How to Save Thousands of Dollars While Traveling

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Want to travel in style without blowing your budget? What if I told you that you could save thousands of dollars (or yen, euro, or pesos) while exploring new places? It sounds like one of those sketchy internet ads, right? But it’s not. It’s legit.

Steve and I saved an estimated $10,000 over four months while traveling in the U.S. and England, and we did it by pet sitting through TrustedHousesitters.

All money is in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

What is TrustedHousesitters?

TrustedHousesitters is the biggest and most well-known house-sitting platform, with over 230,000 members. Most of the sits are in the U.S. and the U.K., but you’ll also find a few scattered across western Europe, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

It’s also the priciest option, with memberships starting at $129 a year.

The site connects homeowners and their pets with travelers looking for a place to stay. No money changes hands, but if you’re lucky like we were, you might end up sitting for a caterer who left a fridge full of good eats.

TrustedHousesitters and similar services are kind of a misnomer. Technically, yes, you’re house sitting, but really, you’re pet sitting with a side of mail collection. I’m not saying there’s never a house sitting gig without pets, but I haven’t spotted one yet.

What Does Pet Sitting Involve?

Besides the obvious (keeping the non-human family members alive and happy), you might also water plants, collect mail, and take out the garbage. Every listing is different, so make sure you read it carefully.

Besides caring for the pets and keeping things tidy, most homeowners appreciate regular updates. Think photos, videos, and little notes that show their pet hasn’t run off to join the circus.

How to Be a Pet Sitter

Getting started

Once you’ve joined TrustedHousesitters, you’ll be asked to share some personal info so they can run a background check – nothing too scary, just enough to prove you’re not secretly a cat burglar.

Another key step is setting up your profile. The site makes it pretty painless by walking you through it step by step. Just make sure to show off your pet care experience, include references, and load it up with photos of you bonding with furry friends.

Now you’re ready to find the perfect sit.

How to find a sit

Searching takes time, but the platform lets you save your settings so you don’t have to start from scratch each time.

When you find a sit that speaks to your soul (or at least your calendar), reach out to the pet parent through the site. If they’re interested, you can set up a video call to see if it’s a good match. This is a good time to ask some of the questions in the list below.

Before the sit

The pet parents will probably want to meet you in person before the sit. They’ll introduce you to their pets, show you around the house, and go over any last-minute info. We always arrive in town a day or two early to do this and in case of delays.

After the sit

You and the homeowner both get two weeks to leave a review. They’re pretty simple. Unlike on Airbnb, I’ve never seen a negative one. Maybe it’s because the connection feels more personal.

The Pros of Pet Sitting

• Free accommodations
• More space than a hotel, and usually better stocked than most Airbnbs
• You’ll discover places you might never have considered. Steve and I loved Bury St. Edmunds, England, which we probably wouldn’t have stumbled across otherwise
• You meet genuinely nice people. Everyone we’ve sat for has been friendly, thoughtful, and grateful
• The Wi-Fi is usually much better than what you’ll find in hotels or Airbnbs
• And the best part? The pets. We’ve fallen in love with every single one.

The Cons of Pet Sitting

• Many listings are in suburban or rural areas without major attractions.
• If things aren’t great, you can’t just pack up and leave like you would with a hotel or Airbnb—you’ve got responsibilities.
• TrustedHousesitters will help if the situation turns into a disaster, but otherwise, you’ve just got to deal.
• Finding and applying for sits can be time consuming.
• You might need a hotel before or after a sit, depending on how the dates line up.
• The home might not be spotless or perfectly organized, so always check the photos carefully.
• You don’t have complete freedom—pets need care. We’ve tried to find sits without dogs to gain a little more freedom, but so far, no luck.
• It can be hard to find your ideal length stay. We prefer four-week stays, but those are rare.

Is Pet Sitting Safe?

In our experience and the experience of thousands of users, yes. TrustedHousesitters has a solid reputation and plenty of great reviews. But most importantly, it runs background checks on both homeowners and sitters.

That said, weird stuff can happen as it did to one sitter when the homeowner decided not to leave but still wanted the sitter to stay.

If anything feels off about the house, the people, the pets, or the neighborhood, contact TrustedHousesitters immediately.

Tips for Successful Pet Sitting

• Decide what you’re looking for and save a search with those parameters.
• Plan as far in advance as possible. We landed in Bury St. Edmunds, England, for one sit, then scrambled to find some in London. We ended up booking three sits, but we had to settle for spots way outside the city center just to have something.
• Check listings often; the best ones disappear quickly.
• Communicate clearly and frequently.
• Confirm travel plans. We had a listing with an incorrect date. Also, sometimes homeowners assume you’ll stay the night before they leave and the night after they return and this is reflected in the dates they post.
• Don’t take a sit with an animal you’re uncomfortable with hoping it will work out. We had a sit with a beautiful Husky, but he was not well trained. Steve had trouble controlling him on walks, and I didn’t even try. Going forward, we will avoid young, large dogs.
• Use the list below to cover all the bases before your sit begins.

Questions to Ask and Info to Get

General

• Where the homeowners are going (hello, time zones)
• Their travel details: airline, flight numbers, dates, and times
• Contact info: phone numbers and emails
• Local emergency contacts
• How often they want pet updates
• Availability of public transportation if you don’t have a car
• When should you arrive on the first day

The home

• Keys and security codes
• Wi-Fi password
• Garbage day info and bin instructions
• Plant care details
• Where the main water shutoff is (and hope you never need it)
• Areas and items that are off limits

The pets

• Vet contact info, including an emergency vet
• Daily routine: wake-up time, meals (what, when, how much), playtime, bedtime
• Medication instructions, if needed
• Where pets are allowed and where they sleep
• For dogs:
  • When they go outside
  • How often and how long to walk
  • Preferred walking routes
  • Can they be off-leash? What commands do they respond to?
  • Are they friendly towards other dogs?
  • Quirks (we had one pup who hated bikes and skateboards)

Other House Sitting Sites

There are several other house-sitting websites out there. We haven’t used any of these ourselves, so we can’t vouch for them, but one of them might suit your needs better than TrustedHousesitters.

All costs are current as of April 2025.

• HouseCarers
  • International
  • Free to join with limited access
  • Full access costs €45 per year
• nomador
  • International
  • The largest selection of international sits I’ve ever seen
  • A free account lets you browse
  • Paid plans: $39 for 3 months or $99 per year
• MindMyHouse
  • International
  • A good number of U.S. listings plus a wide variety of sits throughout the world, including places I’ve never seen on TrustedHousesitters
  • You can view sits without registering
  • Membership is $29 per year
• House Sitters America
  • U.S. only
  • Listings are viewable without an account
  • Membership is $49 per year
• Aussie House Sitters
  • Australia only
  • You can browse listings without registering
  • Membership is AUD 89 per year
• House Sitters Canada
  • Canada only
  • Same browsing rules as the other House Sitter sites
  • Membership is CAD 89 per year

For more options, check out this detailed roundup from Half the Clothes.

One Last Piece of Advice

If a sit doesn’t feel right or doesn’t fit your needs, don’t take it. Trust your gut. There will be others.

For a closer look at the ins and outs of pet sitting, and to hear all about our adventures, dive into “Everything You Need to Know About Pet Sitting.”

Until Next Time

I hope this post has inspired you to give pet sitting a try on your travels if you haven’t already. If you have, Steve and I would love to hear about your experiences and which platform you used. Bonus points for funny pet stories.

Happy traveling,
Linda

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