"We've made long-lasting connections with pets and owners”

Like many pet-loving explorers, Jess and Tom began their house sitting adventures after Covid-19. Keen to explore new places and spend time with adorable pets, what started as a few days vacation began to blossom into something more…

“Tom got a fully remote job and we wondered if we could try house and pet sitting full time. I had a bit of an identity crisis while I decided whether I wanted to stick at my career as a Major Crime Investigator in the police, or wanted to travel more. In the end, travel won out.”

That was two years ago, and since then the couple have been going from sit to sit and have quite the paw-some collection of tails to tell. What’s more, they were able to fulfill their shared love of animals.

“Best of all, we love the time we get to spend with pets. Before we started sitting we’d had to have our elderly cat put to sleep and the time around animals allowed us to process that and fill a hole in our lives.”

It’s all about the pets and people

Did we mention Jess and Tom are animal lovers? Well, they also love meeting new humans and have formed some rather special friendships along the way.

“We love caring for pets of all shapes and sizes. Also, because of house sitting we often end up in a location we never would have visited otherwise. Exploring and experiencing different types of neighborhoods, interacting with so many people, and getting to feel like locals for a while is great too. The connections with pets and homeowners are long-lasting…”

With all this experience, have they found a preference for any particular pet?

“We don’t have a favorite type! We love looking after any animal [...] any pet that needs love and care whilst their owner is away is one that is worthy of our time.”

Well, if that doesn’t scream ‘pet people’ we don’t know what does! Okay, so no favoritism when it comes to pets, but are there any recent stand-out sits that come to mind?

“We really bonded with a menagerie of pets while in Spain last summer. Specifically, the sausage dog that we looked after there, Rasmus stole my (Jess’s) heart.”

A few sitting tips from seasoned sitters

After two years of non-stop sitting, they have a pretty good idea of what makes a top-notch sitter…

“A great sitter is someone that genuinely cares about the pets’ wellbeing as well as respecting the homeowner's space and possessions […] Being great at communication is important, as is attention to detail and a real passion for animals.”

You could easily fill a book with all their tips and adventures. Hang on, looks like they’re already one step ahead!

“I’ve [Jess] written about all these stories, alongside my top tips on how to be a successful house sitter, in my book The Housesitter’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s a guide on how house sitting can be a more environmentally friendly way of traveling and includes chapters such as “How to be green in someone else’s home.”

We highly recommend you check it out, it’s purr-fect for both seasoned sitters and hopeful house hoppers. Click this link to to find it on Amazon!

Final thoughts and pearls of wisdom

Pet sitting has allowed Jess and Tom to fulfill a fully remote, nomadic lifestyle where they can flourish in the company of animals. Not only this, it’s benefitted their overall health.

“It’s really improved our mental and physical health whilst providing us with a freedom which we thought was unattainable.”

So, where are this paw-loving power couple off to next?

“At the moment we’re in Devon in the U.K. looking after two Cockapoos, and our next sit is in Normandy in France looking after a cat for just over a month! We have a small motorhome which we use for any small gaps between sits, and we’re driving down to France.”

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Jess and Tom! If you’d like to find out more about their adventures or keep up to date with their ongoing travels, you can follow them on Instagram @hitchedhikingandhousesitting, or head to their website www.hitchedandhiking.com

“It’s a way of living nomadically and more simply whilst reconnecting with animals and nature”

TrustedHousesitters allowed Jess and Tom to live their nomadic dream in the company of cute pets, but they’re not the only ones living this paw-some lifestyle. Read Lev and Mia’s story on their adventures from all corners of the globe.