Thank you Ian.  

I appreciate your service and thanks to you I have visited many interesting places and cared for so many lovely pets and beautiful gardens.

Once COVID has died down,  I look forward to further adventures thru your website. 

Blessings,   Ann S

Anne's Housecarers Profile username WestCoastCanadian

Hi Anne, 

Thank you for your support and service since 12-Jan-17 and for sharing your experiences!

Ian, Housecarers

Grandma Joy calls house sitting a day ... after visiting 60 countries and 40 states / provinces of USA and Canada Housesitting

 

Hello Ian,

After all these years, sadly I will not be renewing my membership this year. 

 At 80 years young, widowed for 5 years, and with my own house and garden to maintain, I no longer have the stamina to look after other people's animals or keep their houses, gardens or pools to the standard which is desired.

After many years of housesitting with my husband, who was the 'fix-it' man, and being a farmer originally was able to turn his hand to anything that was required, now there is no longer the will, or in current times, the same opportunity, to travel.

We visited 60 countries and house-sat in many of them, as well as 40 states in USA and Canada, and every state in Australia. I have lifelong friends all over the world and many happy memories.

I spent months travelling on my own in France, both housesitting, and working on farms and in B and B's,  house-sat in Norway Sweden and Denmark, my specialty being to look after diabetic cats who needed insulin injections twice daily at the same time of day, which dictated meal times and social activities.

Also Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia, where blonde hair and blue eyes invited conversation and interest from locals.

I rounded up sheep in outback Western Australia wearing bright clothing, hot pink sneakers and carrying a matching hot pink umbrella, the sheep being so mesmerised - or, perhaps confused - against all expectations, went obediently into the holding pens.

 

There were snakes in the sofa we were sitting on! They escaped into the lounge room when we got up off the sofa, and in trying to escape outside, got trapped between the window glass and the glass sliding door...  Snakes eating the chicken eggs before we could collect them, or up in the rafters of the veranda. Some injured magpies required  hand feeding, and mice jumping out when the toaster was turned on. 

And of course many cats and dogs to be shampooed, walked, fed, and cuddled, and horses and cattle to be tended, to - many of whom (dogs and cats) turned up their noses in disdain when their owners returned, clearly indicating they'd rather stay with us.

I reorganised pantries and cupboards, packed up whole houses for owners moving interstate days after their return, picked fruit and vegetables and made jam and preserves, picked up thousands of macadamia nuts on the nut farm, and hundreds of avocados from the avocado farm, with trays and boxes kept in the bath for cool storage, made hundreds of beds, and washed countless floors.

The snake catching, mouse killing and spider eradication - as a city girl,  I left to others to deal with.

 

It's been wonderful Ian, and I thank you for all your hard work and organisation, making it possible for people to have such wonderful adventures. We have introduced so many people to Housecarers over the years.  Now I'm handing over to a new generation.

Thank you again,           Joy B  (Adelaide)

View Grandma_Joy housecarers profile 

Hi Joy,

Phew Joy, I am out of breath just reading of your energetic wandering and overcoming all the challenges along the way.

Thank you very much for your service and support over the years – since 29-Jun-03!

You were one of our early members.

 Also I love hearing your story and experiences – thank you so much for sharing. It all makes my efforts over the years worthwhile.

 All the best with your “retirement” from housesitting and I wish and pray for many more fruitful and filled years ahead for you.

Ian

23 Companies That Help You Travel The World For Free (And Might Pay You, Too)

 

 

Great resources for Travellers. And yes housesitting is one way of many to see the world for free.

See Forbes.com article below

 Forbes article on ways to see the world

Popular recent search results at www.housecarers.com

Here are some recent  popular search results at www.housecarers.com

Why not give them a try.

Dublin is a popular Housesit Location
. Demand for House Sitters is high

Find House Sitters available to housesit in Dublin Ireland.

Melbourne Night Shot

Melbourne is regularly ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world. It is famous for the arts, resteraunts and cafe culture. Melbourne homeowners love to travel and  are always looking for reliable Housesitters for their home and pets.

