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In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, meet Angela Fagan founder of Trust My Pet Sitter. Tune in for an inspiring chat about what’s new in the world of house sitting. You’ll learn how to stand out from the crowd! And, discover a new platform that’s matching experienced house sitters with great global sits. New and trending: Trust My Pet Sitter Welcome to a very special episode of Freedom and Four Paws, where we explore the fascinating world of house and pet sitting with a twist of adventure. In this episode, we’re thrilled to sit down with Angela Fagan, the pioneering founder of Trust My Pet Sitter (TMP). Angela joins us to share her journey, the inception of TMP, and how her platform is reshaping the house and pet sitting landscape globally. Angela, with her profound experience in recruitment and investment in the house and pet sitting world, shares her journey to establishing TMP, driven by a passion to connect pet parents with the most reliable and caring pet sitters worldwide. Delving into the mechanics of TMP, Angela explains the unique application and matching system designed to ensure a perfect fit between pet parents and sitters, highlighting the point of difference of their service and its emphasis on trust and communication. She shares expert advice on common flaws seen in pet sitting applications and offers actionable advice for aspiring candidates to stand out in 2024, emphasising the importance of professionalism, authenticity, and specific skills that make an application irresistible. How to Get Ahead in the House Sitting Game Angela also sheds light on emerging trends in the house-sitting industry for 2024, advising our audience on how to adapt and position yourselves advantageously. With TMP’s boutique approach to house sit matching, she outlines the core criteria for sitters looking to join her elite lineup, stressing experience, dedication, and a genuine love for animals. By the episode’s end, you will not only discover a brand-new house-sitting option that could revolutionise your travel and pet sitting experience but also learn the top actions to take now to get noticed for the world’s best sits. Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people like Angela. They’re creating awesome businesses, meeting great pets, and living their best life! More advice from other Freedom and Four Paws guests: How to travel with your own pet! And how to house sit as a family :) Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ Freedom and Four Paws is brought to you by Travel Live Learn.com. As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10. And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com and mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service including personalised storytelling coaching. WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn
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We surveyed our 20,000 strong community and here are the top 6 nomad and house sitting questions you want answers to now! Welcome back to Travel Live Learn and happy new-podcast-day! Yay! After a bit of a hiatus while we settled in after our big move from Australia to the UK – puppy in tow – we’re excited to share a brand new episode of Freedom and Four Paws. Over the past couple of months, we’ve surveyed our popular nomad and house sitting Facebook Group, and have garnered insight into 6 BIG questions on everyone’s minds. Given this insight, we have pulled together the questions and answers into a handy 30-minute ep! Travel FAQ 2023-24 – 6 nomad and house sitting questions In this episode hear responses to top-of-mind questions on: How and where to find house sits The way to keep your cool in the face of tricky travel and booking logistics Is AI useful for us as nomads and house sitters? Logistics for getting set up as a digital nomad or global remote worker How to find your tribe and stay motivated (some additional advice here on that if you need it) Who should get paid as a house sitter? We recently published some similar content that received a lot of views and questions. The post was called 3 Big Questions House Sitters Are Asking. This podcast complements that information. Show notes and resources In this episode, we’re thrilled to share several helpful resources with you. First and foremost, you can sign up for our FREE 4-part email series, House Sitting 101. To secure your space, simply click here. In addition, our YouTube channel is absolutely brimming with invaluable house sitting and digital nomad tips and tricks. To make sure you don’t miss out on any of these, you can subscribe here. Furthermore, we also offer the House Sitting 101 Essentials Pack. This can significantly enhance your understanding and experience with house sitting. To get yours, just click here. Last but not least, we’ve created an eBook entitled “7 Essential Strategies for Maximising Your Use of ChatGPT”. If you want to optimise your interactions with ChatGPT, you can get your copy here. Click here to subscribe to Freedom and Four Paws on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people traveling the world. They’re living their best life, often with their pets in tow! More advice from Freedom and Four Paws: House Sitting in a Foreign Language Destination, and Slow Travel: 9 Years on the Road House Sitting Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10. And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com and mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service including personalised storytelling coaching. SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies. SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn
