I house-sit and pet-sit in various locations which allows me to travel, with a limited budget. There is an upside and a down to this approach to traveling. First, I am grateful for each house/pet sit. I have gotten attached to every animal whom I have had the pleasure to care for. And, I am appreciative of those homeowners who have entrusted their pets and home to me…so I say with deep profound sincerity that no matter the downside of any experience, the upside is the joy in taking care of their pets, and the experience that I had living in their home.
Violet, Gus, and Sammy who loved sunning themselves on my coat.
The positives:
The joy of being with animals, taking care of them without actually having the responsibility of having my own pets is a big positive for me. So scattered in this post are some of the great animals whom I got to know and love.
Traveling can get expensive so having a home to stay in gives me the freedom to be in places that I may not be able to stay for longer periods of time. I like my privacy and staying in hostels, in a shared dorm room, is not my preference, although I have done it plenty of times. House-sitting gives me that privacy.
The opportunity to meet new homeowners who usually introduce me to their friends, making it easy to feel connected to the community and culture. There is usually instant support, if I am looking for that in my new place.
A car is often provided, which elevates the transportation issues since I travel without my car, usually. Yet, as long as I have access to public transportation or if it is a walking community, I am fine if a car is not provided.
Sometimes, a stipend is offered, which makes me feel quite appreciated, that they recognize and support my service and commitment to taking care of their property and animals. It doesn’t change the quality of care that I offer, but it certainly is beneficial to receive a monetary compensation.
Angel, who really was an angel to have as a pet sit.
The not so positive:
It is a challenge for many homeowners to have trust that this stranger, whom they’ve chosen, yet doubting the house-sitter’s intention to care for their home and pets with respect. I find myself going above and beyond to help them gain trust. It is understandable. They don’t know me. I know me, and, I know my work ethic, integrity and respect for someone else’s things and animals. The negative is that sometimes a long time is required to gain that trust.
I’ve had homeowners who regularly sent ‘spies’ to check me out, to see how I was caring for their animals and property. In the beginning, I understand, even expect it. But then after a few months, it feels unpleasant when someone is constantly second guessing you, and to not be trusted. One homeowner asked me for a $2000 deposit for when I broke something – I opted out of this scenario.
Yet, I’ve had experiences with owners who use their gut and intuitively know that they have chosen someone trustworthy…these kinds of people are ones whom I am hoping to experience more so. The ‘slow to trust’ ones can make it an uncomfortable situation.
Tito and Crystal...very lovable!
A homeowner often feels as though they have the right to control every aspect of your time there – dictating how much time you need to stay in the house, how to clean their home, if visitors are allowed or not, etc., etc. To some extent, I agree. They want you to take care of their house for safety reasons, with the same care as they would, and available to their pets. Clear expectations are good. But the extreme situation is the negative. I had one homeowner who would only approve of me leaving for a few hours a day wanting me to hang out at her house most of the time.
Sometimes, the homeowner’s expectations are quite demanding. The work required, including the cleaning, gardening, pet care, etc. is quite extreme and is way off-balance. To work 40-50 hours a week for a house-sit without pay is not acceptable to me. There is something about ‘providing free accommodations’ that seems to give some homeowners permission to expect a huge amount of work in exchange for the time there. Sometimes, homeowners ask you to pay rent and/or the utilities as well. I am providing a service and in exchange they’re giving me a place to stay, paying means renting in my book.
Then there was the beauty of seeing these graceful animals each day at one of my house-sits.
My experience in a negative situation:
Massage anyone? Stanley, the female cat, who has the Pink Panther strut.
When I have gotten into a house-sitting situation only to discover the full extent of the situation, I will follow through on my commitment, otherwise I would feel badly backing out at the last-minute. I will only back out in a true emergency, otherwise I make the best of it. I will clean the way they want me to, even if I feel it isn’t necessary (many obsessive compulsive cleaners out there). I will spoil their animals (although that one is easy for me to do, since I love animals). I will take care of their property as they would even if it is overboard/obsessive. But, in these situations, it is hard to feel comfortable when the homeowners are overly concerned, not trusting, and controlling…but in the end, it’s an experience, and it is only temporary.
Polly, a caretaker.
My lessons learned:
When I am participating in the interview process, I realized that I am interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing me. I look back on some of the emails and conversations and there were signs that I was heading into a situation that wasn’t a good match for me – with my personality, (of integrity, clean and tidy, respectful, but laid-back simultaneously). I don’t want to feel as though I have to continually (beyond reason) prove my worth, how I am caring for their property and animals, etc. Long-term situations can become tedious and stressful in these cases.
I have learned that I will only take a house/pet-sit if it resonates with me, and not take it because I don’t have anything else lined up. Something will always open up for me, even if means taking advantage of friend’s offers to come stay with them until I do get something. When I have taken it, in fear, then it was not as positive of an experience as it could have been.
Taking both the positive and negatives into consideration, house-sitting has been a great experience and continues to offer me opportunities to travel which I am grateful for.
Pumpkin, who was in need of love and attention...and, I was happy to give it to her.
Smokey, once a feral cat, now lives a wonderful life, but has issues. It was such a joy when she warmed up to me, knowing how much it took for her to trust.
NomadicLivingAndTravels 