Home sitting and pet sitting are undeniably nice methods to journey the world, meet new folks, look after animals, and obtain free accommodation. I’ve been a pet sitter for just a few years now, and whereas I adore it, there are each professionals and cons to house sitting and pet sitting.
House sitting is whenever you keep and take care of another person’s dwelling whereas they’re away. In alternate without cost lodging and utilities, you clear and keep the home, water the vegetation, and supply the owners with the consolation and reassurance that all the things is secure and safe.
Pet sitters additionally care for the house owner’s pets, which may embrace feeding, watering, enjoying, cuddling, strolling, and grooming.
Pet sitting has allowed me to spend weeks caring for a golden retriever within the English countryside, a month and a half with a French bulldog in Tokyo, and a few weeks with a playful cat in Brussels, all with out spending a dime on lodging. It’s for sure my favourite strategy to journey.
However, like another residing scenario, there are each professionals and cons of home and pet sitting. So, when you’re questioning if home sitting is best for you, proceed studying; I’ll define the 15 best benefits and downsides of home sitting.
With out additional ado, let’s get began.
☞ SEE ALSO: How To Become a Pet Sitter
Lengthy-Time period Sits vs. Brief-Time period Sits
Earlier than I record all the professionals and cons of being a house sitter, I first need to make clear the distinction between long-term sits and short-term sits.
Lengthy-term home sits sometimes vary from just a few weeks to a number of months in length, whereas short-term home sits sometimes vary from just a few days to a few weeks. Whereas each may be nice experiences for vacationers and digital nomads alike, every sort of sit provides totally different benefits and downsides.
For example, long-term home sits give the sitters an prolonged period of time to immerse themselves in a brand new tradition and meet locals. I additionally love long-term home sits as they at all times present me with an opportunity to chill out, rewind, and reset after I’m feeling a little bit of journey burnout. In distinction, short-term home sits are nice for saving cash on motels and hostels when visiting a brand new metropolis.
To summarize, short-term home sits are the best alternative for folks on a tighter timeline wishing to journey to new locations, whereas long-term home sits are the best alternative for digital nomads who’re trying to find a brand new dwelling base for some time.
Professionals of Home Sitting and Pet Sitting
Now that we’ve clarified the distinction between long-term and short-term home sits, let’s talk about why home and pet sitting could be best for you. These are the ten final advantages of home sitting:
1. Free Journey Lodging and Utilities (One of many Best Advantages of Home Sitting!)
At the beginning, one of many best advantages of house sitting is the free journey lodging and utilities in alternate in your time and a spotlight.
I’m certain you agree that motels (and even hostels) may be the most costly a part of a visit. Consequently, home sitting and pet sitting permits you to save tons of cash, no matter when you’re occurring a brief trip, backpacking for a 12 months, or residing as a everlasting nomad.
You’re additionally geared up with all the comforts and facilities you want to really feel proper at dwelling, which (normally) contains free, high-speed web. This makes it the proper gig for these working on-line.
The possibility of free lodging was one of many largest allures for me after I first began out as a pet sitter, and it’s nonetheless one of many largest perks. It’s particularly nice whenever you’re visiting an costly vacation spot resembling New York or Hawaii.
2. Journey from a Native Perspective
Not solely does home sitting mean you can get monetary savings in your journeys, nevertheless it additionally gives you with the uncommon and distinctive expertise of residing like a neighborhood.
Somewhat than staying within the typical, busy vacationer areas, you get to remain within the residential neighborhoods, store on the native markets, and uncover some hidden gems chances are you’ll in any other case miss if staying elsewhere. Moreover, you get to immerse your self within the tradition.
Home sitting is really top-of-the-line methods to actually get to know town that you just’re visiting, and it’s one among my favourite components of the job. I really feel like I do know the cities of Yokohama and London much better since I’ve had the alternatives to go to the less-popular sides of them.
3. Meet Locals
Equally, home sitting and pet sitting provides you the uncommon and particular alternative to satisfy and type connections with native folks, from the owners to their family and friends, their neighbors, and extra.
These alternatives are far much less widespread in motels and hostels whenever you’re surrounded by fellow vacationers. You’re additionally sometimes staying in touristy areas when touring repeatedly and so are almost definitely to solely encounter locals working within the tourism business.
Because of this, the possibility to type native connections is really one of many best advantages of pet sitting. I discover it notably straightforward to make native mates when strolling canine. Because the canine sniff and say whats up to one another, you even have the possibility to say whats up to the canine proprietor; forming a pleasant native connection.
4. Keep in Luxurious Properties
One other wonderful perk of home sitting and pet sitting is that you just get the possibility to expertise luxurious like by no means earlier than (at little to no value).
