Mature, experienced, reliable, tidy, non-smoking/drinking sitter

About this sitter

I am an experienced sitter who owns a property with a vegetable garden and had cats and dogs. I slow-travel for 6 months in the EU. I would love to house sit during to experience local way of life and to sketch local villages and towns ( see photos).

My backgrounds are in art and dance education, and holistic therapy. I am the creator of the innovative dementia care activity programmes: Sitdance and Slow Shows, and created unique art educational programmes for people with intellectual disabilities. I am also an experienced holistic transformational coach/therapist (see www.marcelbaaijens.com).

I am a traveler rather than a tourist. I love traveling off the beaten track. I love peace and quiet, daily swims when I can. I enjoy being creative while traveling. This gives me a great excuse to linger, observe and connect deeper with the environment and its people. I just finished fostering a dog for 18 months as I love having animals.

I look forward to amazing and unique house/pet sitting opportunities, preferably for longer periods of time. Happy to give you one of my sketches as a thank you for the opportunity to stay in your house and enjoy the company of your pets.

Why they want to house sit

House sitting enables me to get a sense of what it is like to live in different places while enjoying the company of pets, I love sketching outdoors, and spend lots of time in one area.

Their experience

I have lots of house/pet siting experience in Europe,Australia, and New Zealand and own a property in New Zealand, grow my own food, and recently fostered a dog for 18 months. I have looked after dogs, cats, chickens, houses, and vegetable gardens. I am non-smoker/drinker, tidy, organised, dependable, and live a simple, healthy vegetarian lifestyle. One of my backgrounds is in architecture and have therefor a greater than average understanding of how to look after a property. I speak fluent English, Dutch, good German, and basic French. I have references and police checks in place. Previous references on this site got lost as I unsubscribed during tyr covid travel restrictions. .

What can they bring to the assignment

General awareness, alertness, a sense of responsibility and care. I am quiet, happy to be alone, but also love company of animals, and meeting new people/being part of a community.