How my housesitting journey began
I have always enjoyed housesitting, pet sitting, and plant sitting.
When I was a child, we didn’t travel much. Our neighbours did. And when they were gone, they trusted us with their homes. Every other day, my mother and I would go in and water their plants, pick up the mail, open up the windows to let fresh air in, and make sure all was well.
There was so much care and gratitude flowing between us, the owners and their beautiful homes.
Our nextdoor neighbour was an exceptional seamstress in her 60s. Her home was weaved with the most tasteful hand crafted items. Her balcony was a thriving garden, and she had an indoor jungle. She traveled a lot and before she left, she would ask me to “Not just water the plants, but to also talk to them.” She was the one who helped me discover my gift with the natural world.
I looked forward to each next visit. To observe and interact with the homes, the plants, the way the sun came through the windows and danced on the ceiling on a hot summer day. Each home had a different energy, a different beauty. And I received it all.
Gardens, Land, and Animals
Then there were my grandmothers and great grandmothers. Each of their homes came with a garden, a vineyard or an orchard. Oh the joy of engaging with these properties... It might have been a lot of work for the adults. For me, it was pure joy!
Learning from each tree, observing different stages of fruits, herbs, vegetables. I looked forward to the weekends, so I could go be with the land. And I loved checking in on the people who were hired to help. Bringing water and lemonade to the gardeners, the cleaners. Hearing about what is happening in their worlds. Watching and learning a new craft.
How could I forget the animals? Ducks, chickens, geese, even sheep, based on the season. My grandfather always told me to not get attached, but always be grateful for what these animals were gifting to us. Eggs, milk, and yes, meat, too. There was something natural about it at the time. I had immense gratitude.
On those days, people didn’t have pets at home. Instead, we had many stray cats and dogs on the street. They belonged to no one, but almost everyone cared for them. They were free to come and go as they wished. We got to feed and hangout with them almost daily. They were included in our care of all things. And they contributed so much to me. In fact, I don’t know if I would be who I am today, without my engagement with the land and its creatures from a young age.
My landscape as a child/youth wasn’t confined to our household. It included all the homes, gardens, animals we cared for and got to enjoy, as well as their people. This richness was gifted to me by the geography and the era we lived in: 1980s & 1990s, in a small city in Western Türkiye.
Moving Across Continents
I grew up, went to university in the big city, Istanbul, and later left the country to move to Canada. But my natural joy with properties and animals stayed. Wherever I went, people asked me if I would enjoy their home while they were away, and water their plants, or care for their pet.
Even if I had my own home and my hectic job to go to, I still became the designated housesitter/petsitter for my friends, as well as their families & friends. As a naturally caring and nurturing person, this brought me a sense of peace and possibility. I could go anywhere locally or globally and have a great time being me.
One time, I cared for a friend’s dog for a month, on a gorgeous island. They were so grateful I said yes. To me, it was a no-brainer. I adored the dog. And I got to enjoy their multimillion dollar home, along with a fridge and pantry they had filled with my favourite foods as a kind gesture.
Not to mention the beautiful hikes that started, literally, their backyard. After they came back, I was surprised to receive a hefty amount in my bank account, as a thank you for my services. Wait, I get paid actual dollars for this? “Of course,” she said. “You or someone else, we would have still paid. Knowing you are here gave us and our dog extra comfort, and it reflects on your amount.”
That’s when I discovered, housesitting/petsitting is a regular profession in North America. In Türkiye, the idea of asking someone who isn’t immediate family is a far-fetched possibility (although the Trusted Housesitters platform is slowly changing this).
For me, it was just a thing I did, word of mouth, and I didn’t consider it as a longer term option, until a few years ago.
A New Chapter
In summer 2023, I became restless with my settled life, after 14 years in Vancouver. I sold and gave away everything I owned, except for a few suitcases of clothes and books, and headed to Vancouver Island.
It was a summer of camping and airbnb’ing. I was with a boyfriend at the time, and we drove to Saskatchewan, through BC&Alberta, taking our time enjoying pristine nature stretching across the provinces. This is when I discovered Trusted Housesitters and signed up for a membership. We had a great time meeting different pets, experiencing different properties and lifestyles. We were both natural at it.
6 months later, I still wasn’t clear where I wanted to settle. We remained friends but parted ways as partners, and I started my solo journey. My next stop was Türkiye and various parts of Europe for about a year. Then I returned to Western Canada for a while and started enjoying splitting my time between continents.
Making Myself Wrong
I will share a secret. Until recently, I was making myself extremely wrong for not having my own permanent space. I had spent most of my life keeping a settled home, no matter which continent I was in. In a way, I always had the answers.
The last few years, however, I just haven’t had joy of having a permanent home base. It was difficult to commit to something that didn’t bring me joy. I judged myself for this. In the meantime, I have been mostly housesitting, enjoying beautiful properties. Some of these properties come with pets. How much I love pets...
I have a colleague who is an exceptional facilitator of consciousness. When I told him more about my life style, and asked him to help me have more clarity about my life’s direction (“why the heck can I not settle down?”) his first question was: “What if you didn’t make yourself wrong about it?”
He observed my capacity and joy with the houses, land and animals. And he encouraged me to relax into it, share it with the world. “It could open up a new world of possibilities for so many people.”
Since then, I have resisted his encouragement. It was familiar for me to judge myself. For not having a normal life. My colleague noticed this, but he didn’t judge me. Recently, I started being kinder to myself and looking at my creations through the eyes of curiosity. Something in me began to soften.
Letting Myself Receive
Through housesitting, I have touched the lives of so many people and animals, as well as properties themselves. My clients always mention how much cleaner their home is, how peaceful the energy, and how happy their pets are after my time with them.
While these messages always make me happy, I wasn’t allowing myself to receive them, (or myself) fully. I am just being me, after all.
The stellar reviews I have received on Trusted Housesitters, the housesitting offers I receive word of mouth from people around the world…It was as if none of this counted, because I am just being who I am. And lately, I began to wonder, could -being- be a great space to be in business?
Until now, it appeared as if I had to define myself into one category: full-time nomadic housesitter or someone who is settled with one designated home and address. In my avoidance and fighting of categories, I have exhausted myself. Only to realize, categories aren’t real for me in the first place. Living is a dynamic journey.
A Different Way to Choose
I am discovering a new found joy and relaxation with following what works for me, no matter what that looks like. I might get a 12-month lease next month, leave my winter clothes there and go traveling. Or not. 2026 is about having more allowance for myself and permission to not make sense, even to myself. Have ease and joy with all of it.
The less I judge myself, the more willing I am to invite you to my world. I have gathered some inspiring stories along the way, and lots of useful information about housesitting, caring for pets, and properties. About choosing what nurtures you (and not judging yourself, when you choose otherwise).
There is a joy for living that this journey is gifting me. I’d like to invite you to it.
I hope it’s a contribution.
Until next time,
Ciao!
NIhan
