Traveling pet sitting and house sitting is a fun and amazing way to discover and explore the world. I have been a pet sitter for around 6 years now, traveling the world taking care of dogs and cats most of the time as a member of TrustedHouseSitters. I have stayed in comfortable homes and amazing places in countries such as New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan just to name a few.

Althought I always say that being a pet sitter is not for everyone. If you are just looking for a free place to stay, this might not be the best option for you. Here are some of the responsibilities of being a pet sitter.

1. You must love pets!

2. A responsible pet sitter

People want to trust their home and pets to responsible people. Home owners don’t want someone throwing parties at they are home, drinking their booze or leaving the place dirty. They expect you to respect their home, belongings and leave the place as clean as you found it.

By responsible also I meant not leaving the door open by distraction as the dog might run away or don’t lose the dog on a walk! Don’t let the cat locked outside overnight or things like that.

I always tell my travel stories to friends and they always say, I love animals! I can do this! But then I warn them about the the responsibilities involved, it is a joy, but also involves lots of responsibilities. There are many other ways to travel house sitting without having any animals. This might be a better option for some people.

4. A respectful person

Another responsibility involved in pet and house sitting is taking care of someone’s home while they are on vacation. It involves respect to their property and belongings. Homeowners want to trust their property to someone mature who won’t be stealing their things, drinking their wine, throwing parties or inviting friends to stay over. It is all a matter of respect and trust.

4. Organized and reliable pet sitter

Organizing a trip to another country involves coordination with flights, train, bus rides or whatever ways for you to arrive at the destination on the date and time agreed. Organizing and communicating with the homeowner, being reliable to be able to arrive on time and the set date. It is always a good idea to arrive a day or a few days earlier just to be safe as you don’t want to take the risk of having a last minute problem as a cancelled flight or flight delay.

It is always a good idea to research flight prices and availabilities beforehand agreeing on the pet sitting and dates. Additionally, check for visa requirements and for how long are you allowed to stay in the country. If you are commiting to a few months pet sitting this is a good thing to know in advance.

Pet sitting is a great way to travel the world but some responsibilities are expected from watching the pets and people’s best friends! I highly recommend if you are a truly animal lover.

Photos of some of my pet sittings & house sitting around the world