The Pros and Cons of Full-Time House Sitting
House sitting full-time is such a fun way to travel.
But like anything in life, there’s pros and cons. As someone who has been house sitting for over a year and half, here are the benefits and downsides to pursuing this lifestyle full-time.
Pros
Saving money. I no longer pay rent or utilities, which saves me thousands of dollars.
Getting a whole house to stay in. My fiancé and I get to stay in so many different places from city apartments to large countryside houses. Unlike hotels or Airbnbs, people actually live in these houses so they come with everything we need.
Freedom to travel and stay in cool places. You can stay in places all over the world with house sitting and while you still have to pay for flights, your accommodation is free.
Spending time with animals. Travelling with a pet is hard and so is leaving one behind to travel (our cat now lives with my partner’s parents while we travel full-time). House sitting gives us that much needed animal fix while we’re living abroad, and all the cats and dogs we’ve looked after have a special places in our hearts.
Feeling more like a local. House sitting allows you to stay in a place for longer and feel less like a tourist. You’re staying in a house not necessarily in a touristy neighbourhood, and shopping in local grocery stores. You really get the feel of living in a place versus just visiting.
Cons
Living out of a suitcase. If I’m at a sit for a month or more, I’ll usually unpack (assuming the homeowner gives you closet space), but most of the time we keep our clothes in our suitcases.
Un-packing and re-packing all the time. This can become tiresome, having to pack your suitcase again every few weeks.
Not being able to buy much stuff. This can be both a pro and a con. I’ve learned to live much more minimalistic now (which also saves me money), but if I see a cute jacket or a nice houseplant, it’s often disappointing that I can’t just buy it, because I literally have nowhere to fit it in my suitcase.
Different house quirks. Each house we stay in is different. Sometimes the homeowners won’t have a coffee machine or a TV, the baking pans will be dirty, the Wifi will be slow, or they won’t have left you much space in the fridge, and these are all just quirks you have to adapt to and live with.
Lack of stability. Not having a permanent home means you always need to plan ahead with where you’re staying and you don’t ever have “your own bed” to come home to.
Sits don’t always line up perfectly, and for the times when they don’t I’ll book an Airbnb or a hotel for a couple of days or even a week. However, the cost of these stays is still so much cheaper than what I’d be spending on rent in Toronto every month.
Of course, house sitting comes with more responsibility than staying at a hotel or Airbnb. If you’re looking after a dog, you have to walk them 1 or 2 times a day (and dogs can’t always be left alone all day), or you might have a cat that needs medication at certain times. A lot of sits are also in more residential areas, not right in the city centre where you’d stay as a tourist. These restrictions won’t allow you to go out and sightsee all day everyday, therefore I wouldn’t necessarily recommend house sitting for a short vacation.
But if you’re able to take more time off, or work remotely, house sitting somewhere for 3-4 weeks or more is a great way to travel slow. You get the benefits of free accommodation and you also have plenty to time to experience the area.
If you’d like to know more about house sitting, feel free to contact me here or comment below.
Happy Travelling :)