Since 2016, we have completed over 140 house sits across Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In total, we’ve spent nearly 2,000 nights caring for other people’s homes and beloved pets while they enjoy their holidays.
Our adventures have taken us to elegant apartments in vibrant cities, rustic cottages in the rolling countryside, grand mansions set among sprawling vineyards, and seaside homes with sweeping ocean views. We’ve enjoyed countless stays in destinations we might never have otherwise visited, all without paying a penny for our accommodation.
But at the end of 2022, our global wandering took an unexpected, hyper-local turn. We transitioned from traversing continents to house sitting around just one single city: Brisbane.
Here’s how we pivoted from international nomads to full-time, single-city house sitters, and why this unconventional lifestyle is completely viable.
The Ultimate Pivot: From the Sahara to Southeast Queensland
Navigating the Climate and Community
After spending the pandemic lockdowns in our homeland of New Zealand, by mid-2022 we were back in Europe doing what we do best: house sitting for a few weeks, then taking off on extended road trips. Over the years, this immersive approach allowed us to explore 35 European countries at a wonderfully relaxed pace.
Then, whilst standing in the middle of the Sahara Desert in Morocco, we received a life-changing phone call from our middle son, Daniel. Our first grandchild, a little girl, had just been born in Brisbane.
Having raised our own children without nearby family support, we knew exactly how challenging those early years could be for new parents. We wanted to be there to lend a hand. We wrapped up our time in Morocco, returned to France to sell our car to a Ukrainian family escaping the war, and caught the next flight to Queensland.
Our immediate dilemma was accommodation. Our son and daughter-in-law lived in a home where sharing space was not ideal. We asked ourselves a question many experienced sitters eventually face: could we secure enough back-to-back house sits to make this arrangement sustainable?
The answer - a resounding yes. Over the last three and a half years we have spent 1,053 nights house sitting in and around Brisbane. The remainder of our time was filled with a brief trip back to New Zealand and local holidays exploring the rest of Queensland.
Initially, we struggled with Brisbane’s intense, humid summers from December to February. However, we quickly fell in love with the region's spectacular winter asset: a long, mild period from May to October that is consistently sunny, dry, and pleasant.
When we arrived, we would take house sits anywhere within the city’s sprawling boundaries however, that meant we would sometimes find ourselves over an hour away from our granddaughter. To remedy this, we started targeting sits located strictly within 20 minutes of our children’s home.
Brisbane’s layout is perfect for this approach. The city features an abundance of beautiful coastal, river, and lakeside suburbs. Centring our search around specific geographic pockets allows us to maintain a stable routine for our granddaughter whilst experiencing entirely different neighbourhoods.
When you’re not rushing through a city's main tourist checklist, you uncover things the average traveller misses completely. While sitting in various Brisbane suburbs, we have avoided the crowded commercial hubs and instead sought out local nature reserves. One of our favourite discoveries is the Berrinba Wetlands. It features beautiful walking paths and boardwalks winding around small lakes, boasting an incredible abundance of native birdlife. On one quiet morning walk we even spotted a koala tucked high in a Eucalyptus tree. It is a memory that easily rivals many European architectural marvels we have seen.
House sitting full-time is not a permanent vacation. It is a lifestyle that requires organisation and adaptability, especially if you work on the move.
In Brisbane, we’ve mainly looked after dogs and cats, with a few pond and tank fish thrown in for good measure. We prioritise replicating their existing schedules to ensure the animals experience zero disruption while their owners are away.
Many homeowners have said, 'We wouldn’t have gone away if it weren’t for you.' For them, leaving a pet in an unfamiliar kennel isn’t an option due to the stress it causes the animal. Keeping them relaxed in their own environment is a massive relief for owners.
If you house sit long enough, you will eventually face situations that require serious composure. Professional house sitting is all about managing curveballs with a calm, analytical mindset and even Queensland has brought its own wild surprises. At our very first Brisbane house sit, we were about to dive into the backyard swimming pool when we noticed an enormous python casually sunbathing on the opposite coping stones. Needless to say, we opted for a cold indoor shower that afternoon!
Financially, the rewards of this lifestyle are undeniable, but the ultimate return on investment is not financial; it is cultural and relational.
House sitting allows you to entirely ignore the tourist traps. There is no rushing around with selfie sticks or standing in line for hours. Instead, we unpack our bags, put the kettle on, and immediately integrate into the neighbourhood.
We shop at the local bakery, chat with the next-door neighbours, and learn the best regional dog-walking routes. We have been recognised regulars at several cafés in suburban coffee spots across Brisbane.
These quiet, ordinary routines make travel feel authentic. When you are trusted to look after someone’s home, protect their pets, and water their prized garden, it stops feeling like travel entirely.
Now, we have two delightful granddaughters in Brisbane and continue house sitting to be near them. Our granddaughters have become used to us being in different homes, and they have yet to meet a pet they do not love, and, in most cases, who do not love them right back.
Brisbane was not on our itinerary. It was not a destination we had circled on a map or added to a wish list. It arrived through a phone call in the desert and a little girl who needed grandparents nearby. House sitting gave us a way to say yes to all of it: to family without forfeiting freedom, to staying without ever quite stopping.
If there is a case for house sitting that goes beyond the practical, beyond the savings, the pet cuddles, and the free accommodation in places you would never otherwise afford, it is this: done long enough, it stops being a travel strategy and becomes simply the way you live.
Two granddaughters, a rotating cast of beloved animals, and a city that has quietly become home. For us, that is more than enough. For now.
You can check out Terry and Maura’s wonderful European city walking guides at TravelKiwis.com
I am so happy with this site. Its awesome and I have recommended it to many sitters and home owners. You seem to take an interest in other than money which I hate to say is unlike some other sites. Thankyou for that. Karen
Aussie House Sitters is a big fan, and corporate supporter of RSPCA Australia, who do extraordinary work 24/7 for pets and other animals nationwide.
