Hi there, please don’t judge me or lecture me for this question, but would any of you feel confident you could get into a country to pet/housesit where we are only supposed to travel for work or caring that cannot be done from home? Is petsitting “essential travel”? Obviously we would need to be vaccinated and do all the tests etc. I assume the host could write a letter saying they needed us to care for their pets? Just wondered what other people’s take on this is. I am hoping that travel corridors will be opened soon anyway, but just wondered what is possible in the meantime.
Thanks everyone!
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Hi Lottie, Its too bad that in today’s world we seem to have to preface everything we say and write with something like “don’t judge me or lecture me” or "I am not a Covid denier but I have a question about…? etc etc.
I hope that no one puts you in that situation because you have a valid question. Questions are good? They start dialogues and bring up new ideas so I, for one, am happy to see them.
As far as your question this is only my interpretation from what I have read regarding my current location (Spain) that you may have difficulties getting in under those conditions. The real trouble seems to be “it depends on the individual at immigration” as you pass through. So much is grey these days! But generally getting into Spain you would need residency or a very critical reason. Getting into Canada (my other home) is even worse. You would have to be in a hotel for 3 days and quarantine for 10 days. This would present alot of costs and challenges. So I think it really depends on the specific country you are in and where you wish to go that would determine your success.
Wishing you much luck in finding somewhere suitable.
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Yes thanks Kerri, that sounds about right, “essential” is quite grey. I was really thinking about UK to USA, but hopefully Boris is going to sort out a travel corridor soon anyway. In the meantime I have a couple of local UK sits to look forward to. Have a good year Kerri!
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Hi @Lottie welcome to our community Forum and thank you for joining in the conversation and as @Kerri says asking a very valid question.
We are all hoping that travel will open up very soon and more importantly for greater clarity in the information coming from official sources which will help and enable everyone to plan legitimate travel in the safest possible way.
With the situation changing in different countries, inside and outside of their own borders often directives don’t keep pace and our advice has always been to be guided by and adhere to the official current travel advice of the country you intend to travel to.
Thank you again for joining, enjoy connecting with other members and we can’t wait to share in your THS journey.
Angela and the Team
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In general we don’t say we are entering a country to housesit. Many countries can be funny about you entering to ‘work’ even if unpaid.
I don’t think attempting to enter a country because no-one there is capable of looking after the pets you are going to would be likely to wash anyway!
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@Kerri We agree and appreciate your sentiments that there should be no concerns in asking such a question!
We’re very similar to @JackieX in that we are cautious not to mention house sitting when entering a country. It can be mistaken as work and then become a bit complicated to explain that you’re not getting paid for it. For context, working in another country usually requires a work visa, not the standard tourist visa.
Every country is going to be different on entry requirements. For example, Mexico COVID-19 restrictions are different when you fly than when you cross on a land border. And as it has already been mentioned, each officer is likely to respond differently. So it might be a bit of rolling the dice and asking if the risk is worth it. Are you able to secure and pay for a hotel to quarantine for the required time? What would you do if you were denied entry?
Checking travel forums might be a good place to get a sense of what people are experiencing first hand in specific countries, but ultimately it will be a balance of risk and understanding what the country’s current regulations are.
Best of luck!! Happy travels 
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Thanks everyone for your very helpful and sensible advice. It’s looking hopeful for travel later this summer anyway so this question is hopefully soon redundant
Lottie (she/her)
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Lottie, this was a great question. I had not even thought about the difficulty for the HS coming from another country (ie work or whatever is declared!). This makes HS definitely more challenging post Covid and getting prepared even more important.
As a HO its important too because what should happen if the HO has a flight and the HS cannot get into the country? Wow…what a potential mess this has become for everyone. 
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