Episode #6 – Tips from 200 Pet Sits

A lot of people hear about pet sitting and immediately think: free accommodation, cute animals, dream lifestyle.

And sometimes… it really does look like that.

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar sits down with her longtime friend Sabrina, a blogger, digital nomad, and long time pet sitter who has completed nearly 200 pet sits around the world over the last 12 years.

From luxury condos in Singapore to cat sits in Bangkok, Bali, and Vietnam, Sabrina shares what this lifestyle actually looks like day to day, beyond the perfectly curated Instagram version.

We talk about how she got started, how beginners can land their first sit even without reviews, the questions you absolutely need to ask before agreeing to stay in someone’s home, and the red flags she learned to spot after some very memorable experiences.

While some pet sits come with rooftop pools, sweet cats, and fully stocked fridges… others involve seven cats peeing everywhere, hidden cameras, or unexpectedly being left alone with two teenagers.

We also get into digital nomad life, community, loneliness, traveling with only hand luggage, and why pet sitting works best for people who genuinely love animals, not just people looking for a free place to stay.

If you’ve ever wondered what pet sitting is really like, how people actually make this lifestyle work long-term, or whether it could work for you too, this episode is a very honest look behind the scenes.

About Sabrina:

For more than a decade, Sabrina has also traveled extensively through pet sitting and house sitting, caring for pets around the world while staying in local homes. She regularly shares tips and resources for aspiring pet sitters, remote workers, and travelers looking to build a more flexible lifestyle.

Connect with Sabrina:

Website & Blog: https://www.justonewayticket.com
Join the 7-Day Pet Sitting Challenge: https://nas.io/nomadlife
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/just1wayticket/
Pet Sitting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsitter_travels/

Transcript:

Mar: Welcome to the Solo Female Travelers Podcast. This week I’m joined by a friend of mine, Sabrina. Hi, Sabrina. Yeah, I’m so happy to have you on the podcast. And honestly, this feels more like a catch up than an interview since we’ve known each other for more than 10 years already. And I’ve seen you cat sit in some amazing places. And this is what we’re going to be talking about today. So many women in our community are curious about alternative ways to travel and live that feel more sustainable, way more affordable and more integrated into the local culture than just hopping around from one short trip to the next and stay at hotels or Airbnb.

Sabrina: It’s good to see you again.

Mar: And pet sitting is one of those things that people hear about all the time, but don’t always fully understand what it actually looks like in real life or how it works. And I love that we’re having this conversation while we are both in Saigon right now, proof that travel, world is so small and timing can be kind of perfect sometimes that we both happen to be here. But before we dive into the pet sitting and all of that, can you please share a little bit more about yourself, where you are right now based and how long you have been there and what your life looks like these days and for the last 20 years?

Sabrina: Okay, okay, Mar let me back up a bit as you know, I’ve also been a blogger for 14 years That’s how Mar and I actually met we were both travel bloggers And then eventually I started pet-sitting about maybe 12 years ago I got on TrustedHousesitters, which is one of the biggest apps for house sitting around the world And two years ago I based myself in Bangkok, so I’m in Thailand now I have to DTV visa. That’s a digital nomad visa. I’ve been there Or I’m making Bangkok my home base for the next five years. But aside of that, I’m still traveling. I’m still pet sitting. I’m right now on a cat sit in Ho Chi Minh City. I flew a month ago to Vietnam, spent the last four weeks first in Da Nang, which is beautiful by the way. So what did you say? How my life looked these days? So I’m still, I’m still blogging. I’m still blogging. writing. I’m still actually blogging about pet sitting as well. A lot. I wrote multiple guides on pet sitting.

Mar: Yeah, how it looks these days.

Sabrina: how to be a good pet sitter but also help pet owners to find good cat sitters or pet sitters in general. I also started creating some digital products to help people, resources for digital nomads, not only pet sitting also. I’m very active in Bangkok when it comes to like I organize co-working events and stuff so I have guides on like free co-working spaces in Bangkok. And yeah, so that’s basically I work online. I also will be speaking at the Da Nang Nomad Fest next month. There’s like a nine day conference for digital nomads. I will be speaking there as well on the subject on how to build an online business without being an influencer. So yeah, that’s what I’m doing right now.

Mar: But you have been a sort of digital nomad for a really long time. You say blogging for 14 years, but I believe you have been traveling even longer than that, is it?

Sabrina: Yes. Yes, I left Germany 18 years ago. That was 2007 or 2008 I left Germany. Yeah, that’s 19 years now. It’s crazy how time flies.

Mar: And in all these years, you’ve lived in many places, right? Bangkok, you’ve actually lived there before.

Sabrina: I think Bangkok, Thailand in general, I lived the longest time. I lived two years in Chiang Mai and three years in Bangkok. I lived three years in Singapore. That’s where Mar and I met, I believe the first time, right? I was almost four years in Bali during COVID. Then I tried to live in Malaysia for a year and yeah, finally returned back to Thailand. And also, yeah, obviously I traveled all around the world. I’ve been to every continent except Antarctica, but I think Asia is home. Asia is just the most easy place.

Mar: Yep.

Mar: Yeah, you’ve been in Southeast Asia. Yeah. And you really like it and you know, it makes traveling very easy. We’re going to talk about it, how you travel light later on, but tell me how you got started with pet sitting. What was the first time, how did you hear about it and how did you find your first pet sit?

Sabrina: Mmm.

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: yeah, my first pet set that was in 2014. I was living in Chiang Mai at that time. And I noticed some of my blogger friends, it was back then the traveling weasels were their blog call. I think they still exist. They were doing pet setting all across Europe. And I noticed they always posted pictures of like really nice houses in Italy and France and like being with cats and dogs.

And then, They told me about it they were like, Sabrina, you should try it. And then I signed up for TrustedHousesitters, applied for a pet sit in Hong Kong. That was my first one over Christmas. And I instantly got that pet sit and two weeks later I was flying off to Hong Kong. from then I was hooked and the rest is history. And then I started pet sitting all across Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, Bali, Thailand, now in Vietnam. And it’s been amazing.