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Off grid house sitting and travel is becoming a popular way of life for many. Let’s face it, most of us want to switch off from the craziness of the world today. Living off grid is also an opportunity to practice a more sustainable way of living. When we had the chance to chat to Annemarie – an Aussie based in South America and living this lifestyle, we jumped at the chance. Off grid house sitting and travel – living the dream? In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, we meet Annemarie, an Australian who has been slow travelling through Central and South America for the past few years. Annemarie offers wonderful tales of travels and friends made along the way. And, she shares excellent advice on what it takes to survive and thrive living off the grid. If you’re wondering what the off-grid lifestyle looks like, Annemarie says it is a dream for her. BUT it’s probably not for everyone. That’s where house sitting is a great chance to dip your toes in to see if it is for you. Getting into off-grid living Annemarie’s initiation to off the grid living came about by chance. A friend asked her to come to Costa Rica to help him set up an off the grid art eco events centre on his permaculture farm. Her off-grid experience there lasted seven months where she quickly learned what it takes to survive. By definition, off-grid living usually means you’re relying on your own energy and water supplies. It also comes with nurturing your own food and learning to truly appreciate all living things around you. An attractive proposition for many of us! To become accustomed to jungle life, like in Annemarie’s case, you need to be able to cope with isolation, be good with your hands, calm and adaptable. “You are off grid. There’s no shop, there’s no letter box, there isn’t anything,” explains Annemarie. Find out more by watching her interview – click to play above How to find house sits while travelling off-grid Annemarie uses TrustedHousesitters, but like some of our other Freedom and Four Paws guests including Nicky who travels with her dog, and this family of four house sitters, has also built a reputation and now has people contacting her for sits. Annemarie shares that it’s important to continue to develop and foster relationships with locals where you live too – often leads come in that way. Additionally, join community groups in your area, on and offline. Let people know what you do – tell them you do house sitting and people will soon reach out to you. “House sitters are in demand everywhere,” Annemarie tells us. Annemarie’s top house sitting and off-grid travel tips Anne Marie’s biggest tip to finding work and getting involved in the community is through WhatsApp. She tells us that in many countries, including South and Central America, many businesses don’t have a website, they utilise WhatsApp. A few key ways to finding work on the road: Join community groups in the region – network and get to know people Groups (including online like Facebook, or offline in networks) are the best way to find out anything Tell people what you do – you can’t sell a secret Engage, develop relationships and opportunities open up! Click here to subscribe to Freedom and Four Paws on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people traveling the world. They’re living their best life, often with their pets in tow! More advice from Freedom and Four Paws: House Sitting in a Foreign Language Destination, and Slow Travel: 9 Years on the Road House Sitting Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ Freedom and Four Paws is brought to you by Travel Live Learn.com. As a valued audience member,
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In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, tune in for an inspiring chat about solo travel and house sitting for women. We meet Aussie Beth Wilkinson who’s been house sitting her around the globe looking for a second home. Four years later, she is still searching – but in a beautiful way! Finding a way into solo travel and house sitting for women After 18 months being stuck in North America due to COVID, Canada finally lifted restrictions on international travel. As a result, Beth quickly discovered on Facebook groups that: Australians she knew there were eager to visit family and friends back home; Many of these expats needed someone to look after their pets – this is how Beth fell into house sitting! She quickly developed a positive reputation and people started reaching out for her to house and pet sit. It was actually Beth’s Mum who suggested she use house sitting as way to travel outside of Canada. In the past four years, she has now visited Europe, America and South America. This is a fantastic example of how house sitting opens up the world for travellers. We hear similar tales from the likes of Lisa who now makes money from pet care and house sitting; and the Frugal Travellers who have a successful YouTube channel about the topic too! What we learn from travel Through her solo adventures Beth has been able to push through her fears and any limitations which may have subconsciously restricted her. The experience she has created means she’s able to apply this confidence to many social and business situations; it’s not just limited to travelling. After, backpacking solo around Mexico, Beth realised that she could adapt and in fact thrive in foreign countries where cultures and languages are very different. Find out more, watch the interview here: How to have the ‘remote work’ conversation with your boss Beth works remotely full time for an employer, and this means she can live and work from anywhere she pleases. For anyone considering this option, it’s important to have open conversations with your employer to discuss what works best for you, the business you work for, and what you can bring to your role as a remote worker and digital nomad. Beth highlights that finding a balance with work and your wellbeing is important and vital for happiness., The greatest benefit of solo travel as a remote worker and house sitter is being able to do what you want, wherever you want, whenever you want and not having to rely on other people’s timelines. Beth’s best advice Beth discovered that there is a niche for solo house sitters. In order to stand out in a competitive house and pet sitting market though, her advice is: Treat your application like a job Sell yourself and what you uniquely have to offer Talk about your specific experiences Get involved with Facebook community groups. PS you can find Beth here on Instagram 🐕Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people like Beth, traveling the world. They’re living their best life, often with their pets in tow! In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, we know you’ll find Beth’s advice is invaluable. More advice from other Freedom and Four Paws guests: How to travel with your own pet! And how to house sit as a family :) 👉🏻Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ Freedom and Four Paws is brought to you by Travel Live Learn.com. As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10. And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world...
