Ditto, when we first started it was “why do you sit for free?” or “why would anyone trust a stranger in their home?” to them now thinking we live the life of Riley 
, love it, love it, love it!
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They’re great, I love the dogs’ tongue outs!
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@MyrCar Haha — we think THS started a couple of years before we did, and the story goes something like: someone was trying to sort care for their dog, had a bright idea, and woof just like that, a legend was born 
Oh yes, after all these years, we’ve definitely gathered a few stories — possibly enough to fill a coffee table book (or at the very least, liven up an otherwise ho hum dinner party 
).
But look at you! 60 sits and eight years is nothing to sneeze at — that’s a fair few adventures, characters, and probably the odd “what the…?” moment right there 
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I agree that home exchange is a great experience. I was lucky enough to try it as a teenager back in the early 2000s.
In fact, I truly believe that these kinds of initiatives help build a better world, creating trust and human connection without money involved.
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Just want to jump in here. TrustedHousesitters was born in 2010 because of a dog named Dave. 
There’s a link to his story here:
About Us | TrustedHousesitters.com.
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Oh absolutely, all the feels! We’ve had exactly the same reactions. So many people just can’t wrap their heads around the idea that we’re actually living in other people’s homes, often beautiful ones, for free, and that it’s a real, sustainable lifestyle and not just a long holiday. Some think we’ve lost the plot, others think we’ve cracked the code of life!
At first it did sting a bit that people close to us didn’t really understand. It’s strange when something that makes you so happy just doesn’t click for others. But honestly, now we just laugh about it. We love this life, the freedom, the animals, the simplicity, and that’s what matters.
The funniest part is when those same people who once thought we were crazy start saying things like, “So… how do we get started?” 
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Most people I know think it’s nuts. Sometimes I have to agree with them. But I have had some amazing adventures with 40 sits in just a year and a half. But I am slowing down now and only applying to a few here and there. A friends of mine are envious when they see the photos of all the lovely places I’ve been too and say they might take it up. But they are not animal lovers so I dissuade them. I could not do this if I didn’t love animals. It would be far too much like hard work.
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Mostly people I know either have a pet sitting service or are people who pet sit. Actually, I have friends who make a living as pet sitters. Knowing I do it for free around the country might interest them, but I think they feel I should get paid…
I do have friends who travel around the world doing what I do, so I don’t think, at least in my world, people find it odd. LOL! Maybe I find it more unusual than than most. The people needing pet sitters don’t often seem all that interested in why I’m doing it or where I come from. They just want someone who will take good care of their pets, and dare I say, without expense…
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Aww, thank you for sharing the story about how THS was born 
I had no idea.
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I’ve been doing nomadic pet sitting for over 8 years, originally to take a break for a couple of years from being a workaholic. Younger people and strangers envy me, some of my friends ask me if I’m tired of it yet, or when I will root again. My adopted mother is fine with it because I’m independent and self-sufficient, but she thinks traveling increases the risk of danger. My birth mother (different country), whom I reconnected with 10 years ago, wishes I had a stable, “successful” job. I no longer send her photos of me with pets because she thinks it’s not a good life. I’m old enough to know what’s best for my mental health - doing this!
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Hahaha, I couldn´t agree more. Many people stick with the same opinion. However, it’s really funny to see how some people’s opinions evolve, from not understanding anything to understanding everything. 
Freedom and simplicity are amazing, and I think they leave room for other things to happen in life. 
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We’re hosts, so we don’t live the nomadic life, but have similar experiences with how people react when we announced we were going to quit our work and move to Thailand, to live in a self built tiny adobe house. Everybody was concerned about our pension. Except us.
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Hahahah, I can imagine their faces. 100%. If you want to live like no one else, you have to live like no one else, right?
I usually have some fun with them by turning it around.
I’m aghast that they have to get up at midnight, dress instead of sitting around in pyjamas for half the day sit on a train for two hours, talk to people, negotiate when lunch is, sit on a train for another two hours and arrive home for dinner at 9pm. Why?
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Hahaha, I can totally relate. I guess the saying ‘Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t’ really applies to a lot of people.
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