Side hustle lets us stay in luxurious homes for free all over the world

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A couple has a new leash on life after quitting their 9-to-5 jobs to travel the world for free as house and pet sitters.

Jori, 23, and her partner, Austin, 27, started a blog called Nomads and PawPads where they share stories about their globe-trotting lifestyle and offer tips for those looking to do the same.

They’ve been staying at places for free in the US since 2021 and traveling outside the country since 2022, spending as little as $3 per day if food is provided by the homeowners, the Sun reported.

“We always knew that travel would play a key role in our story, but we didn’t quite know when or how. We were both working 9-5 jobs, feeling unfulfilled and a bit lost in life. Eventually, the burnout was too much,” the couple wrote on their blog.

The pair, who met on Tinder in 2020, connected over their love of sightseeing and decided they would travel together for at least a year on the tightest budget possible.

Jori was working in customer service at the time and Austin was a landscaper and they weren’t making tons of cash, Jori explained in a video on the couple’s Nomadsandpawpads TikTok account. However, they still managed to save $15,000 before venturing abroad, they said in an Instagram post under the same account name.

#greenscreen

As they researched affordable travel options, they discovered a site called TrustedHousesitters on which people can find a free place to stay in exchange for watching the homeowners’ pets for free.

The couple already had 10 years of pet care experience, so they figured this would be the perfect way for them to stay in fun and exciting places while meeting new furry friends.

It’s unclear what type of visa the couple uses to travel the world, since house-sitting on a tourist visa is illegal in the U.S. and several other countries, according to TrustedHousesitters.

Since starting their journey, they gained more than 101,000 followers on their Instagram account and over 62,600 followers on their TikTok.

One day ago, the couple posted a TikTok video with more than 8,600 views detailing their luxurious stay in the Pacific Northwest at an oceanfront property complete with a wine cellar, hot tub, gym, sauna and in-home movie theater.

“For the next three weeks we are staying here completely free while caring for two cats,” they explained in the video.

While staying at the home, they cared for two Siberian cats named Uslada and Kyusha. Their duties included cleaning the cats’ litter boxes, grooming and the occasional stroller ride with Uslada.

We feel so luck to have gotten this once in a lifetime house sit thanks to this one tip! #travellife #travelingpetsitter #housesitexchange #petsittertips #affordabletravel #travelhacking #pnwadventures #washingtoncheck #freehousesitter #vacationpetsitting

“Other than that, we just keep the home clean and tidy,” the couple said.

They said the simple tip that got them their recent housesitting gig was that the job was “posted just four days before its start date.”

They explained that since other housesitters were already booked, “competition was much easier than usual.”

“Applying to last-minute sits is a great way to land some amazing opportunities,” they said.

The couple has learned the ins and outs of global pet sitting and has had the opportunity to stay for free at homes in various US states, as well as Singapore, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, England and Bali, to name a few.

While they get to stay in awesome places for free by saving thousands they might be spending on Airbnb and hotels, it’s not all a walk in the park.

“While house sitting has granted us the ability to slow down and enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle, the reality remains that this lifestyle can be accompanied by its fair share of stress,” they wrote on their blog.

“Accidents happen — items break, and things can get lost. It can be quite stressful to handle such situations. Or even more concerning, what to do in the case the pet starts to show potential signs of illness or injury,” they continued.

Traveling to unfamiliar places also comes with the stress of acclimating to new environments and sometimes staying in homes that aren’t super clean, they explained on their blog, which is a resource for anyone else looking to give the travel pet sitting lifestyle a try.

Jori and Austin aren’t the only ones who’ve found a way to travel for free. A couple recently claimed they stayed for free in 84 countries thanks to another home exchange program.