Our February trip to Oaxaca, Mexico has been put on hold. Due to some unforeseen medical expenses and a lighter than usual winter-spring calendar, we opted to cancel our plans to investigate Mexico as an ex-pat retirement location…for now.
Instead, we are going to Lancaster, PA where we will be staying in a stranger’s home and taking care of their dog.
Allow me to explain.
A few years ago, our youngest daughter told us about an organization called Trusted Housesitters, suggesting that we would be ideal candidates for the service end of the equation. So, we are giving it a try, taking care of an 8 year old Labrador in Lancaster for a week.
TH matches pet owners with pet sitters on their website. For a reasonable yearly fee, both parties can find one another. The pet owners get peace of mind for their pet(s) and the pet sitters get free accommodations, a service opportunity and a way to see a new place in return.
This first foray into pet sitting is an experiment to see if we like it. If so, we may try going to Europe or other parts of the USA using TH. Generally speaking, the homes are in places we’d like to visit and (I hope) more comfortable and homier than an AirBnB or Holiday Inn.
Last week, we had a Zoom call with Amanda and Michael, Jessie’s pet parents, to get to know one another and learn about their dog’s habits and needs. Like us, Amanda and Michael are traveling artists and dog lovers, so we all felt very comfortable with one another very fast. As Amanda said, “It feels like we made some new friends!” I agree.
Traveling, I’ve discovered, can be very antiseptic when we don’t mix it up with the locals or fellow travelers. Early on in our RV trip, I started talking to everyone, making friends out of strangers and deepening friendships that began online. Quickly, I learned that it was more rewarding for me to connect with old and new friends than it was to visit museums, go to restaurants or see another town square. All of those other things are fine, but not as fulfilling as connecting with people and, often, their pets!
On our RV trip, one of the key players was our dog Bradley. He was one of my best friends and I miss him a lot. So, it makes perfect sense to me that our new way of traveling is going to include making new connections with dogs, too.
I attended college in Lancaster and Beth has some relatives there, as well. The city is very walkable and I’m looking forward to spending some time getting reacquainted with the town and Beth’s cousins, a nice couple named Tom and Cindy.
I hope that coming “home” to a comfortable home and a friendly dog who loves to cuddle and play will make it a good week. It ain’t sunny Mexico, but let’s hope that it’s warm in its own way.
