommodation that lets you experience a cultural immersion. 

But, it comes with responsibilities…

We’ve completed more than 60 house sitting jobs, exploring destinations across four continents and the Caribbean. And so can you.

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase through those links I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you (zero, nada). To check the full disclaimer, click here.

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How Does House Sitting Work?

Somewhere around the world, a pet owner is planning a trip. But they’re facing a problem. They can’t take their pets with them and they don’t want to put them in a pet boarding facility. 

They want their fur babies to stay happy at home, with no disruption to their routine. Full-time care adds up to the expenses of their trip.

Or they may have no pets but leaving the house unoccupied for a long time will suspend their insurance policy. They may have lots of indoor plants that need watering. Or a fish tank.

What do they do?

They post a listing on a house sitting website looking for people to stay at their place and take care of their pets, their house, their mail, and their plants, for free.

Any of the house sitters registered on the site can apply and whoever is selected gets a place to stay, for free.

A win-win situation.

You can also find house sits on Facebook groups and other online groups, ads, or through word-of-mouth. I prefer the website route.

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What Is the Point of House Sitting?

Here are some of the benefits and advantages of house sitting:

• Free accommodation

We’ve saved thousands and thousands of dollars on one of the biggest travel expenses.

• Staying in a “homey” environment

Beyond the savings, it’s much more comfortable to stay in a fully equipped house than staying at a hotel, especially when you do long-term travel and you’re a digital nomad. It’s a great way to avoid travel burnout (yes, there is such a thing as too much travel).

• “Live Like a Local”

The “Live Like a Local” motto can be the subject of debates more intense than a steamy tango session. But, I would say that staying at someone’s home (the real one, not the one they rent to tourists) is as close as you can get to experience a cultural immersion before moving somewhere. It gives you a glimpse of life abroad. You may go: “Wow! I could move to this country tomorrow!” or “Nice to visit but I would never live here”.

You’ll know about the little “hole in the wall” restaurants and the best way to get around as homeowners often share with you their favourite spots and things to do in their hometown. 

• Meet new people

We’ve met interesting people from around the world with fascinating life stories and some even have become friends. We’ve kept in touch with many of them and we’ve been asked to come back for another house sit.

• Enjoy the companionship of furry friends

I get a kick out of hanging out with animals and so should you if you want to do this. House sitting is my “pet fix”. I love going out on hikes with dogs or being welcomed back at the house by a cute and playful cat. The only sad part? When you have to say goodbye.

• Discover lesser-known destinations

You may have in mind a specific destination for your next trip, a popular spot. But when you’re open to tweaking your plans you can find hidden gems in less visited areas that were off your radar.

I’ve been browsing house sits and stumbled upon places I’ve never heard of before. After a little bit of research, I was eager to go. And now I can tell you all about them!

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What Do You Do While House Sitting?

As a house sitter, your responsibilities revolve around the pets, the plants, the garden, and the house. They will vary greatly according to the location, the size of the property, the length of your stay, the number of pets, and if it’s a dog, a cat, or another type of animal.

• The pets

You take care of them as you would do with your own dog(s) or cat(s) or any other animal. You feed them, clean up after them, take them out for walks, keep litter boxes clean, administer medications, bathe them, and play with them. You may have to take them to the vet (always check with the owner first) if you notice anything wrong.

Basically, you follow their regular schedule and love them to bits.

• Plants and garden

The workload here can go from nothing (an apartment in the city with no plants) to spending a few hours per week watering plants and doing minor upkeep like mowing a small lawn. Most owners with big yards have gardeners.

• The house

It will depend on the size and location of the house and if they have a housekeeper. Your main responsibility will be to keep the place clean and in order (you should receive the place clean and in order, including the garden). You’ll take care of the house as if it would be your most beloved property.

You also bring in the mail and for longer house sits you may need to handle employee’s payments (housekeeper, gardener). You may need to handle any unexpected issues (e.g., a leak, a weird noise in the car they lent you) and contact the designated service person.

Knowing what is expected of a house sitter will help you assess if the job is right for you. Read the listing carefully and ask questions.

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How Much Does House Sitting Cost?

In an exchange arrangement, there are no accommodation fees when house sitting. It’s an exchange of free housing for free pet/house care.

Most of the costs you need to cover are related to your own living expenses.

