International House Sitting: How To House and Pet Sit Worldwide

International House Sitting changed the way we travel – in an extremely positive and substantial way! By becoming international house sitters, we eliminate the expense of accommodations while experiencing some of the world’s best destinations!

We became pet and home sitters in 2015 – and we have heaps of advice on house sitting international. We have taken care of houses – and pets! – in more than 20 destinations around the world…from Sydney to Singapore and Phuket to Paris.

That said, being home sitters comes with a huge responsibility. It is certainly not for everyone…but it might be for you! Before we get ahead of ourselves and jump to our steps for how to become house sitters internationally, let’s talk for a minute about what it means to be pet & house sitters.

 

What is International House Sitting?

Housesitting is when a person (or couple or even a family) stays in someone else’s home when the owner is away. Housesitters are tasked with general care of the home (like cleaning, bringing in the mail and watering the plants) – and, more often than not, the housesitter looks after the owner’s pets, too.

In most cases, house and pet sitting abroad works as a trade. Sitters offer free housesitting services in exchange for staying in the home rent-free. There are however, paid house sitting jobs, but for the purpose of this article – we are talking about exchanges.

Housesitting Internationally just means that people are caring for other people’s houses and pets outside of their home country. Anyone can become an international house sitter – from vacationers to digital nomads to retirees to long-term travelers.

Based on our positive experiences, we are revealing top tips for how to house sit abroad…but first, let’s chat about the Pros and Cons of international pet sitting jobs.

 

Benefits of International Pet Sitting and House Sitting

There are many benefits to house sitting overseas. We are highlighting a few of the top reasons why house watching and pet sitting in other countries is advantageous. 

 

Free Place to Stay for Traveling Pet Sitter Jobs

The cost of accommodations – especially in big cities – can account for a big part of any travel budget. Therefore, one of the benefits of becoming international house sitters is that you get to travel the world – and live in someone’s house for free! 

For example, if you agree to an assignment for pet sitting in Europe for a week – let’s say in Amsterdam – then rather than shelling out $200 a night for a hotel (which for 7 nights is a hefty $1400), you stay with the pets in the owner’s home for zero cost. 

Free accommodations is the most obvious benefit of taking on international and Europe house sitting jobs. That said, it is just one of the many advantages of house sitting abroad.

 

Meeting People While Being House Watchers

One of the things we like best about international housesitting is that we get to meet people from around the world. In fact, many of the homeowners we have housesat for have become our friends. We have stayed in touch long after the house sits are complete – and we now have an extended network of friends that spans the globe.

Furthermore, home owners often provide sitters with insider tips – like their favorite café or a local event – that travelers would not otherwise seek out. Some owners take extra steps to introduce sitters to next door neighbors and their close friends or family, helping traveling sitters establish local connections that are priceless. 

For us, the personal connections and local recommendations are some of the best things about travel pet sitting. 

 

Live Local on Long Term House Sitting Jobs

Another reason to take international house sitter jobs is to experience a foreign place as a local. Living in a home – and taking care of a pet – can give travelers a sense of stability and community. While this might not be a benefit for vacationers pet sitting overseas, it is fantastic for digital nomads and long term travelers. 

When you take jobs house sitting, the houses are often located outside the touristic city center (sometimes even in quaint villages and remote locations) where travelers can truly immerse themselves in the local culture.

Rather than tackling the top sights with a checklist in hand, international pet sitters can get to know somewhere by walking a dog through different districts or meeting the neighbors for a coffee at a corner café.

 

 

Responsibilities as International House Sitters

While there are numerous benefits to house and pet sitting international, there are also many responsibilities that come with a pet sitting house exchange. Owners typically welcome housesitters into their home for a couple of reasons: To look after pets and to care for the house – both of which are significant obligations for the housesitter.

 

Caring for Pets during House Sitter Jobs

While many travelers are excited at the prospect of obtaining free accommodations, international dog sitting and cat watching is a big responsibility. 

House pet sitters are expected to step in and take care of the animals just as the owner would. This means adhering to the pets’ normal exercise routines, feeding schedules and pet interaction that the owner outlines.

For example, some pets can only be left alone for a limited number of hours or need to be walked multiple times a day. Pet care is a priority – and it can have an effect on sightseeing and exploration.

Additionally, sitters need to be willing (and prepared) to get care for the pet if they get injured or sick. This means having a plan – and flexibility – if you need to make a trip to the vet.

 

Keeping Up with the Home on House Sit Jobs

While most homeowners only expect basic home care, the responsibility of management and maintenance will fall on the sitter during their stay. If something breaks or goes awry during the housesit – like a plumbing issue – the sitter will need to be able to communicate the issues and be on hand to help resolve them.

And, unlike staying in hotels or an Airbnb apartment while on vacation, sitters need to thoroughly clean the house (or spaces used) for the owner’s return.