Find House sitters available for Melbourne

Long-Term House-and petsitting surrounded by the beauties of nature; Forest, Vinosady Bratislavsky Slovaki

Many house sitters prefer Long Term Housesits.  Many housesitters are global nomads who work remotely.  A long term housesit will justify the cost of air travel. Housecarers has been matching homeowners in exotic desirable locations such as Costa Rica, Hawaii, France, Italy, Slovakia, Mexico and more since October 2000.

Find long term housesits (longer than 3 months) in locations around the world


Housecarers has been prominent in matching Homeowners with Housesitters throughout Europe

Housesit Sunny Languedoc-Roussillon, South of France, secluded villa and 2 acre garden, easy animal care and house sitting, 6 Weeks May 2020

Browse current Housesits in Europe... Sort by location, Duration, start date


Find Housesits in Canada

Find Housesits in Sydney

A Christmas to remember: House Sitting in Boulder Colorado

House and cat sitting for strangers as a cheaper way to see the world? Yep. It’s a thing. A thing I heard about nearly two years ago. And a thing I’ve been doing on and off since December 2017.

I’ve sat on both the east and west coasts, and in the mid-west. But my most memorable stay was in Boulder, Colorado, over the recent Christmas–New Year break. This was a sit I got through housecarers.com. I applied for the sit in September 2018 after returning from a two-month house and cat sitting adventure that took me all over the United States. I’m from Brisbane, Australia, where it’s anywhere from 85 to 95ºF on Christmas Day, and I thought it’d be nice to spend the holidays in the snow for once.

 Snow. But not on Christmas Day.

After Skyping the couple, I heard back from them the next day. I’d got the sit. It’s always a pleasant surprise when an American family picks the Australian-based sitter. Someone who’s some 7,500 miles away. Not even in the same hemisphere. But I think being Australian is also what helps me get these sits.

Fast forward to 23 December 2018. I was leaving Seattle, where I’d sat for another lady, due to arrive at Denver International Airport at 10.50pm. I’d missed my flight by five minutes. The gate doors had just closed. This was the first—and hopefully the last—time this has happened to me. After re-booking my flight for 6am the following morning, I contacted the homeowners to tell them I’d missed my flight. I felt terrible and thought this would jeopardise the rest of my stay. They were great about it. They said it wasn’t an issue because they were leaving on Christmas morning. This still gave us some time to go through everything together on Christmas Eve. And they were certain everything would work out as it should. And it did. Eventually.

I made sure I was at Sea-Tac Airport well ahead of my departure time. I wasn’t going to miss my flight again. Some hours later, I made it to Denver. I collected my hire car. Drove to Boulder. And got some groceries to eat on Christmas Day (sweet potato cupcakes, and sweet potato and herb ravioli). Then I began the 15-minute drive up the mountain. It was pitch black and I was very nervous about reversing off the side. Nearly 40 minutes later and I made it. Way later than my original ETA. But I made it.

Nika, the couple’s rescue cat

 The couple were really lovely about the late arrival that night. I unpacked my things and they walked me through the ins-and-outs of their amazing, architecturally designed hilltop home. I was then introduced to their rescue kitty, Nika. Nika remains my favourite out of the 20 or so cats I’ve looked after. I’ve looked after purebred Persians, Siamese kittens, feral-and-rehomed cats, and many rescue cats, but Nika wins hands down. I was told she liked to play a ‘game’ where you’d open one door, and Nika would run through the room expecting you to open the other door for her to run back out. We’d do this three or four times each day. I think she’d have you play this game all day every day if she had it her way. The couple then prepared a vegetarian dinner—which, being vegetarian, I really appreciated—for the three of us before calling it a night.

