My partner and I have been full-time house & pet sitting for 3 years now, and get this: it was only meant to be a few months when we started!
One sit led to another, and suddenly we were hopping between Spain, France, Portugal, and the UK, completely hooked on the lifestyle. The freedom, the pets, the new placesā¦ we love it!
That said, sometimes I really miss having my own things close by, not having to pack my suitcase every few weeks, constantly shopping at different supermarkets, joining a local gym, or having a routine with friendsā¦just to name a few things.
So lately Iāve been wondering: when do we stop? And when we do, will we actually be able to settle down in one place without getting bored after all this adventure?
Iād love to hear from you: How long have you been doing full-time sits? Did you always plan it, or did it just happen like us? Have you ever thought about stopping, and if so, how did you know it was time? Whatās everyone elseās āendgameā with this lifestyle?
We are fortunate to have a base to go back home to (Portugal) but saying that we really enjoy the lifestyle and even the thought of stopping gives me anxiety. Like anything in life though, circumstances can change and new horizons can open up. My wifeās health is up and down so that will most probably decide our future and the extent to which we will travel and sit. Iām also interested to read others perspective.
I thought I would do this for six months and now I am 16 months in. But planning to stop in April. An apartment situation in Toronto has opened up, so that is when I plan to stop. Also, this really worked while my daughter was in school in Los Angeles and I could come here 3 times a year and stay for extended times doing sits. I just started a month long sit. And it has been wonderful being out of the horrible winter northern states and Toronto have been experiencing this year. But it did give me a great experience of understanding how this works, expectations, a long list of great reviews, which works for Jan and Feb in Florida or southern Europe for next winter. But yes, I am ready to unpack and live with my own things and have regularity.
I hope you donāt mind but Iāve added a stock photo, so that I could add your topic to the āfeatured topicsā on our Forum front page. Itād be great to hear everyoneās thoughts on this subject.
We started feeling that way after a couple of years, especially when you really have to fill dates and compromise by taking short sits with red flags youād normally skip and you end up with arrogant hosts, dirty houses, aggressive or sick pets. Thatās when it stops being fun and turns stressful. Like right now: weāre dealing with a very sick/dying pet while owners leave us on read.
Our endgame is probably semi-retirement. We do have a house, but it somehow doesnāt feel like home (too complicated to explain why). So while we are petsitting weāre still looking for a place to call Home, then move from full time petsitting to very selective long sits while blending in some consulting for financial stability.
We joined 3 years ago with the intention to do the odd sit now and again, because we missed having pets around and our son lives overseas, so we had multiple voids in our livesā¦ within 3 months of joining we were pet sitting full time, and our own home became a holiday cottage.
We go home occasionally, but itās just not the same, weāre still having too much fun to stop pet sitting. We donāt miss anything, we donāt miss having āstuffā, and if we eventually decide to settle down, it is more likely to be overseas next to our son, rather than the UK.
Itās hard to answer. I started full time in January 2019 when I rented my house out and 6 months later went housesitting in New Zealand for 6 months, then travelling in Australia. I was about to do my first sit in Oz when the pandemic hit. Got back in my home in May 2020 then re-rented my home in November 2021, back to New Zealand and Australia until March 2024. Continued housesitting until July last year when I got back into my home as was feeling tired. While Iām enjoying being back in my home I will still housesit, just less. However, donāt know how long it will be before I rent my house out again and go off full time! It is certainly an addictive lifestyle and it makes me happy!
My husband and I started doing remote work and traveling pretty much full-time back in 2011. We started housesitting in 2014. Up until 2020 we had a āhome baseā at my motherās house in NJ and would come back there for stretches up to a few months, and would break up that time by doing sits in NYC almost exclusivelyāwe didnāt have a car so could only go places we could reach and navigate without one.
When she passed in 2020, we lost that home base. Prior to this we didnāt sit much in the US except those NYC sits to break up our NJ time at my momās house. But with Covid, we spent much more time in the country and we got my momās car after she passed so we could go anywhere we wanted. We still travel a lot internationally but these last 5 years have spent more time in the US.
Having done this for so long we canāt imagine living any other way. Sure it can feel challenging at moments. Sometimes it would be great to just leave a house without having to clean it thoroughly. Sometimes dogs can behave differently than expected. Sometimes moving around a lot can feel tiring. Sometimes there may be something about the house I donāt like as much and didnāt anticipate.
But overall I must say our experience has been very positive. We have stayed in some amazing places and met some wonderful people. Housesitting has brought us to a lot of interesting spots we would probably not have visited as regular tourists. We get to live a pretty high quality of life at a fraction of the cost.
Right now we have no plans to stop any time soon. As far as knowing when to stop I think that is something people just know for themselvesāmaybe there is a specific external catalyst for the realization or maybe not. Ultimately it is time to stop if you really no longer enjoy it, if you start feeling a stronger desire for goals and circumstances that are not compatible with this lifestyle.
This is an easy one for us- as we canāt imagine EVER wanting to house/pet sit full time. I simply canāt imagine what would persuade us to do this. So as Iām pondering the question Iām listing all the things weād miss being away from home constantly: hobbies/friends/community. Also Iām not sure Iād want to be hanging out as a couple 24/7 I mean weāve been married 43 years and thatās mainly because we donāt spend lots of time together . So my question is why do people who do this love it so much?
