SAVE MONEY Traveling: Ultimate Guide To Housesitting

[@BrianandCarrie]

Interested in checking out all the great house-sitting opportunities? You can see them all here: trustedhousesitters.pxf.io/c/3563316/1555723/18144 Discount code in the description 😊

[@pathalty7054]

We are a retired couple from Florida and we have been house sitting for the last 6 years, originally in the USA and Canada and now we have been house sitting in Europe and UK for the last two years. We have been following your KZbin channel for the last 2 years and we were happy to see that you were doing a video on Housesitting. Being house sitters has made it possible for us to travel on a budget and we get to live in some amazing locations along with spending time with furry friends. Last year, we were able to get house sitting gigs in France, Germany, The Netherlands, England, Scotland and Wales for total 12 houses. For this coming year 2024, we already have house sitting lined up in France, Ireland, England and Wales, with plans to pick up more gigs in Spain and Portugal in September and October. We use several different house sitting websites, depending on location. Keep spreading the gospel on the value of house sitting!!!!!!

[@leapintothewild]

Such great feedback! If you don’t mind, would you share the other sites you like? I’ve heard of a few over the years but most folks just talk about Trusted Housesitters. Nice to have more than one option, esp in different parts of the world.

[@BrianandCarrie]

How wonderful to hear that! You really have it dialed in and are visiting such wonderful places. I love how house-sitting can make travel for both the sitter and owner more affordable. Cheers and happy continued travel and sits 😊

[@jerrygarcia4390]

Wow, that’s remarkable ❤👍🏾

[@BoninBrighton]

@@leapintothewildaussiehousesitters

[@bain1410]

Thank you both for all this great information, we have decided to join THS and try it out while we are travelling in Europe. Thanks for the discount code we have just used it. Loving your videos.

[@cookmaster3626]

Great Video on THS. I have been on this site (as a free member) for more than a year and at least once a week looking at opps in almost the entire world with emphasis on Europe. Haven't become a paid member yet, and may want to try the US house sits first may be near my hometown and get those last min requests to build a profile record. Now my hobby is to surf the flight deals to Europe and if one comes up jump on it at a week's notice. Almost all the hosts I came across there was not a single one that came as a pure home sit without any pets. In that regard this one you are in, you are lucky. There are plenty with just one cat (that's one pet I can handle and least maintenance), and home care like garden etc. that I can handle. Being the first timer and being retired, not sure if that would be a handicap to getting offers. I did come across a 70+ old couple in London that were doing it and so looks like there are opps for older folks. Some comments or points i like to make may be of use to you since you mentioned New Zealand, Australia as some options you are looking at. I watch a lot of customs / Border patrol videos on YT for entertainment (I promise I am not a drug or cigarette mule). Often times I have come across UK, NZ and Australian Customs ask people who come for travel, as to their stay arrangements and proof of stay. From what i have seen any work exchanges, or these types of barter like free stay for care, is considered as an intent to work and a denial of entry to the country. Their argument is that you stay free because you offer services to them free of cost and it is a earned benefit and thus work without authorization. You may want to explore this issue in depth since you mentioned TSH opps in NZ and Australia so you don't have to make a U turn at the port of entry. let us know what you find out on this debatable item. Thanks for the great info and details.

[@BrianandCarrie]

Thank you, CM. We looked into this, and you are correct! A work visa is required in NZ and a couple of others. Thank you again for pointing this out and adding to the channel!! Cheers!!🍻

[@esbiermann62]

I tried housesitting for about 5 months to cut costs and tried to stack sits but was very difficult and then had to fill in many dates in between with some kind of other lodging like airbnb which ended costing me quite a bit for short stays. Also seemed that many Americans all want the same dates like July 4th or Thanksgiving, Christmas and just not easy to stack and travel in one area or in one direction of travel. Europeans travel away for longer. Wish I didn’t have to fill in so much between sits or fly/drive around so much as it costs $ to try and connect the sits. But I did enjoy it!

[@kylakailuatravel]

The West coast seems more popular for trusted housesitters than East coast. Seattle and San Francisco, Southern California have TONS that can stack

[@BrianandCarrie]

It is challenging to stack short sits. That's why we prefer sticking to longer so we aren't moving to often and spending much to move between. Thanks for watching 😊

[@Paeoniarosa]

Thank you for this video, I had no idea such a thing existed.

[@cortneyturk]

Thanks, this was very helpful! I was wondering how to get started with no reviews - I didn’t realize you could send links for non-Trusted Housesitter reviews and AirBnB!

