How to connect with the locals when you're house and pet sitting

Picture the scene. You’ve arranged a sit in a great house in an area that you love the sound of, and you’re sure you’re going to bond with the creatures you’ll be looking after. 

It already sounds good, but how can you elevate this house or pet sitting jaunt into the sort of experience you’ll never forget?

As with so many other things in life, the answer lies in other people. Forging real bonds with the people who live there is a sure-fire way to really get under the skin of a place, to understand its stories beyond the guidebooks and online reviews. 

And if you’re on a longer-term house or pet sit, connecting with locals can be a much-needed way to fill your cup with conversation, companionship and perhaps even life-long friendship. 

It’s not always easy to find a path into the local community, though. To help you out, the folks behind the Thelma & Louise Club – a community for female travel buddies – have come up with these 5 ways to connect with locals when you’re house & pet sitting and staying in a new place. They work whether you want to make one friend or many!

1. Follow your interests

A shared interest can be a shortcut to companionship. If you can find a way to turn your hobby into a group activity, you’ll soon meet a bunch of like-minded locals. Love photography? Look for a local Instameet or photography group. Always got your nose in a book? Try a local book club meet. Runners can join local club runs or a free park run in the UK. A socially distancing walking club is an option too. That way you’ll do something you love and, at the same time, connect with the local community of your house sit.

2. Start your own local meet-up

The Thelma & Louise Club is a community for women who love to travel. It helps women find female travel buddies and arrange trips together – forging friendships and adventures that span the globe in the process! The community’s Meet-up tool helps women arrange get-togethers to talk travel as a pressure-free way to meet potential travel buddies. Meet-ups can take place over a cup of coffee, a cocktail or three, a meal, a gallery visit, a walk – it’s up to the organiser to decide what to do.

3. Slow down to become a familiar face

The longer you stay in a place, the easier it is to build a routine and start to become familiar to other local people. Take your time and visit the local café at the same time on a regular basis. Incorporate a walk around the park or along the beach into your daily routine. Join an exercise class. You’ll soon start to recognise a face or two and soon a nod of recognition becomes a cheery hello becomes a short chat becomes a cup of coffee and a good old natter becomes a firm friendship. Isn’t that the best way to connect with the locals and make memories that will last a lifetime?

4. Learn the/a language

You can interpret this method in two ways: either learn a few phrases of the local language to make it easier to start a conversation (if it’s not your first language), or join a class to study a language you’ve always fancied. Both are positive steps towards connecting with locals. The first is a useful icebreaker and always goes down well with local people. The second will put you in touch with others who will want to practice their conversation skills with someone else at a similar level – a great excuse for a coffee and a chat.

5. Volunteer

Voluntourism doesn’t always have to mean spending weeks working on a project overseas. In most places, you’ll find a chance to volunteer, whether that’s for a few hours or a few months, and you’ll likely be in the company of people who share your values. Join a litter patrol, look for opportunities to help garden a shared area, or join a protest march if there’s one happening locally and you believe in the cause.

Whichever way you choose to meet people, there’s one golden rule when it comes to really connecting: be open. Most people assume others are too busy for a cup of tea and new friends so tell them outright that you’re new to the area and hoping to meet local people who can show you the place. This simple action will help smooth the path to a more meaningful local connection.

Become a member of Thelma & Louise to plan your trip and find a travel buddy.

Angela Laws, your Community Manager, was recently a guest on the Thelma & Louise Facebook Live interview series, discussing solo female travellers and how pet sitting can help them discover new places while living like a local. Watch a recap of the interview here.

Fancy connecting with more like-minded people? Head to TrustedHousesitters Community Forum - the perfect place for those sharing a love of pets and travel to come together.