In the event you’ve ever imagined spending a month in a villa in Central America, a winery in California, a mansion within the French countryside, or in a penthouse in London, home sitting is a budget-friendly method of reaching these desires.
For sure, many pet and house sitting jobs contain staying in luxurious properties (like mansions, vineyards, or homes with swimming pools). Whereas these gigs can sometimes be fairly aggressive, it may be surprisingly straightforward to seek out an unimaginable, luxurious pet sitting job within the countryside; you simply should be ready to remain exterior of town.
5. Cuddle with some Lovely Animals
Subsequent, when you’re an animal lover who isn’t capable of personal a pet proper now, then pet sitting is the proper strategy to get some high quality, loving, one-on-one animal time.
This was one of many largest explanation why I began home sitting within the first place; I used to be residing a nomadic way of life alone in Japan, and I actually missed the companionship of animals. Pet sitting allowed me to cuddle and look after some lovable cats and canine whereas additionally getting free accommodation and residing like a neighborhood.
It actually was a win-win-win scenario.
Pet sitting additionally permits you to get a full vary of experiences with all kinds of animals, resembling cats, canine, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, bunnies, birds, and horses.
6. It’s Versatile
One other nice benefit of pet sitting is its flexibility. When trying to find home sitting alternatives, you may be picky with what you need out of your ultimate home sit. And since there are a lot of alternatives obtainable, chances are high you’ll have the ability to discover a pet sit that fits your needs.
Most home sitting web sites (together with Trusted Housesitters, the most important pet sitting platform) permits you to select the size of your home or pet sitting gig (from just a few days to a couple months), the dates, the locations, and the varieties of animals you’ll look after.
Nonetheless, it will possibly typically be troublesome to seek out the proper pet sit in sure areas. For instance, there’s sometimes an abundance of jobs within the UK and the US, however fewer choices in locations like Kenya or Laos.
That being mentioned, each time I’m notably concerned about home sitting in a selected vacation spot (for instance, Kauai or Okinawa), I arrange alerts. This enables me to be one of many first folks to use for these home sits, which in return, will increase my odds of securing the gig.
7. The Work is Comparatively Straightforward
In the event you’re nervous that home sitting will likely be too troublesome and time-consuming (taking away treasured time out of your travels), don’t; one of many largest advantages of home sitting is that the work is comparatively straightforward. That is very true when in comparison with different jobs that require related ranges of duty.
Completely different house sitting jobs can have various ranges of labor anticipated of you, however in essence, all it’s important to do is regulate the home and ensure all of the pets are nicely taken care of.
Typically, caring for cats is less complicated and fewer time-consuming than taking care of canine; more often than not, all it’s important to do is guarantee that their meals and water dishes are full and cleaned repeatedly, present them with common train, cuddle with them, and be sure that their litter field is stored clear.
Canines sometimes require extra consideration and train. Moreover, if the home you’re taking care of is on the bigger finish of the size, there’ll be extra cleansing and maintenance required.
Nonetheless, from my expertise (staying in smaller homes and flats), I sometimes spent not more than two to a few hours a day on home and pet sitting work, and it was all pleasing and simple.
8. A lot of Time to Discover
One other nice advantage of pet sitting is that it grants you loads of time to journey, sightsee, and discover the native space.
As I mentioned within the earlier part, home sitting duties typically take lower than two to a few hours a day (round one hour within the morning, and one hour at evening). This gives you with tons of time in the course of the day to go to native sights and do as you please.
Nonetheless, this does range with the pet sit; I had some gigs the place I couldn’t go away the pets alone for greater than 4 hours at a time. Even with restrictions like this, you’ll nonetheless have a number of alternatives to wander and discover the native space, particularly in long-term home sits. I additionally vastly take pleasure in the sort of sightseeing, because it prevents me from getting exhausted and burned out from touring.
9. An Workplace to Work (for Digital Nomads)
One of many largest advantages of house sitting for digital nomads is that it gives you with your personal free, snug, non-public, and secure workspace.
Moreover, many pet sits are sometimes positioned in residential neighborhoods, which gives you with entry to much less crowded workspace areas in locations like cafes, eating places, co-working areas, and even parks.
I personally wish to search for home sits with notably good work areas, as working in distraction-free areas stuffed with pure mild boosts my productiveness and passion for the work I’m doing.
10. Time to Clear and Reset
Final however not least, one of many largest advantages of home sitting (particularly for long-term vacationers and backpackers) is that it offers you time to scrub and reset.
Whereas touring long-term is wonderful, it will possibly get exhausting (particularly when you’re primarily staying in hostels with little to no non-public areas). That is why I completely love utilizing home sitting as my time to chill out and reset.
