This Vacation Budget Hack Might Change How You Travel Forever
My expertise with vacation and travel budget hacks comes from 7 years as a full-time solo traveler who has visited dozens of countries and provinces on 3 continents and all 50 United States.
From my extensive travel experiences, I have confirmed that the biggest expense on any vacation is not airfare, meals or attractions. The biggest expense is accommodations. It’s easy to spend more for a one-week hotel stay than the average person spends on their mortgage for an entire month.
I stumbled upon a travel budget hack that changes the accommodation part of the equation dramatically, and consequently changed the way I have traveled ever since. Using this budget hack I can vacation longer and spend more of my money on fabulous food, unforgettable attractions, and souvenir treasures because I keep my accommodation budget as low as possible. And the way I do that is by eliminating my accommodation expenses altogether because I am an International Petsitter.
Here’s how my International Petsitting travel budget hack has allowed me to be a full-time globetrotting world traveler…
I exchange petsitting services for accommodations in a place where I want to travel. Similar to a home exchange or AirBnB, I live in the home of the pet owners while they are away, but without any money changing hands. I fashion my vacation activities around the regular schedule of the pets so there is no disruption to the comfort of their daily routines.
It’s the best of all worlds because it stretches my travel budget like the waistband of my favorite vacation expando sweatpants. I get to vacation more often, stay longer, experience more, and live like a local. And better than all of that combined, I also get an unlimited supply of puppy love and kitty cuddles every day. I love petsitting so much, I can’t believe I ever vacationed (or traveled) any other way!
International Petsitting is about much more than just saving money on my travel budget. It’s a lifestyle of adventure, expansion, and fun beyond what I could imagined for myself. And now that I’ve been a full-time International Petsitter for 7 years, I can’t imagine living my life any other way.
I created this website to support fellow pet lovers and world travelers and provide the training, coaching, support, and resources necessary to make petsitting a profession and a sustainable lifestyle.
If you’re curious about how to get started doing Intenational Petsitting, you can get a free download preview of the upcoming book, “How to Be An International Petsitter.”
If you’re already a petsitter and you’re looking for petsitting gigs, you can click here to view the latest Petsitters Wanted gigs and job postings.
Comments
As a home/pet owner, I am a HUGE fan of pet sitting. My cats are always way happier with someone staying at the house than when someone drops in once or twice a day to check up on them. Never done pet sitting for someone else, but I could see it being a fun way to travel!
Yes! Cats (and dogs, and hamsters, and chickens, and rabbits, and rats… yes I have done “ratsitting”) are creatures of habit. So allowing them to stay in their own space with their own routine, is really quite stress free for them. I know people who do Pet Exchanges when they travel too… You stay in my house and take care of my pets while I stay in your house and take care of your pets. It’s a win-win for both the pets and the humans (and the houses)! Thanks for reading!
this sounds like such a fun way to travel & work at the same time… i saved the post because i’d love to check out pet-sitting when the world feels safe enough again.
YES – I know what you mean Shelley. It’s definitely on the early side for free-flowing global travel. Ever since the global pandemic-monium hit, I have been grateful for ALL the Carpe Diem travel adventures that my friends and family thought I was crazy for taking. How LUCKY am I to have done so much traveling so freely??? I’m hoping “traveling freely” will be the status quo again soon! Thanks for reading! Barbara
I’ve heard of people getting free accommodations around the world by house sitting, but wow I had no idea pet sitting could come into play as well! That sounds awesome! Unless….you have allergies haha. I’ll definitely have to keep that in mind when I do my RTW trip!
If you love pets, it’s more fun than I could spend the rest of my lifetime trying to describe! Thanks for reading and when you’re ready for the RTW trip, let me know. I’ll be glad to help you petsit your way around the planet! Barbara
It’s such a win win for the pet owner as well – we have a kitty and I often spend hundreds of dollars having a pet sitting come and stay with him when we travel. I really love this idea. 😀
It’s one of the reasons why I love it so much… everybody wins! It’s an elegant exchange. Thanks for reading!
I have always thought that this would be a fun way to travel! I need to look into this a bit more for future trips. I love finding ways to save money.
If you love animals, it is really more fun that you can even imagine because each animal has its own little personality so it’s like having hundreds of little fur friends all over the world! Thanks for reading! Barbara
This is the best deal all around! I end up spending more on our petsitters than I do my actual vacation half the time!
I know what you mean! I did petsitting for a couple in Russell, New Zealand who told me the care for their diabetic cat cost them more than their two round trip tickets to Europe! Thanks for reading!
Sounds like a great way to travel. As we have recently got our first dog, this might even be something for us to look into when we want to travel and need someone to look after him
CONGRATS on your new fur-kid! Very fun and very exciting! I LOVE petsitting in the UK… hint, hint… 🙂
This concept is a win-win. Pet owners need to know that their beloved pets are in good hands and not housed in an unfamiliar kennel with other animals. Pet sitters get to perform a much needed service and reduce their travel costs. I love the concept. Thank you for the post.
YES! I love it because it’s win-win-win for the pet parents, the petsitter AND the pets! Thanks for reading!