‘We’ve travelled the world for free!’ House-sitting has enabled one reader to expand her horizons
Becoming a house-sitter has opened up Gill Harrison’s life
My husband, Andy, and I have always loved to travel. Every year, we’d head off from our home in Nottinghamshire to France or the Canary Islands for a holiday and wish we could stay longer. In 2017, after I’d retired from my job as a project manager and Andy, an IT software developer, was working from home, we found ourselves longing for an adventure. So when I spotted an article about a woman who travelled all over the world, taking care of people’s properties and pets while they were away, I was intrigued. ‘We could do this!’ I said to Andy.
I found two websites, Trusted Housesitters and Mindmyhouse, that you could join for a small fee – one was just £15 for a year. You search for homes that you like the look of and contact the owners.
We found a converted barn in France with two dogs, three cats and six chickens that needed taking care of for a month. We applied and a week later the owners emailed saying we’d been shortlisted. We then chatted to them on the phone and, later, found out we’d been successful. I couldn’t believe we were off to France for a month for free!
The house was in the countryside in south-western France. It took us 13 hours to drive there but eventually we pulled up outside a grand stone barn to be greeted by two bouncy chocolate labradors. The owners welcomed us with a lovely meal, then showed us around before leaving us to it.
Luckily, instructions told us where everything was and how to work the wood burner. Mornings were manic, feeding the animals and walking the dogs. Andy and I were used to dogs but I’d worried about looking after the chickens. In the end, they were so easy; they just wandered into their coop once it fell dark. Andy worked during the day, then late afternoon we’d drive 20 minutes into town to explore. After the month, the owners gave us a five-star review. Straightaway we began searching for another place. Next was a beautiful detached house in Surrey to look after two cats. The owners had a gardener and cleaner, so during the day we’d catch the train into London to sightsee, and in the evening we’d sit on the patio enjoying a glass of wine. It was 10 days of bliss, and we were thrilled when they asked us to house-sit again the following year. Since then, we’ve taken care of five cats on the Costa Blanca, seen in the New Year in Mallorca and stayed in a stylish apartment on the French Riviera. I’ve even published a book about our stays. At 69, I look forward to many more years of house-sitting. Sadly, we couldn’t do much last year due to the pandemic, but as soon as things are back to normal we’ll be off again. It gives us the chance to live like locals with free accommodation in great locations. It’s flexible, too – you can arrange to house-sit far in advance or last minute, for a long weekend or a year. I’d recommend it to anyone who has the time and freedom.
• Chez Vous by Gill Harrison is available to buy on Amazon for £8.99
‘It gives us the chance to live like locals in great locations’