House Sitting Is The Ultimate Life Hack

I’m an international house sitter. I live in other people’s houses, all over the world, and while they’re away I take care of their house and pets. Usually cats or dogs. The houses are everywhere, and yours for the taking if you’re willing to do a little legwork. No money exchanges hands, ever. In most house sits, you don’t even pay utilities. Imagine getting to write in your own English garden, on the balcony of your apartment in Lyon, at a desk overlooking Lake Zürich, or in a Spanish apartment overlooking the sea — all experiences I’ve had in the past year. Each one was completely free, save the cost of food and transportation.

House sitting is the ultimate life hack for writers. For anyone, really.

In 2018, I embarked on an epic journey of living internationally (and domestically) rent-free for nearly a year. You can do this, too: as a short stint of a few days or weeks, or much longer stretches. Even if you have kids. Think your own personal writing retreat, a cheaper way to do research for a book, a break to fill your creative well, or a much-needed family vacation — to a country home in France, a Scottish retreat in the Highlands, or a house in Cape Town. Maybe you prefer a gorgeous spot in the wilds of Costa Rica, or in a cozy cabin in Asheville, North Carolina.

In Poor Richard’s Almanack Ben Franklin said, “Either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.” With housesitting — especially international sits — you can have your cake and eat it, too.

In this year of house sitting, I wrote four books, did deep research for two of them that required I visit archives abroad, and paid off nearly all my debt (rent-free, remember?).

On the way, I visited some of the wonders of the world, crossed a few things off my bucket list, traipsed about beautiful cities, played with some great animals, and lived in other people’s international homes. I even, for a time, had my very own English garden.

Is House Sitting Really Possible For Your Life?

The burgeoning world of house sitting means that, for the first time, world (and domestic) travel is truly accessible to anyone who can cover the cost of their flight and their time away from their job (or take their job on the road). For writers — and any kind of freelancer, really — who often live hand to mouth, it may be the only way they get to have the kind of experiences they read and write books about.

So many of the writers I work with are desperate for a chance to get away to refill their creative wells, but a retreat of any kind seems impossible: the cost of travel is steep, prohibitive for most. House sitting is a way to beat the system. It’s the one thing that seems too good to be true…but is actually true.

• You can do this if you have kids
• You can do this if you only have a couple of weeks–or days
• You can do this if you’re financially strapped, but have access to enough money to buy a plane ticket
• You can do this internationally OR domestically
• Sometimes, you can even invite a friend to visit you
• Or, house sit with that friend! Or your spouse! Or your sister! Or luxuriate in being alone.
• You don’t need to be certified.
• You don’t need to buy in for the opportunity, except for the money it costs to set up your online profile on your chosen house sitter site (around $100, some less).

The Benefits of House Sitting For Short Stints

Lower the cost of your research trips:

Part of why house sitting came at the perfect time in my life was because I was working on two books that required research abroad. How was I going to do that, when my publishers weren’t willing to help cover the cost? Enter house sitting. With a little planning, it’s possible you could do the same to help lower the cost of your research trips.

Go on affordable vacations or writer’s retreats with or without family and friends:

We writers aren’t usually rolling in it. As a lifelong traveler, I was terrified that I had to give up my traveling in order to live my life as a full-time writer. Now I know that I will get to travel all over the world, my health willing, as long as I can afford the ticket. And with my eye on cheap flights and some flexibility, if the right house sit comes up and we’re a match — bon voyage! If you have a family, many homes allow for that. The French countryside empties out in August and is a great time to go there and house sit–imagine your kids running around Bordeaux or Dijon…

And that bucket list? Get ready to start crossing things off. In just a few months, here are a few things my husband and I got to do:

• Visited Stonehenge, which was an hour from my house in England (Imagine Stonehenge being a short bus ride from your house?!)
• Traveled to Versailles on a short stint in Paris after a Lyon house sit
• My husband got to ski in Switzerland — at Klosters, where the royals go — which was an hour and a half from our home in Switzerland. I wrote in one of their chalets while he did so.
• Went to Oxford on a day trip — a few hours from our home — to drink in the pub where Tolkein and his Inklings talked about their books
• Traipsed about Edinburgh and wrote in the very cafe where J.K. Rowling worked on the Harry Potter books
• Lived by the sea for two weeks in Spain and discovered my new favorite vacation spot.

