As the end of the year draws near, it is time to start planning your dream vacation for 2023 and beyond. With a looming recession in the United States and sizable inflation around the world, you may be wondering if there is a way to have a comfortable and meaningful vacation without breaking the bank. Luckily, there is an app that makes it easy to travel with free accommodations.
Trusted Housesitters is an intuitive platform with a simple premise – you agree to watch over someone’s home and pets while they are on vacation in exchange for free accommodations. Whether you are looking for long-term travel or a quick getaway, this platform can help you keep travel costs low and stay in beautiful homes across the world doing it.
Author’s Anecdote
We personally began using Trusted Housesitters in the Summer of 2023, and within six months have spent five weeks in the heart of London, two weeks in a beautiful cottage outside of Manchester, 2 weeks in Cologne, and one week in a hip neighborhood in Berlin. The pets we have cared for have ranged widely from one old low-maintenance dog to 4 pets of varying ages. Using this platform has saved us thousands of dollars in accommodations during our trip and has given us the opportunity to have unique and local experiences in places we could not previously afford to stay!
Read on to learn more about how the platform works, how much it costs, and some tips to ensure you get the house sit of your dreams!
How it Works
Trusted Housesitters works on a membership model, so prospective sitters, as well as homeowners in search of a sitter, pay an annual fee in order to participate. After paying the fee and gaining membership, you create a profile to showcase yourself as the pet lover and travel enthusiast that you are. Your profile can be as in-depth and personal as you want; more on that in the tips section below!
After you create your profile, you are free to browse the site, set up alerts for dates and countries, and find the perfect house sit to apply for. The sits range in duration from a few days to months. The largest demand for house sitters is focused in the United States, Europe, and Australia. These sits are often in expensive destinations such as London, New York City, Switzerland, and France. The platform provides a great opportunity to explore places on a budget that you may have not been able to afford before!
Once you find a house sit that you love, it’s as easy as submitting an application with an optional personal message to the homeowner. If they believe that you are a good fit based on your profile and personal message, they will reach out to you. Sometimes owners will want to do a quick WhatsApp or Zoom call to chat through some questions they have, and other times they will book you for the sit right away. Once you are booked and accepted, you can begin planning your dream vacation around the free accommodation you have now scored!
How Much it Costs
Trusted Housesitters provides three tiers of membership for sitters, which break down as follows:
Basic Sitter ($129/year)
- Unlimited house sits worldwide
- Free Background Check
Standard Sitter ($169/year)
- Unlimited house sits worldwide
- Free Background Check
- Free video calls & online chat with vets when pet sitting
- Instant alerts for unlimited saved searches
- Dedicated member support
- Accident & third-party liability protection
Premium Sitter ($259/year)
- Unlimited house sits worldwide
- Free Background Check
- Free video calls & online chat with vets when pet sitting
- Instant alerts for unlimited saved searches
- Dedicated member support
- Accident & third-party liability protection
- Sit cancellation insurance
- 2 global airport lounge passes
- Premium badge on your profile
A discount of 25% off these tiers is possible using a discount link, which can be found HERE.
Tips for Getting the Most out of Trusted Housesitters
Tip 1: Add reviews from external sources and make your profile personal
Trusted Housesitters allows new sitters to have people not on the platform leave reviews on their profile. If you have ever sat for friends or family, have them leave you a review to help show that you are responsible and capable of caring for someone’s pets and home!
Additionally, spend time making your profile personal and in-depth. Add pictures of yourself with pets and put personal details about your passions in your profile. This helps to stick out amongst the crowd of other applicants and can help you secure a sit quicker.
Tip 2: Pay for the premium membership
$259 seems steep, but the added benefits of sit cancellation insurance and global airport lounge access make this package a steal. If you can secure just one house sit, the full year’s membership cost will most likely be paid for with the savings. If you are not able to pay for the premium sitter membership, it is recommended to at least get the standard sitter package, as this allows unlimited saved searches and alerts, which are crucial to being the first one to apply for a sit. Homeowners sometimes operate on a first-come, first-served basis so being the first application is a great way to score the sit you want!
Tip 3: Craft your personal message and offer to do a video call in your application
Getting your first sit can be a challenge because there will most likely be other applicants who have good reviews under their belt. To combat this, craft an impressive personal message for your applications in which you try to relate to something the homeowner said on their house sit page. This could be something related to the animals’ care, like your experience with giving an animal medicine, or possibly just your love for the dog breed or home decorations.
In addition to this personal element, offer to set up a WhatsApp or Zoom call right away so they can get to know you and feel comfortable before offering you the sit.
Ready to give Trusted Housesitters a go? You can sign up and begin looking for your dream sit today! Sits for 2023 are plentiful on the site – we already have 3 months of house sits booked in the United States, including amazing cities such as Austin, San Diego, and Seattle. Read more about the site here and when you are ready, use this link to save 25% on your membership!
Unsure of where you want to travel next year? Check out our list of the top 5 neighborhoods in the world right now, and as always, don’t forget to buy travel insurance!
