- My partner and I travel around the world by house-sitting for strangers.
- In exchange for a free place to stay, we look after people’s homes, pets, and plants.
- Since our housing costs are basically zero, we love this lifestyle and have no plans to stop.
I’ve always had the travel bug, and so has my husband. We met in 2013 while we were living overseas. House-sitting was on my radar then, and I was itching to try it. So we dove right in.
House-sitting involves taking care of someone’s home and (usually) pets while they’re away on vacation. We typically stay in someone’s house free of charge, and in exchange, we take care of their animals, plants, security, and cleaning.
We’ve lived this lifestyle on and off for a few years. It’s a great way to travel cheaply and see new places.
We’ve traveled to about 15 countries via house-sitting and have made countless friends — both human and animal. Seeing the world this way means we get to travel slowly and stay in tiny villages or obscure towns we wouldn’t go to as a regular tourist.
House-sitting also lets us travel while working remotely, allowing us to find a home on the road and save money on housing.
We don’t have a permanent home, but it works for us
I’m from the UK, but my partner is from the US, which means that we can’t just live anywhere because of visa issues.
We met while living in South Korea and then moved to Poland together for a few years. While living there, I heard about house-sitting and was intrigued by the idea. We decided to try it out as our next venture.
First, we did some research and decided to build up references for our experience with animals. Using an expat Facebook group and word of mouth, we found friends of friends who needed pet care while they were away, so we volunteered.
This meant that when we signed up for house-sitting platforms, we immediately had references and photos to add to our profile. With research, preparation, a well-built profile, and thoughtful applications to homeowners, securing our first sit wasn’t too difficult.
Our first few house sits were in England, and they varied from a week in Sheffield looking after a cat to six weeks in a large house looking after a parakeet. We then ventured to a chateau in France with two cats and a dog, and we moved on to a chalet in the Swiss Alps with two cats.
It became our new normal in no time. We’re both used to traveling, and we enjoy discovering new places. We quickly discovered how generous and welcoming people could be and how much they really love their pets. We’ve kept in touch with many homeowners — two of them ended up being witnesses for our tiny lockdown wedding.
There are ups and downs, but we love saving money on housing
We know what works for us now that we’ve done more than 50 house sits. We love that we get to tick places and experiences off our bucket lists, live minimally, look after great animals, and create unique memories.
House-sitting also allows us to save money on accommodation and everyday costs while we work online — me as a freelance writer and my husband as an ESL teacher. Since we are staying in these homes for free, our housing costs are close to zero, and we save a lot of our income.
But it hasn’t always been easy. When we were newbies, we made many mistakes and learned lessons. We now always have a video call with the homeowner before we accept a sit. This is the time to ask all of our questions, let them ask us questions, and see whether we have a good connection. We’ve grown to recognize red flags, trust our gut, and say no if something doesn’t feel right.
Traveling between house sits can add up in time and money, so we try to plan a route that makes sense. Sometimes, we have to fill gaps with paid accommodation — about one or two hotel nights every six weeks.
It’s not forever, but it’s for now
COVID put a stop to our house-sitting travels, so we experimented with settling down the more-traditional way in England. I got an in-office job, rented a house, and started looking at visa options for my husband to stay.
In the end, settling down just wasn’t for us — at least not for the moment. So we packed up, sold our furniture, and waded back into the waters we were familiar with.
Many people don’t understand how we live and were perplexed when we gave up a more stable choice for life on the road. But we genuinely love this; we wouldn’t do it otherwise.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that life is too short, and you should live however you want.
