Pet sitting: Long-Term Travel Best Kept Secret

An introduction to pet sitting

If you love to travel, you need to know about pet sitting and how it can help you travel more frequently and longer without breaking the bank. In this post, we share everything you need to know about pet sitting based on years of experience.

What Is Pet Sitting?

You might be asking “what does pet sitting mean?” so we’re going to share what it’s like to pet sit and do this worldwide, while travelling. Pet sitting is looking after other people’s pets in their own homes while they’re away. You’ll be caring for dogs, cats, or other animals while their owners leave you their houses to stay in for a mutually agreed time frame.

It’s also why some refer to pet sitting as house sitting which we’ll dive into in more details later.

Note: this entire article is intended for those who want to explore the world while pet sitting, not for a career as a professional pet sitter.

Benefits of pet sitting

There are many advantages and benefits such as animal companionship while you’re visiting a foreign country, staying in a house rent free, saving on accommodation (free lodging anyone?), getting all the mod-cons of an actual home versus a hotel room with no kitchen or vacation rental where the wifi is patchy at best. Plus, cat purrs and dog walks are great for wellbeing!

What are the disadvantages of being a pet sitter?

Being a pet sitter while you travel can add a layer of additional stress. You will have the responsibility of a pet while you’re holidaying or nomading. The dog walks might conflict with your work schedule or the pet’s routine might not work out for your travel itinerary or your physical capacity and ability. In other words, your ‘freedom’ might be somewhat restricted.

We have fine-tuned after our seven years of pet sitting and house sitting; there are ways to make it work for you, your needs, and your routine. One solution is get clear about whether you’re into pet sitting or house sitting.

What Is The Difference Between Pet Sitting And House Sitting?

There is no real difference between pet sitting or house sitting. These terms are often used interchangeably. However in the selection process, when you decide to go ahead with it, that’s when it matters.

Pet sitting or house sitting

Pet sitting always involves house sitting too as you’ll be in someone’s home to care for their pets. However, house sitting doesn’t always involve pet sitting. Some homes simply don’t have pets. You can look after a home without needing to feed and care for animals.

Can you do house sitting without pets? House sitting with no pets

Absolutely! There are several people who need sitters to care for their home but they are not pet owners. Likewise, you may be a traveller who just wants a base to explore without the responsibilities of looking after pets. Some houses need regular attention. They need to be lived in to protect them from intruders, mould, or may require garden maintenance.

Long term house sitting

There are house sits or pet sits that are for long term duration. These can be anything between 2 to 6 months. We’ve also seen some requesting longer (a year or more!).

You can also decide to do house sitting or pet sitting long term. There are many travellers who do this full-time, i.e they stay in other people’s houses constantly. That’s their main type of accommodation.

To be honest, we don’t do pet sitting full-time. While the benefits are great, there are some cons too as we already touched on earlier.

Now, let’s get into more details so you can decide whether pet sitting / house sitting is something you want to do full-time or like us, only part-time.

Pros and cons of pet sitting and house sitting

When you travel long-term or full-time, there are already many moving parts to making this nomadic lifestyle work. If you consider pet sitting and house sitting, you’re adding even more on your plate in terms of admin, organisation, and energy (physical, emotional, and mental).

Speaking from years of experience pet sitting, we know that dates might not always match your availability, the location might not be right, or the home standards might not be exactly what you’re after. The pets (and owners!) might have specific needs or some behavioural challenges.

All this takes careful consideration, especially because it’s not just a free stay. We’re talking about someone’s beloved pet or home here. But it’s also your life and you have your needs to consider too.

So we focus on the pros of pet sitting in that it gives us fully-functional homes to stay in – work desk, fast WiFi, Netflix, a well-equipped kitchen for everyday cooking, and comfortable beds to sleep in every night. Some come with a car to use, a garden, a pool, tennis courts … (we know, swoon!).

House sitting for us is a great way to plug and play into a new country or city. We find it easier to function as you’re ‘borrowing someone else’s routine and neighbourhood’ – optimal for living long-term and like locals.

The pets we’ve met are special, lots of love and cuddles. We became good friends with the pet owners because you meet like-minded people who love travel & animals!

Want to be a Pet Sitter – Where do I start?

OK, at this point, you’re probably itching to get started. So how exactly do you become a pet sitter and start house sitting?

Start your pet sitting journey as easy as 1-2-3:

1. This is the website we use for a petsitting exchange. Create a free account and instantly start browsing beautiful homes worldwide.
2. Ready for your pet sit adventure? Choose your membership type (the annual cost comes to about 2-3 nights’ hotel booking costs, so it’s a no-brainer bargain deal).
3. Apply to your desired sits and watch the confirmations roll in. The pet parent/ homeowner approves you and it’s done – you’ve just secured a sit. Where will it be, Tuscany, South Africa, or India?

{full disclosure: we get a small commission for referring you, but it doesn’t cost you more in fact it costs you less. Plus as a member, you can refer friends and get free months}.

What if I have no experience pet sitting?

No worries, we all start somewhere. Do you have experience with animals? Maybe you’ve had pets before and this totally counts. But even if you have zero experience in pet sitting, you can still succeed as a pet sitter.

Maybe you have a friend who has a cat you can look after for a night or two. You can also volunteer to walk your neighbour’s dog. Are your parents or relatives going away? Suggest to look after their house to build up your pet sitting or house sitting experience.