The Benefits of Long-Term House Sitting

Save Money and Reach Long-Term Financial Goals

This is obviously not an option available to all, but if you have a way to work remotely as a digital nomad, then this lifestyle is for you. I’m a full-time writer, writing teacher (online), and writing coach (which just means I need Internet for calls and communication). My husband’s a writer, but his primary income comes from teaching, so he left his public school job and began teaching English online. We basically lived off his income so I could work on paying off student debt with all that rent, utilities, and car insurance money we were saving.

In just over five months of house sitting, I was able to pay off over half my student debt because of all the money we were saving on rent and expenses in the States–WHILE TRAVELING THE WORLD!

You also save money because you buy A LOT less–no more Amazon binges, for one, and every time you buy something, you have to figure out if you can carry it around with you, since mailing things home is pricey.

Reducing your spending creates an opportunity to increase personal wealth, learn important money management skills, and hone the ability to avoid instant gratification — all important abilities if you’re a creative and freelancer with uncertain income.

Writing Your Face Off

In addition to the financial benefits of living rent free (and how that will help you reach some long-term financial goals quicker), I also found I was insanely productive.

In my first seven months of house sitting I wrote four books and nearly half a million words.

Think about it: you’re not going out all the time, your social commitments and family commitments are nil (except for the phone), and you’re potentially saving money on going out if you’ve decided to be on a budget. There are no distractions — and there could potentially be zero if you choose a really remote place with poor Internet, which you just might want if your income doesn’t depend on it.

Bottom line: The house sitting adventure gives you the time and space to do your creative work, and this increased expansiveness can, in turn, help boost your flow — and give you loads of new story ideas!

Travel: A Lot Of It

Not only will you get to visit tons of cool places, but you will experience cultures in an authentic, non-touristy way. It’s an immersion, and a great chance to learn a language or culture more intimately. I never thought I would live on Privet Drive, but that was where my house sit was in England. I got such a sense of the non-London daily life, and was a short bus ride from the stunning white cliffs of the Jurassic Coastline. I had my fish and chips shop, my beloved Tesco down the street, and a gorgeous moor to walk around when I needed some fresh air, which was part of a nature reserve behind our house. When I lived in Switzerland, I could see Lake Zürich from my office window and we had a daily walk by the lake. In Lyon, I went to one of France’s most famous outdoor markets whenever I needed food–it was a three-minute walk from my apartment.

Once you’re abroad, it’s so much cheaper to take a vacation somewhere amazing, since flights between countries, especially in Europe, are shorter and more affordable. Our vacation to Greece after our Scottish house sit only cost us a few hundred bucks to fly as opposed to thousands because we were already in Europe. Even if you decide not to venture too far from your sit, there are often many opportunities for great day trips for you from your house sit — a good reason to choose sits with cats instead of dogs, so that you can be out all day when the fancy strikes you. Our day trips included a visit to Lucerne, a night out in Barcelona, and a visit to Edinburgh Castle. Once you’re out on the road, a lot more possibilities present themselves–for both business and pleasure. My husband was able to do some really cool stuff in Berlin for his company, and they were willing to fly him out, since he was already in Europe.

