For pet-lovers, nothing beats an evening spent playing with a pooch or a kitten, and couples such as Caroline and Konrad have found a way to save on their travel costs at the same time: through pet sitting.Over a period of three years, Caroline Jennissen and her partner Konrad have saved more than £20,000 on accommodation costs, befriending more cats than they can count, as well as chickens, fish and dogs in the process. Caroline, co-founder of housesittersguide.com, and Konrad, who is Australian-Polish, are full-time house and pet sitters. The pair have taken part in 20 sits across 12 countries.Caroline, who is from Germany, told the Daily Mail: ‘We have about £21,000 saved on accommodation over three years, for £350 in fees the whole time.’I use €50 to €100 a night, which is roughly £43 to £85, because that’s about what a decent hotel or apartment costs in most of Europe. So a two-week sit is €700 to €1,400 in accommodation you never pay for. ‘Over three years and 20 sits we’ve saved about $26,500, or €24,000, which is roughly £20,000, and that’s accommodation only. Konrad and Caroline pet sitting in Luxembourg on one of their adventures’It doesn’t even include the six month sit we’re on in Portugal now. At €2,000 a month, about £1,700, that’s another €12,000 (£10,300). Our membership for the year was already covered by the sits we did earlier in it.’As well as Caroline’s company, there are plenty of other trusted sites that run similar programmes. At current, the most prevalent in the UK is TrustedHousesitters.The TrustedHousesitters community has grown to more than 280,000 people since it started in 2010, with a sit happening somewhere in the world every two minutes.How does it work? CEO Mathew Prior said: ‘Pet parents connect with sitters who stay in their home and care for their pets while they’re away, and in return the sitter gets a place to stay without any money changing hands. Both sides get to know each other beforehand, discuss the pet’s routine and responsibilities, and make sure it’s the right fit for everyone.’But even without a membership to an official site, it’s possible to give pet sitting a go. Caroline explains there are Facebook groups full of sits that cost nothing. ‘If you’d rather use a paid platform,’ she says, ‘even the most expensive one costs around £249 a year, and that’s covered within the first few days of a sit. So the best thing is to look at which platforms work in your area.’ Pet sitting is easy to arrange, too. Pictured: Konrad looking after a dog in Athens A pair of dogs the couple looked after in Cortona, ItalyCaroline explained: ‘A sit gets listed, you apply, and the owner picks someone. If they like your profile you talk it through, dates, pets, routines, all the small details, and once everyone’s happy it’s confirmed and off you go. Then you just live there. ‘It really comes down to three things: look after the house, look after the pet, and keep talking to the owner. Get those wrong and your reviews drop, and once your reviews drop people stop answering your applications.’What are the perks? ‘You travel more for less, that’s the obvious one. The bit people don’t expect is that you’re living in someone else’s home with their pets, so you get a window into how they live and you can take the parts you like for yourself. We’ve met some brilliant people this way. ‘My favourite thing is simpler though. You open the applications and there are thousands of houses sitting there, and the only thing between you and them is your application and how you come across. ‘Nobody’s checking your bank balance. It’s window shopping for a holiday with no budget.’ Caroline looking after a Swiss Shepherd while travellingMathew Prior adds: ‘With many of the world’s destinations feeling the strain of global tourism, this is a more conscious, sustainable way to travel and gives an experience far beyond what people would usually get. ‘Beyond saving on accommodation, pet sitting gives travellers the chance to experience a destination more like a local and in the company of pets, too. For animal lovers, it can be a much more personal way to travel, while also opening up destinations or longer stays that might not have been possible otherwise.’ Adventures are numerous – Caroline says her favourite pet she looked after was a French bulldog in Athens. She added: ‘We’ve had Swiss Shepherds too. I wasn’t a cat person at all before this and now I love them. As for places, a month in a traditional chalet in the French Alps, bakery up the road, mountains and the valley out of the window.’Switzerland, three-storey chalets overlooking the lakes, the sort of place that would cost at least €600 a night, about £510. We were in Kefalonia when a cyclone came through, which was something else to watch. ‘Twelve countries so far, nearly a year on the road now, and the campervan in between sits to break it up.’They’re not the only ones jumping on the pet-sitting bandwagon.Ruth Chattey, 72, and Eddie Gallagher, 74, a retired social worker and retired psychologist respectively, were full-time house sitters for six years. Ruth Chattey, 72, and Eddie Gallagher, 74 have spent years pet sitting around the world Their adventures span the world, including feeding Alpacas in IrelandThe couple, from Herefordshire, told the Daily Mail: ‘For us, house sitting has not been just about saving money, though as we did it full-time for six years we did save on council tax, utilities and general household expenses. ‘Now as occasional sitters we save on accommodation. For example, this year we spent two weeks in Tenerife, two and a half weeks in France and also completed three sits in the UK, which would have been very expensive if we had to pay for accommodation.’We always try to find some common ground, for example having looked after the same breed of dog, or knowing the area. To get started with TrustedHousesitters, taking a few local or short sits is good to build up your reviews.’The perks include going to different places, often away from the tourist route, and seeing different ways of life. You can maintain friendships with some owners which can lead to repeat sits!’Beyond the UK, the pair have been to France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, US, Costa Rica, Barbados and Tenerife.’In total, we’ve looked after 160 dogs, 101 cats, horses, donkeys, ducks, geese, hens, alpacas, goats, sheep, rabbits, ferrets, birds and a dragon (an Eastern Water Dragon)!’ they said. Eddie, pictured while pet sitting in Lewes, SussexThere are, of course, disadvantages to this mode of travel. ‘There’s always a risk that the information you’ve been given can be misleading,’ the couple said.’If you’re house sitting for long periods, you may miss out on social events and it can be difficult to arrange medical and dental appointments. ‘It can also feel quite isolated at times (depending on location), so this is something for single people to consider when thinking about pet sitting.’Caroline added: ‘The main one is that you’ve taken on responsibility for a pet and for someone’s home, so you can’t just leave whenever you feel like it. The pets have their own routine and your plans fit around them, not the other way round. ‘Feeding at set times, walks, medication if there’s any. That has to be clear before you agree to the sit, because if you want to be out all day or move on whenever it suits you, it won’t work. In total, the couple has looked after 160 dogs, 101 cats and many more animalsJoin the discussionIs it fair for travellers to stay in someone else’s home for free just by caring for their pets, or does this undervalue the responsibilities involved?What’s your view?’We’ve also had pets that weren’t as well behaved as the listing made out, and one of them lunged at me. We handled it, but it happens. Your safety comes first, and if an animal is genuinely dangerous you’re allowed to end the sit and move on. ‘The other one is owners who think they’re giving more than they’re getting, and then it starts to feel like unpaid work. Sitters do the same thing in reverse and think they bring more than the owner does.’Any words of wisdom? Caroline advises: ‘Do your homework. Read the listing properly, ask direct questions, and go for sits that feel like a fair swap.’There might be lots to consider, but for animal lovers out there, it seems almost like a win-win. Are you ready to make a new furry friend – and save on your holiday at the same time?