Mar: Wow.

Mar: Wow. Have you counted how many pet seats you’ve done in all of these years?

Sabrina: I think I lost track at 150, but I think it’s closer to 200 now. But if I think on average, I do 20 sits a year and that spans over 12 years, it’s probably close to 200 now. Yeah. Obviously there’s a lot of repeats. Once people trust you, they will book you over and over again. Yeah.

Mar: Wow.

Mar: Yeah, yeah, I can imagine, right? Because in the end you’re staying in someone’s home, so it’s important to have somebody that they trust and for you to also understand the animals. And on that note, what’s something that surprised you at the beginning when you started pet sitting? What’s something that you’re like, I didn’t think about that?

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: Actually ask questions. Like do not ever assume everything will go right or, or just trust everything will be amazing. Definitely ask questions. So the thing is this, when you apply for a pet sit not always you’re able to meet them upfront. You know, you might apply for like the one I’m here in Ho Chi Minh. I was a Da Nang at that time. I’m not just gonna… fly over to meet them. So you have a video call before. So it’s really important that you ask crucial questions to make sure this is going to go all smooth.

And I actually do have a blog post on that. think it’s like, it’s like 10 questions you should ask to, make sure you’re not having like a horrible house sit. Like things like you should ask, for example, Is like, where do you sleep? You know, is there like a guest room for me available or do I sleep in the master bedroom? There were questions I didn’t even think of the beginning of And then what happened? I ended up sleeping on the couch, which now would be a deal breaker for me. Or stuff like, do you have AC? Do you, or do you have a heating system? You know, depending which climate you’re going to, you want to make sure you’re comfortable. internet usually is always, is always available now.

Sabrina: But back in the days also you had to ask about that. It’s so like fast internet, especially for people like me who work online. And then yeah, obviously also you want to see pictures you want to see is the place clean or like usually asked for a video tour just to get an idea of the place. Cause in the end I need to imagine like, okay, do I feel comfortable there?

I work from home. Is the place clean? Is, is a cleaner coming in maybe once a week, stuff like this. And then obviously also the pets. Yeah. Do they need any special care? Are they on medication? I think questions I learned on the go later on was asking, I never thought about this to ask, are your pets sterilized? I would never ask these questions. until I had a cat sit where they had seven cats and three of them weren’t sterilized and were peeing all over the place. So, Or asking a question, does your cat pee anywhere else than the cat litter? You’ll be surprised how many cats pee on couches. But overall, honestly,

Mar: my god.

Sabrina: Out of those hundreds of cat sets, would say 99 % were amazing experiences. Those experiences that didn’t go well is honestly, it’s just one or two that pop up in my mind. And that taught me to ask those questions before. Yeah.

Mar: And you remember those the most, right? So you definitely are the ones that are highlight.

Sabrina: Yeah, definitely.

Mar: And I know that you mostly catsit, right? Like you don’t really take care of other animals. it, how is catsitting different from other animal, from other petsitting? Because there’s dogs that people petsit for and there’s like, even like parrots and all sorts of animals. Yeah.

Sabrina: Birds, birds, fish, rabbits, reptiles. Yeah. I think I’ve been all my life a cat lady for sure. And I think cat people are just cat people. And it’s the same with dog people. Obviously I did some dog sits in Singapore when I was really desperate for accommodation. Cause you know, Singapore is expensive. And also like, I’m not against dogs, but it’s just, I don’t have that same excitement than I have for cats.

Mar: Ha ha ha ha!

Sabrina: So I did two dog sets and I think also it taught me like, okay, I do not like needy beings. Like whether it’s animals or human beings, I don’t like anyone being needy all the time. So, but it was an experience. I walked a dog three times a day and all this, but I definitely, prefer cats. They’re independent. They do their own thing. And when they actually come to you, you feel so special. So I do like that.

Mar: You don’t have a cat right now, right? For a while you had a cat in Bali, I believe you had a cat.

Sabrina: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don’t I don’t have my own pet otherwise it would be difficult to live that lifestyle But honestly, I’m considering in the future again to get a cat myself because I’ve seen like now it becomes more normal to travel with cats That’s like a new thing like in the past people wouldn’t travel with cats and now I see all this Influencers traveling with their cats on airplanes and walking their cat on the beach and I was like, wow To me that looks like a dream life actually I think that might actually come in the future that I might get my own pet and might be still able to pet it. depends if the pets are getting along, but I would love to do that. Yeah.

Mar: Yeah, true, true. I actually have seen quite a lot of cats in airports in Barcelona, even cats on leashes at the airport walking and the poor cat being a bit confused like, why am I in a leash? What’s going on? know?

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: Yeah.

Mar: And I know that you mentioned that most of your pets is 99 % were great experiences. I’ve seen some of the places you’ve stayed before, especially in Singapore, and they were truly quite amazing. And I know that some of the pet owners have also been really nice people and that you don’t just get to stay in very nice places, but that some of the owners have also filled fridges full of the vegan food that you love. What are some of the other really kind things that people have done for you?

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: I went honestly aside from getting a place to stay and obviously the cats, like I met some of the most amazing people through cat sitting, which I really became good friends with them. Like some of them I knew if I don’t have a cat sit, I can always stay with them. They had big houses, they had plenty of guest rooms. And I think one of the greatest things was like, that was maybe five, six, no more than five, seven, eight years ago, I was also pet sitting in Singapore and a couple, was pet sitting, I knew them already for a couple of years. They were always kind to me and it was around Christmas time.

So I asked them if it would be possible to invite my parents because they had a big condo with like three bedrooms and they were like, yeah, it’s no problem. Invite your family. They can stay here with us. And it was just beautiful. I invite my mom over and my stepfather and they could stay rent free as well in Singapore. So it was just a great experience and they got to live like in really nice condo. It was like living in a five star hotel. So also for them to experience that rather than staying in an average hotel, it was amazing. Yeah, they loved it. And I loved it too. So I’m always grateful for the generosity of some of the hosts. But obviously this has to be agreed upfront. You cannot just invite people without permission.