Do I need a license for pet-sitting?

You do not need a license for pet sitting in most countries, including the UK. That’s because you’re not doing this as a professional service. You’re looking after someone’s pets in their own homes. There’s no monetary remuneration and you certainly don’t need to have a license to help out a pet parent.

What do most pet sitters charge per day?

Pet sitters charge anywhere between $10-25 USD per hour or per visit, and some charge $50-$300 to stay overnight. For the point of this article though, you will not receive any money. The agreement is a mutual exchange between different parties – you get accommodation, their pets get fed and cared for.

What are some trusted house sitting sites good for travellers?

Use the one we recommend above for pet sitting and house sitting. It’s the only one we use and trust. The name itself says it all: TrustedHousesitters. We looked into several websites before committing to them and have not regretted this decision 7 years on and counting.

Can you house sit with a dog / with kids?

You can bring your own dog or cat with you as long as the pet parent or homeowner is happy with this arrangement. In some listings, you will see they mention whether that’s possible. Don’t be shy to ask when you apply or get to the meet & greet part of the selection process.

Families like to meet other families and tend to favour them over solo sitters. It also depends on the pet needs. Some pets might not feel comfortable around children.

Our experience with pet sitting and house sitting worldwide

We joined TrustedHousesitters in 2017. Since then, we’ve enjoyed traipsing around the world and made many furry friends. We discovered Sitges that way, caring for a doggo and playing ball games with her on the beautiful beaches. In Utrecht for a pet sit, we visited the Royal Delft museum while Darcy and Honey snoozed in their kitty baskets all day.

Pet sitting is great for our nomadic lifestyle. We know we’re getting a slice of local life while abroad through the pets. When we walked Charlie in the UK, he introduced us to his fave spots and that’s how we met neighbours (they all obviously knew him). In Malta, Angel dragged us to some places we wouldn’t have otherwise known if it weren’t for her. When we went through a low phase, the cats we cared for were a godsend – their purrs and funny antics brought us much joy.

House sitting for free rent

We love having no rent to pay for the time frame we’re at a house sit. It helps with our travel costs and grows our wealth because we can put that money aside, while living in comfort (sometimes even luxury!)

House sitting is the gift that keeps on giving! We travel with some food allergies and it’s always a blessing to know we can get a proper fridge, a fantastic kitchen, and even cooking books. We’ve loved using homeowners’ airfryers, Le Creuset pans, ramekins, baking tins, bread dough scraper and more. You would be hard pressed to find all these in a regular accommodation rental.

We have had plenty of experiences where we stayed in affluent neighbourhoods and mansions. It’s a privilege we’re extremely grateful for because we lived like royals … invited!

Trusted house sitters – is it legit or a scam

You need to do your research. Not all pet sitting sites are good or even safe. We only use TrustedHousesitters – we like them because they are legit. If it were a scam (which it clearly isn’t), we wouldn’t have lasted that long. Seven years and counting that we’ve used them to find numerous pet sitting stays with great success.

Can TrustedHousesitters be trusted?

A resounding yes. The team behind TrustedHousesitters are professional and you can reach them easily via email or their online forum. We will only advise caution about the homeowners and pet parents. They are humans, which means they have flaws too. Read their profiles and listings well to make sure you’ll all get along. You’ll avoid many issues down the line.

How do TrustedHousesitters work exactly?

Super easy. It’s an exchange based on mutual trust from pet parents or homeowners and the sitters.

To join: create an account here. That’s free and allows you to browse available homes for pet sitting. Then upgrade to become a member at an affordable annual cost.

Create your profile, like a resume of why you’d be a good pet sitter. Find sits that match your preferred locations, dates, pets. Apply and then wait for the responses in your inbox. You will either get rejected or approved.

Can you cancel TrustedHousesitters membership?

Billing is on a subscription basis and automatically renews every year. You can of course cancel the TrustedHousesitters membership. Make sure it’s before the renewal date.

Is getting a premium TrustedHousesitters membership worth it?

We upgraded to a standard sitter membership where we pay 149 Euros (about $165) for a whole year (info correct as at Jan 2024).

In the premium membership, you get some extras such as 2 free airport lounges pass (for you and plus one), and a sit cancellation plan. For the latter, it’s useful as you receive compensation in the unlikely event that a sit is cancelled by the homeowner/ pet parent.

Note: you can also get a combined membership where you are both pet owner and petsitter. This means if you have pets of your own you can invite sitters to look after your furry friends in your home while you jetset off for a holiday or a petsitting assignment somewhere else.

Pet sitting – final thoughts

Our nomadic journey has been transformed by pet sitting. We highly recommend it, and we’ve been referring friends and family ever since we joined (even when we weren’t yet affiliated brand partners).

Our only regret is to not have discovered this sooner, as in age 18 when we were young students and always broké. Pet sitting allows anyone who loves to travel to save costs on accommodation (massive savings). It’s also a fun way to explore a different destination as you get insider info, stay at a local’s home, and return ‘home’ to your furry new bestie after a day out.

We know that at some point we will have pets of our own and we will then use sitters to look after our beloved babies when we do travel. You can do the same right now if you’re a pawrent, no need to put your precious one in kennels or catteries. Enjoy travelling knowing they are in good company and care!

Hopefully, this article has answered a lot of your pressing questions and guided you through our honest detailed thoughts about pet sitting and house sitting. We wish you the best on your own journey as pet sitters!