Years ago as a child I was vaguely aware that we travelled with my parents on a few lovely holidays each Summer and we stayed in friends houses. Occasionally there was a cat to feed or a dog to walk, but mostly it was a garden that needed watering. Housesitting, it turns out, was a way my parents were able to take us around Europe on holiday. So before I even knew it collaboration was a modus operandi we used in our family. And you could say these early memories are how housesitting first inspired my travel idea for a business. And Housesitmatch.com became that business and a passion project.
Housesitting enables affordable travel
The reason my parents were caring for properties all those years ago, without actually calling it that, was that they arrived in Britain as immigrants with very little except two children. Very quickly they started a business but it took years for them to be able to afford to pay for their own holidays. So they connected with old friends in Europe who offered the ‘care for my home while I am away’ collaboration. It was housesitting in all but name. And it worked well. it meant that travel away from home could be affordable, and it created an active holiday for us all, children included.
Old ideas are the best
There is nothing new about housesitting, such collaborations have been going on for generations between friends, neighbours and relatives. The growth of the internal and its broad global use has enabled the viable commercial proposition that is affordable travel around the world by housesitting. I launched Housesitmatch as a safe way to connect with strangers around the world or simply within your own country to find suitable assignments. It is also a great help to pet owners who need someone to watch over their pets young and old.
Home and petowners secure peace of mind
By using a housesitting platform like Housesitmatch, especially built for the purpose registering new members securely with ID and security checking, you secure peace of mind. Knowing that we have done the due diligence to keep you and other members safe, no matter where you are in the world. Unlike other housesitting platforms we are also there to support you, when you set up your account and profile, and when you are managing your housesit. We can help you at every stage.
A reputation for safe housesitting
We launched as a business a few years ago with the goal of becoming the safest housesitting platform in the world. We insist on everyone going through the ID checking procedure online, whether a housesitter or a homeowners. Then we insist on housesitters either doing a current background and security check online via our website, or if they have a recent completed check sharing the details with us for our records. We display all these checks on the members profile for full transparency. To date this has meant we may have fewer housesitting opportunities, because not everyone is happy to undergo such checks, however, we can assure that our site is secure.
Our housesitters and homeowners become like friends. Over the last few years we have grown to know and love our membership. I personally try to meet up with people whenever I travel near where they are located.
Meet ups and Housesit Hangouts
Keeping connected is a valuable way to stay in touch and learn about our membership. I love meeting up with members all over the world, as I travel. It goes almost without saying that I also love housesitting myself. And so I get to meet the homeowners who have kindly allowed me into their home to care for their pets and property. I simply love learning about the each new locality from the local perspective.
Living like a local is a real benefit of housesitting
There is nothing I love more when travelling than being given an insider’s view to the best places to visit, foods to eat and local views for inspiration. Housesitting is perfect for an active holiday that allows you to find a new location, it doesn’t have to be far from home, and learn about it directly from the locals. If you are lucky, your hosts neighbours may invite you for dinner to taste a local delicacy.
To learn more about housesitting and how you can benefit from housesitting platforms like Housesitmatch take a look at this short video. It tells the story of one housesit that took place between a couple who owned a dog and cat, and a family.
If you’d like to try housesitting, or you need housesitters to care for your pets and property for any period of time within a year, register on Housesitmatch.com. We’d love to try and help you.
Happy housesitting!
Lamia Walker
