Work, travel and pet-sitting! The story of Rachel

In the first article of the series Nomad Diaries, we have the chance to hear the testimonial of Rachel White, who has been a coliver at Masseria Olga in September 2024. Rachel is originally from Washington, United States, and after some work experience as an English teacher abroad in Peru and Hungary, she fully embraced the nomad lifestyle, changing completely her profession.

How did you become a digital nomad, and how has your journey evolved over time?

I started to look into the digital nomad lifestyle simply for the freedom. I was working as a teacher and had a regimented schedule and was only able to travel on school breaks and holidays. I wanted the freedom to make my own schedule and travel as much as I wanted. My teaching contract ended June 30, and on July 1, I was on a flight to London. I spent the first two and a half months pet sitting and travelling around the UK (to get out of the Schengen zone). At first, I would stay for just a few nights in each location if I didn't have a pet sit, but I got burnt out on that pretty quickly. Now I try to stay for at least 7-10 days (minimum) in a location so I don't feel rushed to see and do everything in one or two days. 

How do you combine work and travel?

I am a content manager with a digital marketing agency. I first started working in marketing on the side in 2019 while I was teaching. After 5 years of the most random marketing experience/jobs, I decided to pursue that full-time as remote work, and within two months I was promoted to the content manager. I'm honestly not a super regimented person with my workspaces. I like variety, so one day I may work at a desk all day, or one day I might hop back and forth between the couch and a chair outside in the sun. I try to keep a consistent morning routine with coffee/meditation/exercise/reading, and that helps me to set the tone for the day ,which leads to better focus while working. I also love the focus-frequency music. I feel like it really helps, but maybe it's all in my head. 

You mentioned pet-sitting. How does it fit with your work and travel plans?

I started pet sitting because I love dogs and it’s a great way to save money on accommodation while travelling. I tested it out last summer, and I had two sits in Switzerland. In my experience, the pet owners have all been so nice, and if you get on well, they’ll often invite you back to stay again. I’ve had that happen for me twice now. Almost every place I’ve stayed in has had a “home office” for me to work from, but if you prefer to work from a coffee shop or coworking space, most of the animals can be left alone for several hours in the day. I also think it’s great for digital nomads because I often meet pet owners that are wary of “travellers” because they think the sitter will leave the animal alone for too long, but if you assure them that you have a job to do so you’ll be working during the day and not just off exploring all the time, that makes them feel safer about leaving their pets with you. The app that I use, TrustedHousesitters, has sits all around the world, so I often start checking the locations I want to travel to a few months ahead of time, and after I have sits booked, then I can nail down my other travel plans! I’m just now finishing my tenth sit, and since I’ve had great reviews, the platform is pushing my profile more, so I’m actually receiving invitations from people without even needing to apply, which is pretty cool because some locations can be pretty competitive on the app, like the UK.

How do you handle feelings of loneliness or the need for stability when travelling?

Personally, I'm an extroverted introvert. I enjoy being around people, but I need alone time to recharge. Because of this, I don't often feel the loneliness of this lifestyle. I try to balance my stays with alone time and people time. I might do pet sitting for a month, but then I'll go stay in a coliving or with some friends for a few weeks before returning to a solo pet sit. I was really nervous about feeling lonely with this lifestyle, but I honestly don't think I have experienced that. I've been so lucky that even when I'm pet sitting or staying in an Airbnb, the hosts or pet owners have all been so friendly and kind and welcoming, and that helps a lot. I've made friends in the most random places, and I've been able to later visit them in their home city or travels. I also haven't really struggled with finding wifi because all of the pet sits, airbnbs, and coliving locations I've been in have provided it. I would say it's more of a struggle to find a space to have meetings if I'm staying in a hostel, but I've already gotten tired of hostels, so I try to avoid those when possible.

What role does community play in your travels? 

I definitely think as a nomad it's so important to have community, but I think one of the things I've learnt is that you can find community anywhere. When I first started travelling, I stayed in an Airbnb, and the host was so kind and incredible. She cooked for me, shared her wine with me, and stayed up late chatting with me. Then I went to a pet sit, and the hosts quickly started to feel like family for me. They were so generous and offered to let me stay even when they returned, just so I wouldn't have to pay for an Airbnb or hotel. The next two pet sits I had went very similarly. The pet owners were so kind and welcoming. All of the Airbnb hosts I had in the UK were the same. Kind, welcoming, and chatty. The only time I actually felt lonely was at hostels (weird, I know). Then I was able to spend a week with my friends in Budapest before travelling to Putignano and staying in the Masseria for three weeks, which was just community all the time and I made incredible friendships that I still regularly communicate with and will definitely travel with in the future. Overall, there's been community for me everywhere. When I wanted it, I could find it. There's, of course, as I mentioned times when I want to be alone (with a dog), but I do think that community has made this experience so much better. 

Why did you experience loneliness in hostels?

I felt the most lonely in a hostel, which seems weird because you're surrounded by people, but it's not really a place that "fosters" that community. Of course, most hostels have pub crawls, but you have to work to build community more on your own and, sometimes, you just don't feel like doing the small talk thing. In the coliving, there were so many activities you could choose to participate in, and you could choose to spend time with people or stay in your room and watch Netflix. Even though a coliving could be compared to a hostel, I found I enjoyed it so much more, and it probably is because of this aspect of fostering community. 

What is next on your journey?

I'll be heading home for the holidays, and then in the New Year I'll be exploring Central/South America more! I'm really excited to visit these places where the culture is so alive and celebrated. I also made a decision that, since I can choose where I live, I'm never going to spend another winter in a cold place. I'm finished with European winters as much as I love the Christmas markets. So a goal is to be warm and soak up as much vitamin D as I can! 

We thank Rachel for sharing her testimonial with the community! We have seen how your life can completely change by making a radical choice on your career, giving you the time to explore at your own pace. Rachel also showed us multiple options to find meaningful connections on the way, as pet-sitting (here you find a 25% discount on TrustedHousesitters) or coliving, as she experienced at Masseria Olga.

Nomad Diaries is a series of articles and interviews where we share stories of people that visited Masseria Olga with other members of the community. Would you like to share yours? Reach out at masseria.olga@gmail.com!