15 Professionals and Cons of Home Sitting and Pet Sitting

Home sitting and pet sitting are undeniably nice methods to journey the world, meet new folks, look after animals, and obtain free lodging. I’ve been a pet sitter for a number of years now, and whereas I adore it, there are each execs and cons to deal with sitting and pet sitting.

Home sitting is if you keep and take care of another person’s house 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 householders with the consolation and reassurance that the whole lot is protected and safe.

Pet sitters additionally care for the house owner’s pets, which may embrace feeding, watering, taking part in, 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 certainly my favourite solution to journey.

However, like some other dwelling state of affairs, there are each execs and cons of home and pet sitting. So, in case 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 Turn out to be a Pet Sitter

Lengthy-Time period Sits vs. Quick-Time period Sits

Earlier than I listing all the professionals and cons of being a home sitter, I first need to make clear the distinction between long-term sits and short-term sits.

Lengthy-term home sits usually vary from a number of weeks to a number of months in period, whereas short-term home sits usually vary from a number of days to a few weeks. Whereas each will be nice experiences for vacationers and digital nomads alike, every kind of sit affords 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 all the time present me with an opportunity to calm down, 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 lodges 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 looking for a brand new house 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 focus on 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 first, one of many best benefits of home sitting is the free journey lodging and utilities in alternate to your time and a focus.

I’m positive you agree that lodges (and even hostels) will be the costliest a part of a visit. Consequently, home sitting and pet sitting lets you save tons of cash, no matter in case you’re occurring a brief trip, backpacking for a 12 months, or dwelling as a everlasting nomad.

You’re additionally geared up with the entire comforts and facilities it is advisable really feel proper at house, which (normally) contains free, high-speed web. This makes it the proper gig for these working on-line.

The prospect 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 if you’re visiting an costly vacation spot corresponding to New York or Hawaii.

2. Journey from a Native Perspective

Not solely does home sitting can help you get monetary savings in your journeys, nevertheless it additionally supplies you with the uncommon and distinctive expertise of dwelling 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 you might in any other case miss if staying elsewhere. Moreover, you get to immerse your self within the tradition.

Home sitting is actually top-of-the-line methods to essentially get to know town that you just’re visiting, and it’s one in every of 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 affords you the uncommon and particular alternative to satisfy and kind connections with native folks, from the householders to their family and friends, their neighbors, and extra.

These alternatives are far much less frequent in lodges and hostels if you’re surrounded by fellow vacationers. You’re additionally usually staying in touristy areas when touring recurrently and so are almost definitely to solely encounter locals working within the tourism trade.

Because of this, the possibility to kind native connections is actually one of many best advantages of pet sitting. I discover it significantly straightforward to make native buddies when strolling canines. Because the canines sniff and say good day to one another, you even have the possibility to say good day 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 possibility to expertise luxurious like by no means earlier than (at little to no price).

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 manner of reaching 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 sometimes be fairly aggressive, it may be surprisingly straightforward to seek out an unbelievable, luxurious pet sitting job within the countryside; you simply must be ready to remain exterior of town.

5. Cuddle with some Cute Animals

Subsequent, in case you’re an animal lover who isn’t in a position to personal a pet proper now, then pet sitting is the proper solution to get some high quality, loving, one-on-one animal time.

This was one of many largest the explanation why I began home sitting within the first place; I used to be dwelling a nomadic life-style alone in Japan, and I actually missed the companionship of animals. Pet sitting allowed me to cuddle and look after some lovable cats and canines whereas additionally getting free lodging and dwelling like a neighborhood.

It actually was a win-win-win state of affairs.

Pet sitting additionally lets you get a full vary of experiences with all kinds of animals, corresponding to 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 will be picky with what you need out of your very best home sit. And since there are various alternatives accessible, 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) lets you select the size of your own home or pet sitting gig (from a number of days to a couple months), the dates, the locations, and the kinds of animals you’ll look after.

Nevertheless, it may possibly typically be tough to seek out the proper 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, every time I’m significantly all for home sitting in a selected vacation spot (for instance, Kauai or Okinawa), I arrange alerts. This permits 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 apprehensive that home sitting will likely be too tough 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 comparable ranges of duty.

