For people with a serious case of wanderlust, it can be difficult to find sustainable ways to fuel (and fund) their travel bug. While there are many costs associated with traveling, lodging is one of the priciest aspects of travel — and hotel costs have risen 50% in the past year. This means some sojourners have had to get creative, and plenty of them are using traveling pet sitter and house sitter jobs to see the world on a budget while doing what they love.
Some caregivers have scored free flights by being a flight nanny for pets, while others offset the cost of travel and lodging by pet sitting or house sitting when homeowners travel. One globetrotter, Kelly Hayes-Raitt, has traveled while house sitting for 12 years, renting out her own California house in favor of a nomadic lifestyle. During those years, she fell in love with Lisbon, Portugal, where she now resides between gigs. She even wrote a book about it so that others can live out their dreams just like she is.
“I’m going to Tanzania to stay in a wildlife sanctuary watching this little dog. Zebras and wildebeests run free, and I will be there for a month.”
— Kelly Hayes-Raitt, traveling house and pet sitter
“I’ve house-sat in 22 or 23 countries. I am leaving tomorrow to house-sit in Scotland, in a place that’s very far up north. I might actually be able to see the northern lights while I’m there,” she says. “After that, I’m going to Tanzania to stay in a wildlife sanctuary watching this little dog. Zebras and wildebeests run free, and I will be there for a month.”
While this dreamy lifestyle can seem unattainable, Hayes-Raitt and others who have been traveling for years in this manner say it may be easier than most people think. Here’s how to find traveling pet sitter and house sitter jobs in your dream destinations and build a caregiving career that adds to your passport as well as your resume.
How to find traveling pet and house sitter jobs
While there are many do’s and don’ts to caring for someone’s house, pets or even children while they travel, the first step is to find those gigs and put yourself out there.
1. Find a job platform that works for your needs
Platforms like Care help match employers with pet sitters, travel nannies, house sitters and other caregiving professionals. Lexi Matejeck of Lovely Living Travel shares that she has used Care to find live-in nanny jobs to support her work as a travel influencer.
Hayes-Raitt has used a variety of platforms to find jobs and says each has different screening processes and rules — so it may take a bit of trial and error to find the one that’s a fit.
2. Decide where you want to go
“Once I became an empty nester, I knew I wanted to travel around the U.S. and see several places on my bucket list, but that got expensive very quickly,” says Courtenay Rudzinski, another jetsetter who uses pet sitting and house sitting to explore. Looking for jobs in areas where she wanted to travel helped her find free places to stay while caring for people’s pets, and she got to see the world as a bonus.
3. Make your caregiver profile stand out
It’s important to make a detailed profile that provides potential employers with all of the information they need to choose you. “I did lots of research to see what specifically homeowners were looking for in an ideal pet sitter,” says Rudzinski. She looked at other popular caregiver profiles to see what might make them stand out, too.
4. Network with friends and family
While most caregivers use an online platform to find work, they’ve also found it through their own circles. Thanks to the far-reaching effects of social media, most of us have circles that extend beyond our own cities. Let people know you are available to provide care while they travel — many caregiving professionals of all kinds find regular gigs this way.
“Years ago a colleague of mine said that he and his wife couldn’t travel because they had two big rescue dogs,” says Hayes-Raitt. “I thought it was a wonderful thing that this couple did to rescue these two big dogs, but it meant they couldn’t travel. So for me, it really is an act of love and an opportunity to share.”
Making sure a traveling house sitter job is the right fit
When talking about traveling and care work, the allure of “free” accommodations sounds amazing — but it comes with quite a bit of responsibility. The right job can be amazing, but one that’s a poor fit for your needs or desires can be disastrous. It’s important to treat your job search just like you would if you were staying in one place, paying special attention to things like pay, job duties and whether a potential employer is the right fit.
Define your job expectations
When first getting into the world of travel pet sitting house sitting, the allure of far away places can cloud our judgment — but it’s important to be realistic, says Hayes-Raitt. “I’m 62 now; I don’t do big dogs that pull on leashes anymore because I don’t want to be pulled over,” she says. “10 years ago, I was okay with that.” She’s also learned that while a hobby farm may sound exciting, she does not like rising with the roosters for chores — so she passes on those.
