Gemma & Ben
Gemma & Ben
Creative copywriter, wanderer, pet lover - loves a cosy night in
About Gemma & Ben
I'm Gemma - a Welsh-speaking, self-employed copywriter married to Ben, an American Business Development Director for a software/digital marketing company. We have a little girl of nine (Lili) and we live in the South Wales valleys. As a small family unit, we've traveled all over the world (my husband and I met in Japan while teaching English) an...
I'm Gemma - a Welsh-speaking, self-employed copywriter married to Ben, an American Business Development Director for a software/digital marketing company. We have a little girl of nine (Lili) and we live in the South Wales valleys. As a small family unit, we've traveled all over the world (my husband and I met in Japan while teaching English) and we have stayed in many AirbnB properties (some with pets to look after). We keep ourselves to ourselves, we all adore reading, writing, movies, cooking and taking walks. We have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels of our own but travel with and/or without the dogs. I spent nine years working for the Welsh Government in press and publicity roles and am now thoroughly enjoying being a freelancer - and the flexibility and freedom this brings. As an American-Welsh family, we try and get back to the States every 2.5/3 years to visit family - we'd love to do a sit there in the future. We love living in Wales and finding new places to explore in the UK - we've enjoyed incredible sits so far in Devon, Sussex, Kent, Brecon, Yorkshire and Northamptonshire. We like to make people smile by making them feel glad to be home after their trips and holidays, we'll have stripped the beds, the laundry will be on, there'll be fresh milk and bread and maybe even some homemade soup or a casserole waiting for you upon your return. Returning home after a holiday should absolutely NOT feel stressful! We are massive dog lovers and for us, there's nothing better than snuggles on the floor with your fur baby - we're totally fine with dog hair on our clothes! ;)
Why we want to house sit
As a dog-mad pet owner, I know how much my pets mean to me and have/would never put them in kennels to go on holidays. I would love to find a new way of having people to look after my pets while I'm on holiday - and to return the favour through this service would be great. I'm also interested in looking for a new way I can travel and work (from my laptop) without incurring extra costs.
Our experience
I've stayed in multiple AirBnB properties (some with pets) and been an AirBnB host myself. Growing up I had pets (Jack Russell / JRT X Chihuahua) and currently have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels of my own. I also used to have a cat and have cared for family members' cats. We kept an allotment for three years and have a small garden of our own and we are non-smokers who like a bit of peace and quiet! I am a self employed copywriter and work from anywhere with a wi-fi connection and somewhere to plug in my laptop, so staying with pets suits me fine (my Cavaliers sleep under my desk while I work at home!). TrustedHousesitters is a new experience for me but I love travel and meeting new people and to be able to travel somewhere different and work at the same time would be great! My daughter is 9 and enjoys reading and journalling and is a massive cat lover.
Reviews (8)
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Alexina - Market Harborough, United Kingdom
26 December - 05 January 2019
Gemma was a great House-sitter. She clearly looked after our dog Luna really well. She also took care of our house as if it was her own. Not only had she put all the laundry on before we got back, she also cooked us a delicious meal for our return. Little touches like that make her stand out. I w...
Gemma was a great House-sitter. She clearly looked after our dog Luna really well. She also took care of our house as if it was her own. Not only had she put all the laundry on before we got back, she also cooked us a delicious meal for our return. Little touches like that make her stand out. I would highly recommend her.
- Organised
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- Reliable
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- Self-sufficient
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- Tidy
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- Pet care
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Fiona - Royal Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom
20 August - 01 September 2018
Gemma was brilliant from start to finish. She was very organised and I felt very confident in her right from the beginning. The dogs were very well looked after and are definitely missing the attention they received! I would not hesitate to recommend Gemma.
Gemma was brilliant from start to finish. She was very organised and I felt very confident in her right from the beginning. The dogs were very well looked after and are definitely missing the attention they received! I would not hesitate to recommend Gemma.
- Organised
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- Reliable
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- Self-sufficient
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- Tidy
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- Pet care
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Lizzie - Eastbourne, United Kingdom
22 May - 25 May 2018
Gemma is an absolute delight to have in your home to look after your animals . I would not hesitate again to ask Gemma to come and stay again . She has a very sunny disposition and made me feel completely relaxed upon her arrival . All my pets were very happy upon my return and the cottage was le...