Mar: Yeah.

Mar: Right. Of course, this is someone’s home, right? There is a certain degree of privacy and an expectation that you are going to respect the place, right?

Sabrina: Absolutely, absolutely.

Mar: And from the outside, know, like all your life and your pet, of course I’ve known you for a long time and I’ve seen you pet sitting in lots of places. And from the outside, it looks like this wonderful life, right? This cute little cats Like I think you have the cat that your pet’s sitting now for, like it’s right next to you, right? He was sleeping very peacefully. You showed me, he moved out.

Sabrina: He’s on the… Let me show. He’s the boy.

Mar: He’s totally like having the time of his life, chilling and doing nothing. You know, like the homes are really nice. I’ve seen some like really amazing five bedroom penthouse that you want to stay that did like some amazing condos and you’re living like a local, you know, you have the opportunity to live like local people truly in someone’s home, like genuinely like how Airbnb started. But you know, I’m sure that there’s also some challenges and some things like that are not everything as rosy as it sounds, right?

Sabrina: Yeah.

Mar: There’s the responsibility, there’s trust required. You mentioned some of these things. You need to take care sometimes of sick animals or special needs cats. I remember some of the stories that you’ve told me before and some boundaries and trade-offs. So what are some of these things that maybe are not showed on social media posts?

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: I think one of the, it was funny, but at the same time also pretty crazy. that was, okay. I’m not saying the culture because I don’t want to give away for who I was cat sitting. So someone contacted me if I could look after her dog. It was one of the very few times I agreed to dogs it. So I’m going to visit her. I agreed to visit her. I wanted to see her place first and see the dog. lived in a house. And I remember I arrived at her house and, and she was just like, yeah, just come in the door. Everything is open. So I walk in and, when I came to her house, I was like, you, you don’t block the gate or something. Or like, I saw also the entrance door. Everything was open. And she was like, no, we never lock everything, anything. And I was like, okay. But when I stay here, I will lock the door.

Right. And she’s like, no, actually we don’t have a key. We lost it a long time ago. We just didn’t bother to get new keys. And then I was like, I’m not, it gets crazier. And I was like, I’m not sure if I feel safe if I stay alone and I cannot lock the door. And she was like, no, you won’t be alone. And I was like, no, I mean like me and the dog And she was like, no, no, my kids will stay here too. They’re not going with me on vacation. So I’m looking at her. was like, what do mean your kids stay here? And she’s like, don’t worry. They are self-sufficient. They have credit cards. Just make sure they’re at bed by 11 and take away their phones. So it turns out that she was going on vacation and left her two teenager kids at home with me. think they were 16 and 17. I was so desperate because it was also last minute. had no other place to stay. I agreed on it, but it was only three days, but it was like, I still remember of it, the place without a key. she added just casually two teenagers to the pet sit

Mar: So presumably the teenagers were not old enough to take care of the dog.

Sabrina: so that was in a country where apparently it’s not allowed to have teenagers below 18 alone at home.

Mar: Right, so you were actually teenage sitting, not dog sitting.

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: Yeah, the dog actually was low maintenance. They had a garden, the dog was walking itself in the garden.

Mar: I also remember once you’ve pet-sitted. Yeah, sorry, continue.

Sabrina: Sorry. no, I said, actually to the teenagers, one of them didn’t come home that night and I kept texting with him at like midnight. And I was like, dude, where are you? You’re supposed to be in bed, you know? And he’s like, yeah, chill. I’ll be home soon. And I was just like, what did I get into myself?

Mar: my God, I can just imagine. I also remember you having some one cut scene with five cats who were all like fighting with each other and you had to keep separate and some of them were actually ill and you needed to like give them medication but they were not getting along with each other even though they live together.

Sabrina: Yeah, it’s very common, especially like with like strays or like when you add cats later on, if the cats don’t grow up together, they’re very territorial. They might not get along for a long, long time. So also my limit now is usually, I would say not more than three cats, although I have one, they have like six cats. Now I still cats it for them because they are amazing people. But in generally for new people, my limit is maximum three cats.

Mar: Right, because yeah, I guess I didn’t think about it, that cats, may not get along together and so like then you need to referee a cat fight.

Sabrina: Yeah, but it’s also, it’s more work. I mean, cleaning up for six, seven cats versus for two or three, it’s definitely more work.

Mar: Right, because the cats are quite independent, but you still need to change their cat litter, right?

Sabrina: Exactly, exactly. And then if like three out of the six have issues, vomit or like, especially that one that they had seven cats and then was the one where three weren’t like sterilized and were peeing all over the place. Like, that was a lesson to me to not only ask like, yeah, are your cats sterilized, but also like maybe limited to maximum three.

Mar: So the question is, are they sterilized? Where do they pee? you know, like maximum three.

Sabrina: Do they pee anywhere outside the litter box? That’s usually how I ask. Yeah. I mean, I don’t mind some cats they pee in the shower. That’s also a very common thing. Shower is fine. But if the cat pees on the couch every day or on the bed, then you’re like, maybe not.

Mar: Because…

Mar: Do you ask if the cats do things at night? Because I remember that you and I actually swapped houses, Singapore and Bali, and that’s when you had your cat in Bali. And of course, I’m not a cat person. I never had cats with me. I’m more of a dog person. And I remember your cat at five in the morning would just jump on me in the middle of the night.

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: issues with that. So far I have been lucky. Like one of the cats, they have two cats here. She also woke me up this morning, but she came at seven. I mean, most of the time it’s obviously is an advantage if the bedroom has a door and you can close it at night. But I just had a cat sit in Bangkok for six months and the toilet was in the cat litter was in the master bedroom’s bathroom. So I couldn’t close the door, but it was so fine. The cats were so chill. So generally I don’t have an issue, but if someone is really sensitive, make sure when you pet sit that you can close the door. time that there that is not a studio or yeah also question you should ask where does the cat sleep at night and whether you’re okay with it or not if they sleep with you in bed some pet owners might actually expect that that does the cat is sleeping with you at night I had that too she she wanted me to send pictures as a proof that the cat is in my bed

Mar: Yes, I remember you also sometimes do like video calls with the owners and like you send them photos and videos of their car during the time that you’re pet sitting.