After spending weeks in (sometimes dingy) communal showers and dorm rooms, consider me after I say that it’s an absolute luxurious to have your personal clear area, your personal bathe, your personal non-public sleeping space, and sometimes, entry to your personal laundry machine.
Cons of Home Sitting and Pet Sitting
Now that we’ve mentioned the ten largest upsides of home sitting, let’s discuss in regards to the downsides of home sitting. Whereas they’re not as quite a few, these 5 disadvantages to pet sitting may be fairly cumbersome, so it’s as much as you to resolve if home sitting is value it in the long run.
With out additional ado, let’s start.
1. You’re Not Fully Free to Go Out (One of many Best Downsides to Home Sitting!)
First, one of many largest downsides to pet sitting is that it will possibly forestall you from exploring or going out as a lot as you need. In different phrases, as a result of you might have dedicated to caring for the house owner’s home and pets, your freedom is proscribed.
There have been a number of events after I was concerned about a selected day journey, however I needed to decline resulting from timing points.
For instance, if a canine I used to be pet sitting couldn’t be left alone for greater than 4 hours at a time, and my desired attraction was 1.5 hours away, then I’d solely have an hour to sightsee, which for me, wasn’t well worth the journey. In these conditions, I’d typically keep within the metropolis after the home sit with a purpose to go to any locations I missed out on.
Nonetheless, this does range per pet sit; you’re sometimes freer to exit when cat sitting than canine sitting. Regardless, it’s at all times important to ask owners how lengthy their pets may be left alone and to respect this.
2. You May Must Cope with Difficult Purchasers
Subsequent on our record of the professionals and cons of being a pet sitter, a big draw back to accommodate sitting is that you just sometimes should cope with difficult, troublesome, or overbearing owners.
Whether or not they have a protracted record of duties and calls for, they’re consistently pestering you about issues to do (including to your record of duties), or they’ve a protracted record of complaints after a home sit, coping with difficult shoppers may be exhausting.
Fortunately, many of the owners that I’ve met have been sort, welcoming, and understanding. However, as a home sitter, you could have to cope with some less-than-ideal shoppers each infrequently.
3. You May Must Cope with Mischievous or Naughty Pets
With regards to pet sitting, one of many largest downsides is that you just sometimes should look after some misbehaved or unruly pets.
This may be tremendous irritating irrespective of how a lot you’re keen on and adore animals, particularly if their harmful behaviors harm the house owner’s property.
I at all times wish to ask the owners about their pet’s habits previous to the pet sit, and what they do to mitigate the extra unfavourable behaviors. For example, after I pet sit energetic and hyper canine, the pet owners typically have toys or enrichment that assist the canine launch their extreme power in a wholesome method.
4. The Home Sitting Membership Charges
One other vital draw back to accommodate sitting is the price of the home sitting membership charges.
The simplest strategy to discover home sitting and pet sitting alternatives is on-line, on platforms like Trusted Housesitters, Nomador, MindMyHouse, and House Carers. Whereas these web sites are stuffed with a plethora of home sitting jobs, it’s important to pay an annual (or semi-annual) membership price with a purpose to apply to them.
These subscription charges vary from $50 to $200 per 12 months, they usually can stack up rapidly (particularly when you signal as much as a number of house sitting websites).
To beat the costs, I wish to view these membership charges as a small funding. For example, Trusted Housesitters cost an annual membership price of $129 per 12 months. If I home sat in a metropolis the place the typical resort room prices $50 per evening, then I’d solely have to accommodate sit for 3 days to cowl the complete membership price.
Total, it’s value it in the long term.
5. It Can Get Lonely
Final however not least, one of many worst components of home sitting is that it will possibly get lonely.
Home sitting may be isolating for quite a lot of causes. For example, when you’re in another country with language limitations and totally different customs than your personal, it may be troublesome to satisfy and join with locals.
And when you’re used to backpacking and staying in hostels, you recognize that it may be straightforward to make mates on the street. So, even whenever you miss your family and friends again dwelling, you’re not utterly alone. Sadly, it’s a lot tougher to satisfy new mates whenever you’re home sitting.
Is Home Sitting Price It?
Total, the reply to this query comes all the way down to you. Whereas home sitting and pet sitting provide a good way for vacationers and digital nomads to discover the world with out breaking the financial institution, it comes with disadvantages that should be thought-about too.
I personally love home sitting, so I undoubtedly assume it’s value it. I vastly take pleasure in spending high quality time with animals and exploring the native areas of a brand new metropolis, even when I’ve to cope with difficult shoppers or pets.
However, I hope this text on the 15 largest professionals and cons of being a home sitter helped you resolve if being a home sitter is value it.
