House sitting abroad

Free accommodation in exchange for looking after someone's home and pets. Not a travel hack — a real responsibility. The people who do it well treat it that way. Here is how to become one of them.

What house sitting actually is — and what it asks of you

House sitting is a straightforward exchange: a homeowner needs someone trustworthy to look after their property and often their pets while they travel. You provide that trustworthiness, and in exchange you live in their home for free. The platforms that connect sitters with homeowners — TrustedHousesitters being the largest — have made this exchange global, structured, and surprisingly easy to access. Sits are available in over 130 countries, from London townhouses and Tuscan farmhouses to New Zealand sheep stations and Bali villas.

The thing that most guides about house sitting leave out is the weight of the responsibility. You are not staying in a holiday rental. You are living in someone's home, looking after animals they love, maintaining a property they have invested years of care in, and representing yourself as trustworthy enough to be given a key in their absence. Homeowners who use TrustedHousesitters are not naive — they read profiles carefully, check reviews obsessively, and video call applicants before making a decision. The people who build successful house sitting careers treat the responsibility with the seriousness it deserves. The people who treat it like a clever way to get free accommodation tend to get one-star reviews and then wonder why no one is accepting their applications.

The central challenge for new sitters is the chicken-and-egg problem: you need reviews to get sits, but you need sits to get reviews. This is real, and it is the reason most people give up after their first month on TrustedHousesitters. The solution is not to wait for the right sit to come along — it is to be strategic about how you build your initial review base, starting with local sits close to home, offering for dates others avoid (Christmas week, Easter, school holidays), and using every tool available to make your profile compelling before you have a single sit to point to. The section below covers this in specific detail.

House sitting works best for people who genuinely like homes and animals, who are flexible with dates, and who are comfortable with the responsibility of someone else's property. It does not work well as a last-minute accommodation hack or for people who want maximum freedom and minimum obligation. The most successful long-term house sitters — people who do this as their primary accommodation strategy across multiple countries — describe it as a relationship-based activity: the sits you get are a direct reflection of the trust you have built with homeowners, the platforms, and the wider community.

Which type of house sitter are you?

House sitting works differently depending on what you are using it for and how seriously you approach it. The platforms reward consistency, reliability, and genuine care — and the review system means your reputation compounds over time in both directions.

How to build a house sitting career that actually works

1. 1

   Build your profile before you apply for a single sit

   Your profile is your entire first impression — homeowners read it in detail before they read anything else. It needs a professional header photo (you with an animal if you have one — this single change increases response rates significantly), a warm but specific bio that explains who you are and why you are trustworthy, specific detail about your experience with pets and properties, and at least two references from people who can vouch for your reliability. Empty profiles with stock photos get ignored. Spend two hours on your profile before you apply anywhere.

2. 2

   Solve the chicken-and-egg problem with local sits first

   You cannot get premium international sits without reviews, and you cannot get reviews without sits. The solution is to build your initial review base locally. Offer to sit for friends, family, or neighbours — even without a platform. Mention these as informal references in your profile. On TrustedHousesitters, apply first for sits that are harder to fill: last-minute openings, dates around major holidays (Christmas week is a goldmine — owners need sitters desperately and applicant volumes are lower), sits with multiple pets or unusual animals, and sits in less glamorous locations. Your first three reviews are the hardest and the most important.

3. 3

   Apply strategically — quality over volume

   Homeowners receive dozens of applications for popular sits. A personalised message that references specific details from their listing — the dog's name, the garden they mentioned, the neighbourhood you happen to know — will always outperform a generic application. Apply to fewer sits with better messages. Show genuine enthusiasm for that specific home and those specific animals. Respond to listings within the first few hours of posting — speed matters because homeowners often shortlist the first five applicants they like.

4. 4

   Always video call the homeowner before accepting

   A video call before accepting a sit is non-negotiable and completely normal — homeowners expect it and good ones will suggest it themselves. The call tells you things the listing never will: the homeowner's personality and communication style, the real condition of the property, the actual temperament of the pets, and whether this is a household you will feel comfortable in for two weeks. If a homeowner resists a video call, treat that as a significant warning sign. The call protects both parties.

5. 5

   Treat every sit like a friend's home and ask for a review immediately after

   Leave the home in better condition than you found it. Document the state of things on arrival with photos. Follow every instruction about the pets exactly. Update the homeowner regularly with photos — every homeowner who is away from their pet is anxious, and a photo of their dog happy on the sofa is worth more than any assurance. When you leave, ask for a review directly and promptly. Reviews fade from memory quickly. The sitters who build review scores fastest are the ones who ask for the review the day they leave, not a week later.

See people doing it

The quickest way to understand what house sitting actually feels like is to watch people who do it. These are real sitters — not sponsored content — documenting the application process, the video calls, the pets, and the properties.

Is House Sitting the Ultimate Travel Hack?

