The travel hack that saved me $15,000 in rent (I just had to play with cats instead)
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I’m gonna tell you how to travel the world without paying any rent, and all you have to do is play with cats and dogs. Oh no.
Story time: If you pay a cleaning fee on Airbnb, you shouldn’t have to clean when you leave, right? Isn’t that the point of the fee? Isn’t that how hotels work?
In 2022, I got a bad review from an Airbnb host near Montpellier, France for leaving the apartment “a bit dirty”, exact words. Despite the $60 cleaning fee I paid upfront.
I got pretty fed up at that point. It was just another in a very long line of bad experiences with Airbnb. It used to be great; the service just keeps getting worse and worse. (It’s also contributing to the housing crisis.)
So after that bad experience, I did research on Reddit for alternatives to Airbnb (r/digitalnomad is awesome), and someone mentioned TrustedHouseSitters.com. It was about $170 per year (per YEAR, not month), so I thought “fuck it, I’ll try it for a week. That’s less what I’d normally pay for a week on Airbnb”.
It’s 2025 and I’ve now done over 30 housesits all over the world. Paris, NYC, Seattle, London, Denver, Colorado Springs, Marseille, Lisbon, Tokyo.
I fucking love this service. It’s the most underrated travel app by a mile. I did the math; I’ve saved over $15,000 USD since I started using it.
Bear in mind: This assumes I would have paid ~$35-40/night, which is my usual budget for accommodation. In many cities, that gets you just a room in a shared Airbnb, or a hostel, or an okay hotel. Often, not in the center of town.
When you do a housesit, you get a whole home. I calculated average local prices for “entire home” Airbnbs in these cities; the cost would have actually been $46,000+.
I’m no longer putting money into the pockets of bad Airbnb hosts who have zero business being in the hospitality industry.
Instead, I’m getting incredible accommodations (for free), and I’m allowing other people to travel the world while giving them the peace of mind that their home and pets are safe.
Let me break that down:
1. you get to travel all over the world
2. you get to stay in a comfortable and spacious home
3. you get to hang out with cats and dogs
4. you pay basically nothing
5. you do a good thing by helping other people travel
Here’s all the strategies I use to get housesits, including the exact script and process I use to get accepted.
First: what is housesitting?
Housesitting services connect pet owners going out of town with travelers like me who are happy to watch their home and animals while they’re gone. There’s no money exchanged. You don’t pay the host. They don’t pay you. It’s basically a mutual favor. You watch their house + pets in exchange for accommodation. The host allows you to stay in exchange for knowing their house and their furry friends are cared for. Everyone wins.
TrustedHouseSitters is the one I use, and it seems to be the most popular one. You can use this link if you want 25% off your membership.
If you have pets yourself, and want someone to watch your pets for you while you travel, you can also sign up as a host.
There are other housesitting services like Nomador (which seems to be more geared towards French-speakers and francophone countries), and I’m going to try that one too.
Pros & Cons
Things I Love:
It makes travel so much cheaper
Homes are usually way nicer than budget Airbnbs
Animals make places feel more like a home, rather than a sterile & anonymous hotel or Airbnb.
You meet people in a genuine way — not as a customer
The housesitting community is incredible; so much goodwill and empathy and mutual support
kitty cats
puppy dogs
bunny rabbits
sometimes you get fresh eggs if the host has chickens
Things to Keep In Mind:
Housesitting is not like a hotel. With hotels, you can bounce whenever you want.
Pets come first — your plans revolve around them. If it’s just cats, you have more flexibility with your plans. If you’re watching dogs, you might need to bring them with you, or work around their schedules. Personally, I prioritize sits w/ cats, because they’re less maintenance overall.
Some sits are competitive — you won’t get all of them. I have 25+ five star reviews, and I still get declined sometimes.
Don’t treat this like free housing - If you don’t love animals and genuinely enjoy their presence and taking care of them, please don’t do this. It’s not for you.
You’re working around the host’s trip schedules. I travel full time, and I' have a lot of flexibility with my schedule, so this is not an issue for me. If you have less flexibility, this might take more coordination.
Gaps between sits: If you’re a full time traveler, or you want to take a longer trip, you might need to coordinate with multiple hosts. This means you might have awkward gaps between sits. I do this a lot, and sometimes I have gaps of like 2-5 days between sits. When that happens, I usually just use hostels or hotels. Still cheaper overall.
You do take on real responsibility — it’s not a free ride.
Some sits are just cats. Others? You’re walking a big anxious dog twice a day. Know what you’re getting into.
Is This for You?
This setup works best for people who genuinely enjoy animals, don’t mind quiet days at home, and can handle a bit of unpredictability. It’s probably not ideal if:
You want total freedom to come and go all day
You’re super rigid with your schedule
You aren’t confident around pets
You don’t genuinely love animals
But if you like low-cost travel, quiet mornings, and a purpose while you explore — this might be perfect.
How It Works + Strategies on How to Get Picked
First, make a profile: What Hosts Are Looking For
Spend some time filling out your profile with thorough details. Most hosts aren’t looking for perfection — they’re just hoping to find someone kind, thoughtful, and reliable. If you:
Show genuine care for animals + experience with different animals
Follow their listing instructions
Communicate regularly while they’re gone
Treat their home with respect
…you’re already ahead of the game.
Sometimes, they’ll choose someone with fewer reviews simply because the message felt more human.
This isn’t a job interview — but it kind of is. You’re asking someone to trust you with their home and their animals.
