Retired pharmacist Bernadine Swale has traveled worldwide, house-sitting and taking care of people’s pets.
Bernadine Swale
Divorcee Bernadine Swale, 68, from Denver, retired and travels the world as a house-sitter.She rents out her home on Airbnb while aboard, making up to $77,000 a year in bookings. Swale has traveled to Botswana, Japan, and New Zealand for housesits and said it’s changed her life.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with retired pharmacist Bernadine Swale about house-sitting aboard. Swale uses TrustedHousesitters to find stays throughout the world, though those following in her footsteps should be aware of visa rules in each country they enter. Business Insider has verified Swale’s rental income. It has been edited for length and clarity.
If you’d asked me 30 years ago what I’d be like as a retiree, I would’ve said pottering around at home. I never thought I’d be traveling the world living in beautiful homes for free.
In 2012, my husband and I divorced after 36 years of marriage. I wasn’t expecting it. Suddenly, I was a single 57-year-old with three grown-up children and a job I no longer enjoyed as a pharmacist. I wanted a change.
I first heard about house-sitting when my sister tried it after responding to a classified advert in The Lady magazine. I loved the idea of house-sitting and living like a local in different parts of the world.
I did some research on the internet and found Trusted Housesitters, a website that sets people up with house-sitters all over the world. I wouldn’t be paid, but I would stay in their homes for free in return for looking after the owner’s pets.
I started house-sitting after I retired to fill my time
Two years later in 2014, I was ready to retire and wanted to start house-sitting to fill my time.
I rented out my house in Denver through an agent. The rent would cover my mortgage and expenses for the house. I had enough to live on with my pensions and Social Security.
I resigned from my job and booked my first house sit that winter in Breckenridge, Colorado.
My children were concerned for my safety at first but never tried to dissuade me. I think they are proud of me for having the courage to do this.
On the first day of my retirement at 59, I was looking after a shih tzu called Snowy in a condo overlooking the mountains. I felt like I was on holiday.
I had a few issues finding the white-colored dog when he went out to play in the snow-covered backyard. Apart from that, it went swimmingly.
How to choose a good house sit
I have now completed over 25 house sits. I choose houses in destinations I want to travel to. I’ve looked after a miniature schnauzer in New Zealand, who loved exploring the vineyards with me; I have sat for a fluffy cat in New York, and I looked after four energetic dogs at a riverside home in Botswana.
Some owners interview me before selecting me, while others just make the booking through Trusted Housesitters. Once the sit is confirmed, the owners will share any other information I need by phone, text or email.
I do long house sits of six weeks to three months. When I take on a house sit, I make sure I’m close to public transport or have access to a car. I also ask that the owners leave a telephone number for the vet and a neighbor if I have any queries.
When I house-sitting in Botswana, one of the dogs got stung by a hornet. I had to whisk him to the vet as he had an allergic reaction.
How I spend my days as a retiree who house-sits
If I’m looking after a dog, I get up early to take them for a walk. If it’s a cat, I’ll get up and feed it, and then I will relax with a cup of tea while researching what to do in the area. When I was in St Croix, in the US Virgin Islands, the house had a gorgeous pool overlooking a golf course and the Caribbean Sea. I started my day admiring the view.
I try to sign up for something at least every other day. In New Zealand I went whale-watching, in Japan it was a cooking class . I use Airbnb Experiences, and I also joined Meetup, a social platform that organizes in-person and virtual activities. When I go out at night as a single woman traveler, I like to be in a group. It’s only occasionally I feel unsafe. Usually, it’s here in the States because everyone has got guns.
I sold my house and bought a property I could rent on Airbnb while I travel
I initially rented my house for a year at a time in Denver, but by 2019 I knew I needed a more flexible solution. I needed somewhere to live in between sits. I couldn’t afford hotels, and I didn’t want to keep asking family and friends to put me up.
I sold my house and looked for a home that could be a base for me and attract short-term renters on Airbnb. I bought a small townhouse in downtown Denver with a rooftop deck that Airbnb bookers might like, and a double garage I could lock and use as my storage space.
However, I’ve been so busy with house sits recently I haven’t stayed there for almost a year. I cover my mortgage and bills with my pensions and Social Security. I’ve made as much as $77,000 a year in bookings on Airbnb. The extra money it gives me means that when I need to book a long-haul flight, I can travel business class.
When the pandemic made international travel impossible, I stayed in the United States. It gave me the chance to visit places that I’d never seen before.
There are some downsides to housesitting
I don’t have a limit on the amount of pets I sit for, but I think I should. My last house sit in Naples, Florida, included two dogs, two cats, a guinea pig, two geckos, and a tortoise. I had to feed live worms to the geckos.
There are times when I’m lonely. However, I’d be more lonely at home because I wouldn’t have as much motivation to go out and do things. When you’re in a strange city, you are more likely to say I want to go to that museum or visit that café.
As a veteran house sitter, I get repeat bookings. I already have a repeat booking for New Zealand in November 2024. My housesits have now become friends, and we stay in touch. I had no idea how fabulous life as a divorced woman in her sixties could be. I can’t believe this is my life and this is what I do.