I Lived in Strangers’ Homes for a Year, Here’s What it Taught Me

An honest UK housesitting anniversary reflection

May 21, 2025

I can’t believe it.

One. Whole. Year.

27 houses. 24 pets. Thousands of miles travelled.

How I’m still standing defies belief. If you cut off the top of my head, I’m sure you’d find a bowl of scrambled eggs where a working human brain should be.

Regular readers will have seen snippets of my housesitting adventures, but I wanted to sit down and share more of the juicy details. So, if you’ve ever fancied spending a year living out of a car and strangers’ homes, well, I’ve plenty of advice to share.

Shall we?

Why I did it

I should preface this by saying: I was never the kind of girl who dreamed of living out of a suitcase. Old Hannah lived in London and liked tasting menus, designer bags, and her daily coffee from the same barista. But I’d grown overly comfortable in the contents that surrounded me, became addicted to work, and lost all sense of purpose. I’ve written about that (and my burnout) here, so won’t go into it now.

All you need to know is that I needed a change.

My boyfriend and I wanted to take a year out to focus on creative pursuits. We had savings, but couldn’t fund it all on hotels or Airbnbs. Over a bottle of wine with friends, I stumbled across the concept of housesitting.

Free accommodation for caring for someone’s pets sounded like a win-win. And financially, it was our only option.

🎉 One Year on Substack! 🎉
I launched this newsletter, not entirely sure where it would take me, just knowing I wanted to share my experiment of creating a more romantic life.

One year on, I’ve built a community of kind, curious readers who keep me company on the ride. If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been here since the early days, thank you. I hope you’ll stay a while.

Get 50% off for 1 year

To celebrate, get 50% off annual subscriptions for a limited time! This means for just £25 you’ll get one year’s access to The Housesit Dispatch (a monthly tell-all post of the housesit I’m on) and access to my entire archive.

How I got started

After multiple Google searches and YouTube videos, we deduced Trusted Housesitters was the best site to sign up for, which, in hindsight, it was. We paid for a Standard sitter membership (£129 annually), which included:

24/7 vet support ~ we needed this after a dog got into a pack of chocolates.
Alerts on saved searches ~ because the best sits are competitive to win.
Accident and third-party insurance ~ touch wood, haven’t needed this yet.

Creating a profile is akin to crafting the perfect dating profile: choose accurate photographs and put yourself forward as a normal, functioning member of society.

Finding our first sit was easy, we were flexible on the location so could throw our net quite wide. But expect to find things harder if you’re looking to be in a particular place.

Having said that, I’ve just checked the app and there are 3,563 housesits in the UK accepting applications. In the US, there are 5,242. And 446 in Australia.

Plenty to go around.

For 25% off a Trusted Housesitters membership, use code HANNAH25 at checkout.1

The biggest gift housesitting has provided

Housesitting has negated the most costly life expense: housing. Living in London, I was spending £18,000 a year on rent. With the occasional hotel stay to bridge gaps between housesits, I’ve estimated we’ve spent £1,250 on accommodation all year.

Having our own car has meant we can apply for and travel to housesits all over the UK (and Ireland). Had we done this without one, it would have been logistically trickier (keeping belongings to a strict minimum) and costly (a single train journey from London to Edinburgh for two costs £178, but only £49 in diesel)2.

Reducing rental costs has meant our main expenses have been fuel and food. We’ve freelanced the equivalent of a few months out of the year to pay for these things, and spent the rest of the time on our creative projects.

For myself, this included starting this Substack, publishing articles in titles like The Telegraph and Stylist, and completing the first draft of a book.

But the biggest luxury was having a whole year to reprogram my subconscious from my old career (in full-time marketing) to my desired new one (a published writer).

The hardest part about the journey

Can I have more than one? No? Okay. Lack of routine.

I’m a total Hobbit. I like nesting. My ideal evening is watching a film on the sofa with some knitting and a glass of Verdicchio. I like my rituals. I don’t like change. This year has challenged that beyond belief.

Moving constantly. Disrupted sleep. Unruly animals. Each day has tested my inner resolve and the strength of my romantic relationship.

But, I’m all the better for it. I’ve become more adaptable and far more laissez-faire in the face of the unpredictable. I now understand why white people grow dreadlocks and retired women shack up with young Italian men. Travel mellows you out.

My advice for anyone who wants to try this out

Get organised: If it’s something you want to do full-time, you’re always planning ahead. We try to book up at least one month in advance. Sometimes we found ourselves in last-minute scrambles for accommodation, which is both stressful and costly.

Have belongings that root you: For me, this is transportable items like my Kindle and yoga mat. I can take them everywhere, and they form a grounding daily routine that keeps me sane.

Choose sits wisely: An advert for an eight-month-old puppy may look cute, but seriously, can you handle the commitment? We try to avoid sits with dogs under five, and certain working breeds (collies, spaniels, etc.) because they need a lot of walking and stimulation. Choose sits that fit your lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to ask owners honest questions about responsibilities. We’ve arrived on sits to be told we have to let the dog sleep in our bed, despite having no previous written communication of that. Always know what you’re signing up for.

FAQs

What happens if a sit is cancelled?
Trusted Housesitters offers a higher-tier plan that includes hotel cover if this happens. We’ve been lucky — the odd early return or delayed departure, but owners have always let us stay on.
How do you make money?
Through writing (Substack and articles), and freelance marketing consulting.
How do you find housesits you can trust?
We always check reviews and try to video chat with the homeowner. If a listing is new and has no reviews, it’s not a bad thing; just trust your gut.
Is housesitting safe for solo travellers?
Yes! I house-sat solo in Australia and felt completely safe. Just do your homework, listen to your instincts, and share your plans with someone you trust.
What should I pack for full-time housesitting?
Every sit is different, but we carry a small essentials box (spices, oil, wine, etc.). Most owners are happy for you to use perishables. We top up loo roll, milk, and bread before leaving — basically, treat it as if it were your own home.

Got another burning question? LMK in the comments.

What does the future look like?

Paid subscribers know, we’ve found the place we want to settle down in. All going well, we’re making plans to stop housesitting by the end of the summer to lay down some permanent roots.

That’s not to say we’ll never housesit again. We’ve spoken about travelling across the USA and Canada, and even extending our Christmas visit to my boyfriend’s Aussie family later in the year with a housesit or two.

Housesitting has truly been the biggest surprise and gift of my life.

It’s allowed me to ask: what kind of life do I want to create for myself?

Along the way, I’ve collected a spiritual scrapbook of sorts. Watching how others have curated their lives and designed their spaces. The best we’ll be taking with us and applying to our own lives and homes.

I’ve had 12 months to stop and think. What a total luxury. I’ve made the most of that pause — writing, reflecting, and creating a roadmap for what’s next.

But more than anything, it’s been a total adventure.

And listen, adventures shouldn’t stop in your early twenties; likewise, they shouldn’t start at retirement.

When it’s time to resume a “normal life”, the difficulty will be maintaining this newfound spirit. To continue to find romance in the “mundane,” adventure in the everyday, and take risks despite bills or mortgages looming overhead.

I’m determined to prove you can have both. A life that’s creative but not rooted in financial struggle. A life where I accomplish goals and dreams, but move slowly and soak up the magic.

I know many of you feel the same.

So, my parting question until we chat again soon is: If you could spend one year housesitting (alone, with family, or a friend or partner), how would you spend it? What would you want to accomplish by the end of it?