[@BrianandCarrie]

So happy you found it helpful 😊. Cheers!!

[@freetowandernow]

We also have been housesitting about two years now and most recently spent three weeks over Christmas in London! In addition, we go home to Toronto in the summer (eye wateringly expensive)and now have a wonderful, repeat housesit there which really helps us spend some time close to our son. We really like the variety in our life with spending the winter here in Mexico in our condo, airbnb's and hotels when travelling, our camper van in Ontario and housesitting where we find something that works for us!

[@BrianandCarrie]

Sounds like you've found such a wonderful balance. Cheers!!

[@clairek9398]

Look for punctuality in reviews! We've used THS 3 times and every time the sitter arrived just in the nick of time or late. We were trying to make flights and cruises so we had such a rushed exit. I always tried to get them to arrive 2 hours early to allow for traffic and running late but none ever arrived at the agreed upon time. Probably 30 minutes before we absolutely had to leave was the earliest any arrived and one arrived an hour after we had to leave. :/ Anyhow, if we use them again I would still try again to factor in lateness. It starts your vacation off with a high level of anxiety when you just hand your keys over and run!

[@pauladuncanadams1750]

I've had plenty of friends cat sit for a week and have only had this problem once. However, I personally knew all of these people. The one lesson that we gained from this one experience was to hand over our home a day early and stay in a hotel just to make sure that everyone and everything was OK. When we can we use a local airport but that doesn't always work out and we have to drive an hour or more for our flight. So now we just book a hotel near the airport the night before and arrive at the airport the next day fresh and with less stress. Don't tell someone exactly when you need to leave or they will show up at the last microsecond. If you are leaving that evening tell them you are leaving at noon. This makes for a better relationship and working environment.

[@clairek9398]

Good idea!@@pauladuncanadams1750

[@PaulVega-y9v]

Very good video today. Got me interested. As a heavy traveler, I like that I can link references to my airbnb reviews.

[@philwebster3914]

Great video thank you, we are considering this when we start full time travel next year. I have done house sits previously but it was 10 plus years ago, safe travels :)

[@BrianandCarrie]

Thank you for watching, Phil! Cheers!!🍻

[@TravelTheWorldHouseSitting]

Great video guy! We have been house sitting now for over nine years, two years full time and now we are settled down in Portugal where we do occasional sits for cheap vacations. And Yes, our go to site is Trusted House Sitters. So listen to these two and do your first sit!

[@BrianandCarrie]

Thank you for watching! House sitting is a great way to cut costs, thank you for confirming!! 😁

[@pattynelson5064]

This is a GAME CHANGER! This will make such a difference in the more expensive areas and even here in the US visiting family. So glad I found your channel. 🎉

[@BrianandCarrie]

We are glad that you found our channel too, Patty! 😊

[@kylakailuatravel]

So glad y’all made this video! I love THS. Went to Hawai’i 4 weeks & Alaska 5 weeks last year using the site. This year will be using it for New Zealand.

[@BrianandCarrie]

That's so great to hear! We look forward to using it in New Zealand as well. Cheers!!

[@stacie007]

Hey guys! That was really informative especially hitting on the points for me 1) solo 2) traveling with a pet. You may have convinced me to at least look into it. It is definitely costly for accommodations particularly when you don't have someone to split it with. Add to that the criteria for safety, allowing pets, location, etc...

[@BrianandCarrie]

So happy you found it helpful and we answered some of your questions. It's a great option to save money on accommodations. Cheers!!

[@retirementbudgettravel699]

Great video! The breakdown of expenses was eye opening! Thnx!

[@BrianandCarrie]

Thank you for watching! We are looking forward to doing more house sitting moving forward. Safe and happy travels! Cheers!!🍻

[@MirandaLow22]

Thanks for a great video, Brian and Carrie. My husband and I are headed to Chicago right now for a 16-day housesit. We also hired a house-sitter for our two dogs while we have been traveling for three months. It’s a lifesaver of a site and service! I’m glad it’s worked out well for you too.