Save Money & See the World

A broad overview of house sitting as a travel strategy — costs, platforms, and what the lifestyle really looks like day to day.

Honest Review: Is TrustedHousesitters Worth It? (2025)

Independent Review

Unsponsored take on whether the annual membership is worth it — what the platform delivers and where it falls short.

10 Tips to Succeed on TrustedHousesitters (Even If You're New)

TrustedHousesitters

Practical tactics for new sitters — profile setup, writing applications that get accepted, and handling the first video call.

How to Join TrustedHousesitters: Profile Setup Guide

House Sitting Walkthrough

Step-by-step walkthrough of setting up a sitter profile from scratch — what homeowners look for and how to stand out.

Why Smart Travellers Are Switching to House Sitting

The Global Housesitters

Why house sitting is growing fast — the financial case, the lifestyle appeal, and what the transition from hotels looks like.

FAQ: House Sitting to Travel the World

House Sitting Q&A

Answers to the most common questions before your first sit — visa rules, what homeowners expect, and how to handle emergencies.

Providers — certifications, courses & job boards

The house sitting platforms differ significantly in their membership model, inventory size, and geographic focus. TrustedHousesitters is the largest and most globally active — worth the membership for serious sitters. Nomador is stronger in France and southern Europe and tends toward longer sits. MindMyHouse and HouseCarers have smaller but less competitive inventories, which makes them useful for building early reviews. Most serious house sitters carry memberships to two platforms simultaneously — the incremental cost is small relative to the accommodation savings.

Visa regulations for house sitting stays vary by nationality and country. House sitting on a tourist visa is generally permitted for short stays but rules differ — always verify the permitted activities under your visa for the specific country you intend to sit in. House sitting platform memberships and insurance terms change — check current terms directly with each provider.

What house sitting actually saves you

The financial case for house sitting is strongest when you treat it seriously and build a strong review profile. The TrustedHousesitters membership pays for itself within the first two weeks of a successful sit. For full-time house sitters — people who chain sits as their primary accommodation strategy — the annual saving against renting in any major city is transformative.

Where the best sits are — and when

House sitting inventory concentrates in countries with high homeownership rates, high international travel frequency, and a cultural comfort with inviting strangers into their homes. The UK, France, Australia, the USA, and New Zealand consistently have the most sits — but the right sit for you depends as much on timing as on destination.

Peak: Summer · Christmas · Easter

UK and Western Europe

The UK has the largest single-country inventory on TrustedHousesitters by a significant margin — London alone has hundreds of active listings at any time. The sits range from city flats with one cat to country estates with multiple dogs, horses, and significant property management responsibilities. France is the second largest European market, particularly strong in the Dordogne, Provence, and Paris. Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Netherlands all have solid inventory. The UK and France are where most new sitters build their first reviews — the density of listings makes it possible to be selective even without a strong profile.

Island remote working in Europe →

Peak: December – February (Australian summer)

Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand are consistently rated among the most sought-after house sitting destinations — beautiful properties, warm hosts, and a culture of genuine community. Sydney, Melbourne, and the surrounding countryside are the highest-density areas for sits. New Zealand offers extraordinary rural and farm sits that are nearly impossible to replicate through any other form of travel. The combination of English language, high-quality homes, and friendly homeowners makes Oceania particularly good for first-time sitters building their initial reviews. Note the seasonal inversion: the busiest period is December–February (Australian summer and school holidays), when the UK and European winter makes this region especially appealing.

Year-round, peak: summer and holidays

USA and Canada

The USA has enormous house sitting inventory concentrated in major cities (New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin) and popular lifestyle destinations (Colorado, the Carolinas, the Pacific Northwest). Canadian sits cluster in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. North American sits tend to involve larger properties and more pets per sit than European equivalents — multiple dogs is common, and some sits involve significant property management responsibilities. Non-US/Canadian nationals should verify visa rules for house sitting stays — a standard tourist visa typically permits house sitting for short periods but check the specific rules for your nationality.

Varies by country

Asia and Beyond

House sitting inventory in Asia, Latin America, and Africa is thinner than in the Anglophone world but growing. Bali, Thailand, and Mexico have the strongest emerging inventories — typically expat homeowners who are themselves comfortable with the house sitting model. These sits are often spectacular in terms of the property and setting, and significantly less competitive than equivalent sits in Europe or Oceania. The trade-off is that the review and verification systems are less established, and due diligence before accepting is even more important. A strong TrustedHousesitters review history unlocks these sits most effectively.

When the best sits open — and when to apply

The sits that get the most competition are not always the best sits — they are simply the most obvious ones. Understanding when sits open, and applying before the rush, gives you access to properties that other sitters never see. The golden rule: for a summer sit, apply in March. For a Christmas sit, apply in September.

What experienced house sitters know that beginners do not

Not the obvious stuff. The things most guides leave out.

Frequently asked questions

Honest answers to the questions most people have before attempting their first house sit.

Start building your house sitting profile

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