A couple who have travelled the world without paying for any accommodation by house-sitting and dog-sitting at 17 homes have managed to save up for a house deposit, describing their cost-of-living-busting lifestyle as “the best thing (they) have ever done”.
Molly Keane, 25, a photographer and content creator, and her boyfriend of three years, Garth, who wishes to keep his surname anonymous, a 30-year-old adviser for a tech company, from Donegal, North West Ireland, have stayed in 17 houses in places including New York, Amsterdam, Barcelona and all over Ireland, since June 2022.
The pair use the Trusted House Sitters app to volunteer to look after strangers’ homes and pets for free and have been doing so full-time since their first stay.
Molly has said there is “so much responsibility” to look after the pets, and they once had to take a dog to the emergency vet because he was “so sick”.
Molly and Garth do not have a permanent home – both can work remotely, so the pair house hop around Ireland and abroad every few weeks – and, on their travels, they do not have to pay for any accommodation or utilities, which they said is “such a privilege” considering the cost-of-living crisis.
The couple saved “more than (they) ever thought (they) would” and have enough to put down a deposit on a house, but “have no plans to settle down for a while” as they are planning on continuing their travelling lifestyle for the foreseeable future.
“The houses we stay in are absolutely beautiful, and often really big modern spaces, and not having to have a landlord or worry about the housing crisis is such a privilege,” Molly said.
Molly and Garth met during the pandemic, and as soon as the pair could legally travel, they explored Ireland, Portugal and Germany and even lived in Barcelona for a few months.
After arriving home from travelling, in May 2022, Molly was scrolling on TikTok and saw a fellow content creator talking about their house-sitting experience through the app Trusted House Sitters, and she decided to give it a go.
She said: “I decided to take a risk and pay for the annual membership, thinking to myself that it would be worth it if we even got one or two housesits in the year, and 17 housesits later, and almost fully booked for the next few months too, it’s the best thing we have ever done.”
Molly explained how the app works: “You sign up and make a profile – I believe both the home and pet owners and the hopeful sitters have to pay a fee to sign up, then your ID is verified, and you make your profile where you give a little information on what you do, what your hobbies are and what your pet-sitting experience is.
“Then, you can search for sits all over the world and apply to those you’re interested in by sending the hosts a message.
“It took us two or three weeks to get our very first house sit because it’s all based on reviews, and at the start, we obviously had none, so we are forever grateful to the very first people who had us sit.”
In June 2022, the couple house sat for the first time in Dublin and looked after the owners’ golden retriever.
She said: “Lexi, the dog, was gorgeous, and we’ve been back a few times since and are going back there to sit again soon.
“We had so much fun and couldn’t have asked for a better first experience with the app – the homeowners were so chilled out too.”
Since then, Molly and Garth have been house-sitting full-time.
Molly said: “We house-sit to be able to travel full time and do not pay any rent, and of course to save loads of money.
“Already we have saved a deposit for a house, though we have no plans to settle down for a while, as well as enough to go on multiple big holidays every year since we don’t pay rent or utilities.
“We’ve saved a lot, much more than I ever thought we would.”
Molly and Garth say the cost of living has played a part in their decision to house-sit, explaining: “In Dublin, there is an awful housing crisis at the moment that we think the government is doing absolutely nothing to amend.
“Rents are higher than ever, and there aren’t enough properties to meet the demand either.
“Most of our friends have emigrated, which is what we were going to do before we discovered pet sitting.”
Molly’s work involves travelling around Ireland for shoots, and Garth’s job is fully remote – so the pair often house hop around Ireland.
She said: “Most of the house sits that we do are in Ireland because it’s the most convenient for my work.
“At the moment, we are doing a month-long stay in a beautiful apartment on the coast in South Dublin with two beautiful pups.”
Molly and Garth are planning to go to Berlin and Mexico later this year but one of their favourite stays was in New York in September 2022, explaining: “We looked after a beautiful little Havanese called Oscar.
“We stayed in a stunning home on the upper west side, just a few minutes walk from Central Park and Riverside Park.
“That was our first international sit, and we couldn’t believe we were chosen – we had the time of our lives.”
The pair have not had any disasters since house and pet sitting, but they had a scare when, in New York, the dog got sick during their first few days there.
Molly said: “We had to take him to the emergency vet because he was so sick.
“We couldn’t get a cab because of how sick he was, so we had to carry him for almost 40 blocks in the rain to get to the vet.
“Turns out, he was totally fine – he was apparently just adjusting to us being there and was right as rain two days later.
“That’s an experience that wasn’t funny at the time but that we often laugh about now.
“Looking after someone’s pet or pets is so much responsibility, and it’s not always easy. ”
To anyone considering house-sitting, Molly said: “Start local – that way, it’s easier to build up your reviews and get pet-sits at first when you don’t have many reviews yet – and always take more poop bags than you think you need when you’re out for walks!
“Also, go where the sits take you, go to some places you’ve never been, and enjoy the adventure.”