Christmas lights—gingerbread style—near downtown Boulder

And the sit begins

I woke up the next morning—Christmas Day—to a Christmas card and small gift. It was totally unexpected. But I really appreciated it. I was spending Christmas Day by myself after all. Very far from home. Just me and Nika. In a massive house atop a mountain. So a small gesture like this made my day. There was no snow on Christmas Day, sadly, but at least it wasn’t the 95ºF I have come to expect. It did, however, end up snowing for the next few days. And again on New Year’s Eve. The snow on New Year’s Eve was so bad I was actually snowed in. Or I could have risked it, like I did a few days before, and gone out that night. My car became stuck halfway up the mountain before a kind stranger stopped to tow me for the next mile. But this wasn’t an experience I wanted to re-live. This meant it was Netflix for the next 24 hours. Just me and Nika again. I’d say we were best friends by now.

 

A frozen lake in Nederland, half an hour outside Boulder

Despite the couple’s amazing property, the sit was very light on duties. Their neighbours were responsible for ploughing the driveway. And the only real responsibilities were to feed and look after Nika. Play with Nika. Check the mail each day. Bring in any packages. And clean up after myself. I’d also send regular photo and video updates on how Nika was doing. For a property of this size, I was very fortunate to have so few tasks and so much free time.

A sunset over Boulder County

Throughout my 10-day stay, I saw some amazing things. Eldorado Canyon State Park, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Paint Mines Interpretive Park, Central City and a frozen lake in Nederland. I enjoyed stopping in at the stores in and along Pearl Street Mall. Eating delicious Thai food from Thai Avenue and Aloy Thai. Photographing some of the most beautiful Christmas lights displays I’ve seen. And stopping to appreciate the natural landscape before continuing my drive home each afternoon.

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer on my drive to Central City

 After the sit

On 4 January 2019, it was time to head off. My house and cat sit in Boulder had come to an end. It was time to say goodbye to Nika and travel to my next stop, Los Angeles. I left at around 3am and messaged the owners to let them know everything had been taken care of and wished them safe travels back to Boulder.

 

What’s for breakfast?

I received a nice thank you message a few days later. They were very happy with how Nika had been treated—they said it was like they had never left her. Previous cat sitters hadn’t given Nika their full attention and it was sad to hear the couple had returned to a miserable kitty. It was nice to know I had restored their faith in having a stranger house and cat sit for them. I was told I was welcome back anytime. And I’d happily return. So for those of you who’ve ever considered international house sitting, just give it a go! I got the first house sit I applied for back in October 2017. And I’ve done 12 sits since then. Not only do you get to stay in some amazing places, you form friendships with people you wouldn’t have met otherwise. I keep in regular contact with about half the people I’ve sat for, and I’ve been invited to house and cat sit again for many of them.

Instagram: @madolline

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/madollinegourley

Housecarers profile for Madolline

Housecarers.com Turns 18

Suggest an alternative Speech Bubble Text and we will repost with link to your Housecarers profile

We Launched the first World Wide House Sitting Membership Site in October 2000. After 18 years HouseCarers is even more passionate about promoting this opportunity that has Enriched lives worldwide. Thank you to all our Loyal Members... You are the best! 

To celebrate we are launching next Month, an exciting Referral Loyalty Program.

See how we have changed over the years on the Way Back Machine (internet archives) 

Continuing to Celebrate our 18th Birthday

Housecarers founder Ian White with granddaughter Ashleigh. Lilly does not look too interested, but obedient.

Thank you loyal members for your service to others. We are exited to be launching our Referral Rewards program next month. Thank you Basic Bananas for you help with this, and other "Keeping it Fresh" Ideas.

See how we have evolved over the years on the Way Back Machine Internet Archives 

Dr. Maureen's Global Escapades as a Housesitter.

Long time housecarers.com member Dr. Maureen Murphy spends 95 percent of her time staying in other people's houses. (See Maureen's house sitter profile)

Maureen has a mailbox in Texas, but is rarely there. She's an associate professor at the University of Maryland and she teaches online. Her one requirement wherever she goes is a reliable internet connection.