Sabrina: Yes, obviously every day, every day you have to update them. You want to make them feel secure and show them that you’re present and the cats are okay. Yeah. So I usually update every day. Sorry.

Mar: There are also And I heard, I think sometimes you’ve also told me that some of the owners want to make sure that you are in the house for a certain amount of hours so that the cats have company.

Sabrina: That luckily happened only I think once or twice where they demanded that I don’t leave the house for more than two or three hours. That’s also a question. How long can the pets be left alone? Because if it’s only two or three hours, you might also reconsider. Because if you can’t leave the house at all, unless you’re okay to stay home every day at work. I actually do spend a lot of time at home, but I don’t want to be confined to it and not allowed to leave the house. Like if I want to go sightseeing, I want to be able to go out for like four or six hours because usually cats it’s not a problem. Which again is the reason why I prefer cats over dogs because a dog is a bit tricky to leave him alone for six hours or eight hours. Yeah.

Mar: Yeah, they may have separation anxiety, right? And they may need to be walked.

Sabrina: Yeah, also pee in the house, exactly.

Mar: Yeah. So in your case, as you know, you’ve been telling me, like you’ve cut it probably closer to 200 times. You’ve been doing this for 12 years. So like for you, it’s not just something that you do occasionally. For you, it’s a lifestyle. It’s not just a free place to stay. For you, it’s a long-term lifestyle choice, right? And I imagine that this kind of lifestyle also spills into friendships. You and I have met a long time ago, but we haven’t now seen each other for four years, you were saying, right? Like I think it is something like that.

Sabrina: Yeah.

Mar: the last time we saw each other. And you you’ve been moving quite a lot, right? So even though you live in a place for maybe two years, three years, you you keep moving around. So every time, I guess you have to start over again, right? So tell me how you manage all of these and how that works for you.

Sabrina: I mean, mostly I feel like I moved, like I was like a year in Bangkok now. So I did a bunch of cat sets in Bangkok. So I definitely have my friend circle in Bangkok, which I meet regularly. And then now, now I’m in, I was in Da Nang a month. So I also have some friends there, but I feel also like when you live this lifestyle, when you’re like a pet sitter or digital nomad, you keep seeing the same people over and over again. Like I met so many people in Da Nang that I was co-working before together in Bangkok. And, the same vice versa. Like you go to Bali. feel like the digital nomads are like always at the same places, whether it’s Bali, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Da Nang, Kuala Lumpur. So I feel like in every place I made my friends. If I go back to Singapore, I have a handful of friends there. You’re unfortunately not there anymore, but I have my friends in KL because in every place I stayed more than a year. I, yeah, I just keep going back and revisiting those friends.

Mar: Yeah.

Mar: Right, because in your case, you’ve mostly been staying in Southeast Asia, which is a relatively small geographical area anyway, right? Like within two hours, you can pretty much be anywhere, right? So like you say, I guess there’s a lot of people like you who also live around Southeast Asia and you keep meeting them around. what would be, how would be the easiest way for you to meet people? Like what’s the first place that you go if you’re like, okay, you’re in a new city, how do you go and find people to meet?

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: WhatsApp groups is one of the first things. Da Nang has a massive digital nomad community, WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups. So there’s a lot of meetups. In Bangkok, I started myself organizing co-working meetups. We have co-working meetups three times a week. So that was a way to meet people. And then people I met there at the co-working came now to Da Nang. So I met them there again. But to be honest, sometimes like now I’m in Ho Chi Minh and I have no desire to see anyone. Sometimes I’m so burned out from like socializing. And I think, I don’t know if you feel the same, like the older I get, the more I appreciate alone time and like the peace that comes with. And just like, yeah, focus on work, reading a book, you know, it just gives me so much peace. So the urge to me to constantly meet people is much lower than it was like maybe five or 10 years ago.

Mar: Yeah, absolutely.

Sabrina: I think right now I just meet people that I already know. I’m not too keen actually to meet new people. Yeah, and as I said, there’s so I have so many pets that are friends who live the same lifestyle as me. They pet sit in Cambodia. I just met her in Vietnam. Now she’s in Bangkok. Originally, I met her in Kuala Lumpur. So they do exactly the same that I do. If I have a sit that I can’t do, I ask if she can do it. We help each other out. It’s also amazing, not only the digital nomads but also the pet sitter community. How many people do that here full time in Asia?

Mar: Right, right, right. Okay, so yeah, I can, I mean, you’re a very sociable person, right? Like I’m sure everybody can already tell from this conversation that you’re a sociable person. You talk to anyone, you’re a fun person to be around. You always have crazy stories to tell. There’s always something excitement, exciting going on in your life, right? And so I’m sure that it’s not very difficult for you to meet people. This coworking, this coworking sessions would be what like you all just meet at a coworking space and like work together.

Sabrina: Yes, I do that in Bangkok, not co-working space. We meet at coffee shops or like IKEA is one of the places, IKEA cafeteria in Bangkok, because it’s huge, you know, it’s a perfect place to co-work. It’s huge, it has these massive windows overlooking the park. That’s one of the places. And then we picked out two other coffee shops. So we have three hosts in Bangkok, we rotate and then, yeah, usually 20, 25 people show up at these co-working events.

Mar: Okay. IKEA.

Sabrina: I also found that interesting because I’m not an outgoing person. I stopped drinking alcohol. I don’t go to parties. So it was like a nice way to meet other people, but in a more like professional environment, you know, like there’s no drinking involved. Everybody comes with their laptop. So you can socialize if you want. And if you don’t want you just put in your headphone and pretend you have work or you work actually. So I do really love my coworking meetups. It’s a great way to meet people.

Mar: Yeah, and you also used to do acro yoga, right? I don’t know if you continue to do that still.

Sabrina: Right now, so much, but I saw also there in Da Nang on the beach doing everyday acro yoga. I need to find time to actually get back in. I would love to do that again. Yeah.

