House Sitting & Pet Sitting: Live for Free While Others Travel

House sitting means looking after someone's home while the hosts are traveling: watering the plants, collecting the mail, keeping the place looking lived-in — and very often there's a pet in the mix who needs company too. In return, you stay completely free of charge, sometimes for weeks at a stretch, in places you'd never otherwise be able to afford as a holiday destination.

House sitting is one variation on the work exchange idea, but it's a bit different from standard pet care: with pet care, hosts are often still around, while with house sitting you're usually alone in the house — full responsibility, but also full freedom. When the focus is mainly on the animal rather than the property, people call it pet sitting instead; at its core, it's the same task.

Why House Sitting Is So Popular

The appeal comes down to a few things. First, real peace and quiet: the house is usually yours alone, which makes it ideal for a workation, a writing retreat, or just slowing down for a while. Second, the tasks are predictable — rarely more than an hour or two a day, so you still have plenty of time left to explore or get things done. And third, it's a genuine win-win built on trust: hosts get to travel relaxed knowing their home and animals are looked after, pets stay in familiar surroundings instead of being boarded somewhere strange, and you save on accommodation costs that would otherwise eat up a big chunk of any travel budget.

Two Examples: Just How Different a Sit Can Look

The city apartment with a cat: Mona is looking for someone to take care of her apartment in the middle of Vienna for two weeks over the summer. The job: feed her cat Balu twice a day, clean the litter box, and give him some cuddle time. The supermarket, cafés, and the subway are all just around the corner, so there's plenty of free time left for exploring the city or getting work done.

The country house with farm animals: the Berger family runs a small farm in Styria with two dogs, five chickens, and a vegetable garden. For three weeks, the job is to walk the dogs, feed the chickens, collect the eggs, and water the beds — about two to three hours a day. In exchange, you get the whole property, garden included, entirely to yourself.

Between those two extremes, you'll find every variation imaginable: townhouses with a budgie, mountain huts with no cell reception, villas with a pool. Sits can run anywhere from a few days to several months, and many helpers string a few together back-to-back to cover an entire summer or winter almost for free.

How a Typical Sit Works

The handover: ideally, you meet the hosts in person a day or two before they leave, get introduced to the animals and routines — feeding times, walks, which plants need watering — and receive keys or an access code plus important contacts, such as the vet, a neighbor, and an emergency number. If meeting in person isn't possible, a video call plus a written checklist works as a backup.

During the stay: stick to the routines you agreed on, send a short update now and then (a photo of the dog in the garden goes a long way), collect the mail, and give windows and plants extra attention during storms or heat waves.

The handback: tidy up before the hosts return, wash the sheets and towels, restock anything you used up, and leave a short note. A clean, honest handover is exactly what gets you invited back — house sitting runs on repeat trust more than almost anything else.

What You Should Bring

Reliability matters here even more than elsewhere: you're taking on responsibility for someone else's home, and often for an animal too. Experience with dogs, cats, or farm animals, a few references, and a complete profile with a photo will boost your chances enormously. Being a good communicator counts for a lot as well — a thorough, honest conversation beats a flawless résumé every time. For longer sits, it's worth doing a video call with everyone in the household beforehand. If this is your first time, take a look at our tips for your first stay as a helper before you apply.

Workation While House Sitting: Working Where Other People Vacation

House sitting and remote work go together unusually well: you get your own room and desk, and nobody's looking over your shoulder. Three things are worth sorting out in advance. Check the WiFi early — ask about it during your first contact with the hosts, and in rural areas, plan for mobile data as a backup too. Block off fixed times for animal care, say early morning and late afternoon, and keep the hours in between free on your calendar. And don't underestimate quiet as a productivity factor: no bunk beds, no reception desk, no noisy fellow travelers — many helpers find they get more done than they would at home.

A typical day might look like this: a 7am walk with the dog, an uninterrupted work block from 8am until midday, a short feeding break, then back to your laptop until the afternoon walk. For longer sits of two weeks or more, it's worth bringing this up openly with the hosts — some are even glad to have someone in the house during the day.

Questions Worth Clarifying Upfront

Before you agree to a sit, it's worth going through a short list of questions with the hosts. What animals are involved, and what are their routines for food, medication, and walks? What's the emergency plan — vet, neighbors, a contact number? Are visitors allowed? Is a car available to use? What's the internet connection like? And will the handover happen in person, or is there a key hidden somewhere?

Keep in mind that house sitting is an informal exchange, not an employment relationship — you can read more about that in our legal overview. House sitting listings live in their own category on the site, and if you're a host yourself, you can create your own listing in just a few minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions About House Sitting (FAQ)

What's the difference between house sitting and regular work exchange?

House sitting is a variation on work exchange: instead of pitching in with daily tasks alongside your hosts, you take on responsibility for a home, garden, or animals while the hosts are away. The "exchange" is built on reliability rather than hours worked.

Do I need experience with animals?

For sits that involve pets, you should feel confident handling them. For sits that are just about the house and plants, reliability on its own is enough.

What should I make sure to clarify beforehand?

Emergency contacts, the feeding schedule, house rules, and how often the hosts want updates.

How much money can I actually save with house sitting?

Accommodation costs nothing at all, and on a multi-week sit in an expensive city or holiday region, that can easily add up to several hundred euros saved. You'll still cover your own day-to-day costs, like food.

How do I land my first house sitting spot?

A complete profile with a photo is the single most important step. Send personal, individual applications instead of generic mass messages, and consider starting with a shorter sit close to home to build up references.