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Are you looking for how to travel on a budget, cheap or for free around the world? In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, we meet Frugal Travellers Mandy and Lee. They have been travelling the world on a budget for over 30 years and over 100 countries. These avid adventurers have mastered how to travel the world on a budget. Mandy and Lee share fantastic advice on how to get the most out of your money while exploring the world. The Frugal Travellers were recently featured on CNN Chance Encounters, a show which highlights real life stories of couples who met while travelling. How to travel on a budget: top tip, house sitting One of the most popular topics on this website is house and pet sitting. Lee and Mandy lean on house sitting as a way to travel cheaply. Their introduction to this mode of travel came about by chance while living in Australia. At first, friends asked them to look after their pets. Word quickly spread that they were lovely and trustworthy and then referrals started to flow in. In the years to come, Mandy and Lee joined several paid and free services that also enabled them to secure house sits. They now house sit full time. How to travel cheap and keep costs down One of the couple’s success tips is to make a game out of sticking to a slim daily budget. These are a few key ways they save money while travelling: Localised entertainment booklets which offer discount vouchers e.g. 2-for-1 deals Buy Me Coffee House and pet sitting Workaway Following where locals in any destination buy cheap food, services and goods International travel is available to everyone – you don’t have to be rich! Through Lee and Mandy’s YouTube channel, their intention is to prove that you do not need to be a millionaire to enjoy a life of travel. The pair themselves embrace slow travel and the freedom it brings, and their inspiring content shows how anyone can do it. Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people travelling the world and living their best life. Subscribe now and never miss an episode. Each includes excellent tips on how to slow travel, and successfully work remotely. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ on your favourite podcast service. As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy. Relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night. Visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10. If you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com. Mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service. WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies. SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn
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Overseas pet travel isn’t as easy as we’d like it to be, particularly when you’re flying a route like Australia to England. But, we’re about to head off on another adventure to the UK, and we will take our little Westie, London, with us. To find out about the visas we secured to live and work in the UK, you can read more here. How simple is planning overseas pet travel? I think the best way to describe the planning is that it is a process. It’s all possible, but there’s a number of considerations to take into account. This means ideally you would give yourself six months or more to plan. Between the time we discovered we had the opportunity to move back to the UK and the time we needed to fly, we actually didn’t have six months. Together with our trusted vet and a pet carrier, we have made it work though. If you are planning to relocate to another country, maybe our process and information can help you. 5 steps to move a dog overseas 1. Talk to a trusted vet The first port of call for us when planning to relocate London dog overseas with us was to speak to our vet. Our lovely vet Kirsty from Toowong Family vet in Brisbane, has known London since he was a wee puppy. She’s an excellent vet, so we booked a consult with her, primarily to speak about: – the travel process and London’s general health for such a journey – gauging and managing his anxiety in a new situation such as long distance flying. Kirsty checked London over and we chatted about his age and health. We determined that he is ok to fly. The big one for us though is the lengthy flight(s) itself. In the past, sometimes dogs were sedated so they would sleep. It’s been deemed that that this is not safe, so sedation is not an option. Kirsty talked us through a program for managing London’s anxiety, which began a few weeks ago and will continue into when he is settling into his new home in the Northern Hemisphere. Talk to your vet about options that may suit your beloved fur baby. 2. Choose an accredited pet carrier We researched several major international pet carriers operating in Australia and sought quotes from each. After having a conversation with each and comparing quotes, we ended up making a decision based on the itinerary available to London. While it is possible to fly London from Brisbane to London, the routes recommended by some carriers meant that he would not leave his crate for around 24 hours. We chose Petraveller based on reviews and because they suggested a route that – while longer in terms of the amount of time we are separated – it seemed fairer on him to have more breaks. Choosing a pet carrier is a BIG decision. It’s very expensive no matter how you look at it, and we know London’s life and wellbeing is being placed in their hands. There’s a lot of trust and faith involved. We will keep you posted on the outcome. At time of posting, London is set to begin his journey in a week’s time. 3. Consult with your chosen