J and I are a healthy, well-travelled, active, sunshine loving couple! Our greatest wish is to travel around the world housesitting and/or pet sitting.
We are experienced homeowners, financially secure and have a casual semi-retired lifestyle.
Our work-life balance is tipped more toward life in this half of our lives!
During lockdown in the U.K, I turned 50, having raised a family, been in the rat race and moved to the laid back life style, I’m half way there – all that’s missing is the heat of the sun for much of the year!
J has had pet dogs throughout his life and sadly had to say goodbye to a lifelong friend at the beginning of He misses a furry friend and companion terribly, pet sitting will be a cathartic experience.
I have had pets, such as rabbits, hamsters and cats, both as a child and as pets for my own children.
Travelling makes owning pets tricky, the upheaval if you take them with you is unfair; so pet and house sitting is the perfect solution, especially in a variety of different cultures and surroundings.
The pandemic of 2020 and lockdowns has meant that our plans to travel from March onwards have been curtailed and reworked.
I have had two separate blocks of furlough, from December 2020 I will begin the next block, but can return in the spring and work remotely when business picks up in March.
We both have extensive career histories, in many different occupations, the ultimate being to start our nomadic housesitting adventures around the globe.
We have a campervan, have used her for months of outdoor living, camping and once, stored our worldy goods and lived in her full time whilst transition to our new home in Wales was underway.
To help with the long winters, we usually take long haul flights to such places as India, Mexico, Cuba, Vietnam, soaking up the lifestyle and culture, beaches and local foods.
In recent years, we have gone to Europe, travelling through France, northern Spain and had a fabulous month in Ibiza.
The Balearic Islands are close to my heart, as a young woman I worked for a travel company, selling villa holidays and flights to Majorca.
Whilst my children were young we holidayed in each of the different islands year on year, particularly favouring Ibiza.
My grandparents rented a house in Majorca, sadly both died before they too, could realise their dream of permanently moving from the U.K. to a sunnier warmer climate for their later years.
Since living in Wales, on the coastal fringe of the national park, we have tried our hands at: holiday home garden estate design and maintenance, holiday let change over cleaning, concierge and pet sitting.
We are both responsible people and are conscious of the care and security of maintaining and running a property.
I worked at a large four star hotel in housekeeping and reception, whilst J used his amazing chef skills in a commercial vegetarian and vegan restaurant to adapt his home cooking skills.
J has extensive experience and training in large gardens and grounds maintenance. Along with arboriculture knowledge and a range of tools for specific jobs.
He is extremely good at home maintenance and trained himself in certain types of basic carpentry. Together we renovated our house in Wales, upcycling and