Please check back often as we’ll update this page regularly with new housesitting / petsitting tips based on both our own experiences and those of other housesitters.
What to Pack
Determining how many clothes you need may depend on the duration of your sits and the destination, but in general, we recommend you:
- Pack light! Even if you’re pet sitting for multiple months across different seasons, only pack what you can fit into a travel case, including shoes and coats. While you will be traveling around a lot, you will find it easier to wash clothes frequently vs. lugging multiple cases around. And people won’t likely see you more than once, so nobody’;s judging your fashion sense (unless you are posting TikTok videos of course).
- Be willing to buy new clothes and donate old ones. If you get bored and feel like a change of clothes, buy yourself something new and donate your old shirt/blouse to a nearby charity shop. Traveling light frees you up from having to decide what to wear from a huge assortments (if you’re like us, you’ll likely wear the same three things anyway) and just makes the while travel experience easier. Sheepums wears the same thing every day!
Public Transport vs. Private Car
Deciding on how you will get to your sit is just one challenge. How you get around when you’re on your sit may depend upon the location of the home and availability of public transport. Rural sits typically require your own transport. Also, if you plan on doing pet sitting over a longer period, you’ll probably need to get access to a car, though this does depend on the country:
- UK Sitting. If you’re pet sitting in the UK, the public transport infrastructure is pretty good and you can certainly get around fairly easily without a car. But being without a car may exclude the more rural sit locations (which are also some of the nicest homes in my opinion). Some UK homeowners include the use of their car with the sit (just be sure you know if you are covered by the owner’s insurance and make sure you have a copy of the insurance certificate in the car).
- USA Sitting. If your pet sitting in the USA, you’ll almost certainly need a car unless you are in a city center. In which case, you have two options: Buy a car or rent one. Renting for long periods is typically prohibitively expensive, but can be remarkably affordable for a week or two. For a trip over a month, buying a car might be an economical option, but only if you can figure out the registration, tax and insurance in advance.
- Buying a car in USA if coming from another country. This isn’t as easy as you might think! Most states require a social security number to register a new vehicle. There are currently some states that do not, e.g. Maryland. But Maryland requires a physical inspection of a new car within a few days of purchase, so you’d need to buy your car in that state. For insurance, you’ll typically need a permanent address (at least as of the time you buy your vehicle) and be able to get your paperwork through the mail (which may require mail forwarding). Insurance rates will be based on the location of the vehicle, with may insurance rates dependent on where the vehicle is typically parked. International travellers may find it hard to get an insurance carrier willing to offer coverage.
- Public transport in USA. While the rail service in the USA is slow and limited, the airline network is extensive. It’s certainly possible to fly across the country fairly cheaply of you have flexibility and can book standby tickets. Alternatively, consider taking a Greyhound or similar bus service between cities. One-way car rental is another alternative. Around major urban centers, you’ll find Taxis, Lyft and Uber fairly easy to use to get around. And many cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco have reasonable mass transit systems.
Do you have tips of your own? Post your ideas in the comments and we’ll publish the best on this page.
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