TrustedHousesitters Review From A Travel Blogger
Are you wondering whether or not to join TrustedHousesitters? If so, this is the article for you.
A few months ago, I was wondering how I could begin to travel around the United States on a budget. As someone who doesn’t own an RV and isn’t into camping, house sitting sounded like a sensible option. There’s a few house sitting sites available, but TrustedHousesitters has the most members, so I decided to purchase a membership.
After my first few sits, I’m very glad I joined the platform. Whether you’re a budget traveler like me or want to cut the cost of a family vacation, house sitting is definitely something to consider trying.
This article will cover which membership to choose, how to land your first house sit, and tips for finding the best house sits.
Here is everything you need to know before joining TrustedHousesitters.
What is TrustedHousesitters?
TrustedHousesitters is one of the largest house sitting websites with over 200,000+ active members around the world. There’s housesits available in over 100 countries, but the majority of housesits available are in North America and Europe.
To join TrustedHousesitters as a pet sitter or to find pet care, you’ll need to purchase a membership. The basic membership starts at $129/year, for unlimited pet sits around the world.
The standard and premium memberships are more expensive, but include perks like pet insurance, member support, and free veterinarian calls during sits. Additionally, the premium membership includes a cancellation plan, if your sit happens to be canceled last minute.
So, which plan should you buy?
If you’re sitting locally or in the US, I recommend the basic or standard plan. I purchased the basic plan, and it hasn’t affected me being able to land a house sit. If you want free vet calls, insurance, and member support, choose the Standard plan.
But, if you’re traveling internationally, you may want to opt for the Premium Plan. This plan includes a sit cancellation policy that will compensate you for the cost of an accommodation.
This can be helpful if you’ve bought flight tickets, and the pet owner cancels last minute but you still need somewhere to stay.
How To Land Your First House Sit
When you first join up for TrustedHousesitters, you’ll have to fill out your profile, with a bio, experience, and up to 3 references. Here’s a few easy steps you can take to land your first house sit:
1. Set up your profile
I recommend taking your time filling it out, and giving genuine answers so the pet parent can get a sense of who you are. For your profile picture, it’s best to use a photo of you and a pet, rather than a professional photo.
Since you just signed up for TrustedHousesitters, it’s very common to not have any pet-sitting experience. However, make sure to include examples of you pet-sitting for family members or friends. For the references, try to find 3 family members or friends that can write you a short description highlighting your experience. You only need one reference to apply for sits, but the more references the better.
After, go to the dashboard, and fill out the rest of the sections. There’s a verification section where you’ll need to submit an ID and background check. Once you complete the verification, it will show “awaiting approval” for up to 12 hours until it’s verified. You’ll know your profile’s verified once it shows the “profile is live” on the dashboard. If you’re having issues during the approval process, send a chat to customer service.
2. Apply for house sits
To land my first house sit with no experience, I applied for a local listing in my state. Generally, if you apply for a local house sit, you’ll have a much higher chance of being accepted.
After I got my first review, it was a million times easier getting approved for house sits in different states. I recommend doing your first house sit relatively local for this reason. It will help you familiarize yourself with the process, and hopefully give you a great review you can use for the rest of your house sits.
How To Use TrustedHousesitters As A Pet Sitter
The platform is very straightforward to use when looking for sits.
You’ll enter the place you’d like to visit, and can drag the map around to find the closest nearby house sits.
You can filter out the listings by length, type of pet, house type, accessibility, and if the pet owner allows you to use their car during the stay.
These filters are super helpful for narrowing it down, and finding sits you’re comfortable with.
Tips For Finding The Best House Sits
To find upcoming house sits, I always sort the listings by start date, as many people publish their listings months in advance.
When you go to a listing, there’s a short description, and a list of responsibilities for the house sit. These responsibilities vary widely, from pet owners wanting the sitter to cook for the dog, to watering plants, and administering medication.
Additionally, pet owners often include how long you can leave the pet alone in the house, which is important if you plan on exploring the area. Since I house sit to reduce the cost of my vacation, I always make sure I can leave the house for a few hours each day. Many pet owners are completely fine with this, while others prefer someone who keeps their pet company all day.
Lastly, always check the reviews on the listing before applying for a sit. The reviews are a great way of getting a sense of what the sit will be like, and I typically avoid listings with any bad reviews. That being said, many listings have no reviews, as it’s the pet owner’s first listing. In this case, you can message the owner if you have any questions before applying.
Can you make money on TrustedHousesitters?
No, TrustedHousesitters is used exclusively for house sitters that want a free place to stay, in exchange for their pet care. There’s no exchange of money between the pet owner and pet sitter on THS.
If you want to make money from pet sitting, you can join an app like Rover or Wag, which both pay pet sitters for their services.
TrustedHousesitters FAQs
Who is TrustedHousesitters for?
TrustedHousesitters is for pet sitters that want a free place to stay, and pet owners that want someone to watch their pet in their home when they travel. It gives pet sitters a free place to stay, often with free Wifi, in exchange for their pet care.
This is ideal for budget travelers, or anyone that wants to explore a new place, without paying for a hotel or Airbnb. I can only recommend this service for local house sits in the United States, as I have no experience using it internationally.
Is the TrustedHousesitters membership worth it?
The TrustedHousesitters basic membership has been worth it, based on my 3 sits, since I didn’t have to pay for a hotel. I’ve housesat for 3 families, and plan on continuing to pet sit to explore new cities, national parks, and places around the world.
Although I didn’t have as much flexibility to travel as if I were staying in a hotel, I was able to travel to places I wouldn’t have otherwise. Overall, house sitting can be a great way to cut the costs of your vacation, especially if you love animals.