- While some people have a desk job and travel during their vacation time, people who house-sit for a living are always traveling. Sometimes, they don’t even have a home-base.
- Insider spoke to experienced house sitters and an employee of popular house-sitting online community TrustedHousesitters to find out what the job is really like.
- Both sitters and homeowners told Insider that if you think of house-sitting as a way to just get free lodging while you travel, you’re not going to be doing it for very long.
- They also shared tips on how to be a great house sitter.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
As the world moves towards more remote work, house- and pet-sitting are becoming more popular ways of living than ever.
Professional house sitters travel the world year-round, bouncing from country to country while living in other people’s homes.
Although the lives of professional sitters are exciting, they can also be lonely and anxiety-inducing.
Insider spoke with four professional house sitters – Charli Moore, Angela Laws, and a couple, Nicolo Nisbett and Blair Russell – to learn the ins-and-outs of house-sitting and to find out what makes the job such a unique opportunity.
Editor's note: The house-sitting website TrustedHousesitters, mentioned in the article, has published a list of COVID-19-related guidelines to ensure the safety of its homeowners and sitters. At the time of writing, homeowners on the platform are still allowed to post job openings for house sitters, and TrustedHousesitters encourages members to follow public health guidelines from local authorities.
Charli Moore started her house-sitting career in 2012, and she makes money as a blogger to fund her travels.
Moore thought that house-sitting would be a cost-effective way to travel, and she liked that it allowed her the freedom to "pack up and head off" whenever, wherever.
House sitters like Moore do not get paid. Rather, they get to stay in homeowners' digs for free in exchange for taking care of owners' pets, plants, or simply watching over the house.
Many sitters who can work remotely from anywhere see this as an opportunity to travel and explore new places without signing a lease.
That being said, sitters who travel around the world can't rely on making money from staying in people's houses.
Like many other globe-trotting house sitters, Moore started a blog to write about her travels, and as the blog grew, she started generating income from brand deals and freelance opportunities that she uses to fund her on-the-go lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Blair Russell and Nicolo Nisbett have been house-sitting together for almost 10 years.
The couple bonded over their love of travel.
They spent a weekend in New York together for their second date, and they've been traveling together ever since.
They told Insider they typically do around 20 house sits per year, traveling all over the world.
There are several house-sitting platforms for owners to post jobs and sitters to find work.
Some are destination-specific, like Aussie House Sitters.
Others, like TrustedHousesitters - which Moore, Nisbett, and Russell all use - list postings for jobs all over the world.
TrustedHousesitters doubles as a listing source and community, meaning that sitters who use the site often form lasting relationships with the people whose homes and pets they watch.
When she first started, Moore house-sat consecutively for three and a half years.
When she started the on-the-go job, Moore said that she was living out of a backpack and took the "hopping from one to the next" approach.
She'd spend a year in New Zealand, then six months in Australia, and then return to New Zealand for another six months.
She then spent two years in the Caribbean.
Moore has been exposed to some experiences that she never would have thought about before this job.
She once stepped in for her homeowner at an animal care clinic in Costa Rica.
The homeowner had a regular volunteer commitment at the clinic, and Charli said she would fill the empty spot herself.
Moore told Insider she thought she'd just be standing on the sidelines not really doing much, but she wound up helping the vet neuter a cat.
She also looked after a macadamia farm in Australia and served as a stand-in alpaca-herder in New Zealand.
Although house-sitting can feel like a vacation much of the time, the responsibilities involved make it quite different.
Whether it's tending to a nut farm, pets, or even a house plant, there will likely be some living reason why your homeowner wanted to host a sitter.
Moore said you can still take advantage of all that your temporary home has to offer; you just need to make sure it's within the bounds of what your homeowner expects.
Nisbett compared pet-sitting to traveling with children, saying: "You can go on vacation with kids, but they have to come first and everything has to wrap around them."
After talking with Moore, several homeowners who are on TrustedHousesitters, and a few other sitters, it's clear that communication is absolutely key to making this whole thing work.
Sitters told Insider that they like to have video calls with the prospective homeowners before committing to one another.
After chatting and asking all the questions, Moore says she can get a good idea of whether this sit will be a good match for her.
"If I'd be friends with this person, I'm probably going to be fine spending time in their home," Moore said.
Several homeowners told Insider that they like to introduce the sitter to their pets over a video call as well.
They're able to gauge whether the sitter will get along with their four-legged friends based on the way they interact with them over the call.
When asked what they'd do if the sitter arrived on-site and the pets completely rejected them, one owner told Insider that they would definitely be concerned, but they would ultimately trust the sitter.
Some owners said that they would call a friend or neighbor to check in on the sitter.
But they all said if the person is an animal lover, it's pretty easy to tell, and it's a safe bet that they'll be fine with whatever pet they have to look after.
Even if you get along with the pets and the homeowners, that doesn't necessarily mean you have free rein to come and go as you please.
Some homeowners will be fine with you taking day trips or weekend overnights for a local adventure.
These are likely the people who don't have any animals for you to take care of, or it's an animal that will be OK on its own for a day or two.
Other homeowners will expect sitters to be on the property every day and night.
Owners who have dogs that need to be let out of the house will most likely need you to be at home consistently.
Moore told Insider about a sit she did in Vancouver where there were no pets at all.
Because of that, she was able to take the homeowner's car for a road trip to visit the resort town of Banff.
You have some control over where you travel, but the homeowner has to accept your application.
