How I travelled the world for free as a housesitter

An introduction to housesitting while travelling

I get a lot of comments asking how I can afford to travel so much. I’ve been on three Working Holiday Visas (WHVs) and travelled a lot in between my WHVs; basically, I’m rarely found at home in the UK! There’s a common misconception, especially in the current cost of living crisis, that travel is unaffordable and unattainable. I’ll let you in on my secret of how I afford it—housesitting for free accommodation.

I’ve spent several years travelling the world and have barely paid for accommodation in that time. Instead, I’ve moved from housesit to housesit, using the free roof over my head to save money to invest back into future trips. I’ll talk you through what housesitting is, how to determine if housesitting works for you and, most importantly, my honest experience of the highs and lows of living full-time in other people’s houses.

An overview of my housesitting experience

Getting started as a housesitter

I fell into housesitting through Helpx, a volunteering website where you complete voluntary work in exchange for free for bed and board. (If you want to learn more, check out Five ways to get free accommodation when travelling!) My host family booked a last minute trip away and asked if I could stay behind to care for their dogs. I quickly realised that, as an introvert who struggles sharing her space with other people, I preferred living in the house alone with the dogs more than with the family as a whole. I thought to myself, “How can I move away from Helpx and into doing this more often?”

A quick Google search brought me to Trusted Housesitters—this isn’t an ad, other housesitting sites are available, but they’re one of the most well-known and the one I personally use. I already had some animal care experience as an RSPCA (animal charity) volunteer back home, which came in handy when creating a profile that would get me noticed over the competition.

If you’re brand new to housesitting, think outside the box with relevant experience when filling out your profile. Did you have family pets growing up? Have you ever walked a friend’s dog or fed a neighbour’s cat while they were away? Do you have a landlord who can vouch for your ability to keep a clean home?

You’ll also want to consider paying for the highest membership tier. Yes, I know, we’re here to talk about free accommodation… But most free tiers on housesitting websites are too restrictive to actually lead to a successful booking, since you’ll be blocked from messaging homeowners or searching for new posts.

It’s worth paying for the upgrade to have full access to all the features, including support for if a housesit goes wrong, and insurance coverage. Trust me, you’ll make your membership fee back easily with the money saved by not booking paid accommodation.

One of the dogs that started it all

Learning how to make housesitting work in the long run

It was trial and error at first. I would book based on dates of availability and location, rather than thinking specifically about the types of pet and responsibilities listed in the post. I was so desperate to secure free housesitting to advance my travels that I neglected to read the finer details.

I’ve learnt how to suss out which housesits I will actually enjoy doing, rather than applying to everything. I’ve also learnt what questions I should ask the owners. Remember it’s a two-way street and you want to confirm if they’re a good match for you, as well as the other way around!

For example, I had several catsits in my first year of housesitting where I arrived to find no litter scoop, cat toys, brushes, etc. at the house. I’d never thought to ask what equipment was provided because I’d presumed any pet owner would have a house devoted to the pet’s needs.

Side note: Your experience will vary based on the country you’re travelling to and their general culture towards animals. For example, in the UK, it’s common for people to treat their dog as an equal to a human child. Brits take them everywhere—to the pub, the beach, on holiday, etc. In other countries, especially in remote areas, dogs and cats are seen as working farm animals rather than furbabies, so the homeowner’s expectations for how to treat the animal may be different to yours.

In my scenario, I had a car, so I could go and buy a travelling “cat care essentials kit”, which I then took to every housesit to make sure I had everything I needed.

To combat the issue going forwards, I began applying for profiles that listed a demanding set of expectations, like meeting in person to check the bond with the animal, asking to receive daily photos, wanting updates on walks or playtime you’ve had together, etc. I felt they were more likely to have a properly equipped house and well-loved pet, compared to someone who just wants you to throw the odd bowl of food down, or is fine with you leaving the pet outside for long periods of time, etc. This leads me to another tip…

I’m also more confident now in advocating for myself and for the animal. If I don’t agree with a request from an owner, I’m happy to say why. For example, one family wanted to keep their Ring camera on throughout the day to watch their pets whenever they wanted. As this violated my privacy, I said no, but offered the compromise of sending lots of videos for them to watch interactions in real-time instead.

