Recently, we had a chat with the popular vanlife couple from YouTube!! Mr and Mrs Adventure!
They have have been traveling the world and sharing it with their 75k followers on YouTube. However they made the jump to house sitting while back in the US due to the pandemic.
Find out they managed to land their first house sit as well as dealing with problems at their first house sit!
Tell us a little bit about yourself– who are you, where are you from, for, do you do it full-time or sporadically
My wife, Brittany, and I also known as Mr and Mrs Adventure left our apt at the end of 2014 in Los Angeles to travel the world and have been nomadic since.
We had the opportunity to live in a family campervan and fell in love with the road. We are some of the original influencers in the #vanlife space.
Recently, we found ourselves housesitting in the Bay area outside of San Francisco for 3 months.
How many housesits have you had and where?
This is actually our first long housesitting experience other than a few weekly or weekend stays for family and friends.
Why do you housesit? What is the main motivation?
In the suburbs of San Francisco, California. We wanted a break from the perpetual moving that comes from living in a Sprinter van.
How did you find your first house sit?
Luckily, for us, we leveraged our online community and asked them if anyone was looking for a housesitter. We received a few various offers and jumped at the right one.
This was supposed to be for just two months but the couple who owns the house asked if we would like to stay longer. Of course, we said yes!
Pros of House Sitting?
We get to see and live like a local in an entirely new region. This house has become our base camp for adventures. Luckily, we are able to use the host’s vehicle to get places and it makes shopping really easy.
Since we live full-time in a van and are always moving, this house is a stable place that gives us the much-needed space and relaxed environment we have been seeking. We don’t even use all of the rooms… it’s so great!
Looking to try van life? Here are my favorite van life websites to visit when I want to travel.
Cons of House Sitting?
For us, we couldn’t be happier at the moment. If we had to choose, we would say being in a home in the suburbs takes us away from being surrounded by the outdoors and away from an every-changing slider door view (our van) that inspires and has a waking up at trailheads and in vast landscapes.
What’s been the biggest or best adventure so far?
Every week is an adventure for us. On the one side, trying to stay home and not go anywhere is the biggest adventure.
On the other side, we would say, going to Lake Tahoe and getting in a snow-ball fight while learning to cross-country ski was pretty great
How do you decide on a location?
We wanted to stay in an area of the Country/California that we hadn’t spend a lot of time in already.
How much luggage do you travel with?
Two carry-ons and two large duffle bags is our packing list. Since we are YouTubers, one carry-on is entirely camera gear.
Was it hard for you to secure your first house sitting gig?
This isn’t your traditional answer. An incredible part of having an online community is that we get the chance to talk and ask our community if they can help in certain situations.
We put it out there, a few months ago, that we wanted to stay in a house and if anyone had land, a unique stay or a house that needed to be looked after and a few people reached out.
We vetted the emails and had a few phone calls and decided the best plan. It’s worked out wonderfully!
Did you ever have any unusual pets to take care of or responsibilities that were out of the norm?
The water to the house stopped working and we couldn’t figure out what had happened. We called our hosts and they were puzzled so they called the city.
Come to find out, a pipe connection broke on a spigot and the neighbor saw it, so they turned off the water connection to the house without telling anyone…. Not sure why, I guess he knew his neighbors were away and wanted to help.
Where has been your favorite house sit?
This is our first time, so this one! We definitely have had our eyes opened and would love to do it more in the future.
Tips for others wanting to get started?
If you’re thinking about it, do it. Stop thinking everything has to be just right and planned. The hardest part is just getting into something new.
You certainly don’t want to look back in years and say, why did I not do that and miss the chance.
Where to next (when you can)
Back to our Sprinter Van in Florida to head north and eventually back to the Westcoast.
Want to know where else to find Mr & Mrs Adventure?
Follow them on their YouTube Channel and website!
Want to try House Sitting As Well?
There are thousands of opportunities to house sit around the world!
If your wondering how YOU TO can travel for free, check out our resources on becoming a house sitter!
How Does House Sitting Sound to You?
Thanks for sharing our story! 🙂
No worries at all!! thank so much for sharing your house sitting journey with us 🙂
Great article. Interesting insights.
Cute couple. Anything’s possible.