Mar: Fantastic. That was a lot of fun. Even you showed me how to do some of the things, right? So I wanted to circle back on your non-negotiables, right? You have mentioned quite a few things like no more than three cats, does the place have a door, do the cats pee where they need to pee? So run me through the list of, just to recap, all the things that for you are non-negotiables where deciding a pet, like if you go to trusted house eaters or the website that you may go, what are the filters that you put?

Sabrina: Cats only, first of all cats only. For me, reachable by public transport or it’s in Da Nang obviously there’s no public transport or affordable taxis. If it’s Singapore, definitely near public transport. Malaysia as well, definitely in Bangkok. don’t care so much.

Mar: Cats only

Sabrina: Vietnam also, doesn’t matter. Cats only. I prefer condos over houses just because it feels safer to me to have that additional security layer. Air-conditioned, clean places. Yeah. Gym. Unfortunately here no, I was so excited to come here. Turns out there’s no gym here. But it happens. I just assumed it’s a condo, there is a gym. But yeah, I guess it’s different in Vietnam than in Bangkok.

Mar: Right. And they have facilities, right? Pools, gyms.

Mar: You

Sabrina: Clean, definitely clean places. Cameras, another question you should ask. Do you have any security cameras I should be aware of? It’s something I never ask in the early stages, but it’s actually very common that people have pet cameras. So I definitely want to know where they are. If they are like in the living room, I would tell them, I will unplug them. If they’re bit, yeah, if they’re weird about it, sometimes I offer, can plug them in when I go outside so you can watch your cats. But personally, I do not, I don’t feel comfortable being supervised while I’m like on the couch watching TV or whatever. I don’t mind cameras outside or whatever, overfueling the air, especially if it’s a house. I actually prefer it as cameras outside just for security.

Mar: Yeah.

Sabrina: Yeah, that’s pretty much it. is a cleaner coming in? Questions like that. And if they are coming in, do they have a key? Do I need to let them in? Is anyone else coming in the house? That’s also something. I had a cat sit where suddenly the mother was coming over and wanted to stay overnight. And I’m like, why? So Or the brother was in town and wanted to come and play with the cat. So yeah, question is anybody coming in while I’m staying in the house? Because technically on TrustedHousesitters on these apps, it’s not supposed that anybody else come in except for like a cleaner or yeah.

Mar: Okay.

Mar: And I guess you want to make sure that there’s air conditioning, right? Because nowadays it’s very hot.

Sabrina: Absolutely. Also a question, air condition, like most places have air condition, as you said, but I had a few in Singapore where they said, yeah, we have it, but you’re not allowed to use it. Cause they were so worried about the electricity bill that they said, yeah, just use the fans which was also again, no, I want to be comfortable. Like, you know Singapore it’s hot all year. so I always.

Mar: Yeah, and the fans are noisy, you know.

Sabrina: Exactly. So I always ask about the AC and if they act weird about, I had people asking me to contribute to the air condition bill when I’m like, I’m pet setting for free and you’re asking me to pay for the AC. Like personally, I wouldn’t do that. I guess everybody has, everyone has to decide for themselves how much, how much desperate they are to pass it. But my rule is like, I’m not, I’m not paying if I offer free pet setting services. Yeah.

Mar: Right. Tell me some of the examples where the pet seat or the cat seat didn’t go as planned, because I’m sure that from time to time things also, even though you’re very experienced and you know what questions to ask, I’m sure that from time to time you’ve learned things that, okay, this is something I should ask from now on.

Sabrina: I think we can skip that question because I feel like it gets repetitive and I don’t want to talk too much about negative experiences. Yeah. Yeah.

Mar: Okay. Okay, sounds good. Sounds good. Anastasia can cut this out. Now, I know that you mentioned that you have some digital products and some things that you’ve been creating to help people pet sit. So for those who are considering starting out with this, what are some things that they need to think about before they get started to decide if it’s a good fit for them? And what kind of people is this not good for? For example, I know it would not be good for me because I don’t like being woken up in the middle of night by a cat. and I don’t like needy animals and I don’t have the patience for it. But what are some other people that you’re like, hmm, I think this is not good for you?

Sabrina: Okay. I think most important is obviously don’t do it for the free accommodation. Like first rule is you must love pets. You know, you must treat them like your own. Like pets are for people like their babies, their family. So if you’re not into pets or if you feel bothered, don’t even do it. Cause honestly, like I, I. Do it for the pets first. Do it because you love pets. You love the company of animals. You enjoy that That’s one thing. The free accommodation is just a plus. It’s a bonus. But you should be a pet lover. And then obviously complete flexibility. Like I had people asking me like, yeah, can you find me a pet set from 1st to 15th July? That’s when I have vacation. That’s not how it works. Like you cannot put your dates and expect people to, you know, it’s the other way around.

Mar: Ha!

Sabrina: So people advertise their pet sits put in the dates and then people can apply. So you can not just go ahead and say, but I’m only available for like half of the time. No, that’s, that’s not how it works. You know, you have to imagine like the pet, the owner, the pet owner want to have it as easy as possible without any friction ideally they ask someone that stays the entire time in their house. I mean, not like the entire time, but like the entire period and not like deciding after a week that they have to leave or like, and then the pet owner is already abroad and needs to find a new sitter that all causes like trouble and friction. So be reliable. Yeah. Commit, be committed. If you commit to the dates, be there. Be in contact. is not for like people who like switch off their phones, go into digital detox. When you do a pet set, you need to be reachable. know, don’t take hours to respond. If the pet owner asks me how the cats are doing, I’ll respond like very, very shortly after. I’m not letting them wait because he might get worried or something. Update that the host every day, send the pictures. And,

Yeah, I would say don’t don’t pet it to get free travel. would say travel first, go go to a place that you want to see whether for example, if it’s Italy, go book a flight to Italy, go there and then start looking for pet sits while you’re there. And if you got one its a bonus, and if not, you know, then just stay in a hotel and explore the area. Like don’t use pet sitting just to get like free vacations. Because then if someone will let you down or something gets cancelled. It, yeah, you might be at a financial loss. only do it always calculate. Okay. If something gets canceled, I am able to also pay for a hotel. If this is not going to happen, there’s obviously risks involved. It’s, very low. I had over like out of a hundred cat sits I think I only two last minute cancellations. So just be prepared for that. That sometimes things don’t go as planned and you need a backup.