Make Lifelong Friends Around The World

You will often get to meet the homeowners and, depending on your living situation and how long your sit is, there is the potential for real friendships to bloom among your neighbors, which can, in turn, create future opportunities to travel abroad. When we arrived in Lyon, Hubert and Yannick made us a lovely French meal, cocktails, and took us for a walk to point out their favorite boulangerie, where to get the best macarons and vin, as well as their favorite place for views (we were in the Croix Rousse, a gorgeous hilly neighborhood overlooking the city). In Switzerland, our host, Simone, made us curry and drove us to the grocery store to pick up supplies — and advise on the best Swiss cheeses to purchase. In Scotland, Andrew and Jackie bought us a bottle of their favorite scotch and gave us a taste of the famous Highland hospitality, even though we were in the lowlands.

Our favorite friends, though, were the furry creatures we got to spend so much time with. Imagine daily walks with the sweetest lab in the world — on the famous beach of Sitges, Spain.

I’m Sold: So What’s The Catch?

There is no catch — but you have to be mindful of your own circumstances and limitations, and a little street smarts goes a long way.

If you want to house sit for a little getaway, perhaps a month or less, then you won’t have any major challenges in terms of this lifestyle. But if you house sit long-term…well, all magic comes with a price, no?

It’s not all rainbows and roses: homesickness, isolation, constant change, sitting in homes you don’t love, canceled sits, and animal drama are all part of the territory for the long term house sitter. I sat with my husband, which meant I was never alone — and I would not recommend this lifestyle for the long-term if you’re flying solo. It would simply be too lonely and increase the stresses inherent to the expat life.

Our biggest stressor came from constantly having to make our sits line up. If there was a gap between sits, that meant we’d be spending quite a bit of cash on Air B-n-B’s. On the plus side, the gaps gave us opportunities to go exploring or do further research for my books, which is how we spent two weeks in Hamburg and Berlin on our way to Switzerland.

Searching for the right sits, applying, and interviewing with homeowners can feel a bit like a part-time job. You have to scroll through the boards daily when you’re on the hunt and you’re competing with loads of others. We recommend that people set up their first few sits before they leave their home base so they have time to build out the rest of the year. This way, you don’t cut it too close and risk having to spend all that money you saved on short-term housing solutions while you’re waiting for your next sit. We never had a problem getting a house sit — we just sometimes struggled to find the most ideal ones.

Financing Your Sit

The biggest hurdle is how you’re going to fund your life while you’re abroad, if you’re thinking about sitting long term.

You will need a way to earn income online. Work visas will be next to impossible to come by and not realistic: part of why you’re being asked to sit is because the homeowner wants you to care for their pet, so you can’t be out all day. If you don’t have the ability to work remotely, then do house sitting as a short-term writing retreat or vacation. You won’t regret it!

If you plan to be earning income while house sitting, and that income requires good Internet and/or is dependent on time zones (like being available for conference calls in the States), then many house sitting opportunities won’t be available to you. For example, we almost took a house sit in the Canary Islands that was three months long, an amazing property where you lived in a windmill, but their Internet was too slow to host my husband’s online teaching platform. Same for a lovely place in Puerto Rico and a country home in France.

If Internet is a big deal for you, you’ll be sticking to larger cities and suburbs and be sure to have the home owner do an Internet speed test for you (free and easy) to make sure you aren’t stuck with poor connectivity when you get there. Save the island retreats for short-term house sitting, when you don’t need to work, just write.

Health Advisory

In order to do long term sits especially, it’s important that you’re in good health and have few or no allergies around animals (mostly cats and dogs).

You need to have access to the medications you’ll need — other countries may not have what you require, as pharmaceutical laws vary. As I mentioned before, you could totally do this alone, but I think it would have been very lonely indeed for more than a few weeks or months if I hadn’t been with my husband. But being in close quarters with one other person so long has its own challenges. If you have mental health issues, beware of the toll not having a regular counselor can take. Make sure you have access to medication and make an effort to stay connected to family and friends. My husband began having whisky drink nights with his friends over Skype, and that helped him a lot, as he’s an extrovert.

