Just before I retired in 2019, a work colleague said my husband and I would be great house/pet sitters (she was right 
). She told me she had used THS for a cat sitter. I was a bit dubious at first and thought it was a scam as it sounded too good to be true! Here we are 20+ sits later…
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It was the beginning of 2014, I had just received my Dutch passport after years and years and years of trying! I had rented my house out and decided to embark on a European trip, starting in Amsterdam to acknowledge my thanks for the best gift ever!
A friend in South Africa said she had stumbled on TrustedHousesitters and thought I should give it a go. My first sit was in Zurich for 2 months, then onto France for 5 weeks, It was a wonderful and exciting start to a truly fabulous journey for me, and I have met so many wonderful pets and people along the way.
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I heard about trusted Housesitters from a co-worker who had been referred to them but had never actually used them. I was very excited by the idea, but a bit overwhelmed with having to set up the profile, take the pictures, etc., and then review and interview the applicants. I ended up not using TH for my long trip last year as another solution came up. But when I got my kitty (during the pandemic) I promised myself to not let that stop me from traveling and it was getting harder to keep asking friends. Especially since my kitty is very social and outgoing, more like a dog, so I was having to find people to come twice a day. I’m intrigued with eventually signing up as a sitter, as I love to travel and like the idea of staying in one place for a week or two. But for now I want to get more comfortable offering my home to sitters and how to make that easy and comfortable for both of us.
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Before I retired I was working evening customer service for a bank. We weren’t very busy at night so we all spent a lot of time on the internet. I came across an article online about things people do after they retire. One of the things was house sitting and they mentioned THS. I started sitting a month after I retired 4 years ago. I leave tomorrow for sit #34. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
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Oh, Geoff, I had laughing-tears in my eyes, reading this;
Yes, I thought, I love to stay home!, too.
Then, I read further, and agreed again, I love the forum, and how it assists me, and others, in winding along on this road, learning, and growing in the process.
Thank you for being here, for your contributions, Geoff, and for your story.
I knew I was moving to Scotland, but not sure how to decide where to live, or how to enjoy exploring my many ancestral homelands in an affordable way, and in a way that allowed me to be of service, as I travelled.
In 2016, I had posted an ad on local community pages, in Orkney, Scotland, to start, and found 4 places to stay by asking locals if I could have a room and bath in exchange for my list of services(Permaculture design, walk/train dogs, horses, eco-deep cleaning/organis/zing, cooking dinners, etc.). It was really nice, and inclusive and felt great, to be welcomed by strangers and to be included in their lives, concerts, ceilidh dances, hearing their dreams, and visiting grandma! I stayed with 4 new friends for 4 months in Orkney, and loved it. I did research and found 33 generations of my lineage from Orkney.
One day, in 2022, I did a search for HOUSESITTING, and found TH.
I joined shortly after. 95 applications later, including many simple requests asking if their dog/animals would welcome my Assistance Dog, and I had been invited to accept wonderful opportunities in many places in England + Scotland, where I wanted to walk with my ancestors. It has been so rich; I am now sitting on my 6th Sit, through TH.
It has been really great for my girl, Tarkina, who has become very happy meeting new dogs, playing and running with a new friend often, and having great company, that is always changing.
We are very grateful to be living this story now, and for all the ways it invites integrity, self-trust, clear communication, self-knowledge, discernment and fun, fun, fun, sharing, and connecting with places and people with a sense of ease, and magic. I always mention on Day One of a Sit; this is WILD! I just love it; the exchange, the sharing a meal, and connection before they leave, and feeling the rhythm of the home before it grows quiet in their absence. I like being able to feel their energy in their home, so I can hold that field for the dogs, cats and horses, and plants.
I was brand new in Feb 2023, and now I feel part of something purely magical.
Thank you all, Thank you, Geoff,
Aloha, Love, Claire + Tarkina
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I probably learned of THS around 2014-15, from Jodi Ettenberg aka the Legal Nomads blog. My partner and I did a RTW trip from 2017-18 and did not get it together to add THS to our travel routine (although we did end up petsitting a couple of times on the road!). I have been a member of couchsurfing for over a decade, both hosting and surfing, and the mutual exchange involved in THS really appealed to me. I’ve stayed in so many peoples’ homes over the years, and having animals around always makes it better!
After the end of our trip, we ended up on opposite continents, and I took the plunge and signed up as both sitter and PP… at the end of 2019 
Nowadays, I either travel to see my boo, or we travel together with limited time, so I am ‘just’ a PP right now. I eventually hope to start sitting, as that was the original draw for me.
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