Mar: Yeah, yeah. Especially if you’re like, let’s say you travel during peak season or like during New Year’s or Christmas or something that’s like really peak season and then you last minute have a problem and somebody cancels and then you’re out of pocket for like staying somewhere really expensive where you already booked flights and you cannot cancel them, they’re not refundable. So this is important for people to bear in mind that this needs to be something that you have a plan B for. And it’s like a, it’s a help. Yeah.

Sabrina: Mm.

Sabrina: Exactly, yeah.

Sabrina: Always have a plan B. Yeah.

Mar: So you’ve started creating these digital products, right? And one of them is a seven day challenge for people to get started. So tell me what will be on those seven days? What are the steps that people need to follow to start from zero to getting the first pet sit?

Sabrina: Yes.

Sabrina: Exactly. I started, I created this challenge a couple months ago just to help people. Yeah, it’s called like how to become a house sitter, never pay for accommodation again. It it basically teaches you step by step firstly, where you can find incredible houses. There’s not only apps, there’s also plenty of Facebook groups. I linked them up there.

Mar: Yep.

Sabrina: I will help you to create a professional looking pet sitter profile that gets chosen. And I will like guide you on how to send applications, what questions to ask, how to prepare for your sit, how to avoid bad sits, like how to spot red flags and overall how to be a great sitter. And yeah, take you step by step every day. I have a little task for you. And after seven days, you should be confident enough to go out there to apply for your first pet sit

Mar: Yay. And get your first pet sitting situation. If you don’t have any experience though, how would you make your profile stand out amongst a sea of people if you haven’t ever done this before? How can people compensate for their lack of experience?

Sabrina: Yeah, I love that question. Actually, most people always ask me they said, yeah, for you, it’s easy to get sits. You have all these reviews. But like I have none. What do I do? So

Mar: Right.

Sabrina: Generally, I say first of all have a profile that looks trustworthy. Make sure you have photos with pets, whether if it’s cat sitting make sure your photos with cats or if it’s dog sitting same with dogs, but don’t just put selfies of yourself. Make sure there is always an interaction with a pet so you look like someone that is around pets. That’s the first thing be honest on who you are on your lifestyle. For example, in my profile, I mentioned that I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I work from home. All the things that are attractive to a pet owner I like a place clean. I will leave the place tidy as well. stuff like this. And what I suggest when you apply for a seat and you have no reference at all, I would say when you start from zero, apply for pet sits in the area where you are right now. Let’s say you’re still at home, you’re sitting in Spain or in Germany and you want to use later to travel, start with pet sitting in your own city. So let’s say you are in Barcelona, you apply for pet sits in Barcelona, where by the way, there’s a lot in Spain. So the moment you tell them I am in Barcelona right now, I can actually meet you in person this week, it’s very likely that they choose you first than maybe a pet sitter 

that isn’t in the US or in Australia because they can meet you in person. And people trust people more when they can meet in person versus if there’s, let’s say, a pet sitter applying from Australia, but it’s 50 positive reviews, they can only do a video call. The pet sitter still need to sort out visa. The pet sitter still need to book flights. So there’s a lot of points that can lead to friction versus someone that is already in your town.

Mar: Yep.

Mar: Right.

Sabrina: Will not have visa issues. We’ll not have to book flights. You can meet them tomorrow. So that’s what I always say. Or that’s why I said earlier, like travel to pet sit Don’t do it the other way. I came to Vietnam a month ago and then the pet sit popped up in Ho Chi Minh. And it was easy to apply because I was already in the country. So apply for sits where you can meet either in the same country or even better, the same city and, and tell them you can meet them in person. And then additionally,

Mar: Yep.

Mar: Yeah, and this way you build your portfolio.

Sabrina: Exactly, exactly. And additionally, you can get references from friends or people you pet sit outside of any pet sit platforms. You can ask them for testimonials and you can also upload them to a pet sitter profile, whether it’s photo or some pet sitter apps they allow you to add external reviews. So reviews are important because it shows your credibility.

Mar: Yeah. Okay. So you’ve mentioned a few times that this is free accommodation, right? This is the main reason why sitters look for this kind of opportunities because it’s a chance to save on accommodation. And for the host, it’s a chance to save on a pet sitter because the alternative is to put your animal in boarding or to pay somebody to come and check it out every day. like pet hotels. Yeah. So these are expensive alternatives. Like in Singapore, for example, this could be 80 to a hundred Singapore dollars per day, right? This is a lot of money if you don’t have somebody to come and stay.

Sabrina: Pet Hotel. Yeah.

Sabrina: Absolutely. So it’s a win-win. Exactly. It’s a win-win for both. Yeah.

Mar: So it’s like a win-win situation.

Mar: Exactly. But it very much sounds like this could also be turned into a professional career, like somebody who professionally pet sits the same way that people do it in their hometowns, where you have somebody that will come two, three times a day to walk your dog, to take care of your cat and so on. Can you actually make money pet sitting?

Sabrina: absolutely. can do obviously there’s people who do that full time. However, like I don’t do it for money because in Asia I don’t have like working visas to work here. So I’d say if you want to make money from pet sitting, do it in the country either where you live or where you have working visas and then, yeah, build a portfolio there of clients. There’s apps for paid pet sitting in the US. know Rover is very big. In Europe also there is local pet sitting apps like Singapore as well. I think almost every country will have a local pet sitting app or website.

Mar: Right.

Sabrina: So it’s definitely something you can do and make money with it. But yeah, make sure you have working visas before you start that.

