The gift of wanderlust: Rose O’Connor’s pet sitting story

Like many of our lovely members, Rose’s house sitting story started when she gave into her wanderlust. Giving up the life they knew, Rose and her husband set off on an adventure that was soon to be filled with adorable pets and new landscapes. When she’s not meeting new furry friends and jetting off around the world, Rose is writing novels (check out the lovely Footpaths) and running reiki sessions. Her story really speaks for itself, so without further ado, let’s get into it...

“Life is a series of choices. One choice that truly changed the course of our lives was the day that we decided to become Trusted Housesitters. After recently agreeing to rent our home in Colorado for the winter, all we thought we wanted was an affordable way to do that. We knew we loved taking care of animals of all types, and then one day, when doing an Internet search, I found TH! We made a profile and video and started applying. Things just clicked into place, one sit after another appeared and before we knew it, we were going to be house and pet sitting all over the UK for four and a half months! 

Even before we got there the changes began. My husband, then 59 years old, got a passport for the first time in his life. I decided it was finally time to write that novel I’d always promised myself I would do. We were absolutely gobsmacked at the idea that people we didn’t even know, never even met in person, were about to open their homes to us and entrust their precious animals to our care. I believe one reason for this was due to the professional nature of the TH website. 

As we explored many delightful footpaths all over the UK, we met the most wonderful people and experienced everyday life as  “temporary blow-ins” in the small villages where we chose to sit. Our inner landscapes widened as we were able to look at our own lives and choices from new perspectives. Our outer landscapes became more grounded and connected with Mother Earth whilst walking with our animal companions on the endless footpaths. It was indeed a walk in many different directions and on many levels that we never would have known staying at home.

But the best part of all was stepping into the unknown. For most of us, the unknown is a scary place. Some of our friends and family shook their heads that first year when we left our home, our work, and our lives as we knew them. They didn’t understand why anyone would want to do such a crazy thing.

But, like many of us who have been gifted with wanderlust, we knew something different. We were willing to take a chance on the unknown to see where the adventure took us. It became an opportunity to refocus the lens through which we saw the world, to leave behind our home, friends, business and family and learn to trust ourselves in new ways.

We learned you have to trust yourself enough to take the chance that maybe everything won’t turn out perfectly. Maybe it will rain every day, or the bed will be uncomfortable. Maybe the food will be strange, or the animals will keep you up at night until you get used to each other. Maybe you’ll get homesick or come down with the flu. But whatever happens on your journey, it will never be boring and you will be living a new life every single day.

Every day you will wake up to a new adventure, even if that just means a new walk you haven’t explored, or a new cafe where you want to try the chocolate cake. Every day will hold its own sweetness being in a place you’ve never been and with new animals you get to know better and better. Every day you’ll  discover a whole new sense of freedom, of being alive and making memories that last a lifetime.

We started out only “planning” to do this for one winter of our lives, but then again, you know what they say about the best laid plans...  Since then we completed many more housesits in different places, and the best part is, we can do it all over again, thanks to Trusted Housesitters!”

Fancy giving into your wanderlust, too?

If Rose’s lovely words were enough to convince you to get your pet sitting adventure started, find out what the world has to offer by finding your dream location today!