You touched on it in the article, but the point is worth repeating: if your house sitting gig includes animal care, you're tied to the house's location and you shouldn't expect to do any sightseeing or traveling involving overnight stays away from the house.
A fair assessment. After our recent experience with a flea-cat, construction work next door, and loud neighbors, we are looking at other options for this year. But I’m sure an undeniably good opportunity will come along again.
I once housesat nine cats. Nine. All with individual care plans. One required a morning dish of evaporated milk. Not unrelated was that said cat was spherical. It looked like it had been blown up with a bicycle pump. I slept in a room with flimsy wooden French doors, and at night, the cats would try to get in, hurling themselves at the doors, meowing frantically, like a horror movie. I was about 20, and terrified of cats. I'm a dog person (apologies to Brent). But I must say that dog looks like it would be banned in Britain, which, unlike the US, doesn't have a powerful pit bull lobby, and I'm relieved it didn't eat you guys.
Thanks for this assessment from the other side. I’ve used MindMyHouse four times to have someone come in to our place just outside of Denver for my longer trips overseas and usually it’s been a great experience for us. Only one of them was from outside the US, a nice retried Canadian gentlemen I’m still friends with on FB. Because we don’t live in an area connected to Denver by public transportation, I knew it might be difficult to get someone here. Two of the sitters, including the Canadian, were amazing with our older dogs. It was stressful bringing someone who had to fly to Colorado during the winter because the sitters don’t always want to come in early and we didn’t have an extra room anyway. For the ones driving from surrounding states or who were already doing a job in Denver were easier to coordinate. But it was also very stressful handing over my elderly Chihuahua to someone while I was in Europe on a student trip. Even after making my profile clearly state the age and bathroom needs of our dog and repeating those instructions for frequent and early bathroom needs on the zoom meeting, in emails and in person the day before the trip, my sitter still told me my dog was “bad” and gave Max a negative review on the site. As if a nervous 15-year old dog is bad for having an accident his first morning with a pet sitter 🙄.
But I’ve also considered pet sitting my way around Europe and New Zealand so it’s great to be reminded that it may be more work than it’s worth! Especially if you’re stuck somewhere with little time to go out and explore. I am thinking about working on my first novel, though, so maybe it would be good to be stuck somewhere 🤣.
This is all dependent on how long my little Chichi is still with me, of course. I don’t know if I feel comfortable leaving him with a sitter again because he’s reaching that stage where you never know…
Summed up to perfection! My current life in a nutshell 😅 Also, that dog + chocolate situation sounds like a nightmare. I really dread encountering any pet emergencies.
Ps thanks for the mensh. That experience very much stays with me.
Agree 100% with your assessment of the pros and cons of house- and pet-sitting.
On the one hand, the good life can be *really* good. We've enjoyed not paying rent AND living in luxurious accommodations with swimming pools, within a stone's throw of beautiful beaches, with yards that back up to magnificent nature preserves, and farms filled with fields of dairy cows & mountains of fresh produce that provided local feasts beyond measure!!! 💜💜💜
We've also faced the unexpected challenges of caring for newborn animals, managing short-term rental properties, hosting complete strangers as guests for parties, and even rearranging furniture to avoid damage during a freak storm that created flooding! The longer we travel, the more often we choose to pay for the simplicity and convenience of having our own space and managing our own time. In fact, we've even had friends housesit for us while we were away from rentals to which we planned to return! Ever thankful for the freedom and flexibility to live this life.
We've pretty much come to the same conclusion. We have a few people we will bend over backwards to house/pet sit for, one of whom books us well over a year in advance, so we can work our travels around her.
Or is it really the case that no one will pick you, Lisa? I mean, Matt sure, but I've zoomed with you once, and, well, scary vibes! LOL LOL (Folks, we are friends with Lisa and have developed a very dysfunctional, yet highly amusing relationship.)
Hahahaha! I really wish I had a photo of actual snot but I do not. There may be a chance for something new though--we're in Reykjavik tomorrow and it's going to be pouring rain so we shall see what happens as we embrace it!
This was so cathartic to read! My husband and I are currently on a horror house-sit (literally - the property is heavily witch-coded and is genuinely freaking us out). Not to mention the house is filthy and mouse-ridden, and we have a cranky Shetland pony in our care, which has been much more work than we were led to believe. We keep telling ourselves that it's all part of the house-sitting adventure but idk 🤷♀️ Anyway, thanks for articulating so many of our thoughts so perfectly!
We’ve done about a dozen house sits in different places so far, mostly England, or a fairly expensive country but also in France. And one of the things a lot of people do tend to ignore, that yeah it is definitely work. However, if you can kind of embrace that , it’s a pretty unique experience.
It’s worked out very well for us so far, I’ve written about it here and there, but for us, it’s actually worked out very well.
But definitely take note of the fact that it is considered work if you enter a certain countries under those terms.
