I admit: I sleep round. I’m a 59-year-old single American girl who has traveled (principally) solo full-time for the previous decade as a global home sitter. I’m hooked on home sitting as a secure, inexpensive, genuine method of touring. I’ve lived in additional than 50 properties in 19 nations all through Europe, Southeast Asia, Mexico, the U.S., and Africa, caring for practically 100 canines, cats, rabbits, and fish.
As a home sitter, I dwell in another person’s dwelling and care for his or her pets, crops, gardens, and homes whereas they trip. I like that I can “dwell like an area” in a overseas metropolis — whereas offering pet homeowners the liberty to journey realizing that their pets are pampered, and their house is occupied.
Most home sitters don’t do it as a life-style, as I do. They home sit for a couple of weeks over the vacations or throughout their summer time breaks — or when they’re visiting their grownup kids and don’t need to be underfoot. Whereas anybody can home sit — households, {couples}, retirees — it’s notably nice for solo girls vacationers. Right here’s why:
1. You’re In A Safer Space
Accommodations are typically in touristy areas that appeal to scammers and pickpockets. When you’ll doubtless go to these touristy areas to see the websites, you received’t be strolling round them at evening.
2. You’ll Save A Bundle On Lodging
I hesitate to jot down that home sitting offers “free” lodging as a result of there’s a price: It’s an enormous accountability to take care of every part that’s expensive to a different particular person and, typically, you would possibly have to put your personal plans on maintain whereas coping with an emergency with the pet or dwelling.
However, I’ve stayed in fabulous properties in fascinating neighborhoods in costly cities for ridiculously lengthy intervals that I might by no means have been in a position to financially afford. For instance, I’ve often home sat in London for a number of weeks at a time. My first worldwide home sit was in east London for 2 months in the course of the 2012 Olympics! The torch parade ran by simply three blocks from the place I “lived.”
3. Your Wi-Fi Is Extra Safe
Staying in a house with non-public Wi-Fi protects you extra securely while you entry your on-line monetary or private accounts than while you log in at resorts. And also you’ll in all probability get higher bandwidth, too!
4. You’ll Have Extra Privateness
Since housekeeping received’t be getting into your room every day, you’ll have extra privateness — and safety — in a non-public dwelling.
5. You’ll Get pleasure from Extra Total Safety
Owners typically do a greater job securing their properties than resorts — particularly funds resorts — do when securing their rooms. At resorts, many individuals have entry to your room. And who is aware of how many individuals have keys or know the door code to your trip rental?
Burglaries certainly can happen at properties, too, even when you’re additional cautious. It’s a superb factor to ask your home-owner concerning the neighborhood and group safety earlier than accepting a sitting task.
6. You’ll Get Nice Native Vacationer Ideas
By the point you attain your vacation spot, you’ll have communicated along with your householders so typically, you’ll have already got an area connection. For those who ask them, your householders will offer you maps, a listing of their favourite neighborhood eating places, and details about close by public transportation.
A girl I home sat for in Amsterdam left me her museum card cross. A pair I home sat for in London left me a loaded transportation card. A person I home sat for in London left me his membership card to Kew Gardens, an expertise I wouldn’t have been in a position to afford in any other case.
{Couples} and households would profit from these reductions, too, however as a solo traveler, I favored that I may take full benefit of those householders’ generosity. And I actually appreciated that a few of the “vacationer analysis” had already been accomplished for me. As a solo traveler, I don’t have the luxurious of a companion who does some or half of the journey planning. I like that I can ask my householders for his or her concepts — they usually like to share their communities!
7. You’ll Be Ready To Prepare dinner Your Personal Meals
As a home sitter, you’ll have your personal full kitchen to organize your meals. Particularly in case you have dietary considerations, this can be a big security perk. And it saves you a bundle by not having to eat out thrice day by day.
8. You Can Park For Free
If you’re renting a automobile at your vacation spot, having the ability to park in “your” dwelling’s driveway is a big profit over parking in costly — and scary — underground resort constructions.
