Petsitting life is still rewarding us!
In May last year we started pet sitting. We didn't really know what it would be like, but we've now done about 35 sits and the diary is full for 2024.
The photo above is of Debs my partner beside the North Tyne in Northumberland. The house is magnificent, set in it's own grounds. The garden reaches all the way to the river and is a spectacular setting.
Pet Sitting is Perfect for us
The pet sitting lifestyle is perfect. It allows us to be inspired by the different environments, which in turn encourages creativity. We are in our element.
How much do we charge for this I hear you ask?. Well, we look after the pets in their owners houses, and live there whilst we do it. Therefore we do it for free!
Because we have passive income from property and affiliate marketing, we also rent our own house out while we are doing it. We live the Life of Riley knowing all our bills are paid.
We could charge for our 5 star service, but it would ruin the feeling of it, and turn it into a business transaction which we want to avoid.
It's all about Trust
The big lesson is in Trust building. To be able to do this, we must have the trust of the owners, who give us their houses and pets to look after, in exchange for free accommodation.
In affiliate marketing, trust is essential too. Build that trust, pay it forward and you can achieve great things. Once people trust you, you can do almost anything. You have to do this first before ever attempting to sell yourself or your service.
Dave
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Glad pet-sitting is still working for you.
Enjoy and look forward to the year.
Thanks for sharing,
Sami
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Good morning Dave,
Thank you for your interesting blog post, Dave, as that was something that I was thinking of doing several years ago. I actually set up a website for London housesitting, however, I live in the countryside, but I thought it would make a nice contrast! The plan was to work on my Internet marketing business while house sitting. A few other things cropped up, so it didn't develop.
It's interesting that you do the job for free, but also great that you have other income streams. What happens when you finish one job and go on to the next? I'm sure there must be a few times with gaps, so you need somewhere to live somewhere in between.
I wish you all the best.
Roy
I would recommend it Roy! That's exactly what it allows us to do.
Sometimes we end up with a few dates in between sits, but Travelodge is our best friend. 😂
Normally we can plan it so there's 50-60 miles between sits (Spanish ones excepted obviously).
We operate on Trusted House Sitters and they don't allow charging, but the host can offer a payment if they wish.
Next sit is in Spain next month 😎
Thank you for your reply, Dave, it's appreciated.
Even thinking about it now, it still sounds quite a good idea! It was probably about 14 years ago when I looked into carrying out the house sitting. I did carry out a few sits for an agent, but I also set up my own website. I was probably only half serious about the idea, it looks like you have gone all in, which is always best. I guess for me, getting married changed a few things as well!
I thought that maybe your reply regarding the Travelodge, Dave, but they offer good basic accommodation, which is great!
I assumed that the house sits were all in your local area, but it sounds like you travel abroad as well, which is absolutely fantastic!
I'm surprised that Trusted House Sitters doesn't allow you to charge; however, it sounds like the system works. If I were looking for a house sitter, I would be a bit dubious, as it looks like the house sitter is looking for a roof over the head! Just my thoughts, but if the system works, then I am wrong to think that.
Have you carried out any house sitting in Greece? My wife is from mainland Greece and has a house there; she is actually there right now. My house is on the Essex/Suffolk border, which we have thought about renting or even possibly selling and moving to Greece full-time. Although I also have an off-line business, here in the UK.
Thank you for the interesting conversation, Dave.
All the best.
Roy
Interesting you should mention about Trusted House Sitters, they actually insist you DON'T charge a fee under their T&C.
We have been sitting mostly in Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. We go to Spain as often as Schengen allows.
We haven't done any sits in Greece, but might do in future if anything suitable comes up. 😏
We'd like to move south in the UK a bit and would love to sit in the Cotswolds or The Marlow area in the Thames valley.
Dave
It never fails to amaze me how some things work, Dave! I mean that in a good way, but it sounds like the Trusted House Sitters Platform obviously works.
I guess that makes sense to stay more in your local area for obvious reasons, although it must be great fun going to Spain. I think we are allowed three months abroad in Europe or is it six months? I believe as I'm married to a Greek, it would potentially be much easier for me to stay in Greece, from what I understand.
I guess you never know where the enquiries are going to come from, so you could receive a booking from somewhere like Greece.
I've always thought the north of the country is very nice, Dave. However, I do appreciate that you do get a lot more rain, especially in areas like the Lake District, it's unbelievable. Where we live on the Essex/Suffolk border, it's definitely one of the drier areas of the country. There are also some extremely beautiful classic English villagers!
I hope that your dream of moving comes true.
Thank you for the interesting conversation; I appreciate it.
All the best to you.
Roy