Dream job: you can travel the world for free if you are ready to look after other people's animals - ForumDaily
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Dream Job: You can travel the world for free if you're willing to look after other people's animals

Another secret to cheap travel is pet sitting. Thanks to cats, dogs, goats and other animals, you can see the world and save money. Vox.

Photo: IStock

“Before I moved from Seattle to Florida, a friend of mine asked if I would like to take a two-month break to stay at her house in Albuquerque and look after her three-legged cat, Mocha,” says Paulette Perhach, a freelance writer and fitness trainer. writing, creative arts, personal finance, business, design and travel. “That gave me two months of no rent or bills.”

This experience made Paulette think. Her friend and her husband were always looking for people who could look after pets through application. A subscription to it cost Paulette $100, but she did not seriously consider the possibility of traveling in this way, although then it turned her life upside down.

She says the app revitalized and breathed new life into her routine and she "marked this era with a tattoo."

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“It's not like I've never heard of pet sitting. I don’t even know why I never seriously considered this option before. And he turned out to be a real solution,” says Paulette.

She saw ads on the app with pet faces instead of prices. Each included photos of dogs or cats, goats or chickens, and houses with job descriptions and testimonials. You need to provide a general description of who you are, explain why you want to look after animals, and describe your experience with animals. You also need to add your age, your free time and which countries you would be interested in visiting.

“Although I chose any country, most of the ads are posted from places where people actually vacation, such as the UK and Australia,” Paulette noted.

On her first trip, she checked in her luggage, which cost $81 a month, and flew to New Mexico, where she had an experience that not only saved her a lot of travel money, but also allowed her to see the world. She enjoyed the adventure so much that she continued. Paulette has cared for more than 17 pets and has spent 134 free nights at other people's homes from Santa Fe to Seattle to London.

According to Paulette, you can save a lot of money by looking after your pets. If you need to pay off debt, get rid of the burden of bills or living expenses, if you are young and have no other way to afford housing, this may be right for you, the woman says. Pet sitting can be an ideal option for solo travelers who often incur financial losses for traveling alone. They have to pay for single occupancy, for taxis and stuff.

Plus, when you're alone, the added security gives you peace of mind, Paulette says. “I didn’t worry about anything living with, for example, a 135-pound Newfoundland named Dozer in Sante Fe,” the woman laughs.

Savings and trust

There is a currency that is pulsing in the world of housekeeping, and that is the trust economy. To succeed, use what is called your reputation capital. Ask yourself how anyone can know you're not an ax killer. Do you have social networks with followers that you can link to? Do you have a job with a high trust factor, such as a nurse or teacher? Or perhaps you have an association with a trusted organization that you can advertise. Feel free to sell yourself and what you have.

The key, says Paulette, is to be honest about what you can and cannot do.

“I love horses, but I wouldn’t pet a horse myself. It just wouldn't be fair if I took the place of someone who could actually care about them. But I would work with alpacas. If you've never cared for a pet, just be honest. One family allowed me, with no experience, to care for pygmy goats on an island near Seattle,” says Paulette.

Don't forget, reminds Paulette, that they trust you just as much as you trust them. She advises getting the full name of your employers and doing a minimum of due diligence. You can also find people on LinkedIn or Facebook if possible.

Paulette recommends meeting in person, or at least via video link, in advance and asking the organizers about previous meetings to gauge how easy it is to please them. Ask them what is most important to them in a babysitter. You can understand if they are calm or not. Find your people, the woman advises.

Notifications

“I'm very focused on my work, so I don't have push notifications for much of anything other than pet posts,” says Paulette. “You can be notified when a home you've saved as a favorite adds dates, or when a post is published that matches the conditions you're looking for.”

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Paulette is set up to search for places she wants to go: Hawaii, Columbia, New Zealand and Banff, as well as free time to travel. It often comes down to who can answer the fastest, so you need to be in touch, Paulette recommends.

To speed up the application process, you can write a short introductory letter, a template, in the note-taking app on your phone with spaces to fill in to customize it for each location. By doing so, you'll give yourself a head start, but don't forget to add details about why you're the best person for that particular position. Mention anything you have in common with the owners or experience with such a pet.

Pet communication

Each pet, like working conditions) is slightly different. Many people suggested to Paulette that they take food from their locker or refrigerator. The woman says it was great, especially if they had a kilo of M&Ms in the pantry. Paulette recommends discussing everything in advance with pet owners, from how long you'll be walking your dog to how often you'll brush your cat. Be sure to read any written instructions ahead of time so you can ask questions before the hosts leave.

Do Extra Things

Every host gave Paulette 5 stars on the app—the maximum rating.

“I washed sheets, cleaned more than needed, made things better than they were. I remember the thought coming to me: I want them to think that I am a good pet sitter. But I realized that I became a good nanny,” Paulette noted.

There's nothing more reassuring than seeing a pet having a good time, so take lots of photos of the animals and send them to owners, recommends Paulette. It feels like an extra service and a pleasant surprise. Homeowners tend to really appreciate this. But be sure to ask. “One British couple I worked for really just wanted to relax. She didn’t want to hear about her four wild puppies,” Paulette recalls.

Be prepared for things to go wrong

What if something unexpected happens?

“The app I used has a 24-hour veterinarian advice line, and written instructions ask pet owners to leave you their veterinarian's contact information. The owners often also left the numbers of neighbors and friends nearby. Don't be afraid to have a safety conversation. In one house I asked where the fire extinguisher was and they realized there wasn’t one!” — Paulette shares her experience.

Sometimes, not everything goes according to plan. One day, the pet died before Paulette got there, and her services were not needed. So she had to find her own place.

Reflections on Experience

“Isn’t it, you ask, a little strange to live in other people’s houses? Yes a little! But I had a bigger goal that mattered more. After two years of quarantine, I wanted at least some adventure,” she explained. — After ten years of living in one of the most expensive cities in the country, I wanted some money for expenses. Yes, I lived in other people's houses. But instead of paying for electricity, I took cooking classes. Instead of spending money on Wi-Fi, I ate blue corn fritters in cafes and bought artisan earrings and scarves in small shops in the Old Town. All this was completely worth the strange sensations that I experienced being in someone’s soul.”

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The tattoo with which Paulette decided to immortalize her experience, she made in London - a match lit at an angle, as if about to set fire to something.

“After being locked up for so long, I lost the ability to see that things could get interesting again. It's a reminder that you never know when something new will appear. You may be very surprised when you find yourself in someone's house with a new furry friend on your lap, with a new view from the window,” concluded Paulette.

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