‘We never imagined doing this’: Why these couples gave up everything to be travelling pet-sitters

“You can’t really top waking up in the morning to see llamas on your front porch waiting for their breakfast,” says Anaïs of a recent pet-sitting experience in New Zealand.

Along with her partner Steven, the Spaniard has been travelling the world with TrustedHousesitters since 2021.

The platform connects holidaying pet owners with responsible travellers looking for unique, home-away-from-home experiences.

“We wanted to switch to travelling full-time, so we decided to get remote jobs and leave everything behind,” Anaïs tells Euronews Travel. “It was the best decision we’ve ever made, opening doors to incredible experiences worldwide.”

They’re not the only ones who made this major life change during the pandemic.

“In 2020, we sold everything we had in Brazil to live a nomadic life,” says Gabryel, who has been pet-sitting full-time with his partner Vera for over 2.5 years.

Euronews Travel spoke to both couples from their current house-sits in Australia and Thailand to find out more.

How house-sitting opens the doors to local connections

On first hearing of the nomadic lifestyle, “We thought, wow, working online and travelling at the same time, it’s like a dream!”, says Gabryel. “But it was a dream so, so far away we never imagined doing this.”

When the pandemic hit, they became determined to find a way.

Giving up their jobs in F&B and administration, Gabryel, 31, and Vera, 29, used their degrees in business and financial management to forge a path in online marketing, which Gabryel supplements with teaching English online.

But staying in Airbnbs, “We felt so lonely as we had no contact with people or animals,” says Vera. 

Then, they discovered TrustedHousesitters. 

With their first sit over Christmas 2021, their once far-off dream started to become a reality: “We were in Paris, in a very comfortable apartment, not in a touristic area, with a lovely cat, just living like locals,” says Gabryel.

Having their own space to work, a local connection and pets to keep them company, they knew they’d hit the jackpot.

“One of the greatest things about TrustedHousesitters is the exchange,” says Gabryel. “It’s not just for saving money with rent – you have the opportunity to not only have animals around you while you’re travelling but you have the chance to get to know how the local people live and to have more contact with them.” 

From caring for nine dogs and two tortoises for a month in Greece to making lifelong friends in a remote Turkish village – despite not speaking the same language – the platform has opened up a world of unique experiences.

The couple select their sits based on a few key factors: the pets, the internet connection and access to public transport. But most important is the proximity to their current location, as they find the experience of overland travel more enriching than flying.

“Going by bus is also fun,” says Gabryel, recalling a 35-hour journey from Bulgaria to Germany that allowed them to experience snow for the first time ever.

‘You can’t do house-sitting just for the free accommodation’

Anaïs and Steven are also quick to emphasise that house-sitting is more than a money-saving hack.

“It is an incredible way to travel, but it comes with responsibilities,” says Anaïs. “You can’t do house-sitting just for the free accommodation; you need to genuinely love animals and enjoy spending time with them.”

They say that being open-minded, flexible and reliable are essential to making it work.

“The owners are entrusting you with two of their most precious things: their pets and their homes. Treat the house as if it were your own and love the pets as your own too,” advises Anaïs. “Flexibility in your travel plans and accommodating the needs and schedules of the animals are essential.”

But “the energy you put into things always comes back to you,” she adds. From a month of cat-sitting in Hawaii to Christmas in London caring for a sausage dog named Lea, house-sitting has allowed her and Steven to “combine our love for travel and animals”.

How does TrustedHousesitters work?

TrustedHousesitters helps match home and pet owners with verified travellers who love animals and exploring new places.

Annual membership costs from €139 for ‘pet parents’ and €119 for sitters. This allows home and pet owners to post house-sitting opportunities on the platform, which sitters can then apply for.

Messages and video calls are often part of the selection process, along with the applicants’ profiles, which include background checks, external references, and reviews from other pet owners.

While it helps to have reviews, it’s still possible to get started without them, say Gabryel and Vera.

“In our opinion, the application is the most important part because the first thing that the owner of the house will see,” says Gabryel. “Nowadays we have more than 30 reviews… and it’s easier now. But it wasn’t that difficult at the beginning – we just made sure our application was as complete as possible.”

Both couples share travel and pet-sitting tips via their social media channels: as @elviajederita, Anaïs and Steven have racked up a following of over 700,000 across various platforms.

As @capituebentinhoporai, Gabryel and Vera introduce their online community to alternative ways of travelling.