9. You Received’t Lose Your Laundry
Most properties the place you home sit may have their very own washer. No extra paying for laundering your garments. No extra probabilities of clothes getting misplaced or broken — or cleaned with merchandise you’re allergic to.
10. You Don’t Have To Fear About Bedbugs
Chances are high, the home the place you’ll be sitting is cleaner than a resort — and cleaner than some trip leases. However, that is no assure. However bedbugs in a non-public dwelling? Extremely unlikely!
11. You’ll Get pleasure from Free Motion pictures
Nights may be robust when you’re touring solo. Whereas I do get out to take heed to dwell music or see an ideal play, I can’t afford that each evening (and I often go to extra inexpensive matinees of performs and dance performances). For my nights in, I like having the ability to entry my home-owner’s cable bundle or Netflix fairly than being caught with the mediocre choices at resorts. Throughout a latest 4-month home sit, I binged on the householders’ Netflix on all seasons of Higher Name Saul, Orange Is the New Black, and Mad Males. I used to be glad sightseeing in the course of the day and cuddling at “dwelling” at evening.
12. You’ll Be Launched To New Mates
I particularly ask my householders to introduce me to their girlfriends or so as to add me to their neighborhood WhatsApp teams. Normally, this has meant a espresso or wine outing with an attention-grabbing girl in a spot solely locals learn about. This has typically led to extra unique experiences, just like the good friend I used to be launched to in Reunion, a French island east of Madagascar the place I home sat for two months. Anne organized for me to snorkel with migrating humpback whales — an expertise I might not have been in a position to manage as a vacationer alone.
13. You’ll Have Neighbors Watching Out For You
Throughout a home sit, you’ll dwell in a residential constructing or dwelling the place folks know one another, not less than by sight. Your neighbors are vested in your security and can present an additional layer of safety — and maybe friendship — that you simply wouldn’t get at a resort or trip rental.
14. You May Get Nice Facilities
I had a home sit each spring and fall in Mexico for an exquisite canine at a four-story dwelling that was constructed on the facet of a hill. Each stage had a panoramic view of Lake Chapala. There was a non-public lap pool and galvanizing terraces. No resort that I may afford may have matched this!
15. You’ll Be Launched To Experiences Solely Locals Know About
I’ll be sincere: Touring alone can get lonely, and determining what to do can get overwhelming. While you home sit, your home-owner would possibly be capable to steer you towards locations or occasions which might be geared towards your pursuits. One home-owner in Berlin, realizing of my curiosity in serving to and writing about refugees, steered me towards a refugee consumption heart on the top of the Syrian refugee disaster. I volunteered for a day and wrote about my expertise. I might by no means have discovered this alone, as all of the native information was in German.
16. And If You Are Home Sitting For A Canine…
…You would possibly even take pleasure in an additional layer of safety from a watchdog!
Observe: I don’t receives a commission cash for home sitting. I do it as a quid professional quo the place my lodging prices are lined in alternate for pet and residential care. If I have been paid, I would wish a piece visa (fairly than a vacationer visa) for getting into many nations. Work visas are typically more durable to safe and typically price extra money.
Professional Tip
To be taught extra about home sitting and easy methods to get began by avoiding frequent pitfalls, try my e book The best way to Grow to be a Housesitter: Insider Ideas from the HouseSit Diva, accessible as a softcover, Kindle, or e-book.
There are 50 websites which you can be a part of to search out householders who’re looking for home sitters. The most important, costliest, and best is Trusted Housesitters. Smaller websites like HouseSit Match and Nomador provide extra customized service. Then, there are country- or lifestyle-specific websites like HouseSit Mexico or Kindred Spirits Home (for vegans and vegetarians). To assist determine which web site to hitch, try HouseSit Search, enter your search standards, and peruse the choices from a number of of the highest home sitting websites. It’s free to make use of!