[@BrianandCarrie]

We are excited to utilize it more overseas. It could be a real money saver for us. Thank you for watching and commenting!! Cheers!!🍻

[@Ed-jg3ud]

As always great video! Makes me want to consider using a pet sitter, but I have to say it’s not perfect for everyone… minimum cost to join pet sitters is $229/yr. In my area (Omaha) petsmart charges $30 with tax/fee $35/day for boarding a dog. That means u must use the Pet Sitter at least 7 days in a year to just break even on your expense, and you still are not accounting for essentially a stranger in your house- which many will view as a downside- but yes I agree it can be an upside as you pointed out all the benefits of having someone at your house while you’re gone; but from a pure cost and looking towards some ppl’s negative views toward it having to use at least 7-14 days each year to feel like you’re breaking even does change things. If u only need a pet sitter for

[@anitamendez116]

Great and useful information as usual. I am a Single Senior, Disabled Female Traveler. House sitting for me would be difficult unless it is a small apartment where someone just needs someone to be there for security reasons, take care of plants and receive mail. Thank you for the house sitting platform website information.

[@BrianandCarrie]

Might be more challenging to find, but you can use the filters to search to just see. Thanks so much for watching 😊

[@anitamendez116]

@@BrianandCarrie Always a pleasure to see your videos.

[@BrianandCarrie]

Thank you!! ❤

[@BoninBrighton]

Recently a new Homeowner listed their home/pet (a cat) and the home was set up for a disabled person.

[@Stopit77]

Love you guys and love this as an option for travel!

[@ElaineDavis-dh9qk]

We live in our RV full time and have two small dogs, does this service include RV’s?? We would like to go on a cruise with friends next year and I’m concerned about boarding my babies. Good information and love watching you guys every week

[@BrianandCarrie]

I've seen RVs listed before, so I'm thinking it must be an option.

[@BoninBrighton]

@@BrianandCarrieyes it’s allowed as are houseboats.

[@aimeebella1]

Thanks for doing this video! I was very curious about this once we decide to sell our house.

[@BrianandCarrie]

It's a great option to consider 😊

[@trashleywilliams]

Do you keep a car in the states to get to your house sits? Or do you still stay in transit friendly places

[@BrianandCarrie]

No, we sold everything. If we need a car we barrow my parents. Not convenient but it works for now.

[@cherokesky]

We've considered starting this... How long will your 25 percent code be available? Do you ever ask about in house "nanny cameras"? Being continuously " monitored " by home owner would be creepy. In Airbnb stays we've placed tape over sketchy looking camera lens looking objects. Safe travels Larry and Minnie....❤😮 🍺 🍻 🍺

[@BrianandCarrie]

It will be available for awhile. You can always message us on instagram and I can give a new one if updated😊. We haven't worried about cameras. At one stay they did have a pet camera and we just unplugged it.

[@Travelers4Good]

Undisclosed interior cameras are a THS policy violation.

[@Retiring2Portugal]

I had not thought about the cameras that might be inside. Good info to consider.

[@carriealavezos2872]

I just signed up for this yesterday beacuse of you guys. Thank you. If only I had waited one day. I know a little money is made with affiliate links, but this would have been a great sponsorship video. You said in one of your videos that you didnt want to do sponsoships, because you didnt want to waste your viewers time having them sit through them. However, your youtube channel is a business. If sponsorships come your way, and the product or service is good and aligns with your values, it seems it would be good business to negotiate a good price for your business, and it is a service to your viewers to hear about good products. If we dont like them we can fast forward. I only mention it because there is a significant amount of money to be made through sponsoring good products. We get your wisdom through your travel experience, your time and your videos for free.

[@BrianandCarrie]

Hi! We really appreciate your support. At this time, we really prefer to stick to affiliate marketing for items we use and trust and feel comfortable suggesting to others. Thankfully, those that use our link it does really help us out and helps us keep doing what were doing. Thanks so much for watching 😊

[@sunmand6136]

@Brian And Carrie -Hey what's in that back pack that you have on. Meaning, what exactly are you carrying when you are walking about. I was just curious why do you need such a big pack just to walk about?.

[@BrianandCarrie]

We have our camera gear and maybe extra clothing depending on whether. It is mainly used as a travel day personal bag for flights and it is plenty full on those days.

[@sunmand6136]

@@BrianandCarrie Thanks

[@GiselleLoayza]

Great video.! What do you do when you have gaps in between house sitting ?

[@BrianandCarrie]

We don't try to line them up back-to-back. If we can get sits while we are back in the US, we can stay with family in between. While on the road we only need a few weeks to make a big difference on our budget.

[@GiselleLoayza]

@@BrianandCarrie thank you, so when you're not in the USA and you have gaps, you stay at a hotel or Airbnb?

[@BrianandCarrie]

We will use hotels for a few days and use bookings. Com or Expedia for longer stays. We've done away with using Airbnb.

