Featured in Shut Up and Go: Global Pet Sitting

Angie Brocato has your dream job. She’s a pet sitter, but with a crazy twist. She travels around Europe, working from her computer, all the while watching pets in exchange for accommodation (yea I KNOW you’re interested now SUAG family, we’re always looking at those money-saving hacks).

Welcome to global pet sitting – aka free Airbnb… but. With. DOGS. Sign us up, please!!

After spending some time between sailing the Mediterranean’s turquoise water, and taking a bike tour around the Amalfi Coast – Angie, the Queen of living her best life (as I’ve dubbed her) answered some questions about how she does what she does.

Spoiler alert: Angie’s life reflects a modern-day and millennial, “Eat Pray Love” with a little more depth and a lot more spunk. So grab those tissues because she’s about to get real AF.

1. What exactly is global pet sitting?

One of my favorite modes of budget traveling is pet sitting. I think it is such a win-win scenario! Pets usually get very anxious away from their owners and boarding facilities can only add to that stress. At a high level, while the owners are on vacation, I come in and look after their furry family member in exchange for accommodation.

Their pet gets to stay at home, the owners save on boarding costs and I don’t pay for accommodation.

2. What / who encouraged or inspired you to go live your life abroad?

Ah so many things, but at the core, there were two seeds that took root.

The first was my upbringing.

My mom raised me to work, to be independent, and to save my money. It sounds opposite at first but bear with me. I am so grateful for those core values I have but traveling never fit into that. Travel = not saving money to me, so why? Learning about the small beautiful cross-cultural connection moments of travel were nowhere near my radar at the time. She was a single mom who worked so hard to provide for my sister and me, so I understand there is a different lens to life in that situation. After university, I worked and worked and saved and saved.

Then my mom passed away, and everything changed. I would sit at my desk and ask why? I lost the urge to chase the next promotion in that setting.

The second seed was two years ago.

I fell for someone and found out they were moving abroad shortly after. Did not work out, but it opened my eyes! To see him go through the steps of making that happen was another lightbulb moment for me. It was as simple as saying I want to do this, research, prepare, and then just do it. Something different was right at my fingertips, I just had to change my perspective and switch lanes. I am a strong believer that the people that pass through your life at different times are there for different reasons. It is a beautiful thing.

3. You said you work online – what’s your job?

Before I started this location-independent lifestyle, I thought only people with coding skills could get digital nomadic positions. (Which I do not have!) I researched all of the options available and decided a TEFL certificate was the best option for me. I now work with VIPKID as an online English teacher. It’s great, I choose my schedule and love my students.

I recently also began working as a remote virtual assistant. I found this job through a previous job connection, but recently, I learned there are a lot of these positions out there.

4. Best pet-sitting story so far?

I call this story sheep rescue; I’ll start from the BAAA-ginning. I was an au pair for two dogs in Naas, Ireland for six weeks. (Found this on Workaway).

It’s about 40 minutes out of Dublin in County Kildare. There are lots of……….

You can read the rest of the story, how you can become a global pet sitter and the full feature on Shut Up And Go!