We spent 10 years housesitting across 20 countries – and saved £300k on rent

Bianca Rappaport, 34, has spent the last decade travelling the world with her husband Paolo, 45, by house and pet sitting in strangers' homes across the globe. The couple have travelled to over 20 countries across five continents – and house-sat over 50 different pets. (Photo: Bianca Rappaport/SWNS)

Designing your life around freedom

Bianca usually stays in a home for at least two months - and plans her sits at least three to nine months in advance. The pair say they have saved on average £30,000 a year on rent and bills and they are on track to retire early. Bianca, who originally was from New York, said: "Here’s what most people don’t realise - you don’t have to wait until retirement to be free, you can design your life around freedom. I have stayed in so many random places. I once even stayed in a former old 18th century winery, where all the rooms were carved into volcanic rock. There was a time I looked after a cat in Bangkok, and the owner told me she had moved to Rome, so I looked after the same cat in Italy." (Photo: Bianca Rappaport/SWNS)

Financial breathing room

She says: "When I first started doing this, I was definitely trying to lean on the side of being more frugal – being very mindful of how I am spending my money. Now I have more breathing room, I’ve really become aware of the impact my spending can have on the local community. Including all our personal stuff - health insurance, flights, transport, food - between the two, we spent around $10,000 in the first six months of 2025. That’s without depriving ourselves in anyway." (Photo: Bianca Rappaport/SWNS)

Lots of different platforms to use

Bianca and Paolo started housesitting in June 2016 - after they found that sofa surfing in their year off didn’t allow them enough time in each country. Bianca said: “After working around the world a little bit, in 2010, I worked in Brooklyn in a job that helps people go on gap years. There was a book that talked about 10 ways to travel the world for free. Since that point, I have always had that idea in the back of my mind. We used a platform called TrustedHousesitters, but there are lots of different platforms you can go on for different parts of the world.” (Photo: Bianca Rappaport/SWNS)

A range of countries and pets

Since she set off she has been to over 20 countries - including Mexico, Morocco and Malaysia - allowing her experiences such as visiting local tribes to learn about their culture, driving down American highways, and visiting coffee farms. The pets the couple look after range from dogs to fish, chickens and even turkeys, and sometimes Bianca revisits the pets. She travels the world with only a 40-litre carry-on backpack, that holds everything she owns. (Photo: Bianca Rappaport/SWNS)

A digital nomad

Despite having no permanent housing, Bianca is a thriving businesswoman. She quickly realised she could make more from her free rent situation by becoming a ‘digital nomad’ - a remote worker that travels. In 2024, she started her own company ‘Wanderwell Club’, which helps others “sustainably travel” their way to “financial freedom while doing good along the way”. Bianca said: “I feel like I have discovered the ultimate life hack. I don’t have to pay rent, and I am working to have the option to retire by the time I am 45. I worked out that I am going to retire two decades before I thought I would.” (Photo: Bianca Rappaport/SWNS)

An answer to slowing over-tourism?

As well as benefitting herself, Bianca believes that housesitting is one of the answers to slowing over-tourism. She said: “It is a way that tourists and locals can work together, a sharing economy. They need someone to look after their pet and make sure the house is okay while they’re gone, and you have somewhere wonderful to explore. People often show you to their best farmer’s markets and shops in the area, and introduce you to their neighbours, so you have a community and a good idea of the area.” (Photo: Bianca Rappaport/SWNS)

'I wouldn't change the way I live'

Bianca gets to indulge in all the homeowners' amenities – gyms, cars, and pools – for free. She said: “It really helps you get to know a place from a local's perspective. I wouldn’t ever change the way that I live, and I am grateful for the trust that people put in me.” (Photo: Bianca Rappaport/SWNS)