How pet sitting gave John and Barb the retirement of their dreams

Planning for retirement but looking for ways to fill it with something, well… fulfilling? Here we explore John and Barb’s wanderlust-filled take on retirement, as they travel the world, pet sit and enjoy the comfort of homes across the globe for free, all with their TrustedHousesitters membership. 

So, what inspired the pair to swap the slippers for long stints of globe trotting?

“We started pet sitting in 2017. We had just retired, bought and remodelled our home and one day John asked if I wanted to move overseas. That was a bit drastic for me so we compromised. We decided to rent our home out for a year and travel the world.”

That all sounds great… some might say idyllic in fact, but exactly how did the couple set their dreams in motion?

“I found TrustedHousesitters and thought this would be a great way to travel. We applied to several sits in different countries. The first host to accept us was in Edinburgh Scotland, so off to Europe we went! We loved Europe so much that we spent the entire year there. We had 13 pet sits in that time and met so many wonderful people and pets. We still have our home in Asheville NC and continue to take long trips pet sitting around the USA.”

After over 30 sits around the world, the couple told us about the stand-out in Munich, Germany.

“We sat for a great couple that had a kitty with hydrocephalus, also known as “water on the brain”. Her name was Bear and we instantly fell in love with her. She was so affectionate and sweet. She wobbled when she walked and sometimes fell over but it did not slow her down! We held our breath every time she ran down the stairs but Bear was quite capable of taking care of herself. Her care was easy and we loved her company. The home was beautiful and our hosts, Anna and Mat, made us feel welcomed from the moment Anna picked us up at the train station. We became friends and still keep in touch with them. Mat also introduced us to Scottish whisky which we will forever be grateful!”

And it turns out that it’s not only us lot at TrustedHousesitters who love all creatures feline. Here’s what they had to say about their favourite pet to look after.

“We may have to say cats. Not only does the care of cats lend itself to giving us more time to explore the local area, their personalities are unapologetic. You have to respect that. They are who they are and do not make any concessions for us. From the very friendly, sit-on-your-lap types, to the hide-under-the-bed types, cats are very interesting.”

So, where are the two at now?

“We are currently looking at travelling this winter throughout the south and southwest USA. We have some invitations to come back to sit for previous hosts and are also looking to line up some new pet sits in those areas.”

And for some final wisdom which we can’t help but heartily agree with…

“We could not enjoy our travels as we do without TrustedHousesitters. It has provided us with so many memorable experiences, taught us to be adaptable and love change and given us the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and pets.” 

Want to hear more about pet sitting in retirement?

Head to John and Barb’s website at sitstaytrips.com or their Instagram @sitstaytrips to keep up to date with their travels around the world and the furry friends they meet along the way.