After almost 3 years exploring the world full-time, towards the end of 2024, Hannah and I decided to revisit a few of the previous amazing house sits and exchanges we have experienced so far. After an epic year trekking through Asia, we craved a little bit of familiarity back in the USA.
Durham, NC
Our first trip to Durham remains one of our best previous house sits to date. We enjoyed almost 2.5 months in the city, taking care of the lovely Ladybug and a wonderful suburban home. It was easily walkable to all of Durham’s main attractions.
We made lots of friends during our stay, and it remained high on our list of places to return to. The opportunity to spend Christmas and New Year in Durham was too good to turn down. We accepted 2 house sitting placements lasting a combined 6 weeks for the end of 2024.
Returning to Bull City
The biggest difference was the weather. Whereas we had enjoyed many 100 °C days during our previous trip, the winter weather was in full swing. We experienced some serious minus temperatures and heavy snowfall during our return visit.
We were pleased to see that many of our favorite establishments were still open and vibrantly busy. There has been a lot of development work around the Downtown area of the city. We worried that some cool old bars and restaurants we liked might have closed or been relocated.
The brewery scene, evidently popular during our first stay, had grown even further. Durham is a great town for beer lovers! Half a dozen new bars had opened in the 18 months we’d been away, all delightful additions to the city.
Catching up With Friends and Visits from Family
We managed to reconnect with many of the friends we had made and were invited to a New Year’s party at the home we had previously cared for. It was great taking Ladybug for walks around the Duke Campus when her owners were busy.
Having not connected face to face with any family for over a year, we enjoyed a visit from Hannah’s mum and dad from back home in the UK. They made the 8-hour flight from Heathrow to Raleigh and stayed with us at our house sit for a week. We gave them the full tour of Durham!
It was fantastic to return to Durham. It topped the list of amazing previous house sits we wanted to revisit. I’m sure it won’t be too long before we find ourselves back in Bull City. Click here for the best house sitting websites right now.
Waco, Texas
During our first year of traveling, we undertook 5 Workaway placements, the most memorable of these being in Waco, Texas. Read all about it in one of my early Short Tails episodes – Welcome to Texas. We maintained contact with our host, Grant, during the years since, and we were keen for a return visit.
With a gap to fill between sits, we turned what was due to be a 2-day catch-up into 6 days reliving the Workaway experience. We had previously enjoyed helping Grant with his day-to-day tasks. His structured work days always included epic food and a decent supply of beer when the day was done.
Nothing had changed in this regard! We were once again based in his 44ft RV, which is as nice as many of the homes we have stayed in. The weather was cooler than our previous visit, but still warm enough to sit outside and drink a few beers.
Thanksgiving
Our return stay in Waco would fall across Thanksgiving week, and we were delighted to be invited to enjoy the distinctly US celebration in a homely, family setting. Grant and Polly always host the event for their family, and it was a treat to be included.
The aforementioned food was in overdrive, with the hosts supplying copious dishes and the guests all bringing a pot too. We ate traditional turkey with cranberry sauce, smoked ham, collard greens, and pumpkin pie for dessert. The drink flowed and we all ate enough to see us well into the New Year!
We enjoyed the traditional Dallas Cowboys game (Grant’s team) before retiring for an early night.
Buc-ees and Corpus Christi
We had been forewarned by Grant that the day after Thanksgiving, we would be making the long drive from Waco to Corpus Christi. One of the projects he wanted us to help with was on our house he owned down in the coastal Texas city. We needed to be on the road by 4 am to avoid traffic.
Grant driving and on the road as requested, we would get to enjoy breakfast and a Texas institution for the first time – Buc-ees! The chain of gas stations is popular for its huge size and great food and snack selection. The one we stopped at had over 200 gas pumps! All were busy at 6 am.
We grafted on the house for 2 days, enjoying the hospitality of Grant’s daughter, who lived close by. We again ate like kings and drank like fish together after the working day was done. It was an awesome return visit, and we’d love to make it more of a regular thing moving forward.