Well we havenāt sat full time, but we did travel full time for 15 months and some sitting in that time. That length of travel was too much for me and we are now home, enjoying our own bed, pillow, being close to friends and family and getting back to our regular gym routines. We want to be able to travel with no responsibility, the sitting for us is the opportunity to take a break from that, although I am certainly open to doing the ārightā sit for us in the future.
@MyrCar, great post. Seems we have some similarities.
As early retirees, we started housesitting three years ago and have been full-time housesitting and visiting family. Happened by chance, opportunistically to bridge a time gap and to experiment into a new lifephase. Now 60 sits across 15 countries. Itās allowed us to spend considerable time supporting aging family members; to visit other family; and to test lifestyle choices (hello snowbirding!). And to open our imaginations to explore familiar and unfamiliar countries. But also with purpose - as we intent to relocate to southern Europe (a much longer story). Weāve used housesitting to explore target countries. Just back from 7 months on the road with no suitcases.
We find it important to mix situational styles - dogs; cats; no pets. Housesit vs family vs home geography.
We also take increasing time on relationships. Reconnecting with old friends; spending time with family; several pet parents have become friends and fellow adventurers.
For us, endgame is a wind-down rather than a termination. In early 2027, we will transition from full-time housesitters to residents in southern Europe with part-time housesitting on an opportunistic and selective basis. With some educational exceptions, we have very much enjoyed the adventure and can forsee part-time selective housesitting as a great future pathway.
Weāve been sitters with THS going into our 11th year and have done over 55 sits. We did a mix of international and local sits in the beginning but in the last eight years have mainly done local sits. We retired in our late 50ās so were fortunate to do a lot of travelling. Weāre heading into our mid 70ās now so are focused more on personal travel now, crossing off our ābucket listā destinations. We also became first time grandparents two years ago and have another grandchild on the way. Weāre lucky that weāve had the opportunity to combine house sits with visiting our family who live three hours drive away from us. Thereās a few destinations where we are actively looking to do international sits so weāre not ready to pack in sitting yet
We gave up our permanent address on September 4th 2020, then missed our flight and had to go back home - not the best start
On our second attempt, we left on the 6th of September 2020 and are still enjoying this lifestyle enough to not be thinking of stopping any time soon.
I worry now whether we would be able to settle again in one place for too long so, having discussed it, have decided we would only ever rent if we did settle, giving us the flexibility to move on as and when we get itchy
Yes our plan on retirement was slow travel but after 4 mths we came home to England (covid lockdown and we were in Singapore at the time). We tried again but after another 4 mths decided we were tired of living out of suitcases and away from our own community. However it was an experience and experiment that we tried but found it didnāt suit us at all. Weāve now determined that 4 weeks away maximum to be away from home is about right. This year weāre only doing short trips (1-2 weeks) but lots of them.
Oh! Thanks for your reply! The part about stopping gives you anxiety made me laugh. Funnily enough, weāre currently in Portugal!! What part of Portugal are you based in? We really love this country!
@Colin, we empathise with your position. Living internationally, with limited physical items, and digitally has opened our imagination. To joys of travel and time. To freedom from clutter. And to financial options of invested capital vs owned property. All choices.
We live in northern Portugal. Stunningly beautiful but VERY wet during the winter months which was one of our catalysts for us to find warmer and less soggy sitting areas.
If you have remote work (or donāt need to work), that offers the greatest flexibility, because you can start, stop and change your minds at any point.
Personally, I used to think that Iād be suited to nomadic life, but THS helped me discover that Iām not ā Iād miss nesting way too much. But thatās probably because weāre self-made and have been able to afford increasingly better digs, spoiling us.
Now, we have optimal flexibility, thanks to owning a home where we had an independent mother-in-law unit added. We could easily just lock up our home for extended periods and have someone live in the mother-in-law unit for free and take care of our place. We also own an RV parked onsite, so we can take off at any point.
For me, that type of flexibility matters more now than ever, because Iāve started open-ended sabbatical and am considering whether to join my husband in early retirement. That would allow us slow travel, without sitting. Weāll likely explore whether we move abroad or split the year between two continents.
Earlier, across decades, it helped that I had a first career where employers always paid for moves. That meant we were able to live all over the country and abroad, and to more easily explore regions. Back then, we moved on average every two years or so. And the property market was more predictable, so it was easier to do well with buying/selling.
If I were younger now, Iād maybe have at least an RV (or tiny home) to use as a base, even if I didnāt own a more typical home. On social media, there are plenty of folks who live that way and fly a lot as well. Some even ship their RVs among continents and explore regions of the world. And tiny homes are mobile, to a degree. Such folks provide lots of potential inspiration.
I love your question because I am very close to stopping after pet sitting full time for almost two years. I too am nervous how it will be for me. It has been the most adventurous time of my entire life (Iām 62) and Iāve loved most of the experiences Iāve had. Iāve travelled around the whole of Britain in my little Hyundai and explored so many amazing places.
But Iām tired now and Iām looking forward to having my own home again. It feels very exciting! However Iām also worried I will get restless being in the same place. I think it will be very nice to be part of a community again though and I canāt wait to have my possessions again.
I just want to add that I am so grateful to THS for giving me a solution when I could no longer afford my rental payments! It has been wonderful!!
. So my question is why do people who do this love it so much?
Funnily enough, weāre currently in Portugal!! What part of Portugal are you based in? We really love this country!