Ground Crew

A bit of support Stateside goes a long way. We couldn’t have done long-term house sitting–or at least not as smoothly–without the enormous help from my in-laws, who helped us out with becoming our permanent US address and running USA errands for us. If you’re only doing a short-term sit, then it simply requires the same level of preparation as any vacation. In the long-term, you’ll likely need to move your life into storage, find somewhere to keep your car, and the like.

Sometimes emergencies happen. My husband had to go back to the States for a week, and it was lucky there were two of us to cover the house sit. Once, we got an alert from the State Department about dangerous activity in a Turkish area we were planning on staying in, so we had to cancel that house sit. It’s important, especially if you’re looking to house sit in potentially volatile areas, to keep on top of current events.

You will absolutely be giving things up if you house sit in the long-term: opportunities, financial security (if you have a nomadic job that is less secure than the one you had Stateside), community. As an author, I missed out on a lot of events: festivals, conferences, a book that came out that I didn’t do a single signing for. It’s a trade-off.

Protecting Yourself And Being A Competitive Candidate

The main house sitting site, Trusted Housesitters, has a sample contract for homeowners and house sitters that covers all the possible issues that may arise. We get no kickback for recommending them, but they are the go-to for house sitting, so you’d do well to check them out.

We never had any problems, but we always sent a contract over to our homeowners. The contract will cover what happens if there are damages to property or pets, best practices for cancelling house sits, and the like. Once you’ve set up a profile on Trusted Housesitters, you’ll have access to this resource. You can also customize the contract to better suit your needs.

Don’t let the possibility of disaster keep you from sitting — we spent a year in various homes with all kinds of animals and we never had any problems.

It’s important, however, to have a conversation — on the phone or on video chat — with the homeowner. Be clear about expectations on either end, make sure their home is right for you, and that you are capable of caring for their pets. If you love nothing more than cooking, a tiny Spanish apartment with a galley kitchen is not for you.

In order to have the best chance of getting the house sits you want — those really great beach condos and killer London flats — I recommend having a police background check done and getting the highest level of background check on the Trusted Housesitters website — they just vet you in a simple and affordable way to make sure you’re not a criminal. My advice is to do anything on your end that you would want to see if you yourself were going to let a stranger into your home to care for your beloved pet. Get recommendations to upload onto the house sitting platforms you use, and make a video so prospective homeowners can see who you are and get a sense of your personality.

TLC For Animals

You don’t have to be an animal expert, but experience with animals is a plus, as most of the house sits involved some form of pet sitting.

If you don’t like hanging out with animals, this isn’t the lifestyle for you.

It’s great to get references from people you’ve sat for, or who know about your experience with animals. If you aren’t comfortable around pets, then you would do well to avoid any sits that have a pet-sitting component (and most do). You can get more experience volunteering at your local animal shelter and pet-sitting for friends and family. Be aware of your own relationship to animals. If you’re afraid of big dogs or have health issues that prevent you from walking long distances, don’t apply for house sits with large breeds. If you’re allergic to cats, then nix those, as well.

Working with a company like Trusted Housesitters also gives you access to their Vet Advice Line, which is 24/7. We never had any problems with the pets we sat with, but it was nice to know we could get help right away. Owners are great about communicating their pet’s needs, from administering medication to behavior and habits and will provide their vet’s information. If they aren’t good at outlining these things, make sure they do before you agree to the sit.

Baby, you can drive my car…or maybe not

Many house sits are in the boonies — the Scottish Highlands, the Welsh countryside — so be sure to see if they’ll let you use their car. We lost out on a house sit in England because the homeowners felt it would simply be too complicated with insurance. You could rent a car yourself if it’s a short-term house sit. Either way, it’s important to pay attention to what’s around your sit. You’ll have to grocery shop and buy odds and ends, so make certain it’s not too difficult to get to the store — especially in areas with spotty public transportation or extreme weather.