• Subscription fees

There are a plethora of house-sitting websites to choose from (more on that later). Some charge a fee to have access to the listings. Some give you the option to join for free, restricting access to the “Members-only” listings and the number of applications you can submit. 

• Visa extensions

If you’re doing a long-term house sit you may need to pay to apply for a visa extension in your destination.

• Cooking gas tanks and bottled water

In some countries, you need to refill gas tanks for the stove and get refillable 5-gallon drinking water bottles from delivery trucks. 

• Transportation

You must pay for your air/train/bus tickets and arrange any additional transportation needed to arrive and leave the house.

Some homeowners are superb and offer to pick you up or drop you off if they have a car or make the necessary arrangements for you.

Some house sits require that you have a car which may be an extra cost if you have to rent one. We usually go after the ones where either you don’t need a car or the use of their car is included.

If you need a taxi to take the pet to the groomer or the vet -which may be an issue with larger dogs- the owner should cover the cost.

• Utilities

This is a cost that is open for debate in the house sitting community.

On short to medium-term house sits (a couple of days up to a couple of weeks) it’s common practice for homeowners to cover the costs of utilities. For long-term gigs (several months) you’ll find a few listings where they expect the sitters to either pay or contribute towards the electricity bill (or to cover the amount that goes over their regular consumption).

Some sitters don’t mind contributing (rather than paying in full) towards the electricity bill when it comes to a long-term assignment.

Other sitters ignore listings asking for money, saying that the owner should cover the cost to keep their house running.  If it’s in a place that’s hot and humid AC is needed to prevent mold and mildew and to offer an adequate environment for the pets. If it’s freezing cold, you need heating to avoid winter damage and keep pets comfortable.

None of the house sits we’ve applied for have asked for money towards utilities. Some owners have asked us to keep the air conditioning at a certain temperature when we go out, that’s all.

It’s up to you to decide if you would apply or not.

Whatever you choose, check the terms of the platform you’re using. Some websites state clearly that when owners expect sitters to pay any bills they must disclose it in the listing so you know beforehand.

In that case, you can ask them about past electric bills. You’ll have an idea of the cost and decide if you want to go ahead.

• Living expenses

You’re responsible for your food, toiletries, and any other personal expenses. All pet food and products should be provided by the owner.

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Is House Sitting Right For You?

You love animals, you’re perfectly capable of picking up after yourself, and you’re thrilled at the idea of saving on accommodation during your travels. Sounds wonderful so far, right?

But, is it really for you? Read on and find out.

• House sitting is NOT a care-free vacation

When you plan a holiday and you stay at a hotel or rent an apartment you own 100% of your time. You’re free to do whatever you want, to come and go as you please.

That’s not the case with house sitting.

You’re responsible for one or more living creatures who are used to a routine.  Your schedule revolves around the pet’s schedule.

They may be used to being by themselves only for a couple of hours. They may need potty breaks during the day or require a pill, restricting the duration of your outings.

You may need to deal with an emergency, run with them to the vet, and change your plans last minute. We’ve had to cancel outings the same day because our furry friend suddenly fell ill. The well-being of the pets is always the first priority.

Hence: must love dogs (or cats, or…).

If something goes wrong at the house (e.g.: a pipe bursts), you’ll need to contact the owner immediately, deal with the handyman and maybe stay in the house when the repair is done. It comes with the territory.

Are you willing to work around the pet’s schedule?

• Know what is expected from you and what you can handle

The old advice of “Know what you want” works not only for life but for house sitting as well.

Yes, you want to visit England so bad, but if you’re not that into cats and the sight of flowers makes you sneeze, maybe taking care of four felines in a rural house in the English countryside during spring may not be a great idea.

I know I can handle up to five pets at a time; I feel comfortable with it and I enjoy it. So, as tempting as a location may sound, when I see listings to take care of eight goats, four dogs, six cats, one horse, and 10 chickens, in addition to the house and the yard, I keep scrolling.

That’s a full-time job. I wouldn’t be able to do anything else. Actually, it should be a paid job. Next! 

But maybe you’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to live on a farm. Bingo! That’s your ideal sit. (I still think you should be paid for such a heavy workload since it wouldn’t be a fair exchange).

Some listings are detailed, including feeding times, type of food (some dogs are fed freshly cooked meals), how long you can leave the house, and the number of walks per day. Probably you’ll get a clear idea of what you can or can’t do.