Completely different home sitting jobs can have various ranges of labor anticipated of you, however in essence, all you must do is regulate the home and ensure all of the pets are properly taken care of.

Basically, caring for cats is simpler and fewer time-consuming than taking care of canines; more often than not, all you must do is ensure that their meals and water dishes are full and cleaned recurrently, present them with common train, cuddle with them, and make sure that their litter field is stored clear.

Canine 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.

Nevertheless, 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 pleasing and straightforward.

8. Numerous Time to Discover

One other nice good thing about 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 midst of the day to go to native sights and do as you please.

Nevertheless, this does fluctuate with the pet sit; I had some gigs the place I couldn’t depart 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 tremendously 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, snug, 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 prefer to search for home sits with significantly good work areas, as working in distraction-free areas crammed with pure gentle boosts my productiveness and fervour 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 in case 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 calm down and reset.

After spending weeks in (sometimes dingy) communal showers and dorm rooms, imagine me after I say that it’s an absolute luxurious to have your individual clear area, your individual bathe, your individual non-public sleeping space, and infrequently, 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 will be fairly cumbersome, so it’s as much as you to determine if home sitting is value it in the long run.

With out additional ado, let’s start.

1. You’re Not Utterly Free to Go Out (One of many Best 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 have got dedicated to caring for the house owner’s home and pets, your freedom is restricted.

There have been a number of events after I was all for a specific day journey, however I needed to decline as a result of 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 the intention to go to any locations I missed out on.

Nevertheless, 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 householders how lengthy their pets will be left alone and to respect this.

2. You May Must Cope with Difficult Purchasers

Subsequent on our listing of the professionals and cons of being a pet sitter, a major draw back to deal with sitting is that you just sometimes must take care of difficult, tough, or overbearing householders.

Whether or not they have an extended listing of duties and calls for, they’re consistently pestering you about issues to do (including to your listing of duties), or they’ve an extended listing of complaints after a home sit, coping with difficult shoppers will be exhausting.

Fortunately, many of the householders that I’ve met have been type, welcoming, and understanding. Nonetheless, as a home sitter, you might have to take care of some less-than-ideal shoppers each on occasion.

3. You May Must Cope with Mischievous or Naughty Pets

Relating to pet sitting, one of many largest downsides is that you just sometimes must look after some misbehaved or unruly pets.

This may be tremendous irritating regardless of how a lot you’re keen on and adore animals, particularly if their harmful behaviors injury the house owner’s property.

I all the time prefer to ask the householders about their pet’s conduct previous to the pet sit, and what they do to mitigate the extra damaging behaviors. For example, after I pet sit energetic and hyper canines, the pet owners typically have toys or enrichment that assist the canines launch their extreme power in a wholesome manner.

4. The Home Sitting Membership Charges

One other important draw back to deal with sitting is the price of the home sitting membership charges.

The simplest solution 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 crammed with a plethora of home sitting jobs, you must pay an annual (or semi-annual) membership payment with the intention to apply to them.

These subscription charges vary from $50 to $200 per 12 months, and so they can stack up rapidly (particularly in case you signal as much as a number of home sitting web sites).

To beat the fees, I prefer to view these membership charges as a small funding. For example, Trusted Housesitters cost an annual membership payment of $129 per 12 months. If I home sat in a metropolis the place the typical lodge room prices $50 per night time, then I’d solely have to deal with sit for 3 days to cowl the complete membership payment.

General, it’s value 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 will be isolating for a wide range of causes. For example, in case you’re abroad with language boundaries and totally different customs than your individual, it may be tough to satisfy and join with locals.

And in case you’re used to backpacking and staying in hostels, you understand that it may be straightforward to make buddies on the street. So, even if you miss your family and friends again house, you’re not fully alone. Sadly, it’s a lot more durable to satisfy new buddies if you’re home sitting.

Is Home Sitting Price It?

General, 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 must be thought-about too.

I personally love home sitting, so I positively suppose it’s value it. I tremendously 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 shoppers or pets.

Nonetheless, I hope this text on the 15 largest execs and cons of being a home sitter helped you determine if being a home sitter is value it.