How house sitting filled the pet-shaped gap in Bentinho and Capitu’s travels

If you’re an animal lover at heart and the thought of long-term travelling sets off all your wanderlust feels, you’ve probably wondered how you’d ever manage to combine your two passions. And our lovely members, Bentinho and Capitu, were in the same dilemma - their goal was to see the world and get to know the people in it, but they were left with a pet-shaped gap in their lives that many nomadic travellers know all too well. That was, at least, until they realised they could pet sit all over the world, seeing incredible sights with the comforting warmth of new fluffy companions by their side. Wondering how they got there? Let’s find out…

“It all started in 2007 when we met in elementary school performing a play about a Brazilian book very famous called Dom Casmurro [...]. We fell in love, but we were too young and didn't understand that feeling very much.

After the play we separated and we didn't see each other for 10 years. We met again in 2017 and from then on we became best friends and got involved for 3 years. We started dating in 2020 and after 2 months, we decided to sell all our stuff and fulfill our dream of going out to travel the world with no return date.

Since then, we have been travelling constantly for the past 2 years, seeing amazing places, making friends from all over the world, exchanging experiences and learning about ourselves, new people and cultures.”

So, their goal was to see the world and meet the people in it, but the pair were pet lovers at heart, and missed the warm, furry company of them. Their solution was simple - apply to pet sits around the world so that they never had to compromise between their love of travel and pets again.

“We grew up with animals in our home and love to be in contact with them on a daily basis, as we're travelling constantly, sometimes it's hard to not have any animals around us [...] With pet sitting we have the chance to love and care for animals around the world.”

Their adventures span countries across the globe, working as they travel and making countless fluffy friends along the way. And the pair’s most memorable sit seems to have it all - adorable pups to care for, chats with the locals and dear friends for hosts - all surrounded by the rich history of Turkey’s ancient city of Iznik.

“The most amazing experience we had as pet sitters was in Turkey, in the city of Iznik, where we took care of 2 adorable dogs: Leyla and Legs, both rescued dogs. They were incredibly loving, affectionate, intelligent dogs that we had a huge connection with. Leyla (13 yo) was the sweetest dog we ever seen, just looking into her eyes we felt so much love. She loved to sing during the prayers of the mosques near the house. She loved to walk and lie in the garden among the plants. Legs (8 yo) was an extremely independent dog and brought us a sense of peace. He loved to walk and often enjoyed being out of the house a little longer. We loved to spend time with and talk to them. As pet sitters in the city of Iznik we had the opportunity to get in touch with local people and learn more about Turkish culture. Iznik was a historic town with Roman ruins and a huge swimming lake. The people are friendly, especially the hosts of the house, Linda and Gary, our dear friends. We stayed there for 3 weeks and it was the best experience we had.”

And for some final pet sitting words of wisdom…

“A great pet sitter treats the animals as if it were yours, giving them attention, care and love. Also, a great pet sitter should be responsible, keep them safe and do what is the best for the animals. Don’t forget to take good care of the house while you’re living there.” 

When we last spoke to this pet-loving pair, they were sitting in Germany for cats named Godofredo and Theodoro - both with unique personalities and adorable quirks. If you’d like to keep up with the rest of their pet sitting adventures, get inspired for your own on their Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. And for now…

“Our plan is to keep travelling for a few more years. Nowadays, we create content on social media with the aim of sharing with others our experiences as nomads, traveling and caring for pets around the world. Traveling is what brings us happiness and the company of animals brightens our days.”

Want to hear more about what it's like to pet sit around the world?

Over the last year, our horse-mad member Laura has been travelling North America with her husband and two Springer Spaniels. Sharing some of her equine and horse sitting knowledge, explore her blog to find out what equine house sitting is really like.