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How We Became International Pet Sitters

When we initially started traveling full time in 2014, house and pet sitting was not part of our plan. I have never been a pet owner and it had been years since Kris had pets. However, we heard of other digital nomads who were house sitting in Europe – and we were fascinated by their stories. We finally came around to the idea of – and now we can’t imagine our travels without housesitting.

To be honest however, after we decided to try international house sitting, it took a while to get our first housesit. The house sitting website we use is a platform that connects homeowners and sitters – but they don’t actually make the assignments. It is up to us to get in touch with homeowners who were searching for housesitters – and make a good impression so that they would choose us over other applicants. International house sitting jobs have become very competitive in recent years.

 

London Housesitting

After applying for numerous international house sitting opportunities, we landed our first house sit in London. We had spent time in London before, so our visit was 100-percent about Woody – the adorable dog that was in our care. We had two weeks in the London housesit – and our focused attention paid off, because the owners gave us a glowing review (which is oh-so-important for future jobs house sitting!).

 

Housesitting in Australia

We accepted our second housesit in Melbourne, Australia shortly after our London gig ended (thanks to that rave review!). The 7-week stint with a spirited Jack Russell named Tess was perfect for us – as we were able to spend time both working and exploring Melbourne – plus we got to really know the neighborhood and the neighbors (some of who we are still in contact with!).

 

Another House Sit in Europe

After our successful long-term housesit with Tess, we were on the hunt for more long house sit jobs. We eventually took on an even longer two-and-a-half-month housesit in the Nijmegen, Netherlands with a wonderful dog, Berus. It was our first time house sitting in Europe over the holidays – and we absolutely loved it!

Read more about Housesitting for the Holidays!

 

Travel as an International House Sitter

After our third time housesitting abroad – and our third shining review – we found it was much easier to get subsequent housesitting jobs.

We have been housesitters on five continents in more than a dozen countries. In fact, we have been fortunate to be housesitters in some of the world’s most famous cities – like Singapore, Dublin, New York City, Amsterdam, Lisbon and Tokyo. And, while we still use a housesitting website to find new opportunities, we have been invited back to housesit by previous homeowners, as well.

 

 

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How To House Sit Around The World

If we have piqued your curiosity on how to become a house sitter and see the world, use our following tips to find house sitting jobs worldwide!

 

Step 1: Decide Which House Sitting Websites To Use

If you have decided that you want to sit houses, the first step to becoming an international house and pet sitter is to join a house sitting network. The house sitter website we use is Trusted Housesitters. It is the house sitting site that offers the biggest inventory of international housesits, plus it is incredibly easy to use.

The house sitting service is membership-based; you pay an annual fee and can use the site as much as you want to find jobs for housesitting. Compared to other international house sitting sites (that are not as robust), the fee is a bit high (but is still less than the nightly cost of a hotel room in London – so we think it is well worth it!). 

BONUS: Save 25% of the membership fee when you use this link! 

Like most house sitting sites, Trusted Housesitting is simply a platform to connect homeowners and sitters. The homeowners post a pet sitting opportunity – including dates, location, pets and other responsibilities – and housesitters choose which housesits to apply for based on their timeframe and interests.

The Trusted Housesitters platform is designed as an exchange of services; the housesitter jobs are not paid employment. 

 

Other International House Sitting Websites for Traveling Pet Sitting Jobs

While Trusted Housesitters is the only site we use to find housesitting jobs, it is not the only international house sitting website. When choosing between the different house sitting platforms, it is important to consider where you would like to housesit – as some platforms are more popular in certain countries or regions. We like to search for opportunities worldwide, so Trusted Housesitters works best for our needs.

That said, we are featuring a few of the other highly rated house sitter websites. 

 

Nomador Housesitting for House Sitting Jobs Europe and Global

While Nomador is a worldwide house sitting website, the site seems to have a more specific focus for housesitting in France and Europe. 

 

House Carers to Pet Sit Abroad Worldwide

At one time we found that House Carers had more of a focus on New Zealand and Australia house sits – but they now have a global presence with opportunities for house sitting Europe, USA and…everywhere! 

 

Rover for House Sitting Travel in US, Canada and Europe

Rover is different in that it is a petsitting website that offers paid jobs for house sitters from the local community (mostly in the US and Canada, but now in the UK and Europe, too).

 

Step 2: Create Your Profile

A solid profile is essential to getting house sitting jobs internationally. Like a resume, we thoroughly completed sections of the form detailing who we are, why we want to housesit and what experience we have.

Because we were new to the platform (and, therefore, did not have any reviews), we asked for recommendations from everyone we could think of – friends, old roommates, bosses, landlords – to vouch for our competence and bolster our profile. Basically, we needed people to attest to the fact that we are responsible individuals who owners could entrust with the care of their pets and home. On Trusted Housesitters, there is now even the option to link your Airbnb or LinkedIn profiles.