[@GiselleLoayza]

@@BrianandCarrie thank you so much! My boyfriend and I are becoming full time house sitters here pretty soon! And full time travelers , going through all the decluttering right now. Your declutter video was 🔥

[@fabio-go3976]

Interesting, never thought about this option. Thanks for food for thought!

[@BrianandCarrie]

It is a great option for those of us that are flexible with our time. Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻

[@dianegriffith3006]

Great thing to talk about! Thanks so much!!

[@BrianandCarrie]

Thanks so much for watching 😊

[@dianegriffith3006]

Have you ever been right in middle of a housesit gig and the homeowners need to come home earlier than the date planned. How did you handle this and what did you do to find another place to stay quite quickly? Thx

[@BrianandCarrie]

We have not been in that situation.

[@Marisa-f9j]

When applying for a specific location and time frame…..do you apply for a few to a few homes and see which one says yes, or do you apply, one at a time?

[@BrianandCarrie]

If we have multiple that look interesting, we would apply for a few. You never know which may not be a good fit, or where they may select a different housesitter.

[@Marisa-f9j]

Perfect. Thank you so much. Love your videos. Keep up the good work ❤

[@thurianknight]

This is really great info, and something that my wife and I had not considered before but it definitely is something we could do since we love pets and are responsible homeowners ourselves. Thanks for the video!

[@BrianandCarrie]

Glad it was helpful! It's a great option to save some money for both home owner and sitters. Cheers!!

[@manuvital9071]

In regards to saving: Question Do you have a home/condo base in the States when you return every 4-6 months for a few weeks? Which means one has to add US mortgage, HOA fees in one's budget. Love your videos! We housesat in Bay area for several months to be near a new grandbaby and loved it!

[@BrianandCarrie]

We do not. We sold everything to travel. When we return home, we house-sit or stay with family. Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻

[@robertmcfarlane4151]

More quality content. My remaining question about the website and service is whether there is an actual contract between the homeowner and house sitter. Especially regarding pet sitting. I could foresee the owner comes back and feels that their pet becomes ill or dies because of something you did or didn’t do. What is your protection? The lawyer in me is curious. The other option for homeowner can be rental of your house but likely longer term. Enjoy your house sitting and future travels.

[@BrianandCarrie]

Hi, Rober. The plan that we have has liability insurance but if we even need a lawyer you'll be the first to know! 😃

[@robertmcfarlane4151]

I have your back!!

[@BoninBrighton]

It’s not contractual it’s a matching service.

[@debmakela2862]

Thanks for this great informative video Brian and Carrie. As I prepare for full-time travel beginning in 2025, I have thought about housesitting. Now I am positive I will give it a try. 😀

[@BrianandCarrie]

It's absolutely worth trying. Just looking at the site and options available made us excited to give it a go!

[@smsmyth]

Thank you for sharing ! … new camera and or new audio microphones ?

[@BrianandCarrie]

We have new audio mics. We have known for a while that we need to step our game up with our sound. We will be releasing our first podcasts starting this week so knew we needed to improve the quality. Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻

[@livingworkingoutsidebox]

Very very helpful. 🤔👍

[@BrianandCarrie]

Glad it was helpful! Cheers!

[@patticulver]

I absolutely love all your videos, as your real and honest advice is invaluable! I have a dumb question though - do you actually earn money house sitting? Or do you sit in exchange for accommodation only? Thanks!

[@BrianandCarrie]

We don't get paid but save hundreds on other accommodations.

[@patticulver]

@@BrianandCarrie great! That’s what I was thinking!❤️

[@ShazWag]

Thanks for all the info and tips. It's something I've been thinking of doing. Did you really meet on a dating site?

[@BrianandCarrie]

We did not meet on a dating site 😆 We met at a beer garden in our home town.

[@Stopit77]

One question…when you are home in the U.S. what do you do if you can’t find an available house to sit near where you need to be during your specific dates? Like if you want to be near family and there are no house sits available near them? Thanks!

[@BrianandCarrie]

We will stay with friends and family if we can't find a place. We can usually find at least one place that will work.

[@jameshall2299]

Can you offer the name of the place you guys stayed at in Kuala Lumpur? I found the Airbnb link but can’t tell for sure which place it’s at. Thanks in advance. We booked another month in Danang next year and we will head to Kuala Lumpur after and then finish with 2 months in Thailand before flying to either fetiye turkey or Romania.

[@BrianandCarrie]

Yes, the building is called the Robertson Building. Great location! It sounds like you have a great trip planned!! Happy travels!! Cheers!!🍻

[@jameshall2299]

@@BrianandCarrie thanks!

