How to travel the world for free as a pet sitter – 04/13/2024 – Balance

Traveling can be expensive. And rising inflation, combined with a global travel boom following the pandemic, has sent the cost of hotels and tickets soaring in recent years.

But rising prices have travelers looking for innovative ways to reduce their costs. It’s not about visiting alternative destinations, nor about staying at friends and relatives’ homes – trends that have been in fashion for over a decade.

What has been increasing are free accommodations in exchange for taking care of the house and pets – a type of exchange in which the visitor takes care of the house (with basic tasks, such as watering the plants and collecting the mail) and, typically, the pets of the owner of the house.

The idea is that it is a mutual benefit, both for people who need someone to take care of their home and animals, and for those looking for cheap accommodation in a certain location.

This is a growing trend. In the UK, the increase in 2023 was 55%, according to Angela Laws, head of public and community relations at pet sitting and housekeeping website TrustedHousesitters (THS). And, in the United States, the increase was an impressive 69%, according to her.

The idea makes sense. Airbnbs have become more expensive, despite current efforts to reduce prices. And hotels seem to continue charging additional fees.

On the other hand, many homeowners face difficulties in paying their bills without using their savings to travel.

Personally, I have been staying as a housekeeper and pet sitter for just over a year. And I can say that the additional chores (and dog walks) have been well worth it.

I’m far from the most flexible traveler in the world. I love a comfortable bed and luxury amenities when I can afford them.

Still, I’ve stayed at other people’s homes in various parts of the United States, walking their dogs or snuggling with their cats, to save travel costs—with satisfactory results.

Last year I took a weekend trip alone to a beach town in New Jersey. I walked the Asbury Park boardwalk, shopped, and even went on a date.

Last month, I took my daughter to Brooklyn, New York. There, we petted an elderly puppy and went to a comedy show in the Big Apple.

I hope to book my third trip this week, to the mountain town of Asheville, North Carolina — as long as the homeowners choose me after our video call.

But I still have bigger plans on my list. I hope to visit Hawaii in the next year or two and one day take my kids to Italy.

For me, using a site that offers this type of hosting is a solid financial win. With them, I can get out of town without cutting too deeply into my limited solo mom budget.

A trip is never completely free — you still need to get there, eat and have fun. But not having to pay a penny for a hotel or Airbnb is a huge help.

You can subscribe to many sites for a year, with varying prices.

MindMyHouse, for example, costs US$29 per year (about R$146), House Carers costs US$50 (about R$252) and THS costs US$129 per year (about R$650).

All sites charge annual fees from potential guests, but some of them are free for home owners. And the costs are low, considering you can book several trips a year for the approximate cost of one night in a cheap hotel.

THS also draws attention because, unlike other sites, home owners cannot charge a deposit or other fees.

Signing up simply includes filling out an application that showcases your experience caring for homes and pets and why you would be a great choice. Then, you can start searching for destinations that suit your availability.

So far, I’ve only looked for houses and animals that are within a few hours of where I live, so I don’t have to pay to travel by plane. And the majority of businesses are domestic (72%), according to Laws.

But many people travel to distant places to stay as caretakers and pet sitters.

Sharyn Nilsen is Australian and spends most of the year in Vietnam. She travels all the time with her husband, Tim, of 18 years. For her, taking care of homes and pets “adds to our adventures and keeps us on budget.”

The Nilsens have traveled to more than 140 countries and territories thanks to this unique hosting method.

“Last year we stayed in Mumbai, London, Paris, Brussels, Zurich, Lausanne, Oxford, Rye and Ho Chi Minh City,” she says. “I added it up the other day: in the last seven years, we’ve been gone 770 nights. And remember, two years don’t count because of Covid.”

This lifestyle works so well for the Nilsens that they no longer have their own property in Vietnam. They rent a fully furnished house when they return there to visit.

Taking care of homes, for Nilsen, “is so sustainable” that it simply makes sense to maintain this system.

The Nilsens now help others embark on the same journey with their website, aptly named Catch Our Travel Bug. The website is full of instructions on how to prepare a home carer profile that stands out from the rest, for example.

“I’ve helped countless beginners navigate this fascinating lifestyle,” says Sharyn Nilsen.

But she points out that taking care of homes and pets simply doesn’t mean taking a free vacation. The system brings real responsibilities, which vary from one location to another.

This could mean walking dogs, feeding chickens, or even caring for horses or reptiles. And tasks such as administering medications to pets are also part of many accommodations.

If travelers are not prepared for these responsibilities, she recommends that they do not travel this way.

And there are other possible disadvantages to caring for pets in general. Travelers who prefer long nights out on the town or days traveling from a home base may feel that the restrictions caused by pet obligations are not worth it.

Still, for Nilsen, there is no other way to travel.

It’s not a matter of taking one or more quick vacations. It’s a way of life that includes exploring and immersing yourself in the culture of the places you find yourself in – slow travel at its best.

Nilsen imagines that the couple will reach 160 countries, “maybe 170”, according to her, in the next five years.

Laws also believes that traveling this way is something special. For her, this method nurtures connections that “are unique and authentic” – and not just with animals, but with the people who share their spaces and their pets.

It’s not a small favor, but a two-way street. And when it comes to caring for homes and pets, it seems that trust breeds trust.

Read the original version of this report (in English) on the BBC Travel website.