We’ve done house sits where we’ve been able to take day trips here and there as the owners were fine with it and the pets were OK by themselves during the day. Some even allow overnight trips.

Other sits required to not let the pet alone for more than four or five hours, leaving room for half-day trips only. Since most times we’re not out all day every day, most times we’re fine with this. Sometimes we can go for a hike all day and take the dogs with us (always ask the owner first). Or take them to pet-friendly places.

In each case, we knew the schedule in advance, and we planned around it. 

Other listings are the epitome of vagueness (I’m wary of those). If you still want to apply and the owner contacts you, ask as many questions as you need to determine if the house sit job is right for you. Not only for your own sake but for the pets’ and the owners’.

• Take your time reading the listing (and the reviews)

You can also loosely anticipate the workload by looking at the pictures and reading between the lines.

Mowing a small lawn, watering indoor plants and some outdoor plants are things housesitters do. But when the description says “some mowing” and then you see pictures of a yard bigger than the gardens of the Royal Palace with more plants than a nursery, you can figure out that unless there’s a gardener around you’ll have quite a workload. You’re not a gardener.

But of course, you may say “Gardening is my favourite hobby!”. You’ve got your dream house sit.

Is the sit in a castle-like property in a rural environment, with multiple pets running in and out of the house?

Unless the owners retain the services of the housekeeper during your stay you won’t have time to do anything else other than cleaning.

Is that what you signed up for?

Make sure the workload is manageable and that you’ll have some free time to go out.

• You must be able to go beyond your comfort zone and handle unexpected situations

You’ll be staying at someone else’s house, communicating frequently with people you’ve never met, taking care of pets you’re never handled, in a destination that may be unfamiliar. You’ll need to adapt to different environments and to different ways of doing things.

If you’re not a people person and you don’t adjust to different personalities you’ll have a hard time.

After you arrive you may find out that the city you were eager to visit turned out to be great, but not the right place for you.

You may not feel totally comfortable in the house (again, it’s not your home). It may be too cold, too hot, the water pressure may be too low, the couch may be too hard, and the kitchen may be too small.

The pets may get sick and throw up and get explosive diarrhea and you’ll need to take them to the vet and make sure they’re fine.

And you’re stuck, but you manage. You try to find other things to do, you buy a small heater, you prepare meals that are easy to fix, you clean up the pet’s mess and life goes on. Of course, I’m not talking about subjecting yourself to unlivable conditions and putting yourself in danger. That’s a different story.

Are you able to manage through situations like these and still make the best of it?

• House sitting is a serious commitment

Once we accept the offer we’re in for good. That’s it. Unless a serious event takes place in your life that forces you to change your plans, canceling last minute means someone else’s travel plans will be disrupted last minute. Not nice. Don’t be that person.

• Have a backup plan

The house sit is confirmed but…life happens. Sudden death in the family, an illness, or an accident, may derail the plans and the owner needs to cancel the trip or cut it short. 

Say hello to your best friend: Plan B.

Most people are nice and even though they don’t have to, they’ll try to help you with alternate arrangements for a few days while you figure out your next move.

But I’ve also heard about house sitters left out hanging dry at the very last minute after crossing the Atlantic because the owner decides the same day to leave their pets with a friend.

Yes, it happens. You may encounter someone that rude. Hopefully not, but be prepared (hint: Plan B). 

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How to Become a House Sitter

You have what it takes and you’re ready to take the plunge. What’s next?

Join a House Sitting Website

There are different ways to find house sits. People have found assignments on Craigslist, on Facebook groups, through their own websites with testimonials, and through word of mouth. We’ve had good experiences housesitting for friends of someone we met through a website.

My preference is to use an established house-sitting site with thousands of listings where homeowners are registered and there is a basic structure. 

You can subscribe to websites that cover a specific country, region, or the entire world.

Of all the options out there I’ve used the two listed below, which are the most popular ones and have the best interface.

Note: We pay for our own site memberships and this is not a paid review.

TrustedHousesitters

We’ve been members of this site for seven years, since the beginning of our long-term travel adventure. We use it all the time.

