Discovering House Sitting, a happy accident

House sitting has become quite the phenomenon with thousands of listings right now. But what is it? And why is it so popular?

We stumbled upon house sitting by accident a few weeks before we left New Zealand. We thought we could probably stretch our travel fund to 18 months, perhaps two years. House sitting changed all that. Like a light bulb moment for animal lovers like us.

Well, how else could we -

Live in a traditional Balinese villa three minutes from a semi-deserted beach while caring for eight rescue dogs
Learn to prune and tend to vines on a hobby vineyard overlooking the majestic Sibillini mountains
Cozy up for winter on an organic farm in Portland, Oregon where elk stop by the bedroom window, and coyotes sing you to sleep

The numbers: Five years later, we have completed 47 housesits, spending 125 weeks (nearly two and half years) house sitting across 6 countries (New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, Indonesia, Thailand and Italy). We have taken care of 76 dogs of various shapes and sizes, 108 cats, 163 chickens, 25 ducks, 3 pigs, 2 rams, 3 guinea pigs and 240 grape vines. (and 1 jar of live yeast).

But it isn't always easy. Things can, and do go wrong. Like the time we lost a dog to poisoning in Bali, or chickens to a hungry hawk in Portland, or getting electric shocks from a gas hob. Challenging times.

That said, we wouldn't change a thing. It’s rewarding. It enables us to lead a life we love. We get to meet interesting new people and get our animal fix. House sitting has so many benefits. It’s a win-win-win situation for all. We have literally saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in accommodation costs over the past 5 years. But what has been more priceless is the wonderful snuggles and cuddles that we have had for the amazing animals that we have cared for.

You can see why it has become so popular. It has even become quite competitive. But is it for you? And how do you find a house sit or a house sitter?

We have created this page to give our honest thoughts, tips, and recommendations to both potential house sitters as well as home owners. (We will add more useful information over the coming months.)

But for now, here is the lowdown on the house sitting sites we have tried.

House Sitting Sites - Our Recommendations

We recommend joining TrustedHousesitters plus at least one other site. Although they are the most expensive, they are also the best. US$99 is the price of one or two nights accommodation or a couple of days of kennelling fees. So your investment will pay back quickly. It is also worth chatting to family or friends too. The perfect house sitter or home owner may be someone you already know.