Imagine moving to a new city and living rent-free for months… or visiting a dream destination and staying in a luxurious home with an equipped kitchen and furry pets to keep you company. Today more and more people are traveling as house sitters.
House-sitting has changed the way I travel and live my life.
Blogger and author of Break Free: The Ultimate Guide to House-Sitting, Dani Heinrich has been taking care of homes and pets for years. I had her back on the podcast to lay down detailed tips on how to land the best housesitting gigs.
Listen to this one if you have a location-independent business and want to authentically experience a destination and save money at the same time.
“This is how I established my love for New York City… Before when I was staying in hotels there, I didn’t connect with the city as I did when I house sat and I got to know the neighborhoods.” – Dani Heinrich
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Travel Topics:
- How Dani’s last visit on the show introduced V and I to the wonders of house-sitting [01:13]
- An Overview of “Break Free: The Ultimate Guide to Housesitting”, a book written by Dani and her co-author Jessica Ainlay aka The Globetrotter Girls [01:52]
- The secret to great house sitting is…. being personable [04:50]
- How to find secret neighborhoods, truly local food and cafes of New York City through housesitting [07:00]
- Two greatest advantages in landing a housesitting gig are great references and an ability to meet with the homeowners in person [09:52]
- Important Note: Not everyone is trusting of house sitters right off the bat [10:31]
- Why house sitting is an amazing way to move to a new city without paying rent for the first few months [13:45]
- Tips for first-time house sitters [14:20]
1. Show your trustworthiness, personality and transparentness
2. Bonus: Be an animal-lover!
3. Be honest with yourself about what you’re comfortable with
4. Include references from other experiences like Airbnb and house sitting for friends
5. Horse lovers, you are wanted! [16:35]
6. The most important strategy is to apply right away. Do so, by setting up daily alerts [20:30] - How to write the ideal application letter [21:29]
- What to do when house sitting experiences go wrong [24:14]
- Tips for getting great house sitting reviews: [30:20]
1. Clean before the owners return
2. Cook or bake something and leave it in the fridge for the owners return
3. Send plenty of pictures, texts and email updates to the host—Ask first!
5. Make friends with the neighbors…. it will get you more jobs! - You don’t have to be the perfect gypsy housewife to be a great house-sitter. Just be yourself! [34:11]
Dani Heinrich’s Talking Points:
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- Hear the early Love Affair Travel episode that inspired V and I to start housesitting
- Break Free: The Ultimate Guide to Housesitting by Dani Heinrich and Jessica Ainlay
- The Globetrotter Girls Blog by Dani
- Dani’s list to the best housesitting sites, including Mindmyhouse.com and Trustedhousesitters.com
- Use this link to get 20% off your TrustedHousesitters membership
- Connect with Dani:
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Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
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Dani tells us housesitting can open your eyes to hidden worlds wherever you may travel. By taking the trail less worn, what will you see?