Nature-loving couple w 2 small dogs seeks longer gigs

About this sitter

Andrea & Drew are a youngish, middle-aged couple, both long-term expatriates who previous lived in Hungary. In the spring of 2019 they took on a long-term housesitting gig in Portugal, and are in search of their next temporary home.

In their own words: "We are both cultural navigators with years of travel under our belts and a broad range of work experience, much of it in the hospitality industry but also including extensive business travel.

"Residing permanently in Europe, we are nimble and able to accommodate even relatively last-minute housesitting requests.

"We have no human children, but do have two sweet little Hungarian shepherd dogs, who are housetrained, well behaved and get along well with other animals.

"Both decent and hardworking people, we are looking for longer-term housesitting stints in quiet surroundings to help us figure out where we'd like to resettle permanently."

Why they want to house sit

We like being entrusted as stakeholders in the assignments we take on - part of the reward for taking excellent care of your cherished pets and property. Being your housesitter would give us a fresh perspective on a new location, which we'd be very grateful for.

Their experience

We both have roots in the hospitality business, which exerts a deep influence on our approach to life, work and the commitments we make.

Andrea, for example, spent 8 years working on cruise ships. She started out in housecleaning but eventually became the Captain's Secretary on the world-renowned Queen Mary II mega cruise-liner. She's not only an excellent housekeeper, but is also the "take charge" DIY person in the family, well skilled at solving problems - this is what she's been doing for the last 10 years for expatriates moving to or living in Hungary. She's incredibly resourceful and helps them with anything from arranging their stay permits to supervising a full renovation of their flats. Her "can-do" attitude and follow-through are unique and appreciated by her clients.

Before moving abroad, Drew took on a wide variety of jobs in his parents' restaurant business outside of Chicago - everything from cleaning and washing dishes to hosting and waiting tables. Those experiences instilled a proprietary sense that he has taken with him to every place he's ever worked, or places where he's been a guest - meaning that he would treat and care for your property as if it were his own.

Andrea & Drew cook most of their meals from basic ingredients. Andrea's a specialist in foods from central Europe, like chicken paprikas and stuffed cabbage, and bakes her own bread, while Drew relies on his Italian roots when making his famous pasta dishes.

Drew stays busy as a copywriter and journalist for numerous clients. They all appreciate his creativity and commitment to precision and meeting tight deadlines.

Recently, Drew & Andrea were staying with a family comprised of three humans, three dogs and two cats. It was a pleasure for them getting to know their housemates and to help them sort out some things in their home.

In 2019, they completed a housesitting assignment in rural Portugal (please see the nice testimonial provided by the owners).

Andrea & Drew can provide various other personal and housesit-related references to you upon request.

What can they bring to the assignment

Dependability, hands-on approach, a sense of responsibility, transparency, gratefulness, trust and a good sense of humor. We are both very committed to any assignment we agree to take on, whether that be work related or helping out our friends or family.