• It has the largest number of listings spanning six continents and it has one the most user-friendly interfaces.
• You can use the map feature to search for house sits. As you zoom in any region you see pins with listings appearing on the left side of the screen. It makes the search a breeze.
• You can apply multiple filters (dates, duration, type of pets, local attractions, use of car included, high-speed wifi, house or apartment, disabled access, family-friendly sit, etc.) to narrow down your search. You can also set up alerts to saved searches.
• They have three annual membership plans that include different levels of benefits. They all offer unlimited applications to all the listings.
• Basic sitter: US$ 129/year
• Standard sitter: US$ 169/year
• Premium sitter: US$ 259/year
• If you have pets you can sign up under the Owner annual plan (Basic, Standard, and Premium) to find a house sitter. Same rates.
• If you’re a traveller who has pets you can opt for a combined plan and secure a house sitter for your fur kids once you’ve found your own house sit. Add US$ 80 to your annual membership as a sitter or as an owner.
• A downside of this site is a recently introduced change where after five applicants apply to a housesit the advert switches to “Reviewing applications”, and the pet parent has to reject people to allow more applicants. You can set up an alarm for when (if) the sit opens up again. This means that you have to check the website often and that housesits in popular destinations disappear faster than free samples at Costco. Despite this change we have been able to secure popular housesits, but it has taken more effort.

Bonus tip: if you see an advert for a destination you like, hit Apply right away to secure your spot and then click on View Listing to read the post, decide if it’s for you, and write your application. Otherwise you may lose your chance as it may go within minutes.

Nomador

• It has listings worldwide, with a higher number in Europe (specifically in France and Switzerland) and in Quebec (Canada). However, we found a house sit in Central America and another one in South America through this site.
• The destination search is not as user-friendly. If you’re looking for housesits in a region (let’s say, South America), you have to type the name of each country. There is no option in the pull-down menu for “South America” or “Asia” However, they also have a Search Map option which makes things easier.
• You can apply multiple filters (dates, duration, type of pets, family-friendly, etc.) to narrow down your search. However, the dates filter doesn’t work as the results are far away from the selected range.
• Make sure that the “Include past house-sits” option is not selected.
• A great feature of this site is the Nomador Stopovers, where owners host a traveller for a night or two.
• You can create a free account to browse sits, but to apply you need to sign up to one of the options below:
• The “Discovery option” costs US$99 and it’s valid for three months.
• The “Standard option” costs US$159, valid for a year.
• The “Premium option” costs US$199, valid for a year and with added benefits compared to the Standard option.

Create a House Sitter Profile

• Invest time in creating a profile

One that sounds professional, but not stuffy. Although you’re not applying for a job at a company and what you write won’t be examined by an HR manager, you want to make sure that spelling and grammar are correct even if you’re using an informal tone.

Not too informal, though; it’s a fine line.

You want to come across as a reliable and responsible person who can be entrusted with a house and with living creatures. If you’re travelling with a partner you have the option of creating one profile that talks about both of you.

• Add pictures

Show your face. If you have pictures with pets, even better (always get permission from the owner before uploading a picture of their furry kid).

• Include some personal information

Write a little about what you do, your personality, and your character. Most importantly, write about your experience with animals. Focus on what would give owners the peace of mind that you’re the right fit for the assignment. 

• Don’t leave out any useful experience

Anything related to animal care or house maintenance (minor stuff). Have you owned a house with a pool and you’re familiar with its maintenance? That will be an advantage when applying for a house sit with a pool. Have you volunteered at an animal shelter? Do you speak the local language?

• Complete all levels of verification

ID check, background check, all checks. It will enhance your profile. The more security screenings you go through the more confident the owners will feel.

Now you’re ready to start applying right away for house sits in your dream destination.

Check listings regularly, at least twice a day. Some house-sits are taken down within hours of being posted, when owners only want to review a couple of applications. You can sign up for the option of receiving alerts for new listings.

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Selecting the Right House Sitting Opportunity (and Avoiding a Nightmare)

Truth is, you’ll never fully know how it is until you get there.

But there are some things you can do beforehand to make sure you’re a good fit and that may help minimize the risk of finding yourself starring in a new episode of House Sit From Hell.

• Research the location before applying

Is it a relatively safe area? Is there anything to see or do around? Is it so remote that you’ll need to drive two hours to buy bread? Or cookies? Cookies should never be that far. Or maybe they should.

However, you may be a writer who wants to finish the next Nobel-winning piece of literature and you want total isolation. You’ve found your ideal house sit.

