Exploring free travel through pet sitting, house sitting, and car relocation
With Spring and Summer travel around the corner, I thought this was a good time to update my old post on this topic, as it seems to be a popular one.
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As someone who travel frequently, I have tried all kinds of stays: hotels, motels, resorts, castles, vacation homes, ranches, farms, cabins, tents, treehouses, and so many more. I am generally up for anything, depending on the circumstances, but I do enjoy exploring local favorites, places with personality, and located in or near neighborhoods, to feel more immersed. So something else I began testing a few years back for longer, free stays were pet/house sitting stays in the US, Canada and Europe. These are the two that I used:
Trusted Housesitters for US/CAN/EU: If you love animals, this is a fantastic site to finding great house & pet sitting gigs of all varieties. I have used it several times, and am friends with many of the homeowners, having returned for repeat stays in some favorite locations. This site is also very tech forward, and has clear photos, reviews, communication interfaces and high ratings on Trustpilot. There is an annual fee of $199+, but if you use it even once for a free stay, it will have paid for itself.
Housesitters America for USA only: If you love animals, and want to explore around America for both short and longer term stays, this is also a great house & pet sitting site. I have also used it several times, and am friends with many of the homeowners, coming back for repeat stays. It tends to slant towards an older demographic, and more houses than condos, which is great for space. It is a more basic site, but still does the trick, and during the chat with homeowners there is options to share more photos, etc. There are listings not advertised for which homeowners can connect with you directly too, based on your profile.
Things to know:
Look carefully at properties, pet descriptions, and owners ratings. Have a phone or video call too prior to committing
Look for any additional needs like gardening, etc if it is out of your scope.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Too many pets or home upkeep, know your limits. They are counting on you.
Set up your own profile with lots of information, photos, and past animal experience
Single women travelers over 40 will have high likelihood of being booked, and I often receive invites from owners directly based on my profile. But also couples for larger responsibilities are popular. Retired road trippers do housesits a lot and are popular on the site.
Be good about keeping the pet owner updated with fun photos and notes, it eases things
There are mutual ratings on both platforms, so support each other with good communications and treat the home/pet like your own.
Do be dependable and on time for your housesit and departure. Keep it sparkling clean for homeowner return too - you want to have top ratings
The Good: There are a lot of experienced, repeat homeowner users on both platforms which is great. You can see ratings, have written communication, share photos and more to get comfortable. They more you have in common, the better, and you can set up your profile with all kinds of experience and travel testimonials. I had booked a few stays with people my age, who had acquaintances in common, and we are all friends today, and I also regularly help out a widowed retiree who is lovely (and so are her pups)
The Bad: It can be a bit stressful knowing you have the responsibility watching “family” (aka pets), but it can also be fun. Cats are obviously more low key than dogs (depending), and I avoid other animals I don’t have experience with (it wouldn’t be fair). Follow your gut - many homeowners are repeat users, which I think is best vs a first timer, but after many great housesits, I did have one rough one with someone with a very badly behaved cat, and I ignored some red flags about the owner during out initial meeting that I came to regret later. Only do what you are comfortable with.
Bonus: Free car rentals! I did an old post and youtube about this ages ago, but there are several companies that will let you book vehicle relocations for free, and in the cases of RV’s, will include gas money. I did the former once for a roadtrip from LA to Denver to see family, and it was perfect. So if you are spontaneous and live by a major US city (especially around the west), you are in luck! Try Transfercarus or IMoova to get started
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