I would like to introduce myself. My name is Barbara and my husband and I are traveling pet sitters!
We both retired in our 50's and decided to spend a year in Europe. Long story short, we discovered pet sitting as a way to drastically cut expenses and be able to have the company of pets (we currently don't have pets). We trade pet sitting for accommodations so there is no money changing hands.
We have now completed 4 extensive trips throughout the States. As much as we loved Europe, road tripping for months at a time in the States has been incredible! Since we started pet sitting in 2017, it has literally changed our lives! We now have a website dedicated to our pet sitting and are planning our next adventure!
We travel 3-6 months a year and when we're not traveling, we love spending time at our home in Asheville NC.
I'm hoping to connect with other travelers, looking for different ways to travel. Hopefully I can bring some value to these forums while learning new things myself.
Hello from a Traveling Pet Sitter!
Re: Hello from a Traveling Pet Sitter!
Hey Barbara, welcome to the forum! I've considered pet sitting myself and look forward to hearing about your adventures!
-
Laura Ingalls
- Posts: 672
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:13 am
Re: Hello from a Traveling Pet Sitter!
I have done one sit and I think unemployable has had a lot of experience.
Re: Hello from a Traveling Pet Sitter!
Welcome Barbara!
I did my first house/pet sit last year with my wife and baby boy; it was an experience. Like J+G, I'm also interested to learn more about your "tricks and tips" on picking the right places / warning signs for house sitting. Speaking with complete transparency, I did not enjoy picking up (sorry) massive dog turds while making super elaborate dog food on a daily basis (clearly we did not do a great job of picking / I learned a lot!! Lol). Being in Hawaii, though, was pretty alright
Curious to learn from you about pet-sitting and other alternative housing situations either in a forum thread or journal post.
Good to have you!
I did my first house/pet sit last year with my wife and baby boy; it was an experience. Like J+G, I'm also interested to learn more about your "tricks and tips" on picking the right places / warning signs for house sitting. Speaking with complete transparency, I did not enjoy picking up (sorry) massive dog turds while making super elaborate dog food on a daily basis (clearly we did not do a great job of picking / I learned a lot!! Lol). Being in Hawaii, though, was pretty alright
Curious to learn from you about pet-sitting and other alternative housing situations either in a forum thread or journal post.
Good to have you!
-
unemployable
- Posts: 1007
- Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:36 am
- Location: Homeless
Re: Hello from a Traveling Pet Sitter!
I do, not that this thread is about me.
Re: Hello from a Traveling Pet Sitter!
Hello and welcome. I look forward to reading about your adventures and perspective.
My wife and I did around 25 house sits, mainly around Ireland and one in France. We enjoyed it a lot but there was some fatigue in looking after pets and places by the end. Fortunately or unfortunately since then we have returned to our home and got our own dog, which really really curtails our ability to adventure in the way we did. When I find a sucker to look after him externally my next plan is to look into house swaps. Longer term it helps to have money coming in, which we are still working on, so our sitting/swapping is on hold while we cash up some more.
My wife and I did around 25 house sits, mainly around Ireland and one in France. We enjoyed it a lot but there was some fatigue in looking after pets and places by the end. Fortunately or unfortunately since then we have returned to our home and got our own dog, which really really curtails our ability to adventure in the way we did. When I find a sucker to look after him externally my next plan is to look into house swaps. Longer term it helps to have money coming in, which we are still working on, so our sitting/swapping is on hold while we cash up some more.
-
BarbaraV0124
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Feb 29, 2024 1:30 pm
Re: Hello from a Traveling Pet Sitter!
Thank you all for your replies. I have started a blog on our website (sitstaytrips.com). It's new but provides information on how to start pet sitting, how to choose the right pet sit for you and so on.
And of course, I am available here on the forum for any questions you might have.
I'm really happy to connect with other retirees here!
And of course, I am available here on the forum for any questions you might have.
I'm really happy to connect with other retirees here!
Re: Hello from a Traveling Pet Sitter!
Cool site. Good idea. We had loads of positive reviews - 24 maybe? But because we didn't renew with TrustedHouseSitters they are gone now.
"Full disclosure of active security devices (cameras, etc) in your home." - We had a camera in one sit. Host disclosed it as they were leaving and there was a very tense discussion about it. Who wants to live with with a camera monitoring their every move??
"ull disclosure of any issues with pets. Examples would be: not house trained, separation anxiety." - Yes, like shitting everywhere every 5 seconds!!!
We had one dragon who wasn't quite right in the head. She was dismayed we were a few hours late even though we had travelled for days on a ferry and driven across half of france - they weren't going till the next day. I think off the back of that she said we were unreliable, even though the 5 week pet sit looking after a pack of lamas and many many chickens along with snappy dogs went off otherwise withhout a hitch. A negative review stings..... we responded to their review making out, rightly, that they were elderly and a bit out of it. We didn't leave our own review as it would have invited their own response.
Hope eventually to move to house swapping to even the relationship up a bit, and to avoid the pet part.
We had another owner dislcose at the last minute we couldn't leave their elderly dog for more than an hour, and that her mother would visit without notice at any time!!! I mean you don't travel all that way to stare at a dog do you. funny thing was there was a knock at the door and even the local priest was having a snoop. That's rural Ireland for you!!
"Full disclosure of active security devices (cameras, etc) in your home." - We had a camera in one sit. Host disclosed it as they were leaving and there was a very tense discussion about it. Who wants to live with with a camera monitoring their every move??
"ull disclosure of any issues with pets. Examples would be: not house trained, separation anxiety." - Yes, like shitting everywhere every 5 seconds!!!
We had one dragon who wasn't quite right in the head. She was dismayed we were a few hours late even though we had travelled for days on a ferry and driven across half of france - they weren't going till the next day. I think off the back of that she said we were unreliable, even though the 5 week pet sit looking after a pack of lamas and many many chickens along with snappy dogs went off otherwise withhout a hitch. A negative review stings..... we responded to their review making out, rightly, that they were elderly and a bit out of it. We didn't leave our own review as it would have invited their own response.
Hope eventually to move to house swapping to even the relationship up a bit, and to avoid the pet part.
We had another owner dislcose at the last minute we couldn't leave their elderly dog for more than an hour, and that her mother would visit without notice at any time!!! I mean you don't travel all that way to stare at a dog do you. funny thing was there was a knock at the door and even the local priest was having a snoop. That's rural Ireland for you!!