World travel trick offers complimentary lodgings globally
House-sitting is an increasingly popular travel trend that offers a unique opportunity for both homeowners and travellers to connect and share experiences. In 2025, several platforms stand out as the best places to find legitimate house-sitting jobs, including TrustedHousesitters, MindMyHouse, and Rover.
TrustedHousesitters is highly regarded for its global listings and a one-time annual membership fee. Known for its trustworthy reputation, this platform is popular among digital nomads and travellers, making it an ideal choice for those looking to explore the world while saving on accommodation costs.
MindMyHouse, which has been operating since 2005, is a community-driven platform that fosters direct connections between homeowners and sitters worldwide. With an ad-free environment and very low annual fees, it's a budget-friendly option, especially for beginners in house-sitting.
Rover, while primarily a pet care platform, is also well-regarded for pet sitting and has an international reach with over 2 million users. This makes it a useful site for finding pet care and house-sitting opportunities, especially in the U.S.
These platforms prioritize legitimacy by verifying user profiles, reviews, and references, ensuring a reliable way to find genuine house-sitting jobs.
House-sitting offers numerous benefits for travellers. It provides a win-win situation for both homeowners and sitters, offering peace of mind for the former and a cozy place to stay without the hotel bill for the latter. Furthermore, house-sitting allows for budget flexibility, saving on lodging and enabling spending on other travel experiences.
When choosing a house-sitting opportunity, it's essential to do research on the area, read past reviews, and trust your gut about hosts. Some platforms require a membership fee, but one sitting job can often cover the cost. It's also important to remember that house-sitting doesn't eliminate travel hiccups, and having travel insurance can provide protection from booking to returning home.
House Sitters America focuses on U.S.-based house-sitting opportunities, while platforms like HouseCarers offer global listings. Building new connections is possible during a house-sitting trip through interactions with homeowners, neighbours, and fellow house-sitters.
House-sitting can offer authentic experiences by staying in local neighbourhoods instead of tourist zones. It allows travellers to explore the world affordably, slowly, and like a local. Caring for a pet or garden during house-sitting can even provide a built-in purpose for your trip.
Responsibility, communication, and a willingness to clean a litter box are essential qualities for a house-sitter. The trend of house-sitting is increasing as more travellers rethink their idea of a dream trip, favouring neighbourhood experiences over hotel lobbies and tourist traps.
House-sitting is suitable for various types of travellers, including solo travellers, couples, retirees, digital nomads, remote workers, and those on a gap year. Even Facebook groups can provide global house-sitting opportunities, but it's important to vet the listings carefully.
Respecting the space and treating the home like it's your own is crucial during a house-sitting assignment. TrustedHousesitters is a part of a global community, particularly ideal for pet lovers looking to travel internationally. It's essential to ask questions early about pet routines, house quirks, Wi-Fi strength, emergency contacts, and more to ensure a smooth house-sitting experience for both parties.
- House-sitters can save on lodging costs by using platforms like TrustedHousesitters, MindMyHouse, Rover, House Sitters America, HouseCarers, or even Facebook groups for global house-sitting opportunities.
- While house-sitting, travellers can live like locals in a neighbourhood instead of tourist zones, gaining an authentic travel experience.
- As a house-sitter, it's important to take responsibility, communicate effectively, and be willing to perform tasks such as caring for pets or gardens during the assignment.
- Insurance can provide protection during a house-sitting trip, helping to cover potential travel hiccups from booking to returning home.