pet carrier to find out about the process involved in taking your dog overseas The next most important conversation we had after the one with our vet, was the one with our chosen pet carrier. Over the duration of one or two chats, a few things were explained to us: time frames and action items for us costs the importance of securing a rabies vaccination immediately for London dog – in Australia, the rabies vaccine is often in short supply and only some vets administer it, so get your pet sorted straight away if you intend to fly in the coming year application for a Transfer of Residency to the UK so we could avoid import fees for London preparing London for travel before, during and after the journey the airline application process which meant we had to choose a date range for London to travel – the application is lodged around the 15th of each month and your pet’s travel itinerary is only confirmed in the last week of each month considerations around where London would stay should we need to fly out first,
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As an Aussie – and member of the Commonwealth – you may be eligible for a UK Ancestry visa. Cooper is, and he’s just received his UK Ancestry visa for a third time. This allows us to move back to the UK to pursue a work opportunity in 2023. As his partner, I can apply to go too. In this post, we’ll share exactly how we applied and successfully secured working visas to return to the UK. We leave in Feb, and will take our dog with us! @houseandpetsitting Announcement: we’re moving abroad again + taking our dog! #dogstravel #traveltok #traveldiaries ♬ original sound – Freedom and Four Paws UK Ancestry – what’s it all about? About ten years ago, Cooper discovered that he was eligible for a UK Ancestry visa. This is because his Grand-ma was Scottish. She travelled to live in Australia during the period that now gives him the “birth right” to live and work in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The visa is flexible, allowing five years at a time with the option to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. There’s no age limit for applying, and no limit to how many times you can apply for it. Unfortunately, the numbers of people in Commonwealth countries that this visa applies to will begin to dwindle now. This is more of a benefit for a generation of people whose grandparents travelled during the earlier part of the 1900s. British great-grandparents or parents do not allow access to this exact visa. Background to our application: why we are applying for visas again Travel Live Learn was born out of Cooper’s and my experience living and working in the UK. We have actually lived in London twice before. The first time was between 2010-2012 when Cooper was first living and working there on an Ancestral Visa. I was under 30 then, and allowed to work under the Youth Mobility Visa scheme. We returned in 2014, this time paying an immigration lawyer to help us secure Cooper’s second UK Ancestry visa and aligning me as his long-term (un-married) partner. Cooper and I had completely settled in the UK by 2019. We fully intended to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in 2020, having almost completed the five years settled status requirement. We were preparing to study for the Life in the UK test when COVID struck. With just three months to go before we would be granted the right to come and go more freely, a difficult change was forced upon us. Not only did COVID remove our option to live, work and travel as we had previously done, but at the same time, my Dad came to the end of a battle with Prostate Cancer. It was a dreadful period of my life, where “goodbye” took on many meanings. I’m glad to be moving past it. Applying for UK work visas post-COVID restrictions Now that restrictions have eased in most parts of the world, we can move about relatively freely again. An opportunity presented itself that’s meant we have decided to go back to England to live and work for a little while. We’re even taking our COVID puppy, London, with us! (if you’re looking for advice and experience around travelling internationally with a pet, we will share it all on YouTube.com/travellivelearn). Taking London dog means a serious chunk of our moving budget is gone straight away. So, we decided to take the plunge and apply for the previous visa combination we had (Ancestral + partner visa) ourselves. “Ourselves” = “me” when it comes to gathering all the admin and paperwork for this fairly stressful task! Discover our full experience here: Steps you’ll take Apply for the Ancestry visa by following the links through the application forms on the UK Government website. You will pay for the application and your NHS surcharge. Download and keep a copy of ALL of your answers, confirmation numbers and payment details. Apply for the partner or dependent visa following the links on the website. Ensure your answers align with that of your partner’s Ancestry visa application. Pay for your visa and NHS surcharge. Book in for your biometrics,
