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Imagine travelling the world, staying in beautiful homes, and caring for adorable pets, all while minimizing your environmental impact.
Sounds too good to be true?
Well, it’s not!
Housesitting is a fantastic way to explore new places sustainably, and a chance to embrace a lower-waste lifestyle while on the road. My partner, Alex, and I have been housesitting full-time for over a year, and we’ve discovered just how eco-friendly this way of travelling can be.
What makes Housesitting Sustainable? 4 ways:
1. Waste Reduction:
Minimize Single-Use Items: As a housesitter, you use the homeowner's kitchenware, linens, and cleaning supplies, cutting down on single-use plastics and packaging typically consumed in hotels or short-term rentals.
Sustainable Practices: With access to a full kitchen, you can prepare your own meals thus reducing reliance on takeout food that often comes with excessive plastic packaging.
Reduce food waste: Homeowners often leave perishable food in the fridge that would inevitably be thrown out once they return home. In these cases, homeowners may invite you to help yourself to whatever groceries are in the kitchen, thus reducing food waste and saving you money on your food bill!
2. Supporting Local Economies:
Local Shopping: Housesitters often shop locally for groceries and other necessities, and with reusables and a kitchen, they have the opportunity to avoid plastic bags while shopping. Housesitters can also explore smaller neighbourhoods and support small sustainable businesses. By shopping local, you support the local ecoconmy and reduce the environmental impact of transporting goods over long distances such as with Amazon purchases.
Sustainable Travel: Staying in nice, walkable residential areas can encourage sustainable travel options like walking, borrowing a bike, using rideshare in the area or using public transportation. This is a great swap in contrast to staying in far away cheap hotels and needing to rent a car to get to touristy places.
3. Promotes Eco-Friendly Habits:
Eco-Friendly Homes: Many homeowners may already practice eco-friendly habits, such as composting, recycling, and conserving water and energy, which you can adopt during your stay. With hotels, you cannot guarantee that they will have a recycling sorting system.
Plastic-Free Practices: With permission from your host and when going for a day trip, you could borrow tote bags, umbrellas, water bottles, coffee mugs and/or reusable containers so you can reduce the need to purchase and waste these items while you are out!
4. Community and Cultural Exchange:
Environmental Awareness: Housesitters and homeowners can exchange tips and ideas on sustainable living and environmental conservation, promoting broader awareness and adoption of eco-friendly practices.
Cultural Immersion: Engaging with local communities and cultures encourages respect for local environments and a deeper understanding of the importance of sustainable travel.
Are you interested in becoming a sustainable housesitter? Check out my previous blog post "How to become a housesitter in 2024" for the ultimate guide on how to start your profile and land your first housesit in 2024. Use it for short or long term travel around the globe. My partner and I use Trusted Housesitters and love it. You can use my code PFBC25, for 25% off your first year's membership! Your click also supports my work and I super appreciate it!
Housesitting is not only a budget-friendly way to travel but also a responsible and sustainable choice. By reducing waste, supporting local economies, and promoting eco-friendly habits, housesitting aligns perfectly with a zero waste and plastic-free lifestyle. Ready to give it a try? Let us know if you have any questions or need more tips on starting your housesitting journey!
(Note: Owners have given consent to showing property and pets for my photos.)
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