Jessica Holmes is a writer, editor, and public speaker whose work explores themes of travel, sustainability, and alternative living. After a career in major crime investigation, she swapped case files for carry-ons and now travels full-time as a housesitter - caring for pets and homes in exchange for rent-free stays around the world alongside her husband. Her deep affinity with animals and the natural world inspired this lifestyle, and her long-term experience living nomadically makes her an expert in digital nomadism, van life, backpacking, and slow, eco-conscious travel.
Jessica is the author of The Housesitter’s Guide to the Galaxy, a practical and inspiring handbook for anyone curious about house and pet sitting, sustainable adventures, and reducing environmental impact. She is also the senior editor at Nomad Magazine, where she curates stories that celebrate freedom, resilience, and adventure.
She writes useful guides and housesitting anecdotes at www.hitchedandhiking.com and lives wherever there’s a cat to cuddle or a dog to walk.
TALK: Sustainable Travel: Slomads, Community, and HousesittingAs digital nomads seek more sustainable and connected ways to live and travel, a new movement is emerging: the slomad. This talk explores how slowing down, engaging with communities, and embracing practices like housesitting can make nomadic life more regenerative and meaningful.
Drawing from real stories and practical experience, Jessica - international speaker, long-term housesitter, and author of The Housesitter’s Guide to the Galaxy - shares how slomads can travel lightly, live deeply, and redefine “home” wherever they go.
Attendees will gain:
- A framework for low-impact, community-centred travel
- Practical steps to integrate housesitting into a sustainable lifestyle
- Insight into how slow, circular travel can shape the future of nomadism