Ballers on a Budget
ChatGPT says we’ve traveled about 25, 000 miles since we left home in January. In three months, here’s how it’s shaken out:
7 hotels
2 friends & family
5 AirBnB’s
1 Cruise
3 Trusted Housesits
We’ve been busy, and we’ve learned some valuable lessons when it comes to how to save money on lodging!
Before we left, I reserved our lodging for New Zealand and Australia, and if I could do it differently, I would have lined up housesits instead of AirBnB’s.
Trusted Housesitters is an organization that helps people find caregivers for their animals while the owners are out of town. Let me explain…
The pet owner creates a profile online, posts pictures of their home and the pet, and adds important caregiving information to their profile. Then, they post the dates they will be out of town.
2. Similarly, interested house-sitters (like ourselves) create a profile. We post pictures of our family and share a bit about us. We complete a background check and get verified as reputable people.
3. When the house-sitters are verified, they can begin looking at housesitting opportunities. This company is world-wide, so anywhere we want to travel, there is a house-sit waiting for us. We apply with a private message to the owner, and they review applications. A video call is typically arranged for a quick “meet and greet,” and when both parties have agreed, the house-sit is confirmed.
The best part of all…. there is no exchange of money!
The house-sitters can go on vacation for any duration of time knowing that their animal is being cared for in their home, while the house-sitter has access to a comfortable home without paying for a hotel.
The only expense from the house-sitter side of things is the roughly $250 annual fee, which is paid to Trusted Housesitters.
Utilizing this resource, we will have slept over 60 nights at a house-sit. For free.
This saves us over $13,000 in hotel expenses alone!
The thing I hate about AirBnB’s is that it’s kind of a crap-shoot when it comes to the kitchen amenities. Some homes barely have sufficient pots, pans, and kitchen utensils to cook for a family of four. In New Zealand, I bought a sheet pan and traveled with it all over the country so I at least had a pan I could roast vegetables on. With TrustedHousesitters, this isn’t an issue because you are staying in someone’s home. They have every kitchen tool you need, including things like aluminum foil, containers to store leftovers, and blankets to snuggle on the couch! You forget about how important things like storage containers and fuzzy blankets are until you don’t have them.
For the rest of my life, I’ll be looking at TrustedHousesitters for a place to stay while on vacation instead of using a hotel or AirBnB.
It doesn’t feel weird staying in someone else’s home. It feels like you’re caring for a friend’s house.
We have stayed in three housesits so far, and from experience, here are a few questions or considerations I’d take into account before applying:
Ask about flea and tick preventative. For us, not dealing with fleas and ticks is an important part of pet ownership. It keeps us healthy, and it keep the animal healthy. During the interview, it’s a good idea to ask IF their pet is on a preventative, and WHAT KIND. Our personal animals are always on the preventative that kills literally everything (fleas, ticks, eggs, and larvae), so it would be preferred that a pet we care for is on something similar. Not everyone shares your viewpoint, so ask before you commit.
Are you staying the night before the owners leave? Something we didn’t realize is that it’s customary to meet the owners ahead of time, and even potentially stay the night with them before they depart. At first, I was uncertain about how I would feel about this. I mean, these people are strangers! But, it’s actually totally fine. On two of our three housesits, we stayed the night with the owners the day before they left. This allowed us to learn about the house, appliances, and pets. In most housesits, we have stayed in guest rooms, so accommodating us has been no issue. And the owners are usually packing and finishing up last minute odds and ends, so it’s not like they are “hosting” us. They’re preparing for their own adventure. The night before, we’re breaking bread together, learning about each other, and making new friends before they depart. It’s actually really wonderful.
Are there dog walkers, or other people who help care for the animals? The owners realize that we are on vacation and we may want to sight-see as well. If we can’t bring the animals, are there other people who can help? For example, on our current housesit in Scotland, we are utilizing the family’s dog walker to come for an afternoon while we take a day-trip to Isle of Skye. While we were in Ireland, the neighbor watched our kids while Bert and I went to Dublin to see a comedy show in the evening. We’ve enjoyed taking the pets out and about with us, and when we can’t, we’ve utilized the dog’s caregiving community to help. It’s a great deal for everyone.
If you’re considering a big trip for yourself, and want to save a buck, this resource is outstanding and is highly recommended by us!
Here are the fur babies we have taken care of so far….
