Taking on cat-sitting jobs everywhere, Gourley was able to visit nearly 20 cities in the US and Australia almost for free.
Madolline Gourley, an editor living in Brisbane (Australia), found herself a travel opportunity using her talent in taking care of cats. To date, she has visited 18 cities thanks to this job, free of charge for accommodation and sometimes free meals.
As a cat lover, Gourley learned about the profession of “cat nanny” for families whose owners are away a few years ago and knew that she could travel “almost free” thanks to this service. She regularly searches for opportunities on house sitting service sites such as “Trusted Housesitters” or “Aussie House Sitters” to find new destinations.
Gourley’s first cat-sitting assignment was around Christmas 2017 in San Francisco (USA). Gourley has done an excellent job and shaped her way into the world of travel thanks to cats. She said that cat-sitting is not paid, but she gets free accommodation. Gourney is estimated to have saved nearly 29,000 USD, thanks to no hotel or homestay rental fees.
Compared to dogs that need to be walked many times a day, looking after cats is much “easier”, allowing girls to flexibly arrange plans to explore new cities. Gourley said he has about 12 hours of free time to hang out every day, after taking care of his cat. Cat-sitting travel for Gourley always contains surprises, such as entering the wrong apartment in Texas (USA), accidentally being locked in a stranger’s house in New Mexico (USA), and enjoying meals with the hosts. friendly…
Gourley’s workday begins with household chores every morning and then begins his sightseeing journey. On some days, she spends all her time at home playing with her cat, chatting with friends and family, or blogging. Traveling like this also makes Gourley make new friends, which are the hosts. She even made friends with their neighbors, participated in gatherings and parties.
However, Gourleuy also believes that this method of travel is only really suitable for animal lovers. “If you want to babysit pets, I think it’s very important that you really like animals. You have a free place to live, but you have to take good care of the homeowner’s pets. To become a cat nanny trustworthy, you have to keep everything as clean as your home, just in someone else’s living space,” the girl shared.
So far, Gourley’s cat-sitting job has taken her to 14 cities in the US and four in Australia. “People tell me it’s a really strange way to travel. Cats are great companions for a lone traveler like me. It’s like having a friend at home.” here, and then you’ll go meet your next friend in another city,” Gourley shared. “That means often having to say goodbye to the cats. I feel sad because I really love them.”
