Follow in the footsteps of Brooke and Buddy, as they discover the most authentic way to travel in Europe.
Let us introduce you to Brooke and Buddy. These two sitters from Colorado, US, kindly offered to help showcase the magic of house and pet sitting in Montenegro while looking after super sweet rescue pup, Sandy.
Want to know what ‘living like a local’ really means when travelling in Europe?
Get to know Brooke and Buddy
Where are you from?
We’re from Colorado in the US.
Why do you like to travel?
Seeing new places, new wildlife, new everything…
My [Brooke] grandma was German, and I grew up hearing her stories of travelling and it made me want to do it. Both of us [Brooke and Buddy] really didn’t enjoy our hometown.
When we were younger, we’d always used to do road trips to get out of Florida. When we moved to Colorado, we got fed up with the desk job life, so we pulled the plug, sold it all and started travelling. That was about three years ago now!
How long have you been house sitting?
We have been house sitting for about 2 years now. We used to live in a motorhome in the US, but we wanted to go further and see more places and have deeper experiences with other people. It’s nice to be in places where we can engage with other people.
This is our second five-month trip to Europe. We did one last year around the same time, but this year we started in Greece at a house sit just outside of Athens. We did travel to a few countries in between, such as Romania and Hungary, and then ended up on another short house sit in Sweden. In total, we've done 14 sits and visited 9 countries!
What do you enjoy most about house and pet sitting?
Pets are one of the biggest factors of house sitting. Airbnbs and hotels aren’t as exciting as house sitting because we get to hang out with pets here.
They all have their little quirks and expressions. We find ourselves constantly laughing and smiling when we have a pet around — it’s super special.
Also, we get to visit places we never thought we would of. Even here in Tivat, Montenegro — this a place we never would have dreamed of coming to. We get to have an experience as a local and keep to a home base.
What makes house and pet sitting different from traditional travel?
House sitting is really different. We’re living like a local wherever we house sit. Sometimes owners introduce us to friends or give us suggestions of local restaurants which we may not have visited otherwise. You don't get that staying at a hotel, much like you don't have neighbours in a hotel who you’d just chat to. We feel like locals rather than tourists.
The saving part aside, it’s really nice to have a bit of consistency to your travels. Even just being able to buy your groceries, make your own food and just be in control of your schedule. Having the pet around is such an added bonus, and they add a routine into your day too.
What are you enjoying about your house sit in Europe?
The house sit we’re on now is in Tivat, Montenegro, which is a beautiful little port town. We’re looking after Sandy who is super sweet, super calm. It's a very relaxing house and city.
The owners are a young couple, with a young kiddo, and they are so nice. We connected with them so easily. It was a really good fit. We did some research beforehand about Montenegro and realised there are a lot of places nearby that we’d like to go visit as well. We’re always looking for exploring potential!
How would you sum up TrustedHousesitters?
TrustedHousesitters is an amazing way to meet new people, visit new places, spend time with pets. Before we started house sitting, we’d seen the US and most of Canada in our motorhome, but there were loads of places we hadn’t seen.
Almost two years into house sitting, we’ve visited 29 countries, spent four months in Hawaii and we’ve got two months in Iceland booked. We’ve got to see so much of the world. We’ve never won the lotto, we don’t have easy income, so house sitting has allowed us to see the world on a budget, but in a much more comforting way.
TrustedHousesitters is a community and the trust is clearly embedded within its core. It’s been a real life-changing thing for us to travel this way.
If you want to get in touch with Brooke and Buddy and ask them more questions about their house sitting lifestyle, head to their Instagram @TrailingAway or their website!