[@arnobmondal2016]

Very useful for me because I like to travel with low money

[@BrianandCarrie]

So happy you found it helpful 😊

[@arnobmondal2016]

I just wandering that you may need a video editor to lift of the weight of the video editing from our shoulders @@BrianandCarrie

[@BrianandCarrie]

We are able to manage for now but thank you! We will keep you in mind.

[@arnobmondal2016]

"Thank you for considering me! It means a lot to me. Please feel free to reach out whenever you need video editing help-I'd love to collaborate in the future! 😊🎥"@@BrianandCarrie

[@admindesk2760]

Hello! So eager to get to your podcast and short of time so I'm going to ask a question without having first read all the other comments. So here's my question... 2 actually... from a professional standpoint, I know I'd get a lot of grief at the office if anyone found out I was house-sitting (sucks, I know and silly that it makes a difference what others think -- Sheila is always looking for new ammunition.) Is my name and face out there for the entire planet to know that I'm doing this? Feels weird to be asking. And lastly... cameras are EVERYWHERE. Do you two just go through your day as you wander the house that you are being observed or if the mic is activated, conversations are listened in on? Do you hope there aren't cameras in the bedroom and bathroom or do you ask up front? Screening the premises for radio signals is costly and probably extreme so it comes down to trust. I'll be very curious to see how house-sitting shakes things up for you both. Great presentation, BTW. 👏 Ciao.

[@BrianandCarrie]

I guess we don't understand why anyone would give you grief for house sitting? 🤔 As far as cameras or listing devices, it comes down to trust. Like you said, you could find those anywhere, Airbnb, hotels, etc. You can always ask upfront. Thank you for watching! Cheers!!🍻

[@outproud]

Hi Carrie! It's kind of a weird question, but by chance, is your mom a college professor?

[@BrianandCarrie]

Hi! Nope, she wasn't 😊

[@outproud]

LOL okay thanks. You just remind me of one of my college professors. She had such a huge impact on my life during that time. Anyway, I just found your channel and love the content. I will be retiring next year early at age 55. Looking forward to traveling the world.

[@swisstundra]

You mentioned something about homeowners that like to see car movement, as though someone is living there. That made me wonder if you drive when you're back home or not. Either way, what input do you have on carrying auto/driver insurance? I'd just as soon prefer to drop that expense, but see that it would be useful to have when visiting family or being back in the states in general.

[@BrianandCarrie]

Hi! We don't carry car insurance. The cars we use are the homeowners or relatives. The insurance they carry covers us when borrowing the car short term.

[@willnguyen4502]

Thank you so much for this video. Wife and I have learned and absorbed so much info from your experiences. We will definitely use your affiliate link when we pull the trigger. Thanks!

[@BrianandCarrie]

Thanks, you two so much for watching and supporting us! ❤

[@d.y.e3803]

A former coworker and her husband have done both housesitting and house swaps for about a couple of decades. When they do the swaps, a family comes to their home here and they go to the swap home somewhere overseas. Whatever agency they have used, I think they still use. By house swapping, both residences are being lived in while both parties are away on vacation. And by having a house sitter, at least one residence isn't sitting empty while away from home. It's great that one can link one's Airbnb reference stays on the house sitter application. I've been a big Airbnb'er for over a decade. Maybe one day I'll house sit, but without pets of any kind. LOL! Greetings from Los Angeles

[@BrianandCarrie]

House swapping is another great way people can travel and save on accommodations. Thanks so much for watching 😊

[@tuckerbryan]

Is house sitting a possibility with two young children (8-10)?

[@BrianandCarrie]

You would need to contact the host. Some do, and others may not.

[@mrsjuliemasse]

Very informative video. 😊

[@carolynknisely2383]

Can they watch you on video?

[@BrianandCarrie]

No

[@joethecomputerguy1]

Did I miss it? I didn't hear anything on how much it is paid. Is there a range they pay?

[@BrianandCarrie]

You missed it, Joe. All the information is in the video.

[@mauimixer6040]

Rarely

[@billrichardson2256]

👍

[@BoninBrighton]

We joined 2 mths ago and within a month had secured x8 confirmed sits x7 in the UK are local sits and x1 is in Australia near to where our son lives. Our first local sit is next weekend. We had x4 references plus a detailed profile and offered a video chat to all Homeowners in our personalised application and giving our WhatsApp phone number.

[@BrianandCarrie]

That is awesome!! We will be doing more international sits starting next year. For now, we have just been doing them in the Seattle area. It is so nice to hear that there are so many available in the UK!