Recently, we had a chat with house-sitting couple Marjie and Tony.
They have done over 50 house sits worldwide from Thailand to Belize
We learn about their 5-month house sit in Portgual and 8 months of touring Australia while house sitting!
Let’s jump into it and find out where they are heading next
Tell us a little bit about yourself – who are you, where are you from, for, do you do it full-time or sporadically
Tony and I are from Montreal, Canada, and have been sitting globally since 2015 and full-time since 2018
Why did you do petsitting? What is the primary motivation?
Love of travel and love of animals.
How many housesits have you had and where?
We have done 50+ house sits. Some of the countries include Canada, Australia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Belize.
How did you find out about housesitting?
An article in Conde Naste about their ‘Travellers of the Year who happened to be petsitters from Canada.Back in 2013-14?
What’s been the biggest adventure so far?
10 sits while touring Australia for 8 months
How much luggage do you travel with?
1 carry-on, 1 checked each.
Pros of House Sitting?
The reasons we love house-sitting include; chances to visit new places
Meeting new people on a different platform other than just being travelers
Staying in wonderful homes to treat as our own, for a while
Most importantly hang with some great pets!
Cons of House Sitting?
Once in a while, people misrepresent themselves to obtain free labor.
What was your favorite housesitting experience to date and why?
5 months in rural Portugal with 6 dogs and 2 cats. It was an amazing experience and learning curve.
How do you decide on a destination?
Timing, proximity to current location, and length of sit. Also, vibe from the owners after a meeting.
Was it hard for you to secure your first housesitting gig? How many applications did you have to send before you got accepted for your first assignment?
we got our 1st sit in Laos for 7 months with our 1st application.
Tips for others wanting to get started?
Start off sitting locally to build a portfolio and reviews—good way to see what you are getting into also.
Did you ever have any unusual pets to take care of or responsibilities that were out of the norm?
We looked after 32 Lovebirds
Where to next (when you can)
February 6, in France for a 2-part sit over 4 months with sits in Spain and Cyprus in between.
Want to try House Sitting As Well?
There are thousands of opportunities to house sit around the world!
Check out the resources for getting started as a house sitter here.
Are You Ready to Start House Sitting?