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Discover important info on how to house sit in a foreign language destination: be prepared with safety tips for you and the pets in your care! In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, we share our experience around preparing for house and pet sitting in a foreign language destination – that is, for us, a place where English is not the first language spoken. Watch on and discover some of our favourite resources, tips and tricks for learning the language, experiencing the culture, facing embarrassment, and importantly, surviving in an emergency or crisis situation. How to house sit in a foreign language destination Ultimately, our top five critical tips for house and pet sitting in a foreign language destination are: Know where you’re staying. Make sure you have the address written down and with you both on your phone and on your person. This is important in case you you lose your phone or the battery dies. Make sure you know what the emergency services number is in the country where you’re staying, e.g. 000, 111, 999. Download key apps before you head off so they’re ready to go on the ground. For example, Google Translate, and your favourite language app. Always ask what you should do if you get locked out, and what to do if the pet gets sick. Make sure you know what the plan is! Also that there are emergency contacts who will be able to communicate with you. Just practice: give it a go, say hello, or hola, as the case may be. We’d love to know what your tips and experience is in this space – let us know in the comments Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people travelling the world. They’re living their best life, often with their pets in tow! More advice from Freedom and Four Paws: How to travel with your own pet! And how to house sit as a family :) Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ Freedom and Four Paws is brought to you by Travel Live Learn.com. As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10. And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com and mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service including personalised storytelling coaching. WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies. SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn
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In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, we share some insight on how to make the most of a house and pet sitting and digital nomad community. Your digital nomad community and house sitting friends! We cover three key aspects: the people you meet along the way; networking in like-minded online spaces; and getting involved at niche in-person gatherings for travellers or digital nomads. As house and sitters ourselves, and the group admins of a popular Facebook Group on the topic, we’ve experienced the very best of what this exceptional travel niche has to offer. Our eyes were originally opened to this wonderful house and pet sitting community when we first took to the road for about eight months travelling, house and pet sitting throughout the UK and Europe. Each sit saw us meet fun, interesting, smart and creative people. We are actually still friends with all the home owners that we’ve sat for. Some of those people we are actively in touch with on WhatsApp and Messenger three years later! We went into this for the pets, as you’ll see in some of our other videos. But what we didn’t expect was to come out with so many friends – all with a wonderful story of their own. Take Teresa and Geoff in Malta, or Andy and Helen in Sharnbrook for example. Getting your doggie fix When we were living in London, we desperately missed having a dog. We did sign up to a new service called Borrow My Doggy. It offers animal lovers like us the chance to connect with people who want to share their pups for a play in the park or walk. The service was so popular that the ratio of borrowers to doggies available was out of proportion. Lots of people want a furry friend, it seems. Later on, we came across TrustedHousesitters, and the rest is history! We started out doing short local sits in the city to get our pet fix and build our reviews, then we took the show on the road. Building the community – pet sitters, nomads and wanderlust We got so into the house sitting scene that – just for fun – we started a Facebook Group to attract like-minded souls. Our intention was to connect with people who saw the world the way we did: through dogs, travel and a search for freedom that sees us living and working wherever we want, whenever we want. COVID obviously put a cold hard halt on our dreams for a couple of years, especially as we ended up in Australia, which was one of the last countries to open up a good two years after the pandemic began. Our Facebook Group continued to thrive though, and at time of writing is very near to 15,000 members! The Facebook community has offered great conversation, and it’s so heartening to see how many people swap services on there, find their next sit/sitter and help each other with advice. Travel communities and learning more Another of our favourite ways to build community in the travel space is by attending conferences. One of our very favourites is TBEX where you can meet like minded people and learn how to better your craft. It’s well worth the investment attending something like TBEX. The learning is inspiring and motivating. The travel is extraordinary. But the unexpected benefit is the international friends you walk away with! Of course, the next one we shall attend is in Greece in 2023… can’t deny we are really pumped about that! Click here to subscribe to your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people travelling the world. They’re living their best life, often with their pets in tow! In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, find out about how valuable a global travel community can be for your work and wellbeing. Have you found a community through house and pet sitting? Let us know about your experiences in the comments and tag those who you have met along the way. More advice from Freedom and Four Paws: How to travel with your own pet! And how to house sit as a family :) Subscribe now and never...