• Find out about transportation options

If a car is not included, check car rental prices or confirm that public transit is reliable, close to the place, and within reach of stores and amenities.

• Check out the pictures

Most listings show pictures of the pets, the kitchen, family room, the bedroom, and the bathroom. Some listings only post a picture of the front of the house and the pets for privacy reasons, but people are willing to share pics of the inside or to do a walkthrough video after they have shortlisted the applicants.

I recommend you to do this to see if it’s a well-kept, clean place where you’ll feel comfortable. 

• Ask questions about the pet(s) to make sure you’re the right sitter

How do they behave around people and other animals? If you have to watch a big dog that lunges at other dogs or goes after critters, are you strong enough to handle a large animal with a hard pull?

Many pets have slept in the bed with us as they’re used to sleeping with their owners. Are you OK with that?

Ask yourself if you have the confidence to be the pack leader of a group of large dogs or if your energy level can cope with a rambunctious puppy in training.

Know your limits and don’t take more than you can handle.

• Look out for Red flags

Some listings scream “Trouble!” Just the thought of hitting the “Apply” button makes us want to run for the hills. Here are some red flags that indicate that you should run for the hills too (I’m not kidding you, I’ve seen these listings).

Listings saying that you’ll be sharing the house with a live-in family member or roommate (and you must complete whatever chores they may have for you).

Anything from “My mom lives with us and will need help with ______.” to “My brother may spend the weekends there”.

This situation is a Petri dish where issues can grow like bacteria by the minute. If any conflict arises you’ll always end up with the short end of the stick.

Reputable websites make it clear that this goes against the rules and will take the listing down as soon as they catch it.

You’ll have no privacy. You’ll be reporting to the owner AND their family. “Help with whatever they ask you to do” sounds like “Yay! Free labour!”. Which takes you to the next red flag.

Listings saying that you’re supposed to clean up after Airbnb guests.

Need I say more?

Listings saying that someone should be at the house 24/7, no exceptions. Or that you should stay in day and night and go out once in a while only to buy groceries or take out the trash.

You’re not a security guard.

Listings that make you wonder why the owner is looking for a house sitter.

People may feel nervous when they leave their house and pets in the hands of a stranger. I get it, there are risks (on both sides).

Joining an established website helps to minimize those risks. There are background checks, references, and reviews. You can arrange a video call to “meet” the applicants. However, there still may be a little voice whispering “But, but, but….You never know!”.

It’s understandable.

But when that little voice turns into a megaphone with Gilbert Godfrey on the other side, maybe house sitting is not the best arrangement.

When you see listings asking for security deposits + police clearance certificates (in addition to the background check you went through when joining the site) + weekly inspections to be conducted by family members, stay away.

The same goes for listings saying things like “You can’t use the kitchen because I’m very particular about it” or anything that gives you the impression that you’ll be walking on eggshells.

Ideally, you’ll find pet parents who want you to provide top-notch house and pet care, but also want you to be comfortable at their place and understand that you want to have a chance to enjoy their hometown while keeping their pets happy.

Most people write in the ad about their town or city, why it’s a great place to visit, and mention a couple of things to do while you’re there.

Listings where the owners have had multiple house sitters, but no reviews.

Not good. Occasionally people don’t leave feedback (they’re distracted, they forgot, etc.). But when it’s consistent something isn’t right.

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How to Apply for Your Dream House Sit

• Personalize your introductory message for every application

Even though this is an exchange -not a paid job- think of the message as an informal cover letter. Read the listing before applying and address any concerns they have.

• If possible, be flexible with your travel dates

Although you may have the gods of travel on your side and find a house-sit for the exact dates you want; it usually requires some degree of flexibility. You must be able to stay for the entire duration of the house sit and, in some cases, arrive the day before and leave the day after.

• Ask questions

If you get short-listed and the owner contacts you, this is a good time to ask for any information not provided on the listing and see if your personalities are a good match.

Are they available for a video chat or at least a phone call? Communicate beyond emails as it will give you a higher chance to assess if the house sit will end up being a good experience for everyone.

I only take the risk and accept an offer without video chatting first if the owners have many positive reviews from previous housesitters.

We normally ask questions about the pet’s health and habits, their behaviour around other animals, and we confirm that there is an account set up at the vet in case of an emergency.

• Check local regulations:

Is house sitting (even if it’s unpaid) something a foreigner can do in your intended destination? The last thing you want is to have trouble at immigration on arrival.