Once I found my groove, I started landing really awesome housesits

The positive side of housesitting

Housesitting allowed me to travel around almost entirely for free; in my two years of WHVs in New Zealand and Australia, I only paid for sublets once in each country, and the occasional Airbnb when I couldn’t get my housesits to line up perfectly. I travelled both islands of NZ and across every state/territory in Australia. Sometimes, I’d try a new town I’d never heard of just because I’d found a housesit there, so it certainly helped me explore every corner of the country.

An obvious pro to my setup was that I made some amazing savings during the times I was working and not paying any rent or bills, which I was able to put towards future travels. Trying to work while housesitting was also a con, however, because sometimes the animal’s needs got in the way of me finding a job that was flexible with my living arrangements.

Another positive is that housesitting is a great way to experience looking after new animals; aside from the usual cats and dogs, I’ve had lizards, fish, rabbits, birds and even some farm animals.

I also found some regular clients that made my time really enjoyable. The biggest challenge for me whenever I leave my life in the UK to go abroad is giving up my RSPCA fostering. To have pets that you get to regularly care for, who you love and adore as if they were your own, really helps fill the void.

Plus, I’ve been lucky that the majority of these owners were amazing to get on with and their houses were stunning; far better than I could pay for on a backpacker’s budget!

The cat responsible for some of my happiest times living in Melbourne

The downsides to housesitting

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. In the darker times, I honestly found myself thinking, “This wasn’t worth it, I’d have rather paid for accommodation to not be here”. One particularly memorable moment was when I had to replace my beloved suitcase and the majority of my belongings because a cat mistook my case for his litter tray. The amount I spent replacing everything could have bought me a hotel stay!

Housesitting also meant I moved… a lot. In Australia, I spent ten months working for the same company (during COVID rules, the six-month limitation was relaxed!), yet had to move house several times a month. It was exhausting packing and repacking; making local friends before leaving and never coming back to the same suburb; up to 2-hour commutes because you couldn’t always guarantee the best location, etc. I began to crave stability and the need to put down roots.

I think housesitting works best as a supplement to other means of accommodation (paid or unpaid), because doing it permanently means moving a lot on the whim of owners’ changing travel schedules.

There were also a few incidents where I was injured, both from untrained dogs. I actually switched from doing dogsits to catsits simply because I had multiple difficult experiences with dogs. Even the dogs without behavioural issues required a lot of exercise and energy. Once, I looked after an adorable puppy who couldn’t be left alone for long. I technically stayed in the heart of Sydney for free but I wouldn’t know it; all I saw of the city that week was the local dog park!

There were two harrowing experiences where I thought I’d lost the pet. One, a dog who broke out and took himself off for an adventure at the next door neighbour’s house. The other, a gecko who hid in a crack in his water dish. He waited until I’d ripped the house apart in a frenzy and was preparing to beg for forgiveness to the family, only to poke his head out and prove he’d been home all along.

Although I can laugh about these stories now, at the time, I was wracked with guilt at the thought I’d broken the owner’s trust and lost a precious member of their family.

The gecko responsible for the scare of my life

Conclusion: Is housesitting worth it to travel for free?

Unfortunately, there’s no black and white answer to this. In the stressful moments, I’ve considered quitting the game for good. I’ve let my Trusted Housesitters membership lapse a few times, but I always come back and renew it eventually. I’m currently planning on where to go and housesit next, this time in Canada.

The pros probably do outweigh the cons, at least for me. The only way to find out if it works for you is to have a go and try it!

If you have any questions about housesitting, drop me a comment below and I’ll be happy to help.