House Sitting Stories | Fran and Marco

We love sharing stories from fellow travellers who’ve embraced the house sitting lifestyle, and Fran and Marco’s journey is one of our favourites. Originally from Argentina and the Philippines, this adventurous couple has been travelling full-time since 2018 — using house sitting as a way to stay grounded while exploring the world.

Their path has taken them through the USA, Indonesia, South Korea, and beyond. Along the way, they’ve cared for everything from rescue dogs to a free-flying bird named Twitty (who joined them for breakfast and movie nights in Alaska). House sitting has given them the chance to slow down, live like locals, and save thousands on accommodation — all while doing something they love.

In this interview, they share how they got started, their favourite (and funniest) moments, and what house sitting means to them.

Why do you housesit? What is the main motivation?

We do housesitting mainly for the stability it provides us while traveling around the world. Since we love nature and animals, it became the perfect match for what we were looking for.

How did you find out about housesitting?

During our first year traveling around the world, we changed accommodation on average every five days. After almost a year, we felt the need to find a way to have more stability on our travels so we could focus our energy on other projects that require more stability while at the same time still being on the road, traveling, and exploring new places and lifestyles.

Until one day, while browsing on Instagram, Fran saw an Argentinian travel couple that had been housesitting for a while already while traveling around the world, and after some research, we decided to buy our membership with TrustedHousesitters and have our first housesitting in Alaska 🙂

Why do you housesit? What is the main motivation?

We do housesitting mainly for the stability that it provides us while traveling around the world and since we love nature and animals, it became the perfect match for what we were looking for.

Pros of House Sitting

• Stability while being on the move, traveling around the world.
• The company of pets.
• Having the comfort of a house.
• Experiencing different lifestyles.
• Living like a local.
• Save money on accommodation. In Alaska we saved up to 2000 USD.

Cons of House Sitting

• You could miss the opportunity to meet people.
• Your time/routine could be affected by the routine of the pets you taking care of.
• Less freedom to explore.

What’s been the biggest adventure so far?

OMG! Since January 2018, we’ve had a ride full of beautiful adventures, but we could say that “Hitchhiking the whole Argentina from South to North” was definitely the most unforgettable, fun, and challenging adventure so far.

How do you decide on a destination?

First, we decide what our goal is and what we are looking for, and based on that, we start exploring which destinations best match that. Then, we pick one destination and go with the flow, assessing where to go next.

How much luggage do you travel with?

We each carry two big backpacks (15kg approx), two small backpacks, and one backpack for our camera gear. We also attach our two yoga mats and tent to our backpacks.

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?

The first one was pretty easy, we must say. We applied to 5, and after 15 days, we got accepted right away by an owner. We met our hosts the day we were starting our housesitting; we didn’t have any video calls to meet each other in advance.

Did you ever have any unusual pets to take care of or responsibilities that were out of the norm?

The one that really caught our attention was our first housesitting gig, where we took care of a free bird inside the house. Twitty, the bird, used to have breakfast with us, go to sleep with us, and watch movies with us. He used to have his own spots marked with paper towels all over the house. Other than that, it was mainly cats and dogs.

What was your favourite housesitting experience to date and why?

This is hard!!! Haha, but we would say your favorite housesitting experience was in Krabi, Thailand. We took care of the best dog a human being can have: loyal, independent, nutty, and funny. He is a street dog rescue, and basically, we just need to feed him and give him love.

We walk himself, pee and poo outside by himself. We had the best days with Scarface. He will run with us, excited for us everyday when we come back home, he will have friends all over the neighborhood and go outside and play by himself (sometimes he’ll come all dirty after having adventures with his friends or very clean because one of the friends neighbors will gave him a shower)

Everyone loves Scarface; it’s just impossible not to love him. Plus, the house and the owners were terrific. We were in Thailand and the house has a pool and a very nice outdoor patio where we always hang out.

Have you had any funny housesitting experiences?

Probably taking care of Twitty, the bird, in Alaska. We were amazed seeing him free, flying all over the house, having breakfast with us (literally waiting for us to have his peanut butter while we’re having our breakfast), and when it was too late at night starting to hear him and seeing him flying towards the room like “hey guys, time to sleep!” Lol. It was super fun taking care of him!

Tips for Others Wanting to get started?

Apply every day. That’s the key to being the first one to apply to the opportunities that you like and staying updated.

Where to next (when you can)?

We are looking for housesitting opportunities in Jamaica or Central America 🙂

Check out the Fran and Marcos website, or follow them on Instagram!

Need Help Getting Started With House Sitting

Have we got you excited about house-sitting? We love sharing our house-sitting experiences and teaching others how to become house-sitters and start their journeys. 

So, if you need help starting your house-sitting journey, see my resources here, and don’t hesitate to contact me and ask me any questions.

Read More House Sitting Stories