Traveling can’t just happen because you happen to like it. For many, it is but an elusive dream. Curtailed primarily by one’s limited finances, more often than not, it is relegated to the furthest bottom of a priority list. But don’t lose your hopes just yet, with guts and resourcefulness you might just find a way to travel to other places.
Backpacking is an adventurous and inexpensive way to travel. Fraught with risks, however, many are having second thoughts about it. A new trend that savvy travelers are now dipping their fingers into is called “pet-sitting.”
House-sitting and Pet-sitting Pay
This sounds like busking, there is another way to earn some bucks along the way to travel. This time, all they need to have is some affection for animals or pets. If you don’t quite get it, read Deborah Cicurel’s blog posted in Daily Mail Online – Travel Section. She writes, “ Forget backpacking, the savviest travellers are now PET-SITTING their way around the world: New site connects animal lovers from Bali to Brisbane and Costa Rica to Cannes.”
Cicurel talked about the house-sitting that two travel bloggers from Norfolk are doing all over the world Charli (28) and Ben (34) that’s taking them to places like Bali, Mongolia and Costa Rica. They took care of the house and the homeowners’ pets, and if it’s a farm, as well as their farm animals – from fishes, cats and dogs to horses, highland cattle, alpacas, and chickens.
Meeting the Needs of Animal-loving Rich and Famous
If you have long stashed your dream to travel because you can’t afford it, you might as well read on and find out how Charli and ben are enjoying their RTW house- and pet-sitting jobs to fulfill their pang for travel. How did it happen?
Cicurel explains…
A new website created to supply house-sitters to the animal-loving rich and famous, is giving adventurous types the opportunity to change-up their lives and spend months of the year in some of the most beautiful destinations on the planet with a new furry friend.
Four years later, they live in a huge £5m house in Barbados, with a gym, media room, staff catering to their every need and a beautiful 180° sea view from their bedroom.
She explains: ‘On a whim we made a profile and started applying for opportunities.
‘We thought it was too good to be true – who would want us to look after their amazing house in an exotic destination?
‘At our age, we could never afford to rent, let alone buy, these amazing properties.’
And Charli and Ben are far from the only house-sitters taking advantage of these incredible opportunities.
To date, Trusted Housesitters has over 70 locations and members in 130 countries, listing exotic places like Mongolia, Bali, Costa Rica and Iceland in their repertoire.
… And Meeting Your Needs
On the other side of the planet, there are people like you who would love to house-sit their beautiful homes and take care of their pet for while they go and pursue their own passions and interests. It’s actually a win-win situation, a synergistic relationship where both needs are met.
It is no wonder a throng of rich homeowners who have pets are signing up on the site. Rather than entrust their beloved pets to some pet facility, they would rather have them cared for on the home where that is familiar and comfortable.
The fee is not really something to brag about, but you get to live and eat in these beautiful homes in wonderful destinations you use to dream about, FOR FREE! Now that is more than a dream holiday!
The Bonus
Meeting the locals, like when you are doing slow travel, the experience is unbelievably intimate and unforgettable. You develop relationships/friendships that make the holiday more than you expect it to be. And if you are a pet-lover, the joy is a bonus.
Founder of the website Andy Peck says, “House-sitting can really help you wind down; something we often don’t do enough of in our busy lives. It really can make for an ideal retreat.”
Now, done reading, is house/pet-sitting something you can do? Then say, “Hello Barbados (or some other destination you’ve been dreaming about)!