Hello everyone!
Calling all long-term/nomadic house sitters!
Which countries/cities/towns/villages would you recommend to long-term/nomadic house sitters, why (the most important part!), and how have you found using TrustedHousesitters to enable that lifestyle? Share your thoughts in the replies!
Please note, we’d love to share your recommendations, so by responding, you give us permission to share on TrustedHousesitters channels.
Thank you!
Jenny 
Hands down Southern France and Portugal. Great food, Lovely people and community, Most people speak English, Again great food, beaches, warm weather all year round an also plenty of stunning nature.
South/ South West France and Southern Spain. We’ve done lots of lovely sits in both countries- housesitting is a great way of checking out where we may potentially want to ‘settle’ …eventually!
And also the Perth region of Western Australia- We’ve done 3 long stints of sitting there, over the years, within a 100km radius of Perth and feel very at home in WA. We were even (happily) locked down there at the start of Covid, for 5 months! The climate is wonderful- very similar to southern Spain.
Northern California, as far as USA locations go! There is no shortage of amazing houses, many near water and beautiful outdoors–both the ocean and bay–along with unbeatable arts, culture, entertainment, daytrips, and fine dining/wine.
And ofcourse, being a Brit, housesitting around the UK is fabulous and easy for nomadic sitters. Always so many great sits everywhere. We frequently sit in the UK for months on end, back to back, & rarely need paid accomodation. We now have a few UK host- friends who invite us to stay if we do have an occasional gap. As a city girl, born & bred, I’ve especially loved the opportunity to stay in cosy cottages in quaint villages and in country mansions in the sticks and to get to know so many corners of southern England (our main sitting area) Its given me a greater appreciation of the beauty of my homeland, and also frequent reminders of the various reasons why I left!! Sitting is also a great way to visit friends without needing to stay with them!
Since most countries consider house sitting—even when unpaid—to be a form of employment, there is no “best” location for everyone.
The answer depends entirely on each sitter’s passport, residency status, visa conditions, and legal right to work in the country where they intend to house sit.
What may be perfectly legal for one sitter could result in serious immigration issues for another. It is essential for sitters to understand and comply with the immigration and employment rules that apply to their specific circumstances.
Welcome back @Jenny! Hopefully the batteries are fully recharged and you’re ready to stir up more great conversations
After 14+ years of full-time travel and more than 155 sits, we’ve discovered that the best locations aren’t always the most exotic. The real magic happens when the practical and the picturesque come together.
For us, the UK has been hard to beat. Every year we leave the Australian winter behind, hire a car, and spend months roaming the British countryside from one sit to the next. The sheer volume of sits makes it possible to build long stretches of back-to-back assignments with very little paid accommodation in between. Along the way we’ve made lasting friendships with homeowners and become temporary locals in places we might otherwise have driven straight past.
Looking further afield, New Zealand deserves a mention. For sitters travelling from Europe, the UK or North America, the abundance of sits can make the long journey worthwhile, particularly during the northern hemisphere winter. Add outstanding natural beauty, a familiar language for many travellers, and the opportunity to combine it with time in Australia and Southeast Asia, and it becomes an attractive long-haul option.
One thing we’ve learned is that successful long-term nomadism is about more than beautiful locations. Access to good healthcare, affordable dental and medical services, transport links, and the cost of living between sits all play a role. Southeast Asia, in particular, can be a valuable part of the equation, offering affordable downtime, excellent medical facilities, and fascinating places to explore between assignments.
TrustedHousesitters has been the key that makes this lifestyle possible. What started as a way to travel has evolved into a way of life. House sitting allows us to experience communities rather than simply visit them, and after all these years we’re still discovering places, people and pets that surprise and delight us.
Thank you so much @WeRPAWsome - it’s great to be back and catch up on what you’ve all been chatting about!
Thank you all so much for contributing. It’s been great to read through your responses so far!
It’s really interesting to see how different everyone’s ideal location looks depending on their priorities, whether that’s climate, sit volume, cost of living, or (as @Silversitters flagged) visa situation. I think that is a really valuable point to make.
@WeRPAWsome mentioned balancing beautiful locations with healthcare access and transport links. Has anyone had to make a tough call and not take a sit in a dream location due to concerns over the lack of healthcare or transportation?
I’m about to do a sit for a HO who’s home I can see from my window….that’d be a very easy long term sit tbh
There are sometimes interesting longterm sits in Costa Rica and Panama we cannot apply for as our travel health insurance for countries other than Europe only covers 70 days.
Shout out for long-duration housesits in Canada. We’ve just finished multiple month long sits and have more booked later this year.
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@Lokstar, kudos on progressive open-mindedness. Hope that you’ve collated an exciting shortlist of candidate locations. We also used extended duration housesits to experience selected geographies.