You're able to see photos of the home on house-sitting sights, so you can try to apply for the popular destination spots exclusively.
But Moore said you may have more luck in smaller, out-of-the-box destinations.
She told Insider her applications tend to stand out more in less sought-after locations.
While it does seem like house sitters are traveling for work, technically they're just tourists — as long as they don't accept any money in exchange for the sit.
Because sitters aren't earning money while watching over homeowners' pets and houses, they don't need to apply for a work visa.
Of course, depending on how long your stay is and what the local laws are, you may have to obtain a tourist visa.
Sitters said that the scariest thing about the job is the "what if" factor.
There's always a risk of an accident or of something happening to an owner's pet.
Nisbett and Russell also said that it can be difficult to be dependent on the schedules of the owners.
"Your schedule is determined by other people's needs, so you have to be very very flexible," Russell said.
On the other hand, Clare Williams, a homeowner who uses TrustedHousesitters, warned about cancellations.
She told Insider about a time when she had to cancel on a sitter and wound up compensating them for their flight booking.
Terry Berenson, another TrustedHousesitters homeowner, also advised that sitters can face emergencies of their own, which might require owners to find a backup sitter.
While there is no official policy in place for cancellations on TrustedHousesitters, Angela Laws, the site's social media and community manager, said its 24-hour support team tries to help its clients.
"We always stress that members do have a plan B in case of an emergency and that sitters have the means with which to support themselves should the need arise," Laws said in an email to Insider.
Laws, who has been working with TrustedHousesitters since 2008, has some advice of her own: "Find the right fit, not just a fit."
"It's a lifestyle choice, not a travel choice," Laws said of house-sitting.
All homeowners and house sitters we talked to had the same message.
Nisbett and Blair said that house-sitting as a couple can make the experience more enjoyable.
"I think it could get lonely doing it on your own, even though you're with the animal," Nisbett said. "Just having someone there, and if you do bump into challenges or difficulties, it's really helpful to have another person next to you."
Russell also pointed out that it's easier to do the work required of the stays as a unit, as they have an extra set of hands. They think of each other as "backup."
But the couple also said they have to be very cognizant that they're taking care of their relationship as they travel.
"You really have to be comfortable with each other at all times," Russell said. "You really have to be honest."
The couple said that they make a point of telling one another when they need some time alone, whether it be to take a walk by themselves or to just watch TV alone.
Nisbett said the dogs come in handy when you need some time alone, as they need to be walked anyway.
According to Laws, the average age of both house sitters and owners registered within the TrustedHousesitters network is 45 years and older.
Laws told Insider that she's seeing a rise in younger sitters, adding that the minimum age to register on TrustedHousesitters is 21 years old.
Additionally, Laws said that with age comes a perceived level of experience and that she as a homeowner is more likely to hire an older sitter because of the level of professionalism she expects from them.
Of course, no matter how prepared you are, there may be some hiccups along the way. Not every sit is going to be a wonderful success.
Moore told Insider about a time she arrived for a sitting job and the house was a complete disaster. She said the couple who lived there had a party the night before and didn't clean anything.
She had to call the homeowner's mother, who hired a cleaning service.
Laws said her worst house-sitting experiences were when there was a disconnect regarding people's definition of "clean."
She said that's usually something that can be avoided in a pre-sit interview, but it's still an adjustment.
There are little things homeowners can do to make sitters feel appreciated.
For example, homeowners can make sure their houses are clean, create a sense of welcome for their sitters, and leave a set of explicit instructions.
Moore, who's been a house sitter in places where English isn't the most-spoken language, said that homeowners can help out their sitters by teaching them a few basic phrases in the local tongue.
As a sitter, you may find yourself in a place where you don't know anyone around, and you don't speak the language.
Moore says that if you find yourself in this situation, networking is key to success.
She started going to a yoga studio in Costa Rica, used that as a networking opportunity, and then got three new house-sitting gigs from there.
Moore and Laws both say when they leave a sit, they always try to leave a little something for the homeowner.
Whether it's a "welcome home" card, a fully stocked refrigerator, or something handmade - Moore said that she once made the homeowners a quilt - sitters told Insider that leaving a token of thanks at the house is a nice gesture.
They said sometimes a homeowner will take them out to dinner when they get back as a thank you, but that's not always the case.
Laws said sometimes homeowners just want to leave things on a professional level, which is perfectly fine as well.
Nisbett and Russell said that they have friends all over the world because of house-sitting.
They told Insider that because of the flexible job, they make meaningful relationships pretty much everywhere they go.
"We've made some really good friends in different parts of the world and we keep in regular touch with them," Nisbett said.
The couple returns to locations they've traveled to in the past just to see their new friends.
Regardless of what kind of relationship either party wants, homeowners emphasize the importance of getting good reviews and testimonials on sitters' online profiles.
The experts also suggest that sitters provide a background check for prospective homeowners - it gives them peace of mind when hiring.
Nisbett and Russell recommend first traveling for non-sitting purposes if you're interested in house-sitting as a couple.
Taking care of a home and pets requires a lot of work, so it's important to ensure you're compatible travelers before you add anything else into the mix.
"You really want to make sure that you're good travelers together," Russell said.
The biggest thing to remember if you're considering this lifestyle is that it's more than just free lodging.
It's a job, a responsibility, and a way to live like a local all around the world.
"You have to recognize that the animals come first," Nisbett said.
You can learn more about TrustedHousesitters here.
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