Eight Reasons Petsitting is a Perfect Way to Travel

Over the last few years, petsitting (or housesitting) has become more popular than ever. Unfortunately, like many aspects of life, housesitting has been been negatively affected by COVID-19. In fact, it will take a while for the housesitting scene to take get back to normal. However, it will eventually re-establish itself. When it does, it will undoubtedly be as popular as ever. Indeed, people will be so keen to get out in the world again, that there will be an abundance of pets who will need caring for!

We have been housesitting since 2012 and have carried out around 300 housesits. In all honesty, we have lost count, but we know that’s the ballpark figure! Here, we take a look at eight reasons that petsitting is a perfect way to see the world!

1) You Can Take Your Pick of Housesits Around the World

The world is your oyster. You can choose to housesit in your home town or on the other side of the world! Many people travel full-time and book housesits as they go. You can search for a housesit in a specific destination – somewhere you have dreamed about visiting. Alternatively, you can peruse the listings and see what takes your fancy! Indeed, you may even wind up housesitting somewhere you have never heard of before!

2) You Get to Meet Lots of Cute Pets

One of the reasons that we love to housesit is that because we move around such a lot, we don’t have pets of our own. Housesitting allows us to spend quality time with a wide variety of pets. Sometimes the bonding process takes a day or two and on other occasions, the pets don’t bat an eyelid when we arrive! Either way, it’s always fun to get to know our new furry friends and enjoy their company. We have also met some lovely people, made a few friends, and returned multiple times to many of the sits.

3) You Can Enjoy the Comforts of a Home

Instead of staying in a characterless hotel room, housesits come with all the comforts of home. It’s likely that you would have more space inside and out. Not only will you have a fully-equipped kitchen to prepare your own meals, but a lounge with a comfortable sofa to watch TV. Most properties will have a garden or backyard to relax in on sunny days.

4) You Can Save Lots of Money

A major benefit of housesitting is that it makes travelling so much more affordable. Accomodation costs usually take up the majority of the budget – housesitting totally eliminates this expense. Additionally, it’s possible to save money by preparing your own meals rather than eating out in expensive restaurants. Occasionally, homeowners offer the use of their car to housesitters. This can save a substantial amount of money, as well being a great help in getting around. Finally, sometimes the homeowners leave food/drinks as a token of thanks to their housesitters.

5) You Become Part of the Local Community

Living in a local neighbourhood gives you an insight into everyday life that you would rarely have as a regular tourist. Not only would you be shopping at the neighbourhood stores and having a drink at the local bar, but it’s likely that you’ll meet the neighbours too. Being immersed in local life allows housesitters to develop more of an appreciation for the culture and an understanding of the community that they are living in.

6) A Comfortable Place to Work

A housesit is perfect if you are a digital nomad or intend to work while you are away. You will have a peaceful retreat in which to focus on the task at hand. More often than not, there will be a desk from which you can work. Additionally, the internet connection is often superior to that of hotels and won’t cost anything to use (many hotels charge for internet use). Check out this article by Ku on why housesitting works so well for travel writers and digital nomads.

7) You Stay in a Variety of Properties

There are a huge variety of properties available all over the world, many of them reflecting the characteristics of the country they are in. From a farm in New Zealand to a hacienda in Mexico, there are a plethora of properties that require housesitters. Another advantage is that you have the opportunity to stay in properties that you wouldn’t normally be able to. We once stayed in a floating cabin in Brighton Marina, which was, indeed, an interesting experience! We have seen castles in Italy and houseboats in Amsterdam available on housesitting websites, Of course, there are also plenty of luxury properties that require housesitters!

8) Additional Perks…

Apart from all of the above advantages, there are a few additional potential perks which are worth mentioning. Loving movies as we do, we always appreciate it when the properties that we stay at have Netflix! It’s great to catch up with movies that we may have missed and it’s a bonus that we wouldn’t generally have in a hotel! Other perks may include anything from table tennis to a swimming pool or steam room! Some properties have incredible views or are located in places of great natural beauty. There are so many different housesits and they all offer their own range of perks!

Our Housesitting Life

We have been housesitting for around eight years now and it has revolutionised our lives. Not only have we met some adorable pets, but also some lovely people, who we have stayed in contact with over the years. We have mainly looked after cats, but occasionally we have had dogs to care for. Many people see themselves as either ‘cat people’ or ‘dog people’, but the truth is we love both equally!

Many of our housesits are arranged by word of mouth, through friends and people we have housesat for previously. We also use TrustedHousesitters when we have gaps that we need to fill or when we are looking for housesits abroad. Coincidentally, TrustedHousesitters are based in our home town of Brighton and Hove. In fact, they have housesits all over the world on their website – from Hong Kong to Argentina and everywhere in between! Housesitting has revolutionised and enriched our lives and we can’t recommend it highly enough for anyone

Affiliate Disclosure: It should be noted that some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that we earn a commission if a purchase is made at no extra cost to you. If you have any questions about the companies or our status as affiliates, please feel free to contact us.