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Are you looking for house sitting tips? In this video, our inspiring guest, Lisa, shares awesome advice on how to score the perfect house sit and get paid to care for pets! After stepping away from her life as she knew it to care for her elderly and sick parents, Lisa felt entirely lost on what to do next when that chapter of her life closed. She’s been an ‘animal person’ for as long as she can remember, so it seems fitting that as an adult, when she was seeking inspiration, that she should fall into her pawfect career. House sitting tips – score great stays, get paid! An avid house and pet sitter, Lisa’s since turned her passion into a paid job. She travels all over the States and Europe. One of the biggest joys for Lisa is her repeat customers, as well as making friends along the way on her wonderful house-sitting adventure. In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, meet the effervescent Lisa who shares some awesome house-sitting tips on how to score your perfect stay. Her story is truly heart-warming and joyful – yet another example of how travel (and pets) can save you after challenges that life throws at you. How to make money from sitting Lisa started out like most of us, travelling Europe and America using a service like TrustedHousesitters. She made the most of her extraordinary experiences – initially in Europe – and when she came back to her home of America, she decided to keep going. But, as time went on and she began to score repeat business, she fell into paid options. A lot of Lisa’s paid work (and repeat paid work) has come via Rover in the USA. She was sitting at a property that is also a wedding destination. Her first ‘paid gig’ actually came out of being at this location and taking care of dogs during weddings. From there though, she’s rolled payment into her business structure, so when she sits for friends, goes on repeat sits or on Rover, she charges. For anyone considering this option, the next question is usually, ‘how much?’ If you’re starting out, look at the fees other competitors on your platform (e.g. Rover, Pawshake) are charging and start there. As you build experience, expertise and reputation, you can raise your fees to where they feel comfortable. As for any business, don’t be shy: charge your worth. How Lisa finds her house and pet sits: There’s a few key sits that Lisa has used to find her sits, they include: Rover and Wag (USA), read a comparison about these services here TrustedHousesitters (global) Word of mouth Even with a lot of experience, Lisa recognises the business of house and pet sitting is competitive these days. She reminds us of the importance of maintaining great communication with homeowners, sending photos and prioritise the pets over travel. Our guests Kate and Dave gave similar advice. Find out more here House sitting with her dog We’ve met other sitters who travel and house sit with their own dogs. In fact, Freedom and Four Paws guest, Nicky, shared some fantastic advice for anyone considering this. Find out more here Lisa highlights that if you want to do this, you need to make sure it’s right for your dog. Only agree to sits where your pup will feel comfortable. For example, one sit she did was on a huge farm where her dog loved it and the family there loved him! She knew her dog Ryder, was great with other dogs, so she felt comfortable with him being safe and taking charge. There was even a situation where her dog trained two puppies they were staying with – much to the amazement of the puppies’ owners! A huge advantage she’s discovered from travelling and house sitting with her dog – admittedly, a chilled out personality – is that he kept everything calm. When she’d turn up to sits with anxious dogs (including those suffering separation anxiety or anxiety based on their upbringing, like never having had the chance to play with other dogs themselves), they were so excited to have a buddy that the dogs changed for the better!
