aka how to get all the pet cuddles and still travel

One of the things I was introduced to by my mum of all people (I know! Who knew mums knew things!) She was an OG boss with the housesitting game and took a trip around Australia going from housesit to housesit which I thought was pretty darn cool So, I’ve asked my mum to give me some tips on things to help with getting those housesitting gigs.

What is housesitting you ask?
Well! Let me tell you! Housesitting is, quite frankly, possibly the best way to travel on a budget, here’s why.
1. You’re looking after animals
2. In a dope-ass house (usually)
3. You get to sleep in a comfy, comfy, real bed (unlike those pieces of white bread they call mattresses in hostels
4. You can sometimes get paid the big dollary-doos

So how did I do it you may ask

– which you’re more than likely asking if you’re reading this.

Tip 1: Find someone who’s going away

(well duh, Lena, but HOW?)

This can be done 2 ways. a) a friend is like oh I’m going away for the long weekend! and you’re like ‘wait a minute!’

Offer to water their plants, check on their home every day or second day – and if they have a pet, even better!! ding ding ding!
Offer to keep their home nice and tidy – at no cost to them
Just be generally a good person and maybe your housemates are being super annoying so you can ask to crash there while you look after them.

b) finding someone on sites like TrustedHousesitters and (these ones exclusive to Australia) AussieHouseSitters.com.au, Pawshake, Rover (which is an app/website that you get paid(!!) to housesit & board dogs and cats, Facebook groups relevant to dogs/cats/birds/fish etc., Gumtree/Craigslist who is going away.

So, now that you’ve found that special someone (literally anyone that will let you watch their pets)

Tip 2: Write a snazzy email/message telling the owner how great and responsible you are

Here’s some tips to set yourself apart from the rest of those housesitting “experts”

Mention where you live – is it convenient to your house sitters place? If you’re travelling, mention why you’re visiting/wanting to visit that location
Mention how you can drive (if you can drive, of course, definitely do not lie about your ability to drive)
Mention why you’re responding to their ad, pick out something in particular they mentioned – coz you’re a suck up and they’ll love it
Mention how responsible/amazing/great you are generally – mention previous things like past jobs, if you have/had your own pet (and how much you loved it and looked after it), but like don’t lie
Mention specific things you can do/will be willing to do if you’re chosen – will you go the extra mile and water their plants? Will you give their doggie lots of love and cuddles? Will you administer eye drops? will you clean up the place after yourself before they come back? (hint: yes)
Instead of “’your dog’ will be in safe hands” Mention the dog/cat/fish by their name – owners love that stuff
Mention the dog/cat/fish as though they’re a person – mention that you’d like to engage in stimulating conversation, that you’ll gladly read bedtime stories to them and scratch them in that special spot behind their ears
Mention that you have a full license/car (if you actually do have a full license/car) in case of emergency, that you will allllwaays put the dog/cat/fish’s health and safety before your own (if you have a car, probably don’t lie about that)
If you’re under 25, leave out the age, let them guess/assume a lot of homeowners will go with older people because they assume we’ll trash their home and having raging keggers every night and lock their pet in a room – which we totally will, duh.
Send them all your responsible adult references

But I don’t have any references??

Have no fear! What about all those jobs you had in the past?? or the house you’re currently living in?

Get your landlord/agent to write you a nice reference on how clean and tidy you are, how responsible you are and how great you are at paying rent and all that jazz.
If you still live with your parents – ask them too. I mean, maybe ask them a couple of glasses into their 5pm wine after buttering them up first. and make sure you read the reference first in case they thought they would be really funny and add in something like ‘he/she’s been taking money from us since he/she came into this family! We keep asking him/her to move out but he/she won’t!’
Ask your previous/current bosses – maybe get them drunk first too, depending.
fake it til you make it? I mean, I definitely don’t condone this, but ask some friends to write references or put their phone number down if they can vouch for your responsible-ness if none of the above has worked out – but also perhaps that’s a sign in itself- hey, just sayin’ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Compile all your references into a PDF document so they’re easy to grab/attach to your emails to owners. Add the date, name & contact. If they had any pets, mention the pet’s name, breed and age.

“Omg the owner asked me to come and meet their pet!! I’m in!!”

Congratulations, hypothetical person!!

Ok this is a pretty good sign, they’ve probably picked you out of 2-3 others which means you’re close!

So this part is still just as important, when you go to meet the owner

Greet the pet like they’re the best pet you’ve ever met (hey that rhymes)
Look interested with e v e r y t h i n g they say, even when they start rambling about the time their dog/cat/fish got stuck in the doggie door and they needed 4 people to help him out, or the time the dog/cat/not-so-much-fish did a poo in the living room
Ask the owner questions on their usual habits/where they’re going away/seem interested in everything
Pat him/her lots if they’re nice enough to greet you
Keep saying how cute they are
Bring a notepad and pen so you look super professional (even if you don’t write anything down) everyone looks impressed when you do this
ASK QUESTIONS – here’s some basic questions if they haven’t covered this in previous emails

Pet Questions:

how often is the dog/cat/fish fed – wet or dry food?
how old is dog/cat/fish?
does the dog/cat/fish need to be given any medication?
Is the dog/cat/fish allowed to sleep in your room/on your bed?
How often do you walk the dog/how long?
Are there any dog parks nearby?
Are they allowed outside/inside during the day?
If there’s an emergency, are you able to be contacted?
Do you want updates of your dog/cat/fish while I housesit?
Is there enough food/litter for the entirety of my stay?

House Questions:

What night is bin night?
How do you work the oven/dishwasher/stove/tv/heater/door lock/safe behind the picture frame(ahem)?
Which bed do you prefer I sleep in/where should I sleep?

“Omg, I got the housesit!!”

Yay! You did it!!! (ahem, like, whatever that was easy.) Now I’d like my share of doggy pats for helping you secure this.

My phone ends up looking like I’m a crazy dog/cat/fish lady when I leave a housesit with 200 photos of their dog/cat/fish in 2.6 different poses and from different angles (I didn’t take one of him looking up at me on the couch!)

Go that extra mile

Lame: but I always try to imagine myself in their situation, coming home after a trip and being like UGHHH I’ll need to make my bed/take the bins out/clean the house/wash the dishes – which is the last thing they’ll want to do, so:

Tell them that you’ll strip the bed/change the sheets
Give them 0 worry zones
Water the plants
Make sure the pets have enough food and a clean litter
Vacuum & clean up/wash the dishes the day/night before you leave – I always try to leave as little trace that I’ve stayed there other than a happy puppy/kitty/fishy
Don’t ask for the Wifi until you’ve secured the housesit – I feel like it’s already a weird thing to ask anyone because people always seem so dubious when I do ask (because I’m going to use ALL of your internet to download illegal porn, clearly!) so don’t ask on the first meet up.

Congratulations!!! You did it!!
Now sit back with your cute little companion and… don’t f**k it up!

Your Real-Ass Guide to getting your First House Sit