How To Begin Your Life As A Housesitter

Here are some helpful links to get started — note that I have no affiliation with these companies, other than using them for my own house sitting adventures!

• Trusted Housesitters: The go-to house sitting website, for both international and domestic house sits. For a small annual fee, you’ll have access to their platform — set up a profile, search available sits, and apply for them. You can also become a host yourself, if you’re looking for affordable pet sitting while you’re on your own house sitting adventure.

• Nomador: Primarily for French house sits, but there are other good sits on here. This is great for families, especially, because I see a lot of house sits on there for large country homes that allow families to sit. Your kids can play with chickens while you write! What’s not to like?!

• House Carers: We’ve booked sits with them — their site is frustrating, but we had great experiences come out of it.

• Housesitters America: This is domestic-only. I haven’t booked through them, but they are reputable.

• International Health Insurance (for long-term sitting): We used IMG and it’s the best we could find. They also have an option to use it in the States if you plan to go home for a bit. Note: it’s very hard to find insurance that covers pre-existing conditions. You only need this if you are going to be out long, or if your current provider doesn’t have a good international option for you. If you’re in the UK, NHS will often take care of you, regardless.

• International Health Insurance (short term sitting): World Nomads is a company I’ve used for years for short-term travel. Easy and affordable.

• Scott’s Cheap Flights: Extra-great deals on flights if you can be fairly flexible.

• Digital Nomad: This site has lots of excellent links to dive into, if you’re looking for online work while you’re abroad. My husband works for VIP Kids, the best-paying ESL site in the world. They’re reputable and the kids are adorable. You teach on Beijing time, which isn’t great for house sits in the Pacific, but excellent in Europe. (Note: We’re not getting kickback for sharing this — it’s just a helpful hint).

• European Long-Term Visa: The Schengen Zone is confusing. This guide is helpful to ensuring you don’t accidentally take on a house sit you don’t have a visa for. We had to give up a castle in Brittany (true story) once we read this guide.

• Cell Phones: When you’re abroad for more than a week or so, keeping your plan in the States is not affordable. Verizon was charging $10/day. So if you’re going to be out for a few weeks or more, I recommend an International SIM card if you’re moving through a lot of different countries, or getting the best SIM card you can upon arrival. This one I’ve linked to is great, though it doesn’t work in every country. It just depends where you’re going. Note: You don’t need to use data or minutes for calls home. Get your family and friends on WhatsApp and, as long as you have wireless, you’re good to go. Zoom is great for business — Skype is not reliable, especially in countries with weaker Internet.

Bon Voyage!

The key to a successful house sit is to be curious, open, and flexible. You’ve seen pictures of the house (never accept a sit without that!), and hopefully did your due diligence in terms of research. Still, there may be times when you walk through the door…and hate it. Maybe it smells weird or the dog won’t stop barking or it’s freezing cold and you’re afraid to rack up the homeowner’s utility bill. Perhaps the neighborhood is dead boring, or you underestimated how much English weather was going to bring you down.

If you’re a creative, it’s important to do you best to make the space your own. I often took pictures of a home’s original layout, then rearranged a bit to suit my writing needs. It’s not realistic or affordable to go out and buy what you need in a house sit every time you move around, so it’s important that you are the kind of person who can go with the flow. No soup pot? Improvise. No dryer? Find the romance in clotheslines.

As long as you’re ready to take things as they come, you’re in for a lifetime of adventure with untold dividends.

Heather Demetrios is an author, writing coach, and teacher for scribes. She lives in Durham, NC with her writer husband and very imaginative Devon Rex cat. Her novels include Little Universes, I’ll Meet You There, Bad Romance, as well as the Dark Caravan fantasy series. Her non-fiction includes Codename Badass: A Feminist Pop Biography. She is the editor of Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love. Find out more about Heather and her books at heatherdemetrios.com and visit her on Twitter: @HDemetrios and @page_count. Her newsletter, The Lotus & Pen, provides resources for the writing life.