As full-time international housesitters for three years, we recently reflected on high-level learnings. Here’s our top three … one on each of pets, properties and lifestyle. Unexpectedly, we’ve learned a great deal about ourselves along the way.
Diverse human to animal relationship
We have encountered substantially different relationships between Pet Parents and their pets. From former stray animals to everyday companions to substitute children. Nature of relationship seems to impact approaches to exercise, food, sleep & more. No right or wrong relationships, just far more varied than we had imagined.
Enjoy the journey
Our housesitting adventure was unplanned. Rather opportunistic. We are fortunate to housesit by choice and have completed 60+ housesit properties in 15 countries. We are proactively living life. And while housesitting unquestionably requires time, effort and sometimes resilience then we have enjoyed the bulk of our adventure. We have met some wonderful people and visited some remarkable places. Sometimes we pause and appreciate a wonderful moment in time … photo from walk this morning in British Columbia, Canada
Less is more
Like most people then through our working lives we accumulated stuff. We divested much of it before housesitting, as part of broader 2027 geographic relocation plan. We travel internationally for months at a time without suitcases. For us, less physical stuff has increasingly become a joy and a liberation. For us, simpler financial affairs has opened our imagination to fewer commitments and greater opportunities.
Conscious that the housesitting community is remarkably diverse in personal situation, housesitting usage and listing preferences. So above doodles are personal, not somehow representative. Love to hear thoughts from others.
What has housesitting taught you about yourself, lifestyle choices or otherwise?
Fourteen years and 155+ sits on, what we once thought might be a chapter has quietly become a way of living for us — and we’re still learning. The longer we do this, the more layered it becomes.
One early epiphany was that we’re not just caring for pets or properties — we’re stepping into someone else’s version of “normal.” Every home runs on its own rhythm. Some pets are independent free spirits, others are clearly someone’s whole heart. There’s no right or wrong — but understanding that emotional landscape quickly has probably been one of our most important skills.
We’ve also learned that trust compounds. The first few sits felt like proving ourselves. Somewhere along the way it shifted. Now it feels more like mutual exchange — experienced homeowners choosing experienced sitters. That quiet trust changes how you show up.
And perhaps the biggest one: home is less about walls and more about how you move through space. After long working lives and the inevitable accumulation of “stuff,” travelling light — physically and mentally — has been unexpectedly liberating. We don’t miss owning more. We value carrying less.
Housesitting hasn’t just taken us to different countries. It’s shown us that simplicity, responsibility and freedom can sit comfortably together — if you let them.
I’ve realised that despite desperately wanting a dog in retirement my prior early assessment that it didn’t suit our lifestyle was correct. I enjoy pet sitting dogs in the short term walking local dogs as a buddy (Borrowmydoogy), but couldn’t live the life of 2 walks daily or not being away from home more than 4-6 hours at a time . It’s given me a greater appreciation of my close friends who are also retired and have dogs- and for whom arranging any daytime social event/meet up is a logistical brain strain.
Humans are the same everywhere. I kinda knew this before, I lived in couple of countries. But THS lets me visit people in very vulnerable way. Everyone will have their special favorite mug: as diverse as pets, homes, cars, curtains… we all have our trinkets and thinkets. But in the end we look for same things. Different ways, different times, different urgency. But in the core we want to belong, we want to be accepted and appreciated, and we want to live in safety and peace.
The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that nothing is quite so malevolent as the vast, shiny, snarling coffee machine squatting in the corner of the counter, waiting to blow up in a hundred unpleasant ways. It only needs its cue. That cue is when you look at it.
I never realized to pay so much attention to cutlery draws before this forum The crumbs, the order… My last sit did not have any frame for their cutlery, it all just mixed in a drawer! The one before that, they had like four plates in the whole place, but at least 20 pieces of each, forks, spoons and knifes. Go figure! The one before that, they had these really cool artist cutlery, with each having a book quote on them, so fun! And with all that said, I carry my own spoon (with the best mouth feel I have ever encountered) and knife with me.
You carry own cutlery to each housesit? - that’s unquestionably keen!
Much to the confusion of some Pet Parents, we bring our own travel router.
Guess, as a housesitter community, we each have personal lifestyle items that warrant extra effort.
^To be fair, it is just that one spoon (and a sharp knife) and I primarily carry them because I snack yogurt in trains and make sandwiches in motels. It is just an added bonus that I can start every morning with the same spoon
I was really surprised to learn of a friend of a friend’s reason for wanting daily photos while away from her pet.
She told me that she doesn’t want it to seem like she’s abandoning her pet. I know she enjoys the photos too. For me, I always thought people wanted daily photo updates to ensure everything was okay, or because they were very attached to their pet. I never thought it could be for appearances as well.
@Sitandsat, gosh. Pet Parent asking to receive pet photos on daily basis to satisfy social appearances seems a [hopefully] rare motivation. We’ve not seen this, we think . Thanks for sharing.
I took it to mean that she didn’t want the sitter to think that she was abandoning her pet. So wanting to ensure the sitter knew the pet was very valued and therefore would provide excellent care. Similar to how patients in hospitals get better care from hospital staff if the family is there visiting regularly.
Love this topic. Before the pandemic, my spouse and I retired, got rid of a lot of stuff and put the rest in storage, and sold our house. We then traveled for several months and would’ve done more but the pandemic hit. We couldn’t buy a new house or travel so continued to be vagabonds (sits and short term rentals) and live out of a suitcase for two years! It was great in many ways, especially realizing how little “stuff” you really need.
Thought I’d be a good nomad, but THS sitting showed me how much I love being home and nesting as well.
Sitting part time also showed me:
I LOVE cats. Before THS, I had very little exposure to them.
I used to daydream about living in an English village. THS let me experience that and, though I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t want that lifestyle. Instead, I probably will retire and split time between Asia and the U.S.
About possessions: Usually, attachment is the problem. If you can let go easily and quickly, not so much. Why: Someone is always able to accept donations, take freebies or haul away anything else with one phone call, if you’re willing to pay.
I figure that if it gets to a point where I want next to nothing, I’ll just give everything away quickly. I did that in my 20s, the first time I went to work abroad. I got a pressing job offer, so I went to a nearby college and posted flyers to give away stuff. Within three weeks, I was happily living overseas with next to no belongings. And nowadays, that’s even easier, with “Buy nothing” online groups where you can give away stuff.
My grandfather did something similar decades ago: One holiday, he hosted us all and told us to take whatever we wanted. What he was left with, he purged, down to essentials. It took him two weeks or so. When he died years later, he left little for us to clear out.
)
The crumbs, the order… My last sit did not have any frame for their cutlery, it all just mixed in a drawer! The one before that, they had like four plates in the whole place, but at least 20 pieces of each, forks, spoons and knifes. Go figure! The one before that, they had these really cool artist cutlery, with each having a book quote on them, so fun! And with all that said, I carry my own spoon (with the best mouth feel I have ever encountered) and knife with me.
Gotta love that a humble spoon brings joy!
. Thanks for sharing.