LOUNGING by a crystal clear pool in a luxury Spanish villa, Samantha Frewin sips on a glass of bubbly and looks forward to the next month she’ll be spending in this little slice of paradise.
The luxury holiday rental she’s staying at usually accommodates three couples, but she and husband John have the whole place to themselves, for the whole summer.
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She doesn’t have to worry about blowing their savings – because the whole holiday, worth a whopping £31,000, hasn’t cost her a penny.
All she’s had to do in return is look after a tortoise, called Milo.
That’s because Sam, 45, and husband John, from Chipping Norton, Oxon, are professional pet sitters.
They travel around the world looking after the pets of the super-wealthy while they travel or holiday abroad.
Since they started pet sitting three years ago, the pair have had free holidays worth more than £100,000 – all in return for simply looking after the owners’ beloved animals.
And they never know where they’ll end up next – it could be two weeks with a terrier in New York, or two months with a cat in the French Alps.
Sam, who took early retirement from her job at HMRC to travel the world with John, 65, said: “Sometimes I have to pinch myself that we’re able to travel to these places and see the world just for the price of our flights.
“Often, we’re asked to go and pet sit during peak holiday times, because that’s when the owners are travelling.
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“This means we tend to have our pick of holidays over the summer and Christmas, when prices usually go through the roof.”
£180k luxury break – for free
Among their favourite house sitting holidays, the pair have spent entire seasons abroad, and get to visit far-flung tropical destinations they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
SAM AND JOHN’S BEST HOUSE SITS
- Three weeks over Christmas and New Year in a luxury cabin on Lake Geneva looking after a golden retriever – WORTH: £15k
- One week in a luxury property in the South of France looking after two Airdale Terriers – WORTH £6k
- Five weeks during school summer holidays looking after a tortoise in Southern Spain – WORTH £31.5k
- Two weeks in a 22 bedroom stately home looking after 12 horses – WORTH £42k
Sam says: “We had a whole summer in Spain, and we stayed in a gorgeous Swiss lodge on the edge of Lake Geneva over Christmas and New Year, looking after the most beautiful Golden Retriever.
“We were even asked to do a three-month stint in a luxury house in Barbados.
“There wasn’t even a pet to look after, we were just asked to sweep the leaves up and look after the pool.
“The holiday probably would have cost us £180,000 if we’d paid to go ourselves.
“Loads of our friends have also signed up to be house sitters after seeing our adventures; it’s so easy to do.”
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The best of both worlds
Sam and John had always been savvy travellers, with Sam often joining former BA pilot John on flights to travel the world.
But when Covid hit and he took early retirement, Sam was determined they would be able to carry on travelling without breaking the bank.
She stumbled across the site Trusted Housesitters and immediately signed them up as willing sitters.
As foreign travel was still limited at that point, their first sit in 2021 was a property in Old Windsor for a long weekend looking after a Beagle and a Labrador – and the pair were hooked.
She said: “We adore the animals, John and I would have loved a pet of our own but we didn’t think it was fair because we travelled such a lot.
“This way, we got the joy of looking after animals as well as seeing the world.
“Our favourite part is meeting the pets we’ll be looking after – we really try to pamper them while their owners are away, and we try to make it a holiday for them too.
“We take the dogs out with us wherever we can, we research exciting places for them to go so they get lots of exciting walks and snuggles at night.
“We get to visit places that you wouldn’t normally go as a tourist, if you’re taking a dog with you then you’ll get to visit little local haunts and really experience a country as a local.”
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‘Owners are always so kind & generous’
Most of the properties Sam and John have visited are looking after dogs.
However they’ve also looked after cats, sheep, chickens, tortoises, and even stayed in a 40- room Stately home in Shropshire to look after 12 horses.
Sam added: “The owners of these properties are always so kind and generous.
“They often leave us with a full fridge of food, or arrange for us to go out with their friends while we are staying.
“We have made so many wonderful friends, and wherever we go, we’ve always been asked back!”
SAM’S TOP TIPS FOR PET SITTING
- You do need to actually like animals – it really helps if you can demonstrate that you’ve had some experience looking after animals too, as most owners want people who know how to look after a dog or cat.
- When you first sign up, be prepared to take some of the UK-based, short stays to boost your profile and experience – You’ll be offered the long-haul, luxury stays that lots of people will apply for when owners can see you’re reliable and you’ve had some experience. Short stays can be just as good fun!
- Understand that you’re there principally to look after a pet – so if you’re going to look after a dog, you can’t go out and leave the dog all day, just like you wouldn’t do at home. Your holiday might look a bit different depending on what animal you’re looking after.
- Respect the owners’ privacy – it’s tempting to post about your adventures on social media, but always check with the owner that they’re happy for you to do this. Some owners we’ve had have been very private and asked us not to show their property or pets online – and others have had social media accounts for their pets and have loved us sharing what we’re up to!
- Be flexible – sometimes a job will come up at the last minute, and if you can travel at short notice you’re more likely to be accepted. If you have a job where you can suddenly work remotely from a Caribbean island, chances are you’ll probably get some great house sitting offers.
‘Some people might find it stressful’
Of course, the couple have had to cover some of their own costs – but it’s minimal in the grand scheme of things, and there are some responsibilities.
Sam says: “We pay for our own flights and usually hire a car, but we’ve only really spent a few hundred pounds over the last three years.
“It isn’t all plain sailing, obviously looking after someone’s home and beloved pets is a big responsibility.
“Some people might find it stressful staying in these beautiful homes where there are clearly a lot of high-value items around!
“Luckily, the most we’ve ever broken is one wine glass, but you do have to be careful.
“We also had someone try to break into a property we were staying in once – we were looking after horses and we found the field gate had been tampered with.
“It had happened to the owners before, and we think they probably realised there was someone in the property and left.
“We were extra vigilant for the rest of the stay, but we were ultimately pleased that our presence hopefully stopped something horrible happening.
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‘We’d recommend it to anyone’
Despite this, Sam says for the most part, it’s a walk in the park – and she has no regrets, adding: “Most stays are less eventful!
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“Since we’ve been housesitting, lots of our friends have signed up to do it to, and they’ve had some wonderful holidays too.
“We’d recommend it to anyone.”
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