• What if you have no experience and no reviews?

It may take time to find your first house sit. There are some things you can do to get your foot in the door. 

Start with short house sits: instead of applying for a six-week gig, go for the ones that last a couple of days. There is a greater chance that someone will be open to giving you an opportunity with a short sit. 

It will also help you find out if this is something you’d like to do long-term.

Apply for local listings: check the house sit jobs available within driving distance of your house. When you write the message that goes with the application, tell the owner that you can meet in person. That can be a decisive factor to help secure the sit.

Volunteer at your local animal shelter: a great way to do something good, to learn how to handle animals, and to find out if you love it. I volunteered for a couple of years at the Toronto Humane Society and I always looked forward to having my “pet fix”.

Apply for listings where the owner is also a sitter: we all started with zero reviews until someone let us in. A sitter will know this too well and they may open the door for you. My first house sit was for an owner who was also a sitter.

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I Got the House Sit, Now What? Rules for House Sitting

Congratulations! You’ve been selected and they’ve sent you an offer. What’s next?

• Ask the owners for a written guide

TrustedHousesitters and Nomador have a template guide to fill with important information. Feeding schedule, garbage pick-up, emergency contacts, vet info, and any information you need to run the house and take care of the pets.

Some owners write their own guide. In any case, it’s good to have a written document to keep as a reference so you don’t have to constantly bother them with questions while they’re away.

• Ask how often they want updates 

I can’t stress this enough.

Communication starts before you arrive. Are you travelling from another country? Let them know when you have reservations for your flights, send them a message a few days before the sit starts, and when you’re at the airport ready to board the flight.

You don’t have to pester them with messages every day. Just one here and there so they know that everything is on track and that their plans won’t be disrupted. People appreciate it.

For receiving updates after they leave do they prefer Whatsapp? E-mail? Use whatever is easier for them.

Most owners like to have daily updates about their pets (a picture, a video of them doing something funny or cute), but some prefer to receive weekly updates. Some like to be informed of every single detail that is going on in their house while others prefer that you handle the day-to-day and only be contacted about major stuff.  Everybody is different.

Ask about their preference and use your common sense to determine what to do and when to contact them about something.

• Ask about emergency procedures

We seek authorization for major things like a visit to the vet if we notice something wrong or calling the maintenance person for a repair in the house.

Has the vet been notified that you’re staying at the house? Is there an account set up?

• Follow house sitting etiquette

Regarding food, owners always ask us to consume any perishable items they leave behind. If they’re gone for three weeks the lettuce sitting in the fridge will grow three eyes, the blue cheese will turn turquoise, and the opened box of crackers will go stale. But we don’t use items from their pantry.

If the house sit lasts more than a couple of days we replace things like paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc. We always use our own toiletries.

• Don’t bring unauthorized visitors

Unless the owner expressly says that it’s OK for us to have friends over we don’t bring anyone to the house.

Some owners don’t want any visitors. Some will allow visitors during the day, and some will allow overnight guests. And we respect that.

Let me make it clear that I’m not talking about bringing people you just met or throwing a party at the owner’s house (that would be rude). If we want to party we go to the bar.

• Respect people’s privacy

We never share pictures of their house on social media or post pictures of their pets. I obtained approval from the owners to post all the pictures of the cute pets you see in this post or the ones added to our profile.

• Ask them to notify the neighbours

You don’t want the neighbour next door calling the police thinking that you’re conducting a home invasion.

• Be kind

Are the owners arriving midday from the airport? Offer to have lunch ready. Stock the fridge and pantry with some fresh items they like so they don’t have to run to the supermarket to prepare breakfast the next day. Any small things that can make their return a smooth experience.

• Ask for a review

Ask for it right after you finish the sit (leave one for them as well). It will help you to find future assignments.

And clean up after yourself!

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House sitting is a fantastic way to travel for (a lot) less and get to know how people live somewhere before moving there. But it’s also a huge responsibility where homeowners entrust you with their home and their pets. You must be an animal lover.

Know what is expected from you before accepting an assignment and understand that unforeseeable issues can arise.

If it’s a good fit for you, it can open the door to a different way to reach destinations all over the world and experience them from a different perspective than the regular hotel or resort stay while hanging out with lovely pets.

Is house sitting something you’re willing to try? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments.