Home sitting and pet sitting are undeniably nice methods to journey the world, meet new individuals, take care of animals, and obtain free lodging. I’ve been a pet sitter for a couple of years now, and whereas I like it, there are each professionals and cons to home sitting and pet sitting.
Home sitting is if you keep and take care of another person’s residence whereas they’re away. In alternate without spending a dime lodging and utilities, you clear and keep the home, water the vegetation, and supply the owners with the consolation and reassurance that every thing is protected and safe.
Pet sitters additionally care for the home-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 definitely my favourite method to journey.
However, like some other residing state of affairs, there are each professionals and cons of home and pet sitting. So, should you’re questioning if home sitting is best for you, proceed studying; I’ll define the 15 biggest benefits and downsides of home sitting.
With out additional ado, let’s get began.
☞ SEE ALSO: How To Turn into a Pet Sitter
Lengthy-Time period Sits vs. Quick-Time period Sits
Earlier than I checklist all the professionals and cons of being a home sitter, I first wish to make clear the distinction between long-term sits and short-term sits.
Lengthy-term home sits usually vary from a couple of weeks to a number of months in length, whereas short-term home sits usually vary from a couple of days to a few weeks. Whereas each could be nice experiences for vacationers and digital nomads alike, every kind of sit gives completely different benefits and downsides.
As an 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 all the time present me with an opportunity to loosen up, rewind, and reset once 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 correct selection for individuals on a tighter timeline wishing to journey to new locations, whereas long-term home sits are the correct selection for digital nomads who’re looking for a brand new residence 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 is perhaps best for you. These are the ten final advantages of home sitting:
1. Free Journey Lodging and Utilities (One of many Biggest Advantages of Home Sitting!)
Before everything, one of many biggest benefits of home sitting is the free journey lodging and utilities in alternate in your time and a focus.
I’m positive you agree that motels (and even hostels) could be the most costly a part of a visit. Consequently, home sitting and pet sitting means that you can save tons of cash, no matter should you’re happening a brief trip, backpacking for a yr, or residing as a everlasting nomad.
You’re additionally outfitted with the entire comforts and facilities it is advisable really feel proper at residence, which (often) consists of free, high-speed web. This makes it the right gig for these working on-line.
The prospect of free lodging was one of many largest allures for me once I first began out as a pet sitter, and it’s nonetheless one of many largest perks. It’s particularly nice if 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 lower your expenses in your journeys, however it additionally supplies you with the uncommon and distinctive expertise of residing like a neighborhood.
Relatively 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 you could in any other case miss if staying elsewhere. Moreover, you get to immerse your self within the tradition.
Home sitting is really the most effective methods to actually get to know the town that you just’re visiting, and it’s one among my favourite elements 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 gives you the uncommon and particular alternative to satisfy and type connections with native individuals, from the owners to their family and friends, their neighbors, and extra.
These alternatives are far much less widespread in motels and hostels if you’re surrounded by fellow vacationers. You’re additionally usually staying in touristy areas when touring repeatedly and so are most probably to solely encounter locals working within the tourism trade.
Consequently, the prospect to type native connections is really one of many biggest advantages of pet sitting. I discover it significantly straightforward to make native pals when strolling canines. Because the canines sniff and say whats up to one another, you even have the prospect to say whats up to the canine proprietor; forming a pleasant native connection.
4. Keep in Luxurious Properties
One other superb perk of home sitting and pet sitting is that you just get the prospect to expertise luxurious like by no means earlier than (at little to no price).
When 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 means of attaining these goals.
For sure, many pet and home sitting jobs contain staying in luxurious properties (like mansions, vineyards, or homes with swimming pools). Whereas these gigs can often be fairly aggressive, it may be surprisingly straightforward to search out an unimaginable, luxurious pet sitting job within the countryside; you simply must be ready to remain exterior of the town.
5. Cuddle with some Lovely Animals
Subsequent, should you’re an animal lover who isn’t in a position to personal a pet proper now, then pet sitting is the right method to get some high quality, loving, one-on-one animal time.
This was one of many largest the reason 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 take care of some cute cats and canines whereas additionally getting free lodging and residing like a neighborhood.
It actually was a win-win-win state of affairs.
Pet sitting additionally means that you can get a full vary of experiences with all kinds of animals, resembling cats, canines, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, bunnies, birds, and horses.
6. It’s Versatile
One other nice benefit of pet sitting is its flexibility. When looking for home sitting alternatives, you could be picky with what you need out of your very best home sit. And since there are various alternatives obtainable, likelihood is you’ll be capable of discover a pet sit that fits your wishes.
Most home sitting web sites (together with Trusted Housesitters, the largest pet sitting platform) means that you can select the size of your home or pet sitting gig (from a couple of days to a couple months), the dates, the locations, and the forms of animals you’ll take care of.
Nonetheless, it may possibly generally be troublesome to search out the right pet sit in sure areas. For instance, there’s usually an abundance of jobs within the UK and the US, however fewer choices in locations like Kenya or Laos.
That being stated, at any time when I’m significantly concerned about home sitting in a particular vacation spot (for instance, Kauai or Okinawa), I arrange alerts. This permits me to be one of many first individuals to use for these home sits, which in return, will increase my odds of securing the gig.
7. The Work is Comparatively Simple
When you’re nervous that home sitting shall be too troublesome and time-consuming (taking away valuable 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 home sitting jobs may have various ranges of labor anticipated of you, however in essence, all it’s a must to do is regulate the home and ensure all of the pets are effectively taken care of.
Normally, caring for cats is simpler and fewer time-consuming than taking care of canines; more often than not, all it’s a must 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 usually require extra consideration and train. Moreover, if the home you’re taking care of is on the bigger finish of the dimensions, there’ll be extra cleansing and maintenance required.
Nonetheless, from my expertise (staying in smaller homes and flats), I usually spent not more than two to 3 hours a day on home and pet sitting work, and it was all satisfying and simple.
8. Numerous 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 stated within the earlier part, home sitting duties typically take lower than two to 3 hours a day (round one hour within the morning, and one hour at night time). This supplies you with tons of time in the course of the day to go to native points of interest and do as you please.
Nonetheless, this does fluctuate 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 numerous alternatives to wander and discover the native space, particularly in long-term home sits. I additionally significantly take pleasure in this kind 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 benefits of home sitting for digital nomads is that it supplies you with your individual free, comfy, non-public, and safe workspace.
Moreover, many pet sits are usually positioned in residential neighborhoods, which supplies 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 significantly good work areas, as working in distraction-free areas crammed with pure gentle boosts my productiveness and ardour 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 provides you time to wash and reset.
Whereas touring long-term is superb, it may possibly get exhausting (particularly should you’re primarily staying in hostels with little to no non-public areas). For this reason I completely love utilizing home sitting as my time to loosen up and reset.
After spending weeks in (often dingy) communal showers and dorm rooms, consider me once I say that it’s an absolute luxurious to have your individual clear house, your individual bathe, your individual non-public sleeping space, and sometimes, entry to your individual laundry machine.
Cons of Home Sitting and Pet Sitting
Now that we’ve mentioned the ten largest upsides of home sitting, let’s speak in regards to the downsides of home sitting. Whereas they’re not as quite a few, these 5 disadvantages to pet sitting could be fairly cumbersome, so it’s as much as you to resolve if home sitting is price it in the long run.
With out additional ado, let’s start.
1. You’re Not Fully Free to Go Out (One of many Biggest Downsides to Home Sitting!)
First, one of many largest downsides to pet sitting is that it may possibly stop you from exploring or going out as a lot as you need. In different phrases, as a result of you’ve gotten dedicated to caring for the home-owner’s home and pets, your freedom is restricted.
There have been a number of events once I was concerned about a selected day journey, however I needed to decline attributable to 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 might solely have an hour to sightsee, which for me, wasn’t well worth the journey. In these conditions, I might generally keep within the metropolis after the home sit with a purpose to go to any locations I missed out on.
Nonetheless, this does fluctuate per pet sit; you’re usually freer to exit when cat sitting than canine sitting. Regardless, it’s all the time important to ask owners how lengthy their pets could be left alone and to respect this.
2. You Would possibly Need to Take care of Tough Shoppers
Subsequent on our checklist of the professionals and cons of being a pet sitter, a major draw back to accommodate sitting is that you just often must take care of difficult, troublesome, or overbearing owners.
Whether or not they have a protracted checklist of duties and calls for, they’re continually pestering you about issues to do (including to your checklist of duties), or they’ve a protracted checklist of complaints after a home sit, coping with difficult purchasers could be exhausting.
Fortunately, many of the owners that I’ve met have been variety, welcoming, and understanding. Nonetheless, as a home sitter, you might have to take care of some less-than-ideal purchasers each every so often.
3. You Would possibly Need to Take care of Mischievous or Naughty Pets
With regards to pet sitting, one of many largest downsides is that you just often must take care of some misbehaved or unruly pets.
This may be tremendous irritating irrespective of how a lot you like and adore animals, particularly if their damaging behaviors harm the home-owner’s property.
I all the time wish to ask the owners about their pet’s conduct previous to the pet sit, and what they do to mitigate the extra unfavourable behaviors. As an example, once I pet sit energetic and hyper canines, the pet house owners usually have toys or enrichment that assist the canines launch their extreme vitality in a wholesome means.
4. The Home Sitting Membership Charges
One other important draw back to accommodate sitting is the price of the home sitting membership charges.
The best method to discover home sitting and pet sitting alternatives is on-line, on platforms like Trusted Housesitters, Nomador, MindMyHouse, and Home Carers. Whereas these web sites are crammed with a plethora of home sitting jobs, it’s a must to pay an annual (or semi-annual) membership charge with a purpose to apply to them.
These subscription charges vary from $50 to $200 per yr, and so they can stack up shortly (particularly should you signal as much as a number of home sitting web sites).
To beat the costs, I wish to view these membership charges as a small funding. As an example, Trusted Housesitters cost an annual membership charge of $129 per yr. If I home sat in a metropolis the place the common lodge room prices $50 per night time, then I might solely have to accommodate sit for 3 days to cowl your entire membership charge.
General, it’s price it in the long term.
5. It Can Get Lonely
Final however not least, one of many worst elements of home sitting is that it may possibly get lonely.
Home sitting could be isolating for a wide range of causes. As an example, should you’re abroad with language limitations and completely different customs than your individual, it may be troublesome to satisfy and join with locals.
And should you’re used to backpacking and staying in hostels, that it may be straightforward to make pals on the street. So, even if you miss your family and friends again residence, you’re not utterly alone. Sadly, it’s a lot more durable to satisfy new pals if you’re home sitting.
Is Home Sitting Value It?
General, the reply to this query comes all the way down to you. Whereas home sitting and pet sitting provide an effective way for vacationers and digital nomads to discover the world with out breaking the financial institution, it comes with disadvantages that must be thought-about too.
I personally love home sitting, so I positively suppose it’s price it. I significantly take pleasure in spending high quality time with animals and exploring the native areas of a brand new metropolis, even when I’ve to take care of difficult purchasers or pets.
Nonetheless, 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 price it.
