International housesits

This blog post is all about international housesits - how they work, what you need to think about before and after you apply to them and how widespread housesitting has become around the world.

Housesitting has become much more widespread in the last few years than ever before. People in far flung corners of the globe are now listing their homes as available for you to go and sit. This is great news for us housesitters, as the more widespread it becomes, the more sits are available. On Trusted Housesitters, the website we use to facilitate our housesitting lifestyle, there have been sits popping up in Central America, Asia and Africa more frequently in the last year than ever before.

Since starting to housesit full time 18 months ago, we’ve completed a few sits overseas. It’s so exciting when you see an exotic destination pop up on the website with available dates – somewhere warm and sunny, or somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. But before you press that button to apply, hold your horses! There are a lot more things to consider before agreeing to do an international housesit.

I’m just going to talk about a couple of tips I have on how to secure an international housesit:

As the sit is overseas, always offer to do a video call with the homeowner in your application message – it isn’t going to be viable for you to meet them in person prior to the sit but a video call allows the homeowner to get more of a sense of who you are and whether you’re the right person for the job.

In my book I discuss the calendar hack that we put in place for international sits. It puts the homeowner mind at rest, as well as our own. The calendar hack is something I often call “no mans land”, and it is a period of time between sits which we keep completely free. This can be anywhere from a day or two to a week, which allow us to travel to the destination and allows for any delays, cancellations or changes to travel plans on the way. When we arrive, if we are a day or two early, sometimes the homeowner will host us before they leave, or if the place is smaller or that doesn’t appeal, we may book an Airbnb for a few nights. This also allows us to adjust to any time differences and de-stress from the travel. I find that when I tell the homeowner about the “no mans land” that we always put in place for international housesits, it reassures them that we understand all of the many complexities that can come with overseas travel, and often lands us the sit.

Now, back to the things to consider before agreeing an international housesit. I’m going to talk about the “Big 5”. These are: Visas, Passports, Vaccinations, Schengen and Green travel.

Visas – Do you need a visa to travel to this country? If so, check out the cost and difficulty of obtaining one before you agree to the sit. On a side note – make sure you’re applying for a tourist visa as housesitting on an exchange basis is not usually considered “work”, but check this with the relevant embassy if you are unsure.

Passports – Do you have a passport? If not, consider the costs, process and time scale of getting one before the sit. Also a quick reminder that you need to check your passport validity before you travel as most countries will require you to have 6 months left on the passport in order to allow you entry into the country.

Vaccinations – Do you need any vaccinations to enter this country? Use the Gov.uk website to check this for each travel destination, and enquire with your doctors about how to book in for them. Certain vaccinations require more than one injection spaced weeks or months apart so advance planning on this front is crucial.

Schengen – Now that the UK has left the EU, Schengen is a consideration which we now have to consider when travelling for long periods within Europe. Go on the Government website or google a Schengen calculator for help with working out whether you need to leave the Schengen zone to reset your days.

Green Travel – Consider the environmental impact that travelling overseas will have. How much carbon will be released from the mode of transport you choose to get there? Will you have to fly? Or can you get there over land? Is it viable to travel there to housesit? Or are you simply applying because the location looks cool? If the sit is only a week long is it really green travel? Could you look for other sits nearby so that you extend your time in the location? These are all things to consider before booking international sits.

There are many other things to consider in regards to international housesits, which I go into in depth in my book in the chapter “Common Issues while Housesitting”.

You need to think about any language barriers you may run in to, and whether this will make you feel isolated or lonely.

Considering the customs that are in place in the country you are travelling to is also very important – for example, should you cover up whilst out and about? If so, is that something you will adhere to? If not, perhaps you should reconsider whether it is appropriate for you to travel there.

Researching the health care in the country you intend to travel to is very important. That way you will be prepared should you run into any issues and need to see a doctor or a dentist.

Do a quick quote for travel insurance which covers the housesit, and make sure it is affordable and covers everything you need for medical issues whilst there.

Think about how you will get your post whilst you are away. Can you get it redirected to a friend or family member and ask them to open anything and send you pictures? Can you send it to a PO box?

What will be your backup plan if the sit is cancelled close to the start date and you already have your flight/train/ferry or other transport booked and paid for? You should look at international housesits as an investment, not a right. You get to explore places overseas in exchange for looking after someone’s home and pets. The travel costs to get you there are your own expense. We try to book flexible or fully refundable tickets where possible, and we only book travel a maximum of a few months before a sit. Whilst this may be more expensive it covers us if we have any problems or if the sit is cancelled or dates changed.

I hope this post has helped you think more about taking your housesitting journeys overseas - once you’ve fully contemplated all of the above and jumped onboard the international housesit bandwagon all that’s left to do is apply!