Everybody LOVES “The Holiday” movie, where the two women trade houses for Christmas.  I wanted to know if that kind of a website actually existed, so launched into research mode on it.  And it does!  But do we really want to do that? Not everyone is comfortable with having strangers be in their private home when they are away.  For me, I would have to do a lot of cleaning.  And before that, I would have to put all the bits and parts of various hobbies away, before you could find the dust. And I would have to invest in some lockable cabinets to put private papers and stuff away. Sounded like an awful lot of work.

I thought it would be great if there was an alternative, which led me to research house sitting.  I found there are a number of online services for that too!  That sounded exciting to me, to be able to stay in someone’s home, in a different country or a different area, and be submersed into a culture, like a local. Also there was the chance of a longer stay.  Since I live in Canada, an area with 4 distinct seasons (or 2, if you consider the seasons to be winter and construction), I was looking for an alternative to having to put up with winter.

Unfortunately I was tied down to employment, having to work at an office in person on a regular basis, and so was my husband.  But I was able to start planning ahead for it….  way ahead!  I did a few house sits for people I knew, with the condition that at some point in future, I was going to want them to give me a reference.  That was an acceptable condition for everyone. 

When we decided to give notice to leave our jobs, I was scoping out the possible places that came up for sitters, and I saw the PERFECT listing – 6 weeks in Kauai!!!  That did it!  I was applying on the spot (even though I knew I was too late to be able to request that dream Kauai sit!) 

The application process took a bit of time and effort, including getting all those references, verifying my identity, etc.   But just the thought of all the opportunities that might come up was worth it!

Here is the deal – with the site we picked, we paid an annual subscription (as a sitter or as a pet parent), and then could apply for as many sits as we wanted.  We have to pay to get there, but once we arrive, the accommodations are free for the length of the stay.  What a great alternative way to see parts of the world!

By the way, we didn't apply for any sits that look like the photo above.  You choose the sit you want to apply for based on the photos of the home and pet(s) and area, as well as what the home owner has written about what they are looking for.

For me, I wanted a pet sit with a kitty.  That is my happy place!  But - for places like Kauai I would be perfectly willing to take care of a dog as well. 

Things I learned to avoid - pet parents who have 9 cats.  Pet parents who have multiple pets that all have to be segregated because they don't get along.  Pet parents who just want a single female sitter.  Pet parents who tell you their very large dog doesn't get along with anyone else's dog but needs to be walked 3 times a day for an hour each time and needs strong control on the leash.  Pets which need medication injections.  Pet parents that warn that their dog barks for an hour straight at 5am every day, and whenever he sees a stranger (because really, it's me - I'm a stranger.)