Us digital nomads are always looking for new and interesting ways to facilitate our lifestyle.
A new trend in nomadism is to do full-time housesitting alongside digital nomad work. Personally, I started doing this over two years ago and I’ve never looked back.
Housesitting can provide both affordability and flexibility for digital nomads as well as improving your physical and mental health through time spent with animals and in nature. Intrigued? Read more…
What is housesitting?
Housesitting happens when someone goes away on holiday, and you look after their home and any pets they have. The rise of websites and apps facilitating the process has sky-rocketed its popularity in the last decade. The extreme increases in the cost of pet care in kennels and catteries since the pandemic have boosted its traction even more.
You can do housesitting for money through sites such as Rover, but most nomads choose to do it for free as a trust exchange through websites like Trusted Housesitters and Nomador. This makes the process entirely review-based.
Housesitting as a digital nomad (pros & cons)
The main reason many of us are now housesitting is that it compliments the digital nomad lifestyle very well. It offers the freedom to explore new places, accommodation that is more upmarket than your average hostel, and the wi-fi connection that you need to get your work done. Not only that, but it is also almost completely FREE.
We use Trusted Housesitter’s to book our housesits, one of the many websites which have been created to match homeowners looking for pet care and home security with animal loving nomads. We pay around £150 a year for our membership, which covers all our accommodation costs for the year. Yes – everything!
When housesitting, the sitter pays nothing towards accommodation or utility bills (including that all important internet connection). So all you need to pay for is your travel and food whilst there. This makes housesitting a low-cost option for digital nomads and travellers.
Of course, there are sometimes downsides to housesitting, as with any lifestyle. It’s not always easy. This is usually because of the pet care and chores involved with the sit. We tend to consider how much work we’ll have at the time of the housesit. Then we look for a sit that suits our needs.
For example, if we both have a lot of work to do next month, we may look for a sit with just cats. Cats are much lower maintenance than dogs and other animals.
There are many other issues you can run into while housesitting. Animal behavior may not match the description given by the homeowner. Pets may become sick, and the internet may be unreliable. Some housesits are quite rural. If you don’t have a vehicle, it can leave you feeling isolated.
As with anything – the more you do, the more you learn. We’ve been doing housesitting as digital nomads full time for over two years now, and have learnt some tricks of the trade. The biggest one for us is always prioritizing our paid work which requires good internet signal, and so we travel with our own internet dongle just in case the homeowners’ internet isn’t great or goes down.
Do I have to like animals?
Short answer – yes.
Long answer – it’s not a prerequisite.
Some housesits don’t have any pets at all to look after and the homeowners are simply looking for home security in the form of a housesitter. You can also filter to search by pet type (including no pets) on the Trusted Housesitter’s website/app, so if you have a fear of dogs or are allergic to cats you can search accordingly.
Is there much of a community?
Yes! The Housesitting community has also expanded rapidly in the last few years due to the sheer number of people getting involved. There is also a growing community specifically of housesitting digital nomads. It took me some time to find others in this niche but through social media, the Trusted Housesitter’s forum, and nomad events I’ve attended, I now feel thoroughly integrated into the community. If you need any help with this, feel free to message me about it!
How do I get started?
First things first, do some research on the housesitting websites that are out there and decide which one is best for you. Sign up, and then create your profile & get applying to sits.
Do more research by reading blog posts about it… oh wait, you can tick that one off!
Follow the Trusted Housesitter’s Instagram account to find other people digital nomads doing housesitting and start conversations with them. My inbox is always open for questions @hitchedhikingandhousesitting.
The best way to decide if housesitting would fit in with your digital nomad lifestyle is to read my book about it, The Housesitter’s Guide to the Galaxy – order your copy here (currently heavily discounted). It takes you through every step of the process, from signing up, creating the best profile to secure sits, and expert advice for digital nomads.
As a seasoned housesitter-digital-nomad, what’s your top tip?
My top tip is to always have a back up plan! Housesits can be cancelled last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. It’s important to make sure you have enough money put by to cover paid accommodation should you need it. It’s always good to have family and friends you can stay with if needed as well. We personally have a motorhome which we use for any gaps between housesits and has been invaluable on our journey as housesitting nomads.
Any final wisdom?
Housesitting could be the thing that opens the door to the digital-nomad lifestyle for you. It is an enjoyable, budget-friendly way of travelling. You don’t have to do it full time like we do. Make housesitting work for you and try it part time, or even for your holidays abroad.
It might just be your pawfect way of travelling whilst working remotely.
Ready to give housesitting a try? Let me guide you through it! Check out my blog for tips, and feel free to reach out on Instagram if you have any questions. Let’s make your digital nomad journey even more exciting together!