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If you’re keen to get back on the travel trail, but don’t want to leave your best mate behind, here, find out exactly how to house sit with your own pet! Nicky and her husband Andy travels full-time in their campervan around the UK and Europe, and their beautiful Spanish rescue dog, Gus, tags along for the ride. They now apply for house and pet sits with their dog, which for some pet sitters, feels really complicated. But, if you’re keen to give it a go, take heed of Nicky’s invaluable advice on how they – in the first place – score sits with Gus; and also, the benefits he brings the dogs they are sitting for! Nicky’s top tips on how to house sit with your own pet As an avid house and pet sitter who has experienced opportunities across the UK and Europe, Nicky advises anyone coming into the business to really have a good think about what type of sits you want. She also says, start now – start in your own city. This advice echoes what past guests, Kate and Dave, shared as their top tips. Have a read here. Rescuing a dog on the road While sitting in Spain, Nicky came across an animal shelter that – of course – had a dog waiting for his new furever home. As it turns out, they met Gus, “the perfect dog” for them. He was two and had been born in the shelter. A black dog, he had struggled to be discovered for a new home. This happens frequently for both cats and dogs in Europe, unfortunately due to a very old superstition around black animals being unlucky. Gus has proven to be quite the opposite: he’s their four pawed travelling best friend. Nicky took her time introducing Gus to the lifestyle though, so he’d be comfortable. It’s an important lesson for all of us, especially anyone rescuing a dog – give them time and the proper space to understand and feel comfortable in their new environment. House and pet sitting with your dog Once settled, this trio picked up travelling and house sitting again. Nicky said one of her best pieces of advice is to ensure your profile on house and pet sitting sites makes it very very clear – front and centre – that you’re travelling with your fur baby. “The top of our profile clearly says, Nicky, Andy and Gus ”, and in her applications she reinforces, “thank you for considering all of us”. Another great idea – she’s encouraged the homeowners writing a review to please include a reference to Gus in the review, once again, to reinforce the benefits he’s brought to the sit, and how easy it was for him to be included. This tip was also mentioned by Laura who doesn’t travel and house sit with a dog, but her family of four :) Find out more about house and pet sitting as a family. Finding the right sit for you and your dog Nicky says that she does do a lot more work now to choose house sits that are right for both she and Andy, and especially Gus. It’s obviously worthwhile in order to score those perfect sits though. If a profile states that a dog doesn’t get on with other dogs, then of course she will not apply. She says, prioritise your pet when applying for sits – set your boundaries. Some homeowners are so keen to have you as a sitter, that they’ll say “Yes, come along!”, when, the match for Gus and the dogs on the ground, wasn’t right. Be selective in location and situation in terms of other animals there. Despite the bit extra work around sifting through available house sits and applying for those that match their bigger picture, Nicky reports that they’re in demand! They’re booked 12 months in advance! In fact, they get plenty of repeat business from families whose pets loved the sits with Gus. Travel and house sitting “Travel is the ability to see other places and immerse yourself in a new culture”, says Nicky. But she stresses that in an application for a sit, they’ll highlight that the pets come first. Importantly, that they plan to be present, and love the pets as if they are their own. The beautiful thing about pairing ‘travel’ and ‘house sitting’ is that you can live like a local.
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From homeless to worldwide travel, world schooling, and family house sitting. Meet Laura and her family from ‘Forever Family Forever Free’. They’ve been travelling, house and pet-sitting as a family of four for six years. This inspiring family has also published a book about their experience called Creatively Homeless. Their story is incredible and while they did initially find they were a little ‘judged’ by family and friends for dropping the 9-to-5, they’re now the envy of all they meet. Family house sitting: how to Laura shares how you don’t have to be a millionaire to take on a life of travel and freedom. They’ve dug their way out of a life of debt, to a life of adventure and free thinking. Laura wants everyone to take away from this conversation that you don’t have to wait for things to be ‘perfect’ before pursuing your dreams – go for it now! Find our guest, Laura, online at foreverfamilyforeverfree.com and follow on Instagram Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people travelling the world. They’re living their best life, often with their pets in tow! Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10. And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com and mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service including personalised storytelling coaching. WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies. SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn
