by Average PA: video
The pair travel the world dog sitting in strangers’ homes
A couple travels the world dog-sitting at strangers’ homes and says it’s the ‘best thing’ they’ve ever done A couple who traveled the world without paying for accommodation by house-sitting and dog-sitting she managed to save up a deposit for the house as a result and they said “it’s the best thing (they) have ever done”. Molly Keane, 25, a photographer and content creator, and her boyfriend of three years, Garth DeWilcho, 30, a consultant for a technology company, from Donegal in north-west Ireland, stayed in 17 homes in New York, Amsterdam and elsewhere in Ireland, since June 2022. The two have been using the Trusted House Sitters app as volunteers to look after strangers’ homes and pets for free and have been doing it full-time since their first stay. Molly and Garth don’t have a permanent home – both can work remotely, so the couple hops around Ireland and abroad every few weeks – and, during their travels, they don’t have to pay for accommodation or utilities , which they said is “such a privilege” considering the cost-of-living crisis. The couple have saved “more than (they) ever thought” and have enough to put down a deposit on a house, but “don’t intend to settle down for a while” as they plan to continue their style of travel life for the foreseeable. “The houses we stay in are absolutely beautiful, and often very large modern spaces, and not having to have a landlord or worry about the housing crisis is such a privilege,” Molly said. Molly and her boyfriend Garth met during the pandemic, and as soon as they were able to travel legally, they explored Ireland, Portugal and Germany and even lived in Barcelona for a few months. After returning home from her trip in May 2022, Molly was scrolling through TikTok and saw a fellow content creator talking about her home sitting experience through the Trusted House Sitters app, and she decided to give it a shot. He said, “I decided to take a risk and pay the annual subscription, thinking to myself it would be worth it if we had just one or two accommodations in the year, and 17 accommodations after that, and nearly full.” for the next few months, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done.” Molly explained how the app works: “You sign up and create a profile – I think both home and pet owners and up-and-coming sitters have to pay a fee to register, then your ID is verified and you create your profile where you give some information about what you do, what your hobbies are and what your pet sitting experience is. “Then, you can search for places around the world and apply to those that interest you by sending a message to the hosts. “It took us two or three weeks to get our first house sit because it’s all based on reviews, and we obviously didn’t have any to begin with, so we’ll be forever grateful to the very first people who sat us down.” In June 2022, the couple first settled in Dublin and looked after the owners’ golden retriever. She said: “Lexi the dog was gorgeous, and we have been back a few times since and will be back soon to sit down again. “We had so much fun and couldn’t have asked for a better first experience with the app – even the homeowners were so relaxed.” Since then, Molly and Garth have been working at home full-time: they don’t have a permanent home and don’t have to pay rent or utilities when they stay in each other’s homes.