Gemma is an absolute delight to have in your home to look after your animals . I would not hesitate again to ask Gemma to come and stay again . She has a very sunny disposition and made me feel completely relaxed upon her arrival . All my pets were very happy upon my return and the cottage was left in an immaculate order . My sheets were washed and out on the line and I loved the little drawing Gemma left behind of my two boys.( It is always the little touches that mean a lot .) You will be incredibly lucky to have this lovely lady with a big heart to come and take up the reins whilst you are away . Gemma comes highly recommended . So a huge thank you Gemma for taking up the reins whilst I was away x
- Organised
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- Reliable
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- Self-sufficient
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- Tidy
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- Pet care
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Response from Gemma & Ben
Thanks Lizzie! I had a lovely time in the sunshine with the adorably gangly Hector, cuddly Otto, sweet Otis and funny little Florence. It was such a beautiful area to walk and I loved spending time in the garden sunbathing with Hector and Otis and listening to Florence cluck and the birds sing. Petworth was lovely as were the nearby eateries you recommended. Thanks again, Gem xxx
About Gemma & Ben
I'm Gemma - a Welsh-speaking, self-employed copywriter married to Ben, an American Business Development Director for a software/digital marketing company. We have a little girl of nine (Lili) and we live in the South Wales valleys. As a small family unit, we've traveled all over the world (my husband and I met in Japan while teaching English) and we have stayed in many AirbnB properties (some with pets to look after). We keep ourselves to ourselves, we all adore reading, writing, movies, cooking and taking walks. We have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels of our own but travel with and/or without the dogs. I spent nine years working for the Welsh Government in press and publicity roles and am now thoroughly enjoying being a freelancer - and the flexibility and freedom this brings. As an American-Welsh family, we try and get back to the States every 2.5/3 years to visit family - we......
I'm Gemma - a Welsh-speaking, self-employed copywriter married to Ben, an American Business Development Director for a software/digital marketing company. We have a little girl of nine (Lili) and we live in the South Wales valleys. As a small family unit, we've traveled all over the world (my husband and I met in Japan while teaching English) and we have stayed in many AirbnB properties (some with pets to look after). We keep ourselves to ourselves, we all adore reading, writing, movies, cooking and taking walks. We have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels of our own but travel with and/or without the dogs. I spent nine years working for the Welsh Government in press and publicity roles and am now thoroughly enjoying being a freelancer - and the flexibility and freedom this brings. As an American-Welsh family, we try and get back to the States every 2.5/3 years to visit family - we'd love to do a sit there in the future. We love living in Wales and finding new places to explore in the UK - we've enjoyed incredible sits so far in Devon, Sussex, Kent, Brecon, Yorkshire and Northamptonshire. We like to make people smile by making them feel glad to be home after their trips and holidays, we'll have stripped the beds, the laundry will be on, there'll be fresh milk and bread and maybe even some homemade soup or a casserole waiting for you upon your return. Returning home after a holiday should absolutely NOT feel stressful! We are massive dog lovers and for us, there's nothing better than snuggles on the floor with your fur baby - we're totally fine with dog hair on our clothes! ;)
Why we want to house sit
As a dog-mad pet owner, I know how much my pets mean to me and have/would never put them in kennels to go on holidays. I would love to find a new way of having people to look after my pets while I'm on holiday - and to return the favour through this service would be great. I'm also interested in looking for a new way I can travel and work (from my laptop) without incurring extra costs.
Our experience
I've stayed in multiple AirBnB properties (some with pets) and been an AirBnB host myself. Growing up I had pets (Jack Russell / JRT X Chihuahua) and currently have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels of my own. I also used to have a cat and have cared for family members' cats. We kept an allotment for three years and have a small garden of our own and we are non-smokers who like a bit of peace and quiet! I am a self employed copywriter and work from anywhere with a wi-fi connection and somewhere to plug in my laptop, so staying with pets suits me fine (my Cavaliers sleep under my desk while I work at home!). TrustedHousesitters is a new experience for me but I love travel and meeting new people and to be able to travel somewhere different and work at the same time would be great! My daughter is 9 and enjoys reading and journalling and is a massive cat lover.
Verifications
Verification level
Standard level
Email Address, Phone Number, External references (1), Identity & Document Check
All Standard Verification checks are carried out by a specialist 3rd Party
Animal Care Experience
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Dogs
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Cats
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Horses
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Fish
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Poultry
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Farm animals
Availability
Preferred Countries
Profile Details
Age
Occupation
Travelling as a
Previous house sitting experience
Member benefits
Member since
House & pet sitting timeline
Gemma and Ben have done 9 house sits since 2017
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Market HarboroughUnited KingdomDec 2018 - Jan 2019 -
PenarthUnited KingdomOct 2018 -
Royal Tunbridge WellsUnited KingdomAug - Sep 2018 -
EastbourneUnited KingdomMay 2018 -
LlanidloesUnited KingdomMar 2018 -
DinasUnited KingdomFeb 2018 -
SettleUnited KingdomDec 2017 -
Tedburn Saint MaryUnited KingdomOct 2017 -
YstradgynlaisUnited KingdomOct 2017
