How to Become a House-Sitter, and See the World!

Pete and I did a little math the other day.

Since we started house-sitting two years ago, we’ve lived rent-free for almost 500 days. At $60 a day, that means we’ve saved $30,000.

Thirty. Thousand. Dollars.

One more time…THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!!

(That’s a lot of pastizzi.)

And, it’s a super conservative estimate, considering some of the places that we’ve lived in (New York City, London, Ireland, and so on)! While we are house-sitting we also save a lot of money on other things like food, as we experiment with local cuisine in the comforts of well-stocked kitchens. All the while we get a unique travel experience like no other – we become ‘locals’ in a new part of the world and meet people we never would have otherwise.

It’s our favorite way to see the world, and for many more reasons than the large amount of money we save. Without it, so many of these experiences would not have been possible:

 

 

We are so excited to share our new eBook with you. We’ve taken all of our tips for house-sitting success and put them in one place; inside this book you will get over 50 pages jam-packed with information:

 

    ~ A thorough analysis of the big house-sitting websites to help you decide which to join

    ~ Tips on how to write a profile and application letter, with successful examples

    ~ Tips on how to be a good house-sitter

    ~ Quotes from experienced house-sitters and home-owners from around the world

    ~ Plenty of resources to help you plan for your house-sitting gig

    ~ And much, much more!

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Early reviews of “How to Become a House-Sitter”

 

“We are currently house-sitting in Taipei, Taiwan and thought we knew the do’s and don’ts of all things house-sitting until we read this eBook! We especially like the handy three page checklist to go through before you accept the house-sitting gig and on the first day. A fantastic read for newbies to house-sitting!”

~ Tanya and Andrew Davis, magictravelblog.com

 

“‘How to Become a House-Sitter’ will open your eyes to a whole new way of life! This book should be THE reference source for anyone considering living in another country. Dalene and Pete give every detail as to how to put your toes in the water to experience different parts of the world before jumping in all the way!”

~ Lynn C.  Venice, Florida

 

“Loving your new eBook and it’s answering so many of our questions! Thanks!”

~ Laura Klein, via @edgyjunecleaver

 

Get your copy now, for only $19.99!

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38 Comments... Read them below or add one of your own
  • Ali
    July 30 2012

    Awesome guys! I’m so glad you decided to write a book on this, I think so many people will love having this info. Andy and I would love to be able to do this someday!

    • July 31 2012

      It was an intense time getting it all down, but I’m glad we did. It is such a fantastic way to travel, I hope more people can do it (you two included!)

  • July 30 2012

    Congrats again for publishing this great compilation of experiences and tips about your journeys. It will be really helpful once we get started and kind of follow you guys’ steps.

    Finished reading it last night, awesome guys!

    • July 31 2012

      Thanks so much Joe – glad you liked it!

  • July 30 2012

    This is so awesome, super de duper congrats!!!!!!!

    • July 31 2012

      Thank you Andi! Feels pretty good to have it all done!

  • July 30 2012

    Congrats on the launch of your book, guys! As you know, we’re big fans of housesitting ourselves, and just signed up for another housesit, which makes me want to do the math as well and find out how much money housesitting has saved us so far 🙂
    Dani recently posted..What I Wonder When I Wonder: I Think A Podcast Saved My Life (plus a chance to win $300)

    • July 31 2012

      It’s amazing when you think of the grand total (I’m sure you guys must have a total close to ours!) I’m sure we’ve also been too conservative, but it is a big number nonetheless!

  • So excited for this!! Housesitting is one of the best things we’ve done during our travels, and we got started after reading your first Housesitting 101 post. It was a total game-changer for us, and we’ve had some great experiences we never would have had otherwise (like hanging out in rural France with baby lambs for a month).

    I’m glad you two wrote an eBook, since you’re total housesitting pros. 🙂

    • July 31 2012

      Thanks so much Christy! It’s nice to hear your testament to what a great experience it is…I hope more people get into it (as long as they don’t take the jobs we want – haha!)

  • July 30 2012

    Until we met you and Pete, we’d never considered house sitting. And it makes so much sense! I’ll definitely be purchasing your eBook soon. Can’t wait to read all your wonderful tips!

    Congratulations again on such an awesome new venture!

