From Croatia to Portugal, the south of France and some sheep, it was Mark’s first pet sitting adventure

Planning on just five weeks in sunny Croatia with a few curtain-loving kittens, the beginning of Mark’s pet sitting journey was a little unanticipated, at least it seems so on the surface. The catch was, he’d booked a one-way flight to Croatia and was ready to go wherever the right match would take him, open to the idea that pet sitting could just be one of the best ways to travel Europe.

And Mark’s new matches didn’t disappoint - they kept on coming. This adventurer ended up in Europe for a grand total of 14 weeks, exploring Portugal and the south of France with the company of cats, dogs, and even sheep! 

“Like a lot of people the previous 18 months had not been one of expansion and travel so I was feeling the impulse for some wandering and being in different lands [...] I kept adding on extra sits.”

His openness for new experiences brought him new two-legged companions, too…

“Thinking I was heading off to some kind of solitary retreat, it transpired that the guy in Croatia had his friends parked up in their camper van in his garden. So letting go of any expectation I embraced the situation and we ended up having a great time and his friends took me out in their van to explore some of the beautiful country that was all around, which I wouldn’t have been able to have done on my own without a car.”

And it’s clear that his stay in Croatia wasn’t all Campervan trips and countryside views…

“Apart from feeding the kittens, my main job was to not let them climb up the curtains. This proved to be impossible!”

When he wasn’t working remotely or prising kittens away from the house furnishings, Mark was able to live like a local in Croatia’s rural scapes.

“I work from home as a therapist and since the pandemic all my client sessions are now online [...] I love the balance of doing my online work, looking after the animals and walking in the local countryside [...] You enter a flow which is different from normal everyday life. Being away from home has always done that for me.”

Taken by the tranquil scenery of Croatia, Mark knew his next venture had to be in the sticks, too. So, he jetted off to the hills of Sertã in Portugal.

“Walking the dog 3 times a day gave me a focus and I formed a really strong bond with the dog, who was adorable. I hadn’t realised how easy and naturally the connections to the animals formed.”

And despite this being Mark’s first pet sitting adventure, he wasn’t shy when it came to the furry (or should we say, fluffy) friends he made company of.

“Along the way I ended up booking 3 more sits in the south of France. A lot of cats and one lovely elderly hound that I really loved and some sheep who I would feed each morning from a hand held bowl. I’ve never before interacted with sheep that actually come up close.”

While the recipe for a fab holiday can include sun, the ideal place to stay, and of course a cute fluffy pal by your side, Mark’s hosts went the extra mile, making all the difference to his experience.

“I really appreciated the generosity of all of the hosts, picking me up from the airport or station, taking me out for meals [...] He was so friendly and welcoming and I felt that sense of everything unfolding well.”

And it’s safe to say that he has the house sitting bug…

I really appreciate the unknown element that house sitting brings and the way that it ends up creating the structure of your adventure for you [...] If I had been planning a trip independently I probably would have never come up with that specific itinerary. And the particular places, often very off the beaten track and in places I would not have thought of myself.”

Mark’s wanderlust didn’t halt in the south of France. Since his first adventure, he’s been back in Europe exploring Italy’s romantic countryside. Looks like he’s hooked on house sitting like the rest of us, with a slim chance of resisting his next email tempting him with ‘it’s a match’.