Jennifer Stewart and Cindy Allen, both retired from the University of Georgia, have always liked to explore new places. While they traveled when working, upon retirement, they picked up the pace.
“We had initially used students and neighbors for cat sitting,” Stewart says, “but that pool of people was not what we needed for long trips.”
In 2020 and feeling stir crazy during Covid, they heard about House Sitters America and decided to try it for a hiking trip.
Enter Katherine Price.
Price, 57, was living in Dallas, Texas, in 2020 when her world came tumbling down.
“When Covid hit, I lost my job, broke up with my boyfriend, and needed a new place to stay,” she recalls. She worked in human resources technology for 25 years.
Initially, she sought a mother-in-law suite or a pet-sitting gig. A friend turned her on to HouseSittersAmerica.com (HSA) and within four weeks, she had her first job in Baltimore, Maryland, where she had grown up. While she didn’t have reviews for her website profile, she was able to use friends there as references.
That sit was for six weeks, looking after two labradors, a cat, and fish.
“I was going to do this for a minute, but it snowballed,” she says. “I found I liked the lifestyle, love the pets, and the different houses.”
Making the vagabond life work
In the six years since beginning her gypsy life, Price has worked in 11 states, including Hawaii, Cancun, Mexico, a month in New Zealand at a cost of a $40 round trip due to airline miles. She currently has multiple unpaid sits in July in Lagos, Portugal, followed by another one in August in Thonon Les Bains, France, all with American ex pats. She stays booked about six months ahead.
She’s registered with three sites, including HSA, Trusted House Sitters, and Kiwi House Sitters. Some allow sitters to charge; others don’t because of the opportunity for free lodging.
“When I started, House Sitters wouldn’t allow people to charge,” Price explains. “I did that for about 18 months, just in exchange for a place to stay but after that, I couldn’t afford to.” Now with the change in policy, she’s able to charge $50 to $150 a day with HSA, depending on whether she’s caring for one cat or multiple dogs. Her rates also vary based on length of stay.
“I’m religious about my schedule and logistics – you have to be,” she emphasizes. “I keep my schedule on my phone and a laptop, for redundancy.”
Transportation expenses are not part of the deal with house/pet sitting. Price drives her car most of the time. When she flies, she prices flights out of 4 or 5 airports to get the best price.
In between jobs, she’s able to stay with friends and even some clients who are comfortable with her coming early or staying late.
“If I have to, I’ll get a hotel but that’s only two or three nights a year,” she says. Initially, she had her belongings in storage but two years ago, disposed of everything.
Sitting in Athens
Since connecting with Stewart and Allen in 2020, Price has taken care of their cats and their home 365 days. As she does everywhere she sits, she’s explored the cultural, entertainment, and natural environment of the area, from the Flying Squid to the Georgia Museum of Art.
Four years ago, the two Athenians decided cat sitting is an excellent way to cut costs on their own long trips, which number about two a year, six or nine weeks at a time. This summer, they arranged to cat sit in Ontario, Canada, and in Maine. Six weeks of their nine-week trip will be lodging free.
As for Price, she says the lifestyle suits her now but she’s certainly getting a chance to explore many different places before settling down.
Betsy Bean is founder and publisher of Boom Athens.