Be honest about who you are
Don’t oversell yourself — just be thorough and warm
Include photos with animals in your profile
Mention difficult pets you’ve cared for and what you learned
If it’s possible, offer to meet the host and pet beforehand (especially important for dogs)
How to Find Sits
Next, you need to find listings. It’s easy; just pick the dates you want to travel + where you want to go. If you don’t care where or when, that’s actually an option in the app.
Saved Searches = Your Secret Weapon: In particular if you go with TrustedHouseSitters, of the best features in the mobile app is Saved Searches. If you know you want to go somewhere (like Tangier), just set up a saved search for it. You'll get a notification every time a new sit gets posted with those criteria — location + dates + pet type. I usually message them right away, directly from my phone. I have saved searches active for about 10 different cities I want to travel to this year.
This is how you stay ahead in competitive cities, or just stay lazy and let the app do the work for you.
Use filters (type of pet, location, dates)
Save searches and turn on push notifications
Apply quickly — in-demand sits fill fast (Paris can be gone in 10 minutes)
What to Say When You Apply
Here’s the actual script I use when I apply for sits. I’ve used this basic format over and over. Just replace anything in {{BRACKETS}} with actual info from the listing. It’s important to read the listing thoroughly, in case there’s special requirements for a house or animal.
You may want to adjust this script slightly to fit your situation (for example, if you don’t work from home or you don’t have any reviews yet, or if you don’t have experience with a particular animal). Typically, I adjust the script to address any specific concerns the host has, or any special requirements an animal has (as long as I genuinely feel I can handle those requirements).
Script:
Hi {{host names}},
{{Pet Name(s)}} are adorable! I’ve done a bunch of sits with {{whatever type of animal: cats/dogs/etc}} (you can read more in my profile, and my recent reviews), and I work from home, so they’ll have company all day. I’ll be in {{city}} because {{reason}}.
I saw your note about {{insert any special instructions}} and I feel confident I can handle it.
{{Note: Here I may mention if I am already in their city, or if I already have travel arrangements booked. This makes a lot of hosts feel more comfortable picking me, as there’s less variability.}}
I’d love to talk more if you think I would be a good fit. If so, is there a good time for a quick video call?
Next Steps: Interview, Sit Confirmation
After you send in the application, you can generally expect a response within a few hours or days.
The host will let you know if they’d like to talk more, and at this point it’s best to hop on a video call (Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp). This is mostly touching base + discussing any details, and making sure everyone feels comfortable with eachother.
It’s best to go ahead & ask some questions. Here’s what I generally address:
Do the pets take any meds or have a special diet? (I only ask this if it’s not addressed in the listing)
Have you used the app before?
What’s your departure/return time?
Do you have veterinarian info in the “welcome guide”? (I also tell them I’ve never had to use a vet, but I like to be prepared. Hosts will appreciate that.)
The call usually lasts 5-15 minutes max.
Sometimes, hosts will want to wait a day or two before deciding, while they interview other candidates. Give them the time to do this. You’ll probably want to interview with other hosts in the meantime, in case you don’t get picked.
Sometimes, hosts are ready to confirm right then and there. Once the host is ready to confirm the sit, and you are, then the host will send a ‘Sit Confirmation Request’ in the app. You can then accept it, and it’s best to do it right away.
After Confirming The Sit
Once you confirm the sit, you should make your travel arrangements, if you haven’t already. Ask the host when you should arrive, and coordinate with them on arrival + getting access to the house (keys, etc). You should try to work around their schedule. Don’t make them work around yours, if possible.
Most of the time, you’ll be able to meet the host in person before they leave. However, there have been times when I’ve arrived after the host has left, and I’ve just grabbed keys from a lockbox or used a key code. Sometimes, I never meet the host in person at all.
Perhaps most important is making sure the host fills out the ‘Welcome Guide’, which is an in-app function. It’s basically all the details (wifi, meal + food information, misc house information) that you need. If the host hasn’t completed it yet, just ask them to send that over when they get a chance.
During The Sit
This is the easy part. Just follow the hosts instructions. Keep the animals healthy and happy.
It’s best to keep the host updated via text/calls occasionally. send them photos of the pets, keep them posted on how well they’re eating, and you can ask any questions you might have.
Most hosts just want a text every day or two, some want a text every day, others prefer less communication. Just be flexible; typically I ask the host how often they want updates. One time, a host (who had several cats, and wanted to totally disconnect) told me “I don’t want to even see those little bastards the next 3 weeks”.
Toward the end of the sit, just check in with the host to confirm their return details, and be sure to leave the house as clean as you found it, and return keys safely.
Usually I like to leave some chocolate or some wine and a little note to welcome them home.
When There's a Gap Between Sits
If you’re a full time traveler like me, or if you’re wanting to take a longer trip, you can sort of string together housesits. Sometimes, that means there’s a gap of a few days between housesits. When that happens, I just bounce into a hostel or cheap hotel. You can’t always plan it perfectly, and that’s okay.
Misc Tips
Getting Started: When you’re just getting started, you’re going to get declined a lot, because you don’t have any sit experience. You’ll want to just focus your efforts on getting accepted for housesits in your city. Just apply to as many as possible, be as flexible and accomodating as possible. Once you get 3-5 good sits done, then you’ll have more luck with sits in places you want to go to.
Final Thoughts
Again, I love housesitting. I want as many people to get doing it as possible. I think it’s a no-brainer personally. If you only ever do 1 week of housesitting per year, you earn back the membership fee.
Give it some thought.
The main goal of all my writing is to point others to ways to be more free. This is a great one.
Go be free. (And go play with some dogs)