Before you start looking for jobs, get clear about what you want. Have answers for questions like:
- What job duties am I willing to perform and which ones are off-limits?
- How much do I expect to be paid?
- How long do I want to stay in one location?
- How many pets or children will I be responsible for?
- Is the job in a safe area?
- What considerations need to be made regarding travel, visas, pay and other logistics?
Trust your gut
Hayes-Raitt has had many amazing flexible pet and house sitting jobs, but also some not-so-great ones. She always recommends a video call before confirming a job, and asks for a video tour of the space. While most caregivers do not need or expect luxury accommodations, it is important to see where you will be sleeping and the general condition of the home. “If you’ve got asthma and you see ashtrays everywhere, probably not a good idea,” she says. Chatting with the owners will give you a good sense of their expectations. If the vibe is off, just say no.
Outline expenses and amenities
While the stay is free, house and pet sitters are often responsible for the cost of traveling to the location. Terms may be different for travel or live-in nannies. It’s important to work out how expenses will be covered and what employers will provide. In addition to lodging, you should ask about other amenities, including:
- Transportation (bikes, cars and/or metro passes).
- Entertainment (such as museum passes).
- Meals and groceries.
- Weekly stipends to cover additional expenses.
These are all important details to hash out before accepting a job. Having a contract in place can help eliminate any disagreements or confusion.
Hayes-Raitt and Rudzinksi are both freelance writers, funding their travels while working remotely. Others, like Matejeck, create social media content about being a travel nanny or working other flexible care gigs in some of their favorite locations to pay for food and airfare. If you plan to supplement your income with content creation about your work, ask questions like:
- Is there WiFi available?
- Is there a desk, table or office space to use?
- Are they comfortable with someone recording at their home, or should videos be offsite?
Whatever your situation, make sure the care job fits your financial needs.
What employers look for in a traveling house or pet sitter
While there are many considerations for pet sitters, house sitters and travel nannies, the people hiring these caregivers have a lot to think about, too. Lisa Barque, a homeowner with several cats in Vancouver, Canada, says she needs to ask a pet sitter to stay at their home for several months out of each year.
“I have a Google Doc I update frequently that is basically a ‘house Bible,’” she says. “It has details about every room in the house, all of the appliances and systems.” She also has a property manager on call so that sitters are not responsible for a leaky pipe or fridge that stops running.
Barque provides a clean bedroom with fresh sheets. “They have free run of the house. They can eat or drink anything they want,” she says. She notes any exceptions — like her husband’s good Scotch. “Mostly we just want to be hospitable and for the sitter to feel at home,” she adds.
“If I am going to trust my home, including my children’s bedrooms, and my beloved cats to someone for any length of time, I need to know they are going to keep my cats and property safe.”
— Lisa Barque, cat owner
As a member of a marginalized community, Barque also carefully scours job profiles for any signs of prejudice. “Expect potential employers to look at your social media before hiring you, so be prudent about what you post,” she says. “Better yet, be unprejudiced.”
For Barque, the most important thing is references. “If I am going to trust my home, including my children’s bedrooms, and my beloved cats to someone for any length of time, I need to know they are going to keep my cats and property safe,” she says.
The bottom line
If you’ve read the details and becoming a traveling pet sitter or traveling house sitter is right for you, carve out some time to give it a try. Most travel caregivers don’t start full-time, and many only look for jobs during vacations or holiday breaks (which are a peak time for families to need caregivers or house sitters, too).
Whether you work a few times a year or year-round, travel house sitting and pet sitting jobs give travelers a chance to really immerse themselves in a local community in a way many tourists never get to. On one trip, a homeowner connected Rayes-Haitt to a local friend. “We ended up on a Zodiac [boat] that a friend of hers owned, snorkeling. I snorkeled with a humpback whale mama and her baby,” she says. “If you’ve been on one of the larger whale watches, they can be far away, but we were right there and in the water with them. It was just incredible.”
