The Nomad Almanac: Lev and Mia's story

Meet Lev and Mia, a digital nomad couple from Texas and New Zealand who’ve been on the road for the past three years. The pair run a couple of blogs and earn an income through freelancing online, “so we have had the privilege of living a fairly nomadic life” they say. Self-professed “slow-mads”, they stay in each country for around three months at a time, which allows them to get to know the place and really settle in. So how do they make their truly enviable lifestyle work? With the help of TrustedHousesitters, of course. 

“We first started using TrustedHousesitters on a trip to Washington DC, where hotels run at around $200 per night”, the pair explains. “We ended up house sitting for two weeks and took care of a dog and several cats outside of the city. It was such a great experience to stay in someone’s house and take over their pet and home responsibilities while also being able to explore a new place and stay in a proper home”.

As digital nomads who love to travel and adore animals, TrustedHousesitters allows the couple to enjoy all the perks of their adventurous lifestyle and avoid some of the downsides. 

“One of the major struggles of maintaining our digital nomad lifestyle is burnout. Moving from hotel to hotel or Airbnb to Airbnb is pretty tiring and can be a struggle. TrustedHousesitters has given us the ability to live in proper homes with all of the comforts that we miss out on when we live in short-term accommodation. For example, having a full kitchen with all of the appliances you can imagine or a comfortable bed with proper bedding can be a game-changer after months of living in crappy Airbnbs… Plus, it doesn’t hurt that all you need to pay is the yearly Trusted Housesitters fee!”. 

“To sum it up”, they say, “TrustedHousesitters acts as a reset button to help us maintain our nomadic lifestyle”. 

On top of this, they both grew up with cats and dogs, so while their lifestyle makes it hard for them to have a pet of their own, they enjoy the comfort of having furry friends around. “We love being able to hang out and care for other people’s animals, as it gives us some much-needed animal affection”, they say. 

Although they were initially team dog, the pair have slowly become cat people (despite Lev’s allergies). “Now, this doesn’t mean we don’t love dogs”, they’re quick to add. “They are great company and an awesome excuse to go for a walk. However, with our digital nomad schedules, we find that we usually lean towards cat sits. Cats are generally simpler to look after. Plus, we make it a mission to win over any cats we look after, as the moment a cat crawls into your lap or your bed, you pretty much feel you’ve won the lottery!”.

Could it be that it was one of their first-ever sits that won them over? 

“One of our first house sits was in the DC area, where we took care of three cats for around a week. These were some of the most affectionate cats we have ever met. All three cats had super strong personalities, and we really fell in love with all three of them. We even managed to win over the shyest cat who the owners told us we would rarely see except for mealtimes. The owners were very generous and left super clear instructions, and the sit really made us realize how nice of an experience it is to be a member of TrustedHousesitters”.

Sounds purr-fect! 

Lev and Mia make their nomadic lifestyle sound effortless, and they put lots of it down to TrustedHousesitters. “It really is an amazing platform to travel in a different way that is both ethical and budget-friendly”, they say. “Honestly, if you love pets and have enough time and flexibility to adjust your schedule to the animal’s needs, it’s the ideal platform for most digital nomads!”. 

And you don’t have to be a digital nomad to reap the benefits! No matter what your profession, TrustedHousesitters allows you to live like a local in new places all around the world while enjoying the loving company of a furry companion.

So where will Lev and Mia’s next pet sitting trip take them? They’ll be heading to the UK in June to dog sit for around six weeks, and then they’re planning to travel around the British Isles. You can keep up with their adventures by following them on Instagram and TikTok, or read more about slow, ethical travel for digital nomads on their website.