I’ve Visited Six Countries by Offering Pet-Sitting Services. Here’s Why It’s Ideal for Travelers.

A paw-some solution for travelers and pet owners

Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

“When we got Reggie, we were often told that we wouldn’t be able to go away as much,” say Matthew Haley and Ellie Cunningham, the “pet parents” of Reggie. “But being able to use house sitters has meant that our travel plans have not been impacted at all, and Reggie gets looked after by dog lovers while we’re gone.” Since welcoming Reggie to the family and being recommended to Trusted Housesitters by a friend, the couple has managed to stick to their usual agenda of summer vacations and city breaks, as well as attend weddings and other family events.

My introduction to pet sitting came when a colleague asked me to watch her cat over a long weekend. With a plan to slow-travel around Southeast Asia and New Zealand already in motion, a quick Google search led me to Trusted Housesitters through whom I’ve now undertaken sits in six countries. My stays have varied from a weekend to over three months in length, caring for cats, dogs, and horses. These aren’t paid sits, but rather they work on an exchange basis that mutually benefits each party.

“We feel like it is the best care option for Reggie as he can stay at home with no disruption to his routine,” say Matthew and Ellie. “We also like that our house will be looked after whilst we’re away. Kennels can be very expensive, and we don’t think Reggie would enjoy that environment. Our families live quite far away from us, and whilst we would be happy for our friends to look after Reggie for a day or two, it can be quite the burden if they haven’t looked after dogs before.”

Responsibility and community

Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

And there is indeed responsibility here — and this always sits at the forefront of a pet sitting assignment. Each pet parent profile on Trusted Housesitters outlines how long the pet can be left alone, the feeding schedule, walking requirements for dogs, and if medication is needed. It’s important to keep to the pet’s routine, which could mean waking up earlier than you might on vacation. The responsibility can mean that long days out aren’t feasible, although profiles do define exactly what is within reason.

What I’ve noticed about house sitting is that there is a real sense of community. Trusted Housesitters’ 240,000 members are united by two shared passions: animals and travel. From a sitter’s perspective, I would have quit long-term travel years ago in favor of having pets of my own, if not for pet sitting. Homeowners can satisfy their wanderlust while providing stability to their pets. Depending on the sit, I usually arrive a few hours before the pet parents leave (in some cases I’ll stay a night or two before departure). This allows time to be shown around the home and to run through the pets’ requirements. Conversation never flows as easily as it does when chatting about travel and animals.

The majority of my sits have been with foreigners living overseas, which can add another layer of connection. Arriving in New Zealand with my working holiday visa, I looked after the cat of an English couple, who treated me like family and supported me as I got my papers and plans in order. Over the unfolding months, they invited me back to Auckland both as their regular sitter and as a friend. Now living long-term in Chile, I have a longstanding arrangement with a couple in Yorkshire, my British home, who chase the winter sunshine for a few months while I keep their cats company.

Slow travel, location independence, and pet sitting

Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

Because there is a need for routine, house sitting fits location-independent professionals and digital nomads like a glove. As I work remotely and need a quiet environment for online meetings, I find that the daily rhythm of a petsitter suits me perfectly: an early wake-up to attend to feeds and walks followed by a day at my computer (usually with a cat warming my lap or a dog lolling at my feet) and a bout of local exploration. It can work well for other types of long-term travelers with animal care experience – retirees or those on a sabbatical, for example.

In the case of a pooch, I’ll always prioritize dog-friendly outings. Besides nearby walking routes, Matt and Ellie were generous in their recommendations for where I could find the best pubs and cafés in Teddington, most of which were dog-friendly. As a solo traveler in Singapore, exploring the Gardens by the Bay with Charlemagne, a sweet-natured rescue terrier, was made all the more memorable, I just had to stick to the dog-friendly sections and skip the conservatories.

As pet sits tend to be in residential areas, the experience can provide a different perspective on a popular destination, or take you off-piste. My three-month Bali sit took place in Sanur, a far calmer enclave than Canggu and Ubud, from where I could still visit tourist spots easily with a rental motorcycle. An invitation to care for newborn kittens in the home of an elephant conservationist took me to Gerik in northern Malaysia. I had limited activities on my doorstep in this remote region, but I was able to get my head down for a couple of weeks of steady work in a walkable neighborhood (and fall asleep each night with a kitten tucked under each arm).

“For the house sitters, we think so,” say Matthew and Ellie, when asked whether house sitting offers a more authentic travel experience than hotels. “Speaking to the sitters we recently had from America, they love house sitting as it gives them a feel for real life in neighborhoods off the beaten tourist track.”
Caring for Reggie introduced me to a fabulously leafy part of London that I’d never made it to during my seven-year residency in the capital. There, I enjoyed walking off a pub lunch along the River Thames and ambling around Bushy Park, a Royal Park inhabited by red and fallow deer, before settling in for an evening on the sofa with Reggie.

How to start house sitting

Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

As a solo traveler, I felt safer signing up with Trusted Housesitters rather than going through unregulated channels, like Facebook groups, where communication isn’t always on the mark. Homeowners are subject to ID checks while we sitters must upload character references before being eligible to apply for a sit. Those based in the US also undergo a background check.

“We tend to select people who have good reviews and can demonstrate they have cared for dogs in the past,” explain Matthew and Ellie. “We prefer to select people who are applying as two people/a couple for longer stays, as it is easier to care for Reggie with two people over an extended period of time.”

As I’d cared for my colleague’s cat, she was able to provide a reference when I created my profile. Until I had gained more experience, I used this profile to talk about the menagerie of pets I’d had since childhood and my background working with horses. For those new to pet sitting, a person with authority can attest to your character — a superior at work or someone who has seen you interact with an animal. It becomes easier to get selected once you start to acquire reviews, but getting that first assignment is only possible with a detailed, articulate profile and personalized applications (no cut-and-paste jobs).

Seeing as most pet parents prefer to have a call before committing to a sit, I recommend mentioning willingness for a video chat in your application. It’s wise to get a handle on how much communication the homeowners want. In my experience, most appreciate a daily check-in to hear how their pets are doing. In the case of a longer sit, they might not expect to hear from you every day. Have a list of other questions to ask before the sit starts, relating to general household care, spare keys, emergency contacts, vet details, and getting around.

Trusted Housesitters has three tiers: Basic, Standard, and Premium ($129, $169, and $259, respectively, for 12 months). Pet owners who also wish to travel as sitters can sign up with a combined membership.