Mar: Yeah, because there have been some scandals, Very widely publicized situations where some influencers or some digital nomads have showed up at country borders without a work visa, said they were pet sitting and pet sitting is considered a job that you need a work visa for, right? So then they ended up being deported or denied entry, right? So it’s very important. It’s not some funny joke. You can’t just show up at immigration and lie.

Sabrina: Yeah, yeah, don’t go abroad and try to make money with pet setting. I do it for the free accommodation and obviously for the pets. So to me, it’s a win either way.

Mar: You have like a, exactly, you have a cat to take care of and to like, know, to like smush with and like, you know, pet while you don’t have your own. And then you get to stay in some nice places.

Sabrina: And as I said, just did before I came to Vietnam, had a cat at six months, cat sit in Bangkok which was amazing. Six months rent free. It was an amazing place. I had a cleaner coming in once a week and the cats were the most adorable. I was so in love with them. And it was just amazing. It was more than just a free place. It was like a home with like two cats I dearly loved. I was really sad when she came back.

Mar: Wow.

Mar: Yeah, and I know that some I know that some house sitting, like sometimes you can house sit only without any pets, right? You’re just taking care of the house. And this sometimes tends to be quite a long stay because maybe it’s somebody’s second house and they are not there for six months of the year. So they just want somebody to stay in the house and take care of the house, not even any pet, maybe just the plants and make sure that everything is kept clean and that there’s someone there so that they don’t have any break-ins and things like that, right? So there’s sometimes that they’re even more low maintenance than just the cat.

Sabrina: Yeah, although I think it’s more common in Latin America. In Asia, I don’t remember ever seeing a house sit without pets. But I know like in places like Costa Rica, Mexico or wherever, wherever there’s a rate of more like break ins, it’s more common like that people look for cedars to stay there. In Asia, it’s not it’s so safe here in Asia, like nobody would need someone if they go on vacation and don’t have pets. Yeah. And then also a lot of people here have have maids. Sorry. So it’s just for the plants, they just have the maids.

Mar: Yeah. It’s true. It’s also important.

Sabrina: coming in like once or twice a week. Yeah.

Mar: That’s true. That’s true. And also in some places people don’t have so many holidays, right? Like in Singapore, people are rarely going to take three weeks and go away, right? Maybe they take a five day weekend and so you have a shorter, pet sit

Sabrina: Yeah, yeah. In Bangkok, it’s good. There’s a lot of expat teachers. They all got lots of vacations. I already got a pet sit for six weeks in summer. All the teachers going home in summer. So it’s very easy right now to get a six week sit in Bangkok as well in Kuala Lumpur, like basically all the cities where you have a lot of international schools. Yeah. So if you’re looking out, keep an eye. There will be a lot coming up for Bangkok, Hong Kong.

Mar: okay. That makes sense.

Sabrina: What else did I say? Kuala Lumpur I know there’s also lot of English teachers. Singapore not so much because everyone speaks English.

Mar: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you don’t have that many foreigners as teachers. The teachers are local Singaporean. Right. So with almost 200 cat sits or sits in general, I’m sure you have some very good stories. What are some of the most memorable ones for you?

Sabrina: I mean, yeah, exactly, not as teachers. Yeah.

Sabrina: I mean, aside from… from the houses, amazing places, got to say, have to say, amazing places. But I think truly, it’s actually the pets, the connections you made with the pets where you’re like, my God, I told the one of the cat sits I was like, if you ever cannot look after your cat anymore, I would adopt your cat in a heartbeat. Like, honestly, you bond with them, especially if you stay longer with them. I think, yeah, the most memorable is the time I spent with the pets is

Sabrina: Yeah

Mar: You’ve had some really pretty cats. I remember some photos of some like really beautiful Persian white cats and like some really pretty cats.

Sabrina: Yeah, and Bengal Cats, yeah.

Mar: So you miss the cats, I guess, right?

Sabrina: I mean honestly that’s the main reason why I’m doing it. Like now it’s Valentine’s Day yesterday and I was so happy to come to Ho Chi Minh and have two cats with me. So I do enjoy being around cats. I’m definitely a crazy cat lady.

Mar: So those are your valentines.

Mar: You are 100 % a cat lady for sure, which you know, it’s win-win for everybody. You get to take care of nice cats, the hosts get you to take care of their cats. So it’s like everybody’s happy. The cats hopefully are very happy too, because I’m sure they can tell that you like them. And you’ve done it for so long and you’ve been a digital nomad and you’ve been traveling around for so long. What I’m always shocked by is how light you travel. So tell me how much luggage you have and what’s in your bike, because this is quite shocking to most people. I am a carry-on person. So, you know, I’m one month in Vietnam and I have

Sabrina: Yeah. Yeah.

Mar: 12 kilos in a carry on and that’s it. That’s all I bring. that’s a lot of gear that I have to bring like, you know, this microphone and lights and everything. But I travel quite light, but you are next level light because this is your lifestyle. This is not you taking a trip. This is everything you own. So tell me how light your travel.

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: Yeah. First of all, have to say Mar 12 kilo, that’s impressive for you. I think that’s amazing too. That’s, that’s carry on. I came to Vietnam with hand luggage as well. So a bit more than seven kilo, but like I have my, my hacks. It’s actually 10 kilo, but most of the airlines, can only bring seven kilo. So I have like a stuffable neck pillow where I put in another three kilo of clothes. best purchase ever.

Sabrina: It’s yeah, it’s a neck pillow. You can open it with a zipper and put all your clothes in it and then you have it around your neck and it’s so heavy and so stiff. So as soon as you get in the plane, you’ll take it off. So I can easily 10 kilo that’s for me 10 kilo I can easily do three months with 10 kilo something like this. And then like I still have my hacks. Like I would take my laptop out and have it like in a very thin backpack under my jacket. So that saves another kilo.

Mar: So total 10 kilos then, right? Seven carry on and the three in your neck.

Sabrina: But to be honest, I do have some stuff. You won’t believe it. Like I have a storage unit in Bangkok now. I’ve been using storage units for years. I had a storage unit in Kuala Lumpur for multiple years. And then I moved all my stuff over to Bangkok. did actually bring 60 kilo of luggage to Bangkok. Because like 18 years in Asia, I have so much stuff.

