A woman quit her corporate job to travel the world for free - by becoming a house sitter. Kirstina Corniel, 34, stays in luxury homes across Europe and America without spending a penny on accommodation.
The travel content creator quit her corporate job in HR after feeling “unfulfilled” and working 80 to 100 hour weeks. She started travelling more and “felt so alive”.
Kristina discovered house sitting four years ago – and realised she could stay in beautiful homes for free while travelling – and the only catch is to look after the owners pets. So far she has stayed in 10 homes for free across California, Switzerland, London and Texas.
Kristina saved £6k on a month-long trip to Montreux, Switzerland, and took bubble baths, made cheese fondue, and used the owners car - instead of spending £200 a night on the average hotel. On her other house sits she visited vineyards in California, and relaxed in a penthouse in New York City.
Kristina said: “I get to stay in beautiful places and save. It’s a huge hack for me. Not only do you get to stay in quality homes but you can have more time to explore.
“Sometimes I let the house sit site dictate where I’m going next. I stayed in a penthouse in Chelsea, New York.
“Being able to live like a local in Switzerland, one of the most expensive countries in the world for free, was definitely a highlight.”
Kristina had a shift in how she “defined success” after landing her dream job and finding herself “unfulfilled”.
She said: “I started to think about how I wanted to live my life day to day. I thought about what I wanted more of. I wanted more sunlight, more exercise, more time with family, more nature, more learning, more excitement, more growth, more fulfilment, more freedom.”
She quit her job in 2016 and took a solo trip to Thailand the following year. Kristina said: “I felt so alive. I saw so much that the world has to offer.
“I started thinking about how much I wanted to see.”
Kristina met some digital nomads on her two-week trip to Thailand which inspired her to do the same. She found remote work as an online teacher before she documented her travels and became a full-time content creator.
Kristina started looking for ways to cut out expenses and discovered house sitting in a book in 2019. She found websites such as House Sitters America and MindMyHouse where members pay a small membership fee but can then browse homes to stay in for free.
Kristina said: “I thought I’ve got to try this. If it’s legit it’s a game changer.
"All your doing is feeding their cats."
Kristina stayed in her first home for free in San Diego, California, and hasn’t looked back since. She uses house sits “as much as possible” to travel all over.
Kristina has house sat in London, Switzerland, Texas and New York. She said: “It can be tiring living out of a suitcase.
“Coming to a home you can hang up your clothes. Get that comfort. In Switzerland it was kind of the best of both worlds with that experience because it was so comfortable.
“I took long candlelit bubble baths. I made cheese fondue. I would take walks to the lakefront and enjoy the crisp mountain air. At the same time, I was able to explore and take trips to towns I've always wanted to visit because the owner let me use the car. “
Kristina visited the mountains of Grindelwald, saw bears in Bern and strolled along vineyards in Lavaux. She now travels with her husband, Martin Svec, 34, a videographer, and the pair have also visited most of Europe such as Italy, France, Spain, Croatia and Germany – as well as the majority of US states.
As she has continued her digital nomad lifestyle Kristina has found herself warming to “affordable luxury” – one of the reasons she loves the benefit of house sitting. Kristina said: “I’m creating an amazing, beautiful network throughout the world.”