As a dog mom, I found this delightful and hilarious. I love my Penny; however, I agree that some pets can be truly douchebags. I appreciated the insight that House-Sitting is actual work and there are things to consider if that's our chosen route.
Thank you for confirming what I had already decided. We had planned on going down the house-sitting road, but after much research, decided it was more work than it was worth. I think it would have to be a very easy situation for us to consider a house-sitting gig. We love spending time with pets, but we are probably more inclined to focus on taking care of ourselves rather than taking care of animals.
With a pet that's simple to care for -- magic! With a not-so-simple pet, well... That being said, I really did enjoy the variety and going places we otherwise wouldn't have.
We slow travel (a month+ in one spot) and keep bumping into house-sitting. Puppies and pristine mansions? Tempting. Cats, stinky dogs, and someone else’s timetable? Hard pass.
Still… in the right season, in the right expensive country, I could be swayed. When’s prime time for the good sits?
The prime time is summer and holidays, though I was amazed to find so many sits during Covid, so I think they are always there to some extent. And if you're willing to switch hemispheres, it's always summer somewhere!
I loved reading this as we are considering house sitting. I really liked your parameters which we will most likely adopt since we are not the best with go with the flow. We tend to do a lot of research regarding travel and realize there are always surprises which sometimes can be delightful but also sometimes dreadful. Hoping to find a place in Switzerland some day where we can hike the countryside….I know, keep dreaming. Thanks for the great writing!
We did say we would still consider it. Especially with cats! Are you looking for next summer, because we're going to be spending more of the summer in and aroudn PT!
You touched on it in the article, but the point is worth repeating: if your house sitting gig includes animal care, you're tied to the house's location and you shouldn't expect to do any sightseeing or traveling involving overnight stays away from the house.
Absolutely not.
A fair assessment. After our recent experience with a flea-cat, construction work next door, and loud neighbors, we are looking at other options for this year. But I’m sure an undeniably good opportunity will come along again.
Yeah, your experience scared us too.
Yeah, all it takes is one bad experience to make you pretty gun-shy!
I once housesat nine cats. Nine. All with individual care plans. One required a morning dish of evaporated milk. Not unrelated was that said cat was spherical. It looked like it had been blown up with a bicycle pump. I slept in a room with flimsy wooden French doors, and at night, the cats would try to get in, hurling themselves at the doors, meowing frantically, like a horror movie. I was about 20, and terrified of cats. I'm a dog person (apologies to Brent). But I must say that dog looks like it would be banned in Britain, which, unlike the US, doesn't have a powerful pit bull lobby, and I'm relieved it didn't eat you guys.
LOL
If you housesit, you will eventually have a horror story.
Thanks for this assessment from the other side. I’ve used MindMyHouse four times to have someone come in to our place just outside of Denver for my longer trips overseas and usually it’s been a great experience for us. Only one of them was from outside the US, a nice retried Canadian gentlemen I’m still friends with on FB. Because we don’t live in an area connected to Denver by public transportation, I knew it might be difficult to get someone here. Two of the sitters, including the Canadian, were amazing with our older dogs. It was stressful bringing someone who had to fly to Colorado during the winter because the sitters don’t always want to come in early and we didn’t have an extra room anyway. For the ones driving from surrounding states or who were already doing a job in Denver were easier to coordinate. But it was also very stressful handing over my elderly Chihuahua to someone while I was in Europe on a student trip. Even after making my profile clearly state the age and bathroom needs of our dog and repeating those instructions for frequent and early bathroom needs on the zoom meeting, in emails and in person the day before the trip, my sitter still told me my dog was “bad” and gave Max a negative review on the site. As if a nervous 15-year old dog is bad for having an accident his first morning with a pet sitter 🙄.
But I’ve also considered pet sitting my way around Europe and New Zealand so it’s great to be reminded that it may be more work than it’s worth! Especially if you’re stuck somewhere with little time to go out and explore. I am thinking about working on my first novel, though, so maybe it would be good to be stuck somewhere 🤣.
This is all dependent on how long my little Chichi is still with me, of course. I don’t know if I feel comfortable leaving him with a sitter again because he’s reaching that stage where you never know…
Oh, I am sure every homeowner has a horror story too. LOL
Thanks for sharing that side of things!
Summed up to perfection! My current life in a nutshell 😅 Also, that dog + chocolate situation sounds like a nightmare. I really dread encountering any pet emergencies.
Ps thanks for the mensh. That experience very much stays with me.
What (weird!) lives we lead!
Agree 100% with your assessment of the pros and cons of house- and pet-sitting.
On the one hand, the good life can be *really* good. We've enjoyed not paying rent AND living in luxurious accommodations with swimming pools, within a stone's throw of beautiful beaches, with yards that back up to magnificent nature preserves, and farms filled with fields of dairy cows & mountains of fresh produce that provided local feasts beyond measure!!! 💜💜💜
We've also faced the unexpected challenges of caring for newborn animals, managing short-term rental properties, hosting complete strangers as guests for parties, and even rearranging furniture to avoid damage during a freak storm that created flooding! The longer we travel, the more often we choose to pay for the simplicity and convenience of having our own space and managing our own time. In fact, we've even had friends housesit for us while we were away from rentals to which we planned to return! Ever thankful for the freedom and flexibility to live this life.