Mar: 6-0, wow!

Sabrina: I probably have to downsize, but then also like I had a longer cat sit. So I bought an air fryer. I bought a nutri bullet. All this stuff is now in my storage unit. when people always say, where’s your home? I’m like, I don’t have a home. have a storage unit. So when, whenever I have a longer cat sit.

Mar: Okay.

Mar: Still, 60 kilos is not a lot, you know? When that’s like your entire, like, these are all your belongings. It’s not a lot, know, 60 kilos.

Sabrina: It’s tree suitcases. That’s everything I own. It’s tree suitcases basically. Yeah.

Mar: Yeah, so it’s not a lot. mean, definitely like I have way more than that, right? At home, like any person would have way more than that at home, right? Like, so I mean, it’s impressive that your entire belongings for the last 18 years, like that’s your whole life is 60 kilos. So it’s not a lot. It’s pretty good.

Sabrina: I know.

Sabrina: Yeah. It still feels a lot to me because every time when it’s like moving day or I have to go to like, like for example, when I put all my stuff from Malaysia to Bangkok traveling with three suitcases, such a pain in the ass. Where I’m always like, why do I have so much stuff? And in the back of my mind is always, I cannot wait to get apartment again. And then I can just put my stuff and every time I’m like, okay, this year I’m going to get a condo. This year I’m going to get a condo. I didn’t even mention this. have literally no home. I have no apartment. I call myself a modern homeless. Every time I’m ready, like, okay, this year I’m gonna get a condo, then suddenly a three-month cat sit comes along. And I’m like, okay, okay, after that. And then another cat sit comes along. Or then I go to Da Nang and you pay only $400 to live in a hotel for a month. So I keep still postponing it, but a part of me is ready to have a home again, to unpack those 60 kilos. Maybe this year, let’s see.

Mar: Yeah, I saw that on your Instagram profile.

Mar: Yeah. I mean, but this is like a signing up for the gym right? I travel half of the year. So I’m always like, why would I sign up for the gym when half of the year I will not use it? And so I kept signing up for two weeks at a time, three weeks at a time. And at some point I was like, you know what, if I don’t sign up for it, I’m not going to go as much. So I just sign up for it knowing that half of the year I will just not use it because I’m not even there. So this is a little bit like that, right? It’s like, okay, I can see why every month you’re like,

Sabrina: Yeah.

Mar: Yeah, maybe two months when this cat sit ends. Yeah, maybe three months when this cat sit ends. Yeah, maybe I go to da nang and spend only 400 for like a nice hotel by the beach. And this keeps rolling.

Sabrina: Yeah, it’s cheaper than having a condo in Bangkok, literally.

Mar: Yeah, of course, even though Bangkok is relatively affordable, you live in nice condos, so you have all the facilities and everything, right? mean, what’s the going rate now for a condo, for a one-bedroom in Bangkok in a nice place?

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: A nice place I would say closer to six, $700 a month. But I think the issue is more like, it’s fine, but the issue is you need to commit to one year. And this is what I don’t want. Like in Vietnam, or especially in Da Nang it’s so easy to just rent an apartment for one month or even live in a hotel for one month.

Mar: still quite affordable.

Mar: Yeah.

Sabrina: Versus in Bangkok, Airbnbs start from like a thousand dollar a month. Any short term rental is so overpriced. Condos usually they don’t do contracts for less than six months. So it’s more like I’m not ready for that one year commitment. So that’s why I was like, okay, I might just go to Vietnam and live in a hotel here and have that flexibility to go at any time. Yeah, I love that freedom.

Mar: Every time I talk to you, Sabrina, I’m always like, yeah, when I grow up, I want to be like Sabrina, you know, just like 100 % flexibility, 100 % happiness. Like I can tell that you haven’t changed one bit in the last four years. mean, less party now. Like, you know, four years ago you were still very much going out and partying and like still drinking and still, you know, more like maybe more like a party person.

Sabrina: Yeah, no, that’s all done.

Mar: and that’s maybe now you’re more like a serious person, a serious professional person, meeting in co-working spaces instead of the beach club, but still having the best time. Is there anything I haven’t asked you that you think people should know about pet sitting?

Sabrina: I would say like if you want to do this, if you want to try this lifestyle, just go for it. It is possible. It’s not as crazy or difficult as you may think of. I think Mar will also link it below. You can check out my blog. I have lots of blog posts on like pet sitting, how to start as a pet sitter, questions to ask, or just to do my challenge. Yeah.

Mar: Fantastic. Yeah. Thanks so much for chatting with me today. I know we’ll meet up later and we’ll have coffee in real life. It was fun to catch up with you. It felt very much like a chat among friends. Hopefully people will get a lot of very useful things on how to get started. Even me after having chatted with you many times before, I still learn lots of things. And hopefully they will get a very realistic understanding of what it’s really like to be a pet sitter. Where can they find your 7-day challenge? What’s your website?

Sabrina: Yeah.

Sabrina: And one is like on, NAS IO it’s called nas.io slash nomad life. then other that NAS.io slash nomad life. That’s where you can find my challenge. And then my blog, just one way ticket.com slash pet sitting, you’ll find all my blog posts and other that just sent me an email. Hello at just one way ticket.com.

Mar: NAS?

Mar: Okay?

Mar: And on Instagram it’s also just one way to get.

Sabrina: Exactly, exactly.

Mar: And you’ll see her because immediately in her profile it says, modern day homeless, right?

Sabrina: Yeah, more than homeless, exactly. Yeah.

Mar: Don’t you have also a pet sitting profile with all the cat photos?

Sabrina: I do, I have another Instagram called catsitter underscore travels. That’s where I like basically put all my cat sits because I don’t want to bother all my regular friends with cat pictures all the time although I do that too. But yeah the cat sits I have on another profile catsitter underscore travels you can check that out too.

Mar: Fantastic. Thanks so much, Sabrina, for sharing everything and all of your experiences and see you soon.

Sabrina: Thank you so much, can’t wait to see you.