    • July 31 2012

      Thanks Jennifer! We’re so glad to have given you the idea. 🙂

  • July 31 2012

    Awesome work guys! You two are the masters when it comes to house sitting so the calibre of this book will come as no surprise. As you know, I’m a huge fan of the idea of house sitting so I look forward to having a read. Congrats!! 🙂
    Cherina recently posted..Travel and Adventure: How to be a More Adventurous Traveller

    • July 31 2012

      From the pictures of your first gig – I’d say that you’ve scored pretty big with house-sitting as well! So glad! 🙂

  • Alouise
    July 31 2012

    Congrats. You guys have become experts in housesitting, so it’s fantastic you’re sharing your knowledge with everyone else. Anything that allows people to travel better/further/for longer than they could have before is always good. You had me at “rent-free.”

    • July 31 2012

      I hope our book encourages people to give it a try – the “rent free” is definitely the best part, but there are so many other amazing reasons to do it! 🙂

  • July 31 2012

    Congratulations and thanks. You are the experts, no doubt about it.
    Vera Marie Badertscher recently posted..Hill Country of Tennessee

    • Pete
      August 1 2012

      Cheers Vera, I hope people find the book valuable 🙂

  • July 31 2012

    You kids have given great advice/tips/hints through your previous posts so I’m excited to hit those pages!
    Maria recently posted..When a Stranger Calls

  • July 31 2012

    Congrats on finally creating the book, I definitely need to read it.

    • Pete
      August 1 2012

      Thanks Ayngelina, it was a lot of work but I think the final product is going to be valuable to those interested in getting started in house-sitting.

  • August 1 2012

    YAY!!! Congratulations!! I hope it does fantastic! I may need to pick up a copy of this for when I get back traveling again!

  • August 2 2012

    Need a review? *cough*

    This looks great guys! 😀

  • August 3 2012

    Now that we’re about to close on a house next week (eeek! roots! oh, the horror!), will you come housesit at our place? 2,800 square feet in the heart of music country…c’mon. 😉

    • August 4 2012

      We’re there! I know how to two-step! 🙂

  • August 3 2012

    Congrats. It was less than 6 months ago when I remember meeting you in Istanbul and talking about how you would never write a book like this.

    Fantastic. Gives me a bit more boost to try to finish mine. Getting there.. slowly..

    • August 4 2012

      Thanks Andrew! We talked about it for so long, but we finally just decided to be committed and get it done, and voila! Good luck with yours!

  • Im considering trying this out, but hubby and I are expecting a baby and I heard that it is near impossible to find a house sitting gig if you have kids. Do you address this in your book?

    • August 4 2012

      We do address it. We know some families who have housesat while they travel, it can be a bit harder to find jobs, but it is definitely possible.

  • I think I’m going to have to get this book… I’m keen on housesitting from a different perspective – I’m nearly finished renovating my farmhouse in Eastern France, about 45 minutes from Geneva… should be ready for housesitters next year. You book will help me make it attractive for potential housesitters.

    Congratulations – I know how hard it is to buckle down and write a book so well done!

    • August 5 2012

      Farmhouse in eastern France? I think you won’t have a problem finding people. 🙂

      Thanks Leyla!

  • August 5 2012

    Hey wow, well done. Must have been a massive effort to write and get this published 😀 Congrats!
    Laurence recently posted..The terrible importance of Finding Your Voice

    • August 6 2012

      Thanks Laurence! It was a lot of days in pj’s behind the computer, that’s for sure…

  • Congrats! You guys have definitely figured out the best way to live around the world and how to make it happen.

  • August 12 2012

    Congrats on the launch of your guide! It’s something I’ve never done, but it’s such a neat way to travel, I’ll send travelers this way when they email questions! 🙂

  • We are starting our first house sitting assignment tomorrow. It will be for a week and the home is only 4 hours away from where we live.

    In January we have another assignment lined up. We will be going to Belize for several months to house sit a small remotely located resort.

    After many months of research our dream is finally coming true. We are super excited!

  • Jo
    July 30 2014

    Your ebook has been great. Just went to read again and cannot open it. Any suggestion?

    • July 31 2014

      Hi Jo, can you send me an email to info@hecktictravels.com and let me know the details plus which version of the book you have? Cheers, Dalene

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