From sailing the world to van life: Duwan & Greg’s story

For many of our members, house sitting is about traveling to lesser-known places, with pets for company, and the chance to actually live somewhere new, rather than pass through.

For Duwan and Greg - full-time nomads of over 14 years - their purpose for pet sitting was a little different.

After five sailing seasons and backpacking across South America, the couple were keen to embrace a new way of traveling. And after an incident on the Gulf of Mexico left their boat in near-ruins, their decision to trade water for land was sealed.

A chapter made possible by house sitting

Ready for a change of scenery (and transport), the couple decided to renovate a camper van they'd later use to travel the world.

With the project ahead of them, the first decision to make was where to base themselves during the project - and that’s where TrustedHousesitters came in. 

Duwan remembers the moment: “I convinced Greg that we could do the whole thing house sitting.”

So it was decided - Duwan and Greg were to leave their life of sailing and backpacking behind, and start their new chapter, made possible by house and pet sitting.

The plan was for their time house sitting to provide a break from constant travel, and a base for renovations. But little did they know, it would give them the chance to truly settle into their stays - sometimes near family, sometimes further afield, and take care of adorable pets. 

House sitting in Beaufort put the couple close enough to relatives nearby, and even saw them kayaking through local marshlands that adjoined the home they were staying in.

While in Asheville, Duwan and Greg had the chance to hike in the mountains with two “extra large Golden Retrievers”.

“In Asheville, we ended up in Haw Creek, a neighborhood we hadn’t previously known about. This very wooded neighborhood was adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway and many hiking trails.”

Alongside epic hiking days and kayaking adventures, house sitting also gave Duwan and Greg the chance to live close to Cabbagetown, a place close to their hearts where they’d previously lived for many years.

“In Atlanta, we sat in our old neighborhood. The timing of two of our sits allowed us to attend the Cabbagetown reunion two years in a row, which was started for the people who used to live in the neighborhood when it was a mill village.” 

And between caring for the pets, looking after the homes like their own, and getting to know the locals, the van project continued to tick along.

“All of our hosts were so supportive of our project, oftentimes offering us the use of their tools, and of course, the use of their space. We so enjoyed all the new pets that we got to hang out with.”

And along with the places the couple were able to visit while both house sitting and renovating their van, Duwan in particular formed a close bond with a Hungarian Vizsla named Penny.

“The property where she lives is a non-working farm with fields in the front and a golf course to the back. She would always run out the door barking, letting anyone within earshot know that she was on duty. I’d join her on the couch for snuggles - she was an absolute joy.” 

Alongside Penny, Duwan and Greg even took care of a pig named Dottie from the Southwest.

“We sat for a household with two dogs, a cat, and a pot-bellied pig named Dottie.”

And the unique animals didn’t stop there. Stella the donkey, who they’ve sat for twice now, also left a hoof-shaped print on their hearts.

“When we returned a couple of years later, she'd had a new baby donkey. She was super protective and he was very shy. It took a while, but they were both eating out of our hands by the time we left.” 

And the list goes on - after 328 days of house sitting, 22 house sits, 4 states, 20 dogs, 8 cats, 6 geese, 5 chickens, 3 donkeys, and about a dozen cows later, the van was finally finished. 

With this eclectic experience behind them and their biggest adventure yet ahead, the pair decided there was no better name for the van than “Periplo”, meaning “long journey” in Spanish.

With Periplo finished, this was “another unique chapter” - as Duwan and Greg put it - on their journey. And for the pair, house sitting was never just a trip, it was the backdrop that made the chapter possible.

More member stories

• A love letter to Fraser - Callum’s story
• Kindred spirits in Rancho Santa Fe - Angela’s story
• A perfect match in Cambodia - Cassie’s story
• A meant-to-be cat sit on a Greek island - Simona’s story
• Finding peace in D.C. - Elizabeth’s house sitting story