In addition to the 10 external references, we also opted to obtain a criminal background check (at an extra fee) – just to give the homeowners peace of mind that we are upstanding citizens.

 

Step 3: Search For Housesits

Once your profile is complete, start searching for international house sits!

Actually, with Trusted Housesitters, you can search for housesits before signing up – but you will not be able to contact the owners until you become a member.

On Trusted Housesitters, any homeowner in the system looking for a house sitter can post a housesitting opportunity, but you can use filters to help narrow down your search. You can enter a location (city, country or continent) where you want to housesit – or use the map feature.

Other filters housesitters can use to pare down the results are Dates, Length of Housesit, as well as Pet and Home Types.

Click on any of the housesitting opportunities to expand the listing and find out more about the housesit. Owners can provide as much (or as little) information as they want, but generally, they will provide an introduction, location and home information, the responsibilities and a list of pets.

Previous sitter feedback will also be visible, which can be helpful in determining what that housesitting experience might be like. 

 

Step 4: Apply For Housesits

If you find a housesit that you want to apply for, the application process is fairly easy. Simply click the Apply Now button and send a personalized note to the homeowner.

Housesits in popular cities – like New York City, London and Paris – can get dozens of applications within the first hour after posting. Therefore, it is important to set yourself apart from other applicants in your letter (especially if you don’t have any reviews!). We curate and often update our application and profile – and also add in a few key details to personalize each submission.

For the most sought after housesits, being timely is also critical – so we recommend checking the Trusted Housesitters website frequently.

 

Step 5: Be Patient…and Keep Applying

Getting your first housesit is typically the most difficult – at least it was for us! Once we had our first housesit and a positive review, the next ones came easier. We have more than 20 5-star reviews now, which helps significantly when applying for new housesits. If you get passed by on your first few applications, keep searching…and applying.

Pro Tip: A great way to get a first review is by housesitting in your own city or region. Because Trusted Housesitters is international, there may be nearby short-term housesits in your own neighborhood. Housesitting closer to home for your first housesit is not only be beneficial to gaining a first review, but it can help ease you into the role of housesitter so you will be ready to go international!

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More Home Sitting Considerations

In addition to our outlined steps for getting a job housesitting and the pros and cons of being a house sitter that we outlined above, there are a few more considerations that should be contemplated before accepting house sitting jobs overseas.

 

House Sitting: No Pets or Pets

Many people seek out opportunities for house sitting without pets, which is possible – we have done it! In our case, the homeowner was weary of leaving the house unattended over Christmas (as pipes had broken during their previous winter trip) and they wanted their house ‘lived in’ so it wasn’t a target for thieves.

That said, it has been our experience that very few homeowners are looking for home sitting services if there are no pets involved…but it never hurts to look! (On the Trusted Housesitters website, there is a filter for No Pets to help sitters seek out those specific opportunities.)

 

The Cost of Free House Sitting

While sitters can get free accommodations when pet sitting worldwide, the other costs of travel should be considered. If, let’s say, you live in the United States and want a Sydney, Australia housesitting gig, you would need to factor in the cost of the flight, local transportation and, perhaps, lodging costs (if you need to arrive a day early, which we highly recommend). The cost of visas is also something to keep in mind.

In some rare cases, homeowners may request that sitters pay for certain utilities. This, of course, should be discussed and agreed to in advance – but it is another cost to be considered.

 

Length of Stay for House Sitting Jobs Abroad

House sitting holidays range from a single night to several months. Both long and short stays have pros and cons. While two nights of luxury housesitting in a central London flat with one cat is appealing, the cost of getting there from abroad may not be worth the effort.

On the other hand, agreeing to a long term housesit of a couple months can impede other travel plans that might pop up during the sit. Before applying for long term housesits abroad, make sure to do some prior research and check entry requirements, too!

Read more about why we love Long Term Housesitting!

 

Sightseeing Limitations While House Minding & Pet Sitting

We have already touched on this under Responsibilities, but we feel it needs to be emphasized. When you offer house sitting services in exchange for a free place to stay while traveling, the house and pets take precedence over sightseeing adventures. That is not to say that you won’t be able to enjoy and discover the destination where you are housesitting, only that your house and pet responsibilities need to be top of mind. 

We think of housesitting as a job…and a pretty cool one, at that! In our experience, settling into a new home and being a pet sitter is extremely rewarding – and it might be for you, too!

 

 

Housesitting is not our only resource for accommodations…we use Airbnb, too! Read our Top Tips for Airbnb Guests here!

 

Start planning your next International Trip! Search for the lowest airfares, the best accommodations and fun things to do…then start packing!  Want more travel planning tips? Head over to our Travel Planning page for more information and tips on traveling – and for country-specific information, take a look at our Travel Guides page!

 

 

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