My First Sit | By Alex & Ryan

While it's always a special moment when TrustedHousesitters first connect with one another, for many members, it's their first sit experience that really stands out. Beginning as a way to explore new places while making wonderful memories with pets they'll never forget, many members go on to make longlasting friendships (both human and furry), while enabling a lifestyle they never thought possible.

Today, we're meeting TrustedHousesitters members Alex and Ryan, who began their Trusted journey back in 2019. Hear all about their first ever sit and how, through pet sitting, they were able to find their dream home, in their dream location...

"Can two cats and one pet sit change the course of your life? As an engineer, I'm not one to be overdramatic, but it's the truth.

In early 2019, my husband, Ryan, and I signed up for TrustedHousesitters. We had just spent the afternoon listening to our friends, Linda and Brad, enrapture us with tales of the dream home — and the dream Border Collie — they had spent the last few months in Chile pet sitting for.

Having spent the past year traveling South America while kickstarting our business, Ryan and Alex Duo Life, I can assure you that none of our rental apartments were anything like fairytales. The idea of moving into a well-loved home with a quality mattress and an established internet connection was dream enough. The fact that we could pet sit while doing it was an option I never thought was possible.

As Ryan and I logged into the TrustedHousesitters website that night, we realized what a gold mine we had struck. Dozens of pet sits popped up in the next city we already had flights to: Medellín, Colombia.

Holding our breath, we submitted an application to pet sit for Isadora, the Norwegian Forest cat, and Effie, the Russian Blue. They lived in a sun-filled, leafy apartment in the city's trendiest neighborhood, El Poblado.

We heard back immediately. The owners were interested! Since our flight was coming up, we set a date to meet in person.

On the day of our interview, Ryan and I walked through the bustling streets of El Poblado, lined with coffee shops, restaurants, boutique hotels, and the most beautiful jungle greenery. The owners, Valeri and Javier, lived on the best street of all. Massive guayacan trees formed a green tunnel with their yellow flowering branches over the lively street. We were already in love.

And, thankfully, we got the sit!"

A large part of connecting with other people is having something in common — and as Alex and Ryan soon found out, it doesn't take long for TrustedHousesitters members to connect and build trust together. After all, they already have one big thing in common: a shared love of pets! 

"Of course, we fell in love with the cats at first glance. Isadora was the refined old lady who reigned from her "catio" patio cage out the window. She enjoyed licking ankles and nuzzling our computer screens while we worked.

Meanwhile, little Effie caused mischief as she raced around the house. She was always on time for breakfast, pawing at our door if we weren't awake yet, and ready for her treats at 2 o'clock on the dot. Believe me, it was tough explaining Daylight Saving Time to her!

After our 1-month pet sit with Isadora and Effie, Ryan and I continued to pet sit straight through the following year and a half. We watched more cats in Colombia, dogs in Panama and Costa Rica, and cats again in Mexico."

As well as the many furry friends sitter members make through pet sitting, many tell us they also make longlasting friendships and meaningful connections with people, too. Alex and Ryan were sure to reach out to Valeri when they realised quite how much Medellín had stolen their hearts...

"At this point, we had been married for several years and traveling just as long. Ryan and I were ready to settle down, but where? We realized that out of all of the countries we had traveled to, nothing felt like home quite as much as Medellín had.

I wrote an email to Valeri, asking her and Javier to keep their eyes open in case an apartment in their area went on sale. They wrote back instantly. There was an apartment for sale in the building across the street.

Within two weeks of receiving Valeri's email, Ryan and I flew to Medellín, met realtors, lawyers, and bankers, visited fourteen apartments, and made an offer on that apartment in the building across the street from Valeri's. It was accepted and two weeks later, we officially bought our dream home together.

Without our first pet sit through TrustedHousesitters, none of this would have been possible. Now, months and months later, it still seems surreal that we were able to find our dream home, on our dream street, in our dream city. And it's all because of those two sweet cats, Isadora and Effie, who needed pet sitters back in early 2019..."

Many thanks to Alex and Ryan for sharing their first sit with us — we loved hearing how through pet sitting, they were able to find their dream home together — and just a stone's throw away from their first ever house sit!

You can read more about their experiences over on their website, or on their Instagram, @RyanandAlexDuoLife. You can also read our blog post to hear more about Alex and Ryan's previous travels in Costa Rice and beyond.

Share your story

From first sit stories to tales of pets and places you'll never forget, we always love to hear from members of the Trusted community. So, if you've got a story to share with us, please get in touch...