My wife and I have reached a point in our lives where we aren’t happy with the status quo in suburbia. We have dreams of traveling the world, but those two weeks off from work each year don’t allow for much slow travel. We long to go somewhere and linger for two weeks or more to absorb, and maybe even become part of the culture. Through a little effort on our own and a dollop of happenstance, we’ve reached a point with our careers where we can still do that before our son hits school age. The one thing holding us back is our dog. Thankfully TrustedHousesitters offers a solution for those of us with wanderlust. Whether you have pets or just love animals, TrustedHousesitters.com can help you live your travel dreams. Here's how.
1. Get pet sitting for free.
Vito, our Boston Terrier Pug mix, is as much a part of the family as my wife, my son, or myself. But, he’s holding us back. The bill for a month or more of boarding would probably cost more than the slow travel itself. And, I wouldn’t want to burden even my closest family members with our four-legged fur-child for that long. With TrustedHousesitters, though, we can execute our travel dreams.
My family and I recently spent a four-day weekend in Lexington for a family wedding. Kenneling our dog was our second highest expense for the weekend after lodging. Yes, we spent more on pet boarding services than we did on food! The cost skyrockets when more nights or pets are added. It’s a major deterrent from traveling, yet we can’t live without our family’s best friend.
The biggest advantage of booking with TrustedHousesitters is that, beyond annual membership, it’s free. In exchange for a free place to stay while you’re gone, a fellow animal lover and travel buff will watch your pets, plants, and home. Basically, it’s someone with a similar wayfaring spirit like your own staying in your house and cuddling up with your pooch or other animal friends at night.
2. Get free accommodations for your travels.
Not only can you score free pet sitting with TrustedHousesitters, but also you can get free travel digs while you watch someone else’s pets. Talk about going local and providing a true cultural immersion for your family! A quick search on TrustedHousesitters revealed a cottage in the Cotswolds, a vineyard in Switzerland, and a farm in New Zealand. Would I be willing to stay for free in exchange for a few walks a day and maybe some plant watering? You betcha!
3. Your pets will be comfy and happy while you're away.
As much as I say Vito is as equally a part of the family as the rest of us, he’s been a tad neglected since our son was born. If I’m being honest, he probably misses at least a walk or two a week. Most likely, a house sitter will follow your instructions to the T, and your pet will receive better care than when you’re home. Why? Because most house sitters are serial sitters. They don’t want to mess up their sweet TrustedHousesitters gig. They want positive feedback so they can continue to housesit. It’s how they travel the world. Besides, which do you think Vito would prefer…sitting in a kennel all day or relaxing at home where he's comfortable with someone who loves pets?
TrustedHousesitters isn't just for dog owners, either. When you sign up as a house sitter, you can choose which types of animals you feel comfortable watching: dogs, cats, reptiles, horses, birds, small pets, fish, poultry, and even farm animals!
4. Your house gets watched, too.
Another thing that prevents our family from embarking on a long trip is my wife’s garden. She has a green thumb and takes pride in growing most of the produce and herbs we consume. A house sitter will take care of her garden while she’s away (and they can even pillage a tomato or two if they like). With TrustedHousesitters, there’s someone in your house to water your plants and pick up your mail. Plus they can look out for home disasters that can occur, like leaking roofs or malfunctioning hot water tanks.
5. TrustedHousesitters enables you to travel without worry.
The scariest part about hiring a house sitter is trusting someone with the keys to your home. After all, they will be living amongst all of your valued possessions and, if you're a pet owner, caring for your beloved pets. With TrustedHousesitters, each house sitter’s identity has been verified. Additionally, many have gone through a criminal background check. Look for the Enhanced Level symbol next to their name to confirm their background check.
TrustedHousesitters is simple and easy to use, and it removes some of the biggest burdens and costs associated with travel. Go take a tour of their site and start living your travel dreams today!
Save These Housesitting Tips
Considering hiring TrustedHousesitters.com or signing up to be a house sitter yourself? Keep these housesitting tips for future reference. Simply save the image above to Pinterest. Go ahead and follow Travel Mamas on Pinterest while you’re at it!
Would you give TrustedHousesitters a try? Let us know in the comments below!
A Note from The Hungry Travel Daddy: This story is sponsored by TrustedHousesitters. Travel Mamas received compensation related to this post. All opinions are mine, as always.
Finally! a solution for our pets and homes while we are away. i love the idea, thanks for sharing.
Awesome idea. I love that the housesitters are also travel savvy folks so they know exactly what you need. I will have to look into this the next time we travel. Thanks for the info.
I think that’s a cool aspect of the service.
I am lucky to have grown kids who will come and sit the house while we are away. This is a nice service though, for those who don’t have someone to do it!
Maybe your grown kids can now travel with you.
Ok this sounds amazing. I have to save this to look at more later.
Awesome! Thanks for commenting!
Having a great animal sitter is so important when I travel. I don’t think of them as animals as much as I think of them as my children.
Same here!
I so need to look into this. We have two dogs and sometimes don’t travel because we have no one to watch them!
Check them our for sure!
Wow this sounds pretty awesome. We would love to go on a family vacation but never can because we have a house FULL of animals!
I sense a summer vacation in your future….
I really like the idea of this for your pets.
It is great to have insurance your pets are safe and well-cared for during your vacation.
Agreed! It’s a great worry to remove!
What a brilliant idea TrustedHousesitters seems to be a great solution to help when traveling for long periods of time! I will have to look into them when I travel long term again!
You should def consider them!
That is amazing! I have 4 pets in total and we always worry about where to leave them when we’re going on vacation. Although family usually saves us, it would be nice to try this out! It’s really awesome!
I’ve heard of way more than four pets being sat. Give them a try.
My parents travel a lot and it’s always a challenge to find house sitters for their cat. I’ll have to share about this service with them.
I think they’ll love it!
This sounds like both a great way to travel and a great way to make sure your home is taken care of while you are away. What a great service.
I’m looking to do it while we are traveling. What a way to go local?
I love the idea of being able to have someone come into your home and look after your pet, I’m sure Sally would feel better being at home as well.
Isn’t it brilliant?
This is a wonderful idea! We also worry about leaving our fur baby behind when we travel, and yes, kenneling IS expensive. I will check out Trusted Housesitters. It seems like a community of awesome pet lovers and travel buffs. Thanks for letting me know about them.
Try it out and let us know how it went!
This sounds like a great option. I don’t have any pets, but I will share this with friends and family.
Awesome! Thank you!
What a cool service! I would totally give this a try. I have almost 5 weeks I can take off, but we have a cat and it’s so expensive to pay someone to watch her.
I see a 5 week vacation in your future….
This is so awesome! We always stress about vacations because we are unsure of safe and great places to board our dog. This is actually the best idea ever.
We actually normally forget to board our dogs until the last minute. Then panic sets in.
This sounds like an awesome way to make sure pets are safe and comfortable. I am sure they will become very popular.
Thank you for your comment!
This is the best idea I’ve ever seen. In the past, we’ve actually stayed home instead of traveling because we couldn’t find anyone to watch our dog.
Try it out an let us know about your experience and your travels!
That is awesome! I love the idea of being able to leave my boys at home instead of having to board them. I am SO using this on our next trip!
By boys, you mean dogs, right?