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Dave and Kate share an inspired story with us about house sitting and retirement. They actually retired early and for 9 years have been living a travelling life. These two discovered house and pet sitting a year into their travels. Since that time they’ve done more than 40 house sits! Their house sits and the early retirement travel story is filled with inspiration and colour. So much so, Kate is now penning her second book on the experience! Kate’s first book on house sitting as a way to travel in retirement, Call it Wonder, documents their decision to embrace a life on the road all those years ago. Her upcoming book, Other People’s Houses will share their experiences and tips for anyone who wants to follow in their freedom-filled footsteps. In our exciting pilot episode of Freedom and Four Paws, discover what Kate and Dave advise is the best approach for securing your dream house sits, how to make the most of house sitting, and early retirement. Also, how to stand out as a pet sitter. Click here to subscribe to your favourite podcast service Top house sitting and retirement tips from Kate and Dave: On their very first house sit they cared for 40 animals! They laughed hysterically and told Cooper and I that it was a great experience, but one each wouldn’t repeat. The lesson they learned (and we’ve had the same experience), is that as a pet sitter, you can be discerning about the situation you end up in. If 40 animals is too much for you, that’s ok. Similarly, if you don’t like dogs sleeping in the bed with you and that’s a requirement of the house sit, you should feel free to say, ‘No thank you, this sit isn’t for me’, and choose another assignment. On a side note – make sure you do that before you accept – never commit and back away unless you really need to. Discovering house and pet sits Kate and Dave, nine years on, now use a few methods to find their next house and pet sit: TrustedHousesitters (score 25% OFF your membership, more information here) Personal referrals or repeat sits Social media, e.g. Facebook Groups Other house and pet sitting services House sitting 101: safety, communication and when to take a break During our conversation with these two adventurers, we touched on the difference between finding your house and pet sits on a paid site that includes reviews, vs. free services like on social media. Like our podcast guests, we’re very discerning when it comes to reviews, and find those helpful in determining what kind of sit it is. If there are no reviews, however, and it’s direct contact on Facebook, for example, they advised that connection is important. Find a trail of evidence to support the homeowners are who they say they are, and that their premises is legitimate. They also advise to “think about what kind of experience you want to have” What type of animals and works for you? How much of your time should be involved during a sit Ask the right questions, for example, we’ve learned to ask both ‘has your dog bitten anyone?’ as well as, ‘has your dog ever nipped anyone?’ Does the pet(s) require special medication, how is that administered? And where do the pets sleep?” It’s competitive out there, so start house and pet sitting in your own area to build experience and reviews before launching into international stays. Finally, when you’re on the road, avoid booking back-to-back house sits. Remember, you are still working to an extent, so take breaks between sits. It makes it easier to travel to your next one without worrying about delays. “Living a travelling life means we’re so much more adaptable and flexible than we used to be, and I really like that feeling. We’ve learnt to travel light and live a downsized life – it’s so freeing! Ultimately, this lovely pair reminded us that on your house-sitting adventure, everything is about learning. There are no bad decisions: it’s just part of the journey.
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A remote work lifestyle for many of us means travelling and working, and we’ve gathered digital nomad tips along the way in our own experience. It all sounds fun, and yeah the lifestyle it is. But it’s easy to fall into ‘holiday mode’, which means no (or less) income! Which led us to thinking about how exactly, we would develop a routine to achieve optimum work/life balance, while still enjoying travelling, developing our creative endeavours, and often, house and pet sitting. Cooper and I have discovered that routine is critical when trying to maintain a healthy nomad lifestyle. Falling out of a routine means you can quite easily become demotivated. Hence, ‘holiday mode’, which doesn’t pay for this way of life consistently. While on our travels, we realised our routine (or lack thereof) was letting us down. So, we refined and redefined it, and began again. Find out what we learnt and did, in this episode of Freedom and Four Paws. Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people travelling the world and living their best life, often with their pets in tow. Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10. And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com and mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service including personalised storytelling coaching. WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies. SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn
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We have had the chance to house and pet sit in the UK and Europe, for over 20 dogs, two horses and a cat! We’ve learnt a few good things on our travels. Here, we want to share 13 things that you must know if you’re house sitting and pet sitting. Especially important if you’re planning long term travel in this way. Among our 13 things house and pet sitters MUST know: Communication with home and pet owners House rules Action plan if you or your pet are unwell (especially if you are house and pet sitting overseas) Emergency plan for if you get locked out – are all contacts and information stored on your phone… can you access it? Commit to what you’ve agreed to: can you invite friends over; how long should you leave your pets alone for? What to do if you break something, and the best approach to house care Find out about special care measures for anxious, older and rescue dogs The best way to discover the people and place around you. Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service Freedom and Four Paws Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people travelling the world and living their best life, often with their pets in tow. Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10. And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com and mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service including personalised storytelling coaching. WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies. SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn
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