Hi there, my family and I have been traveling for about 3 years now. Although we haven’t been exclusively housesitting, it’s the majority of our last year. We also stay with friends and family at times, have done some Workaway stops and other volunteering etc. our kids are 6 and 9 currently. We homeschool them as we go. I could share Loads more about our experience, but I wanted to start the conversation to hear if there are other families out there 
We are Americans and currently in the UK. Soon to be headed into Europe and towards the Balkans where we hope to settle and put down roots (but of course doing some Housesit’s from time to time). What an amazing thing TrustedHousesitters has been for us and enabled us to explore!
Hope to hear from ya,
Caleb and fam.
Hi @theshowalters ! There are families on the forum that sit. @IHeartAnimals is a family that sits full time and @Debbie has been sitting for a long time with her sons and is sometimes joined by her husband when the boys are on school holidays. They’ll probably jump in and say hi. I commend you for giving your kids important life experiences.
My family (which consists of me and my daughter) traveled full-time for two years when she was aged 13-15 back in 2017-2019. We didn’t housesit though, we stayed primarily in Airbnbs. I didn’t discover housesitting until later. She did online school during those two years. It was a wonderful experience for both of us. Now, I’m housesitting full-time on my own and she joins me on her school breaks (she attends a university now). We just spent the summer sitting together in Europe - more great experiences and memories!
Hi again @theshowalters ,
You might want to check out this topic:
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/pet-sitting-with-the-family/
and this:
I have a friend from Los Angeles who has been traveling the world with her son for years now… a decade maybe!
They call it “unschooling” and she even gave a Ted Talk about it. I don’t know if house sitting was ever part of it, but I mention it because you might find it interesting. Here is her blog:
I’m actually a mom, not a dad, but thanks! I should probably add a picture to my forum profile 
Isn’t it funny I thought you were a dad, I wonder why? 
It’s equally as sweet as a mom though. What a lovely load of experiences to have together @systaran 
Hi @mars. And welcome, @theshowalters!
I was also thinking of @IHeartAnimals; maybe they’re busy, or maybe they’re waiting for the OP’s to reply again to this topic. Anyway, it’s neat to see their progression in just a few months. Here’s an early topic they posted to (or it was merged into…):
plus this one:
@theshowalters: Feel free to share more about your experience! I’m sure it’ll benefit current and future families. 
What an amazing experience to provide your children with that will no doubt enrich their lives in so many ways. You’re creating amazing memories and experiences that will stay with all of you forever.
I also think this is such a great way to teach children about the importance of responsibility by way of taking care of all the various animals and properties. I say kudos to you for doing this together as a family!
Hello,
We start HS 4yrs ago, we were full time until Lockdown, we did back to back sits (leave one and drive straight to another) mostly Dogs (if they had other Pets, we were good with that too)
Mostly the Tweens (now nearly Adults) and myself, my Husband would sometimes come for a few meals or stay a few days if a long sit, just depended on where we were sitting.
We have not done any overseas sits, yet however are planning, so that will be another level of planning, especially if not driving my Car to Europe.
It’s been a fantastic experience for us and we could have never ever imagined how beneficial it was for the Tweens personal growth. (all of us ASD/ADHD) So to everyone we know ASD/ADHD they start having a panic attack at the thought of it, however see our Pictures and adventures and it sparks an interest, even Family and Friends who are home bodies are thinking about it! lol.
It’s been fantastic for the now Teens to fully understand just the level of commitment having a Dog is (any pet really).
Happy sitting.
Wondering if you find some work to do while you travel, or do you have a mobile job, or consider housesitting as your job. I’m a nurse and have done travel contracts and am wondering about doing housesitting in between contracts. Thanks for posting.
I applaud you and those like you that have the guts to travel around the world with children. We sailed/lived aboard our yacht for five years and during that time met so many travelling families. We always found the children (no matter the age) were articulate, well mannered and really interesting to talk to. I wish I had done it with my lot.
Now I’m a grandmother and they are clambering to join us during the school holidays. It is so difficult to get sits which accept children. Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.
I’m a solo nomad going on 3 years. Been Housesitting more than 5 years on and off. More 6 months on and 6 months of travel wherever and whenever I want without a HO or pet to care for. 95% awesome 5% challenged which I blame on not listening to my gut.
Hi KarenMT. Yes, I work while traveling. I have a full-time job and have been working virtually since 2017. As long as I have good internet access, I can work from anywhere.
Bet Rick Steves never thought of this!
Go family!
There are Families who want Families so their Pets still have younger people to play with, more attention etc.
Being Honest, not as many before lockdown and world economics “cost of living” however they are still out there.
Some families don’t think about it, when I apply even if it says Couple or Single or not suitable for small children, I put it all in my application and have had many sits, where the HO didn’t think about it that much, however the Pets got lots of love and were very happy and content when the HO came home that we have many repeat sits now.
1-2 people using one room and general living space, it all costs less than 4 + however most HO are aware of the cost of putting their Pets in Kennels/Cattery and they didn’t like it or the idea of it (I personally would never, I don’t like the idea of it) so this is a great option for them and they still have most of the same costs just because no one is in the house doesn’t mean it still is not costing them money. Plus it’s secure, the Mail/Parcels are collected, the Bins are put out, Plants are watered and mostly their beloved Pets are being well taken care of having a lovely “staycation” whilst they are away.
Happy Sitting
Hi @theshowalters and thanks for tagging me @mars
I have 2 boys aged 14 and 12 and a husband who occasionally joins us on sits. We aren’t full timers, as the boys are in school and I work in a school. We’ve been housesitting since 2019 and now housesit during all the school holidays.
We mostly housesit for other families, but not always. Pets who are used to busy households enjoy having a family of sitters. My boys are much more tidy than at home, and have a good understanding of the responsibility involved in having pets. My 12 year old football mad son has become excellent at arranging soft furnishings, and he is also in charge of loading the car!
We have a few repeat sits we love going back to, as well as having the opportunity to explore new places on other sits. So far we have only done sits in the UK but are hoping to find some sits in France next year. I would like to be able to work more flexibly in the future to allow us to do more housesits.
Where in the UK have you been housesitting? We are based in Gloucestershire, but so far this year we have done housesits in Dorset, Derbyshire, Pembrokeshire, London, Cornwall, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire!
@mars @geoff.hom
Hi there, sorry for the late response. We were scrambling last week to spend the next 6 months in Asia so between jetlag and some heavy sightseeing this first week, I haven’t had to chance to respond. Welcome @theshowalters we’re the Workman’s and we homeschool our 3 kids in the road while traveling. They are all in highschool now and we traveled the first two years in the US with our RV, then THS, and now we are using hotels and Airbnbs in Asia but we do have a Singapore catsit over Christmas and new years. My hubby works from the road, and I manage everything else. Kids do online program through study.com that gives them highschool and college credits at the same time. It’s always nice to meet other families in this platform. We have completed 15 sits this year and it’s gone by fast
Hi, We are a family that house-sit. We started this year, so not as veteran as you, and our situation is a bit different since our daughter is 18. So it’s more like 3 adults travelling together and less with taking care of kids, but still with all the challenges of spending lots of time together and sometimes not enough outside interactions. Where are you currently? We are now house-sitting in Wales, enjoying two amazing Dalmatians and lots of nature. We also plan to continue in Europe later on, and will be spending time in Bulgaria between October - December. If you plan to go to that area do get in touch. It could be nice to meet fellow house-sitters and nomads.