Maureen  has been featured in an interview by Mother Nature Network

Maureen House sitting at  Megan's Bay in St .Thomas in the Virgin Islands. (Photo: Maureen Murphy)

Maureen  started House Sitting in 2010 and, early on, most of her homes were in the Texas area. But then she began branching out...

I milked a cow in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef. I got soaking wet in Cape Tribulation. I saw the penguins on Phillips Island and took a helicopter tour above the Twelve Apostles. I watched the fireworks from a boat in the harbor near the opera house on New Years Eve in Sydney,  In New Zealand I have sat in hot pools in Rotarua, picked kiwis and heard bagpipes in Dunedin....

I milked a cow in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales

I travel to and from pet and house sits. My life is one big adventure.  I never stay anywhere too long. I’m not running from the law, I am not running from anything. I am running to. I am going to my next learning experience, to my next furry pet and the wonderful people of the world.

 Read more about Maureen's Adventures and Housesitting at Mother Nature Network

Aussie Retirees Traverse the Globe with Free accommodation by House Sitting

Perth based retirees Deb and Peter Holst have been globe trotting while paying nothing for their accommodation. They have been doing this for eight Years!

They figure that has saved them more  than $100,000 in accommodation costs.

They have done this  by offering their services as House Sitters.

The couple have had the opportunity to house-sit at some decidedly dream locations

They revealed they have done one hundred House Sit assignments in eight years.

Deb,  cuddling their fur-ball  in another exotic location.

Guatemala was another country that we never dreamed we would go to ... We thought it was a dangerous place. But when we got there it was just an amazing experience that we had," Deb said.

Read Full Story published at nine.com.au Travel 

Wendy http://bit.ly/AussieWendy

Shares her 17 year House Sitting Journey with housesits through www.Housecarers.com.

The best job in the world

I  go where I want, when I want, and for how long I want. I only have myself to please, and please myself I do!

For a 75-year-old mum, granny, former teacher, and widow, I am fit, happy, healthy and loving life. And I plan on living at least another 28 years doing this very same thing....

Read Full Story at Your Time Magazine

View Wendy's profile on Housecarers.com

Auckland couple live rent - and mortgage-free but don't own a house

Read Full Story and interview below

Auckland House Sitting Couple

How We Saved Over $5000 House Sitting

When you think of Dublin, a few things may come to mind, rainy days, a pint of Guinness and maybe even leprechauns. However, what if I told you Dublin makes me think of saving money? You would call me crazy right? Wrong!

We are Brittnay and Jayden, an Australian and New Zealand couple who are obsessed with the nomadic lifestyle. Our story starts in the snowy Australia Alps one Sunday afternoon. We found some seriously cheap ($300AUD) one-way flights to London we just could not pass up. Before we knew it we had brought the flights and were starting applying for our work visas.

Fast forward two years, we were having a blast in London, and with 25 odd trips away or so under our belts we were not ready to leave. However, like all good things, it was coming to an end, due to our visas running out.

One of our house mates suggested we move to Dublin. It was very similar to the UK, a visa was easy to obtain and best of all, they spoke English. Dublin it was! Unfortunately we were not aware that Dublin was one of the most expensive cities in Europe to live in. We were absolutely shocked at house prices. Looking online we could not find anywhere that was under $1450 for a room.

We had heard about house sitting through a friend and quickly decided this is how we would work around the expensive rental market in Dublin. We signed up to several house sitting websites and set up our profiles. After a few stressful days, we finally got a reply. An Australian couple wanted to have a chat over Skype. They needed house sitters for three weeks while they were on a family vacation in the South of France. The call went well and they confirmed they would like for us to housesit.

We arrived we were greeted by the Australian couple and chauffeured around the beautiful suburb of Dalkey where their house was situated. Little did we know this was one of the most affluent suburbs of Dublin and celebs like Bono and Enya would be our neighbors for the next few weeks.

One thing the couple forgot to mention until they were running out the door, was that they were actually looking after a tortoise for one of their friends. They had never looked after one before and advised us to ‘just google it’.

