The Fantastic World of House/Pet Sitting

 

For us making the commitment to house/pet sit was an easy one.  Having done a lot of research via the web and read up on the subject, it seemed like the perfect solution to us.  We could travel, see different places, meet new people, learn new languages and experience different cultures, all this and have animals in our lives again whilst staying in a variety of “homely” accommodation for free.  It seemed like a no-brainer! 

 

The house/pet sitting venture has now been around in some form or other for many years. A search on the internet will reveal several house/pet sitting websites. (Our personal favourites are www.trustedhousesitters.com and www.housecarers.com)   It has never been easier to encompass this truly wonderful lifestyle!!

 

Are you one of the many people around the world who wants to travel but with only a limited budget and is unsure how to achieve this?   Or maybe you are lucky and have a generous budget for travel but do not want to leave your home and pets for an extended period of time.  Do you want to familiarise yourselves with a new area/country you are considering moving to? Maybe you have no one to care for your pets and you don’t want to leave them in kennels.  Do you work from home and feel in need of a change of scenery?  Maybe you have a large menagerie of pets which seems to make the idea of  travel impossible.  There are many reasons that house/pet sitting works well for both the home owner and the house/pet sitter. The free accommodation offered to a house/pet sitter in exchange for them caring for your pets and looking after and keeping your home safe creates amazing opportunities for all involved.

 

 

Are we glad we have chosen to do this?  You bet we are!

 

Initially it does require some work on your part to join your preferred website(s), put together your profile, photos, even a video!  Not to mention obtaining police checks, getting references, writing your general application letter and preparing questions for interviews by Skype.  However, once you are comfortable and have completed this you can really start to apply for the various house/pet sits advertised.

 

If we are perfectly honest, to begin with we were skeptical about the whole concept.  However, after apply for and getting our first house/pet sit in France, we began to really throw ourselves into our new venture and with amazing results: our first year was spent more or less  “full-time” in Europe,  mainly in France, Spain and Turkey.  We stayed in a wide variety of accommodation from small stone cottages and farmhouses to chalets and luxury villas, some with pools, and even a chateau complete with guest wing and swimming pool in its own grounds.  We looked after a whole range of animals: dogs, cats, chickens, fish, ducks, geese and goats.

 

We have met some wonderful people along the way, many of whom have become friends too.  They have welcomed us into their homes and trusted us to look after their beloved pets and treasured possessions.  It is a very humbling experience.  We have also enjoyed experiencing different cultures, we have learnt so much about the countries we have visited and learnt new languages along the way.  We feel so very lucky to have had these amazing experiences; it truly has fulfilled and enriched our lives beyond our wildest dreams. 

 

So if you have ever thought about living abroad, wanted to leave the city to live in the country, longed to travel the world on a budget, dreamed of experiencing the culture and learning the language, house/pet sitting could just be for you too.  And yes, you really CAN do all this for FREE!

 

At this stage we should also point out that house/pet sitting is a commitment: whilst the accommodation is free, you have the responsibility of looking after someone’s home and their beloved pets.  If there are any emergencies whilst the homeowners are away the burden of dealing with these will fall to you.  This is something that you should be aware of and feel able to cope with.

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House/pet sitting is very different from the role of caretaker.  Whilst as a house/pet sitter you will have the commitment and responsibilities as mentioned, a caretaker is someone takes on a high level of commitment, has a job to do and is paid well for doing it.

 

However, there are some instances where you agree a fee with your house/pet sitter i.e. you wish them to do some maintenance work whilst they are there.  Or perhaps there are a lot of animals to care for and a lot of work to do.   We recently saw a house/pet sit in France where the owner agreed to pay fees.  There is a gite on site and the owners wanted help with the changeover of guests whilst they were away. At the very least you might cover the house/pet sitter’s utility costs (electric, gas etc.). At the end of the day this needs to be negotiated between you, to work out something that is agreeable to both parties.

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If you are a homeowner perhaps you want to travel more but feel limited because you don’t want to leave your home empty for a long period of time, or don’t want to burden family and friends with caring for your home in your absence.  You may have several pets and the cost of kenneling them (let alone leaving them caged up for long periods of time) or asking people to care for them puts you off going away.  Having a house/pet sitter (someone that you choose and are comfortable with) who can take care of your home and pets can be the perfect solution. 

 

We are both very passionate about house/pet sitting and the various and amazing opportunities it has given us.  We are often emailed and asked questions by homeowners, and people we meet constantly want to talk about the concept and how we are able to afford to keep travelling for so long. This is what has prompted us to write this blog site: for us house/pet sitting has become such a life changing experience and we want to try and share as much as we can, also including a few of our experiences along the way. Hopefully this blog site will inspire others to try this fantastic venture.