Why these couples left everything to be traveling pet sitters

“You really can’t beat waking up in the morning and seeing llamas on your front porch waiting for their breakfast,” Anaïs says of a recent pet sitting experience in New Zealand. With her partner Steven, The Spaniard has been traveling the world with TrustedHousesitters since 2021.

The platform connects pet owners on vacation with responsible travelers who seek unique experiences, like at home.

“We wanted to start traveling full-time, so we decided to get remote jobs and leave everything,” Anaïs tells ‘Euronews Travel’. “It was the best decision we have ever made, it opened the doors to incredible experiences around the world.”

They are not the only ones who made this important life change during the pandemic. “In 2020, We sold everything we had in Brazil to live a nomadic life“says Gabryel, who has been caring for pets full-time with her partner Vera for more than two and a half years. ‘Euronews Travel’ spoke to both couples from their homes in Australia and Thailand.

How Housekeeping Opens Doors to Local Contacts

When we first heard about the nomadic lifestyle, “we thought, wow, work online and traveling at the same time, it’s like a dream!” says Gabryel. “But it was a dream so, so far away that we never imagined doing this.” When the pandemicthey insisted on finding a way.

Quitting their hospitality and management jobs, Gabryel, 31, and Vera, 29, used their degrees in business administration and finance to forge a path in online marketing, which Gabryel complements with English teaching online.

But when we stay in Airbnbs“We felt very alone not having contact with people or animals,” says Vera. Then they discovered TrustedHousesitters.

With his first stay at Christmas 2021, his previously distant dream began to come true: “We were in Parisin a very comfortable apartment, not in a tourist area, with an adorable cat, living like Parisians,” says Gabryel.

With their own space to work in, a local connection and pets to keep them company, they knew they had won the lottery.

“One of the best things about TrustedHousesitters is the sharing”says Gabryel. “It’s not just to save money on rent: You have the opportunity not only to have animals around you while you travel, but to learn how local people live and have more contact with them.”

From caring for nine dogs and two turtles for a month in Greece to making lifelong friends in a remote Turkish village –despite not speaking the same language-, the platform has opened a world of unique experiences.

The couple selects their stays based on a few key factors: the petsthe internet connection and access to public transport. But the most important thing is the proximity to their current location, since they find the experience of traveling by land more enriching than flying.

“Bus It’s also fun,” says Gabryel, recalling a 35-hour trip from Bulgaria to Germany that allowed them to experience snow for the first time in their lives.

You can’t take care of a house just for free accommodation

Anaïs and Steven insist that housekeeping is more than just a trick to save money. “It’s an amazing way to travel, but it comes with responsibilities,” says Anaïs. “You can’t babysit just for the free accommodation; you have to truly love animals and enjoy spending time with them.”

For it to work, you have to be open-minded, flexible and reliable. “Owners trust you with two of their most precious things: their pets and their home. Treat the house as if it were yours and also love the pets as if they were yours,” advises Anaïs. “Flexibility in your travel plans and accommodating the animals’ needs and schedules are essential.”

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But “the energy you put into things always comes back to you,” he adds. From a month caring for cats in Hawaii until Christmas in London looking after a dachshund named Leahouse-sitting has allowed her and Steven to “combine our love of travel and animals.”

How does TrustedHousesitters work?

TrustedHousesitters helps connect homeowners and pet owners with verified travelers who love animals and exploring new places.

Annual membership costs from 139 euros for “pet parents” and 119 euros for caregivers. This allows homeowners y pets Publish opportunities to care for your pets on the platform, for which caregivers are eligible.

Messages and video calls are often part of the screening process, along with applicant profiles, which include background checks, External references and reviews from other pet owners. Although having reviews helps, it is possible to start working without them, say Gabryel and Vera.

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“In our opinion, the application is the most important part, because it is the first thing the homeowner will see,” says Gabryel. “Today we have over 30 reviews… and it’s easier now. But at first it wasn’t that difficult: we just made sure our application was as complete as possible.”

Both couples share travel and pet care tips through their social media channels: how @elviajederitaAnaïs and Steven have accumulated more than 700,000 followers on various platforms.

As @capituebentinhoporaiGabryel and Vera introduce their online community to alternative ways to travel.