The next time we meet up, I need to hear these stories!
Deal! And at the rate we're going, we're gonna need at least a week to get caught up.
I guess it's like everything in life, it always depends! LOL
LOL! Absolutely.
We've pretty much come to the same conclusion. We have a few people we will bend over backwards to house/pet sit for, one of whom books us well over a year in advance, so we can work our travels around her.
Or is it really the case that no one will pick you, Lisa? I mean, Matt sure, but I've zoomed with you once, and, well, scary vibes! LOL LOL (Folks, we are friends with Lisa and have developed a very dysfunctional, yet highly amusing relationship.)
I'm glad you recognized which of us is the marketable one! :)
I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU
Now, now. No need to get snotty. 🤣🤣🤣
Hahahaha! I really wish I had a photo of actual snot but I do not. There may be a chance for something new though--we're in Reykjavik tomorrow and it's going to be pouring rain so we shall see what happens as we embrace it!
Yeah, our sojourn around Iceland made it very clear that our idea of "summer" and their idea of summer aren't really in the same galaxy...
I think I like Iceland's idea of summer better than Taipei's. How's the crabbidity level today?
I share this passion of Brent’s. 🐈
I remain completely baffled/annoyed by dogs.
Yes, but you like dogs too, so you're more like me!
Fair, and I love TrustedHousesitters!
Guess where the house sit that canceled on us was? Ouray! OURAY!
I was so disappointed.
No!!!! 😩
This was so cathartic to read! My husband and I are currently on a horror house-sit (literally - the property is heavily witch-coded and is genuinely freaking us out). Not to mention the house is filthy and mouse-ridden, and we have a cranky Shetland pony in our care, which has been much more work than we were led to believe. We keep telling ourselves that it's all part of the house-sitting adventure but idk 🤷♀️ Anyway, thanks for articulating so many of our thoughts so perfectly!
Oof, well at least you'll have a great story to tell!
Thanks for your insights on Trusted PetSitters. I’ve been thinking about doing it but have also been a bit reluctant. Great post. Cheers. R
Thanks, Rob!
This is so true.
We’ve done about a dozen house sits in different places so far, mostly England, or a fairly expensive country but also in France. And one of the things a lot of people do tend to ignore, that yeah it is definitely work. However, if you can kind of embrace that , it’s a pretty unique experience.
It’s worked out very well for us so far, I’ve written about it here and there, but for us, it’s actually worked out very well.
But definitely take note of the fact that it is considered work if you enter a certain countries under those terms.
Both things are 100% true -- it can be a unique experience (hello, chickens!) but it is definitely work!
As a dog mom, I found this delightful and hilarious. I love my Penny; however, I agree that some pets can be truly douchebags. I appreciated the insight that House-Sitting is actual work and there are things to consider if that's our chosen route.
Thank you!
I'm sure Penny is practically perfect in every way!
Thank you for confirming what I had already decided. We had planned on going down the house-sitting road, but after much research, decided it was more work than it was worth. I think it would have to be a very easy situation for us to consider a house-sitting gig. We love spending time with pets, but we are probably more inclined to focus on taking care of ourselves rather than taking care of animals.
With a pet that's simple to care for -- magic! With a not-so-simple pet, well... That being said, I really did enjoy the variety and going places we otherwise wouldn't have.
We slow travel (a month+ in one spot) and keep bumping into house-sitting. Puppies and pristine mansions? Tempting. Cats, stinky dogs, and someone else’s timetable? Hard pass.
Still… in the right season, in the right expensive country, I could be swayed. When’s prime time for the good sits?
The prime time is summer and holidays, though I was amazed to find so many sits during Covid, so I think they are always there to some extent. And if you're willing to switch hemispheres, it's always summer somewhere!
We might just give it a go in year two - thank you for the nudge and the tips! Always summer somewhere has a nice ring to it.
Any time!
I loved reading this as we are considering house sitting. I really liked your parameters which we will most likely adopt since we are not the best with go with the flow. We tend to do a lot of research regarding travel and realize there are always surprises which sometimes can be delightful but also sometimes dreadful. Hoping to find a place in Switzerland some day where we can hike the countryside….I know, keep dreaming. Thanks for the great writing!
Oh, do find a sit in Switzerland! Our month in Grimentz remains one of my all time favorite places!
Dang, I was going to see if you wanted to house-sit my cats in Port Townsend 😬 EV included!
We did say we would still consider it. Especially with cats! Are you looking for next summer, because we're going to be spending more of the summer in and aroudn PT!
I could do next summer! I haven’t made plans yet, it would just be nice to hit the road with my dogs and have friends for the cats.