Our month in Dalkey with Roxy the elderly lab & the tortoise was flying by. Time was creeping up on us and once again we were going to be homeless. Back on to the house sitting websites, it was. Luckily there was a house sit ad advertised just up the road which was starting just a few days after our first was finishing. We applied quick smart and explained how we were just down the road and would love to catch up with them for a coffee and a chat.

We headed down to the local pub to meet up for a wine and a chat. We bonded instantly and her two little chihuahuas loved us! Success, we had a new home again! 

We arrived at the new house sit, and we were absolutely amazed at the house. The owner had told us that the house was featured in (and won) ‘Home Of The Year’ in Ireland the previous year. The home was a newly renovated, funky 70’s style home. Complete with huge walk-in wardrobe, hot pink interior and artwork hung all through the house. It was to date one of the coolest homes we have ever set foot in!

Fast forward another four months and we have completed four more house sits in Dublin and have managed to save just over $5000! Below we outline how we managed to save this amount.

We are obsessed with the idea of house sitting and the fantastic opportunities it gives both house sitters and house owners. Below we have shared out top tips on how to become a housesitter for anyone who is interested in starting out or just genuinely interested how this idea works.

How did we manage to save this much?

Primarily house sitting saved us around $1450 per month on rental costs, however, some other areas where we saved money were:

Food Costs: This was something we did not think about. Every house sit we have completed we have been told by the owners to consume anything in the house we please (especially any perishable foods).

Utility Bills: Over 6 months utility bills can add up, especially in Dublin. Living in a home where the utility bills are covered managed to save us around $85 per month, over 4 months this adds up to a massive $340!

Transport: In Dublin, the transportation system is slow, untrustworthy and expensive. House sitting has enabled us to live in areas of Dublin that are very close to town, which would otherwise be very far out of our price range. This was saving us both around $7 per day. One house sit we had we were even given a yellow mini! This was perfect, it allowed us to see far more of Dublin than we would have using the sub-par public transport system. Also with Jay having free parking at work, we were able to save on really expensive parking fees.

General Household Goods: You wouldn't expect it but buying household goods can also add up over the months. Not having to buy items such as washing detergent, toilet cleaner, shower cleaner, paper towel and floor cleaner ended up saving us around $30 per month!

How You Can Become a House Sitter

 

Sign Up For House Sitting Sites

 

The first thing that anyone looking at starting house sitting should do is sign up to house sitting websites. They are the best way to get your name out there and get noticed. We have listed our two favorite sites below. They are both websites that cost to sign up to, however, once you lock in your first house sit you have already got your money's worth.

Trusted House Sitters

House Carers
 

Getting Started

 

The hardest part is getting that all important first good review. The more good reviews you have the more likely someone is to hire you. If you don’t have any house sitting references you might need to get creative. Use Airbnb references, a character reference from boss or even a professional reference. Every little bit helps!
 

Get Accredited

 

For the most part, you will be looking after someone's pride and joy. Make sure you are up to date with your pet first aid. If something goes wrong while the owner is away they want to know that their little bundle of joy is in safe hands.
   

Police Checks

 

Police checks are the ultimate piece of mind for homeowners. If you have never obtained a police check before they are usually free and really easy to get your hands on - just get in touch with your local police or countries Justice Department.
  

Apply, Apply, Apply!

 

Get your name out there and apply for every house sit that you can! It is a very competitive market out there so make sure you don’t just count on one house sit you have applied for.
   

Don’t Be Picky

 

You need to be open to all types of different locations, pets, and homes. You are never going to find a house sit if you limit yourself to specific pets, locations or homes.

We both love house sitting & genuinely get excited about the idea. We have made some life long friends through this fantastic idea and can see ourselves continuing to travel and house sit our way around the world with help from House Carers. 

We document our travels on our website The Travelling House Sitters and Instagram @thetravellinghousesitters if you would like to see where we are and what we are up to. We are currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand!

View House Sitter Profile of Brittnay and Jayden, at housecarers.com -travelhousesit