I Have 2 Pets and Went on a 3-Week Trip — Here’s the Stress-Free Hack I Used

The excitement of booking a trip fades pretty quickly when I realize I’m going to have to find someone to watch my two beloved (but sometimes-a-handful) pets: Stanley, an 11-year-old shih tzu, and Pepper, a little-too-fat indoor/outdoor cat. Every parent, neighbor, and friend who has ever watched my pets has done an exceptional job, but the guilt I feel asking someone for a favor increases exponentially the longer the duration of my trip is.

So when my partner, Keith, and I decided to take an extended work and play trip to Mexico for almost three weeks (something I recognize as a privilege in a number of ways), we knew we wanted to pay a housesitter to stay with our clingy, affection-loving pets overnight. But as a former pet- and house-sitter myself, I know it can cost hundreds of dollars for a trip that long. While our pets are worth every penny, the looming specter of a huge pet-sitting bill made me consider an unconventional option: TrustedHousesitters.

TrustedHousesitters is a membership-based website that aims to match people looking for a pet-sitter with travelers looking for a free place to stay in exchange for pet- and house-sitting. Founded in the United Kingdom in 2010, TrustedHousesitters’ press kit reports that they currently have over 200,000 members in more than 140 countries over the world. They estimate that they’ve helped over 10 million nights of pet-sitting take place in the 12 years they’ve been operating. In order to use the service, you’ll have to sign up and purchase an annual membership and create a profile.

While you will have to purchase an annual membership to access the site’s many housesitters, that’s the extent of the costs (you can tip or leave a gift for your sitter if you choose, but it’s not expected). You don’t actually pay the people who are coming to your home to sit — and you can get unlimited sits for that year of your membership. 

There are three different membership plans you can choose from, and three different price points for each.

• Pet Parent: Have someone pet- and house-sit while you travel.
  • Basic: $149 per year
  • Standard: $229 per year
  • Premium: $299 per year
• Sitter: Pet- and house-sit for people, and stay for free.
  • Basic: $129 per year
  • Standard: $169 per year
  • Premium: $259 per year
• Combined: Pet- and house-sit for others, and hire pet- and house-sitters for yourself.
  • Basic: $209 per year
  • Standard: $309 per year
  • Premium: $399 per year

Because Keith and I needed a sitter but weren’t interested in becoming sitters ourselves, we chose the “Standard Pet Parent” plan, which costs $229 a year. This middle-of-the-road tier includes unlimited pet and home care from verified sitters at no extra cost, a home and contents plan, video calls with vets, dedicated member support, and the ability to see who saves your listing.

Other Pet Parent plan types available to choose from are the most affordable “Basic Pet Parent,” where you get access to unlimited pet and home care from verified sitters but none of the other extras. The “Premium Pet Parent” plan includes everything in the “Standard,” but also comes with two global airport lounge passes, a “premium” badge on your listing, and other extras.

I only paid $199 a year for the Standard Pet Parent plan because I signed up when there was a promotion going on, so it’s worth looking out for any upcoming deals. Whichever plan you end up choosing, you get unlimited pet and home care for your membership year. 

Only you can look at your financial situation and decide if it’s a fit, but for me and Keith, it was a no-brainer. Based on what I used to charge for sitting, using TrustedHousesitters for this three-week trip saved us at least $900. We’ve already got two more sits in the calendar, which we estimate would cost us about $750 if we were paying a “regular” house-sitter. All told, we expect to save over $1,600 in pet-sitting costs this year — so far. 

Disclaimer: Because we live in the United States, I haven’t had to deal with any potential issues around house-sitting internationally. If you’re planning to use this service to stay in another country, be sure to check in on local regulations and square away any visas before booking your tickets.

Everyone who sets up a TrustedSitters profile can complete five verifications to prove the information they’re providing is accurate, and to help people looking to hire a sitter feel more comfortable. The verifications are as follows:

• Email: You’ll get an email asking to confirm your email address.
• Phone number: You’ll get a text asking to confirm your phone number.
• ID document check: You’ll submit a photo of your ID, and checks will be run to make sure it’s valid, including “cross-checking databases to ensure that it has not been reported as lost, stolen or compromised,” per the TrustedHousesitters site.
• Background check: If you live in the U.S., you’ll also apply for a free background check.
• External references: Although optional, you can include references from people who can attest to your pet- or house-sitting experience.

I’m not going to say I didn’t have any concerns about letting a complete stranger stay in my home, because I absolutely did. I worried they wouldn’t actually take good care of the pets. I worried they might have parties or trash the place. I worried my pets would hate sharing their home with strangers. Honestly, I even worried that the whole website was a scam. 

There were a few things that allayed my fears before completing our first sit, though. The company offers a Home and Contents plan for Standard and Premium Pet Parent members who also have an existing home insurance policy, which promises to cover against “property damage, theft, and public liability if a sitter has an accident in your home, up to $1 million USD.” The required background check and being able to read reviews about sitters from members who have hired them before was also helpful. 

Ultimately, what made me feel the most comfortable was talking with the sitters who applied. Once you’ve narrowed down your applicants to a handful, you can set up phone calls to “meet” them on camera and chat. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable letting a stranger stay in my home with my fur babes without speaking with them first, and the first sitter I talked to (and ultimately hired) was so kind, patient, and caring.

Maybe I’m lucky that my first sit went so well and that we found a delightful person who did an amazing job. But I’ve got two more sits coming up, and have found wonderful-seeming folks. They haven’t completed their sits yet, but the fact that I’ve been able to chat with them and “meet” them virtually has made me feel comfortable.

I’ve had a lot of sitters compliment me on our home’s decor, and I think that, plus being located in New Orleans, is why we’ve seen so many applicants. I’m not sure how well this service works in smaller cities or towns, but I think the more you put into showing off how gorgeous/fun/relaxing your home is, the more of a chance someone will want to come stay. Here’s a guide I wrote to taking better photos of your home.

The welcome guide online is great for sitters to reference, but I made my own version with easy-to-search-through tabs and photos that explain certain aspects of the home. 

While Keith and I were able to meet with our first sitter before they began their sit, in the future there may be sitters who are flying in on the day of, so we might not be able to do a key exchange before the sit begins. But we have a keypad installed on our front door that sitters can use to get into the house with directions. 

Another thing that made me feel more comfortable with using this service was making sure I had a backup plan in case anything went wrong. I am lucky to have friends and neighbors I can trust, and in an emergency one of them could have swooped in and taken care of things.