Hi! We are Ruben and Vanessa with our kids Diego (7) and Iria (5). Currently housesitting in Urunga (NSW, Australia). Vanessa is a Civil Engineer and I am an Economist managing my spanish company from down under. We love travelling and living in different places around the world, getting to know as many countries, cultures and people as possible. our Kids love playing in nature (both attend forest school), mountains, beaches, animals and housesitting.
These last three years we lived one year in Sydney (2015), one back home in Spain and 2017 in London. After these hard/intense/challenging years we feel like we need to slow down a little bit and dedicate time to us and the kids. We'd love to go somewhere and expend there some time without another thing in mind that just being together. And, if possible, helping other. This is when we found this and thought it would be an incredible experience.
So far we had eight housesitting experiences. First one, and beautiful, was in Chalabre (south France) for three weeks taking care of Frank. After that we went to Vienna for two weeks with one dog and two cats and lastly we did a housesitting in Zurich looking after two dogs, Diego and Valentina, which was amazing. With these experiences we tried to see if housesitting was something we liked and also that we could really do the way it must be done. We were really happy after these so we decided to keep on going. And we jumped to Australia & NZ where we did four housesittings. First one in Urunga (NSW) for three months, taking care of two beautiful dogs, Tilly and Trixie. It was a really incredible experience, getting to know such a beautiful place, making new friends and living with these two gorgeous girls. We will never forget this housesitting. Then we jumped to NZ to Clevedon, near Auckland for three weeks and took care of Ziggy which we really loved. Kids got to go to a forest school there and we could enjoy the beautiful area and relax in the house with Ziggy. Then we flew back to Australia, and did a housesitting in Tuckombil, near Byron Bay for two weeks, looking after Bellie, the cat, and staying in such a beautiful Queenslander house. Ah, and also living with 3 chooks and watering the flowers and veggie garden. Then, and lastly, we enjoyed our last three weeks in Australia with a housesitting in Thora Valley, near Bellingen where we looked after two dogs, 17 chooks and the garden. This really was an incredible way of saying goodbye to Australia in an place where you cannot be closer to nature.
After this, back in Spain, we did our last housesitting this year in the Alpujarra (Granada) in a house set in the mountains and with two amazing dogs, Chuchu & Licky. We were there three weeks without using the car and just walking around the mountains and visiting the nearby villages with the dogs. We felt so lucky that Uri chose us for this housesitting.
So, we have been housesitting totally for 7 months during 2018 which has been a good experience for feeling really sure about everything. Firstly that we, as we do it as a family, could do it right as we saw that owners were happy with and secondly, that we really liked it. We can see that we enjoy it as a family and that also it has been an incredible educational way for our kids, travelling, meeting people and looking after animals at the same time. This year we looked after 9 dogs, 3 cats, 20 chickens, flowers, veggie gardens and also mowing. And the most important off all, we believed all of them were happy with us and we really got in love with each of them.
And now we enter another year which hopefully will come with more adventures. For this year we have a three month housesitting in Costa Rica (April to June) and after that we are open to travel everywhere.
Besides our experience this pass year Vanessa & I had pets when kids (dog, cat, fishes) and also a persian cat we took home as soon as we started living together. Unfortunately, after a happy life, our beautiful Gordi passed away a few years ago. Since then our kids have enjoyed their grandparents dogs, specially iria who falls in love with each animal she comes across (regardless the species!)
During these 17 years, Vanessa and I have rented apartaments back home for 8 years, bought our own house and kept it, rented two houses in Sydney, and rented a house where we lived in Uk. So, we believe we have plenty of experience living in a house which is not ours and taking care of it as if was.
Also, a good thing, Vanessa is not working at the moment and I will work from home. This means we will have enough time for looking after you house or pets and do everything else that is needed.
Your only problem.....I believe our daughter Iria will want to take your pets away with her when we leave.....She will be so in love for sure!!!!!!