Tucson, Arizona
Our first international house sit was a placement on a small ranch in Tucson, Arizona. We loved it so much and have always been keen to return to the region. Our previous hosts, Beatrice and Eric, have been inviting us back as guests for years, so after a spell back home in 2025, we decided to take them up on it.
They kindly offered their home as a base to explore more of Arizona and beyond, even giving us a car to use for the duration. Arriving in the beautiful desert city surrounded by incredible mountains took us back 3 years to our first visit. The sights and smells felt so familiar, having spent 2 months here previously.
Click here for our definitive guide to house sitting in Tucson.
Changes at the Ranch
Sadly, a few of the pets we had cared for had passed on. The lovely cat Eclipse, who lived well into his twenties, had passed, as had 3 of the elderly horses we had cared for. But a few new arrivals greeted us. JJ the Nevada Mustang, and Chappy, the loveable kitten and only male in the house aside from Eric!
Lola and Marseille, the two faithful K-9 companions, still run the roost. Mars, previously the youngest horse, had turned into a dominating leader in the coral. Chamonix and Chamaille, the additional two house cats, continued their leisurely lives. They all recognized us immediately and made us feel right at home.
House Sitting in Arizona
With the Tucson ranch as our base, we secured 5 additional house sits in Arizona. Notably caring for a magnificent home in the heart of Scottsdale’s Old Town and one in the North of Phoenix, caring for a giant Great Dane. As I write this, we still have a couple to do, but all of the sits so far have been excellent.
We certainly enjoyed exploring Scottsdale, it has a little bit of that Nashville country vibe that we love, and is popular with bachelor and bachelorette parties, creating a fun scene. I highly recommend you pay it a visit!
Brewster the Great Dane is a lovable giant, and the home there is excellent. We are returning for a second visit later on in our trip.
Our Anniversary and a Road Trip To Las Vegas
We’ve been to Las Vegas more times than anywhere else. I alone went there almost every year for 15 years before COVID put a spanner in the works. Since then, we made it back for a short trip in 2022, during our last trip to Arizona, but we planned an anniversary road trip to Vegas and 5 great days in Sin City.
After an epic 5-hour drive from Phoenix that included stunning scenery, a great lunch at a roadside diner, and some quite amazing weather shifts, we arrived in Las Vegas thirsty for a beer and a slice of that neon buzz. We stayed at Circus Circus and felt ecstatic to be back in one of our happy places.
We spent the days bar hopping, walking through the casinos, and exploring a few new cool things, like the Sphere, that have been built since our previous trip. I gambled a few bucks but enjoyed just being back on the Strip, finding cheap beers, and tucking away carefree into whatever food I fancied!
A Quick Trip to Laughlin, Nevada
We had never previously been to Laughlin, the small casino town based on the Colorado River, about 90 minutes from Vegas. However, I had been told good things, so we made a point of adding it to our itinerary to break up the drive back to Tucson.
I’m glad we made the effort because it’s a super cool little town. There are maybe a dozen or so hotels/casinos all situated along the glorious river. People go to enjoy some gambling but also to chill on the sandy banks of the river, rent jet skis, and take boat trips. It’s a great vibe and a lovely drive from Vegas.
I recently wrote all about our time in Laughlin. Click here to read it.
Final Thoughts on Tucson, Arizona.
We are currently back at the ranch in Tucson, where we were able to house sit for our hosts so they could enjoy 4 days away in San Francisco. We will soon depart for another 3 weeks of house sitting around the state before meeting them at their cabin in Greer, Northern Arizona.
The lovely cabin offers cooler temperatures during the harsh Arizona summer, and it’s a great place for the animals (and humans) to chill out for a few months. We will be officially house sitting for them again for around 3 weeks when they go for their summer vacation to Norway.
We are also looking forward to once again celebrating Independance Day in the US, it’s always a great experience helping the American’s celebrate their freedom from those damn Brits! The fireworks, food, and I’m told even a rodeo in Greer should be great fun. Watch this space.
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