It’s the Ultimate Challenge. More difficult than teaching your dog to balance on her hind legs, more competitive than getting into Med School, more brutal than carrying your pet up Mount St. Helens: It’s finding affordable, short term housing for you and your pets. Don’t worry, I’m exaggerating. There are a challenges though, but I have advice and resources here to help!

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Resources, Tips and Training

There are a few variables that have to be considered here. Do you have a cat? A Dog? Both? Maybe a supposedly aggressive breed (ask me how I really feel about that load of horse radish) or a pet that’s still getting potty trained? Perhaps you have the sweetest dog ever but he or she is terrified of other dogs. There is a lot to consider. Please, check out my post about training your dog for travel and use the resources! Dogs need education just like we do as humans, and they respond to it wonderfully. We need to make sure we are spending the time with them that they deserve. A well trained rottweiler or pitbull can change preconceived notions. I do like to push any Pitt or Rotweiler mixes to have ‘mixed breed’ paperwork, or to go the extra mile with multiple training certificates to show housing hosts that your dog will be a supportive member of the community instead of detrimental. If your dog is a barker, potty training or anxious when you leave, please make training a priority and use resources to accommodate their needs. All dogs can be trained to be receptive to other dogs, to potty appropriately and to travel well with you. It takes time, patience, and sometimes its own budget category- but it’s SO worth it. Let me tell you- despite all of the variables IT IS 100% POSSIBLE to find housing with your dog.

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Here is a cool little printable/downloadable document for you. This makes comparing cost, location, and communication notes easier when using a variety of platforms to find the best fit for yourself and your dog. I make it sound easy but it’s a challenge! I just hope this piece of paper helps keep you all organized, as it’s helped me in the past.

I do like to suggest in the hunt for dog friendly, short term housing to arrive to a contract early and research housing options when you arrive. This does not apply if you are using an RV during the on-season (Winter in Arizona) because spaces fill up FAST. In that case I push to find a space prior to accepting the contract. However, for off-season travelers, or non- RV travelers this tip is awesome. I have consistently spent 2 weeks- a month at a state park, a hotel, or an airbnb to assess the housing situations, the safe areas in town and to get a feel for my options before committing to anything. Hosts feel better about having you after meeting you and your pet; travelers feel better about staying somewhere when they’ve seen the space.

The priority when searching for housing is always to find the best price the best location and the best communication. Communication is essential when it comes to traveling as a health care professional because so often we come across housing situations where there has been a lack of communication and as a result someone ends up getting burnt. I also heavily recommend having a written contract for the housing situation no matter what. Even if the hospital provides you housing, have a contract written up so all expectations are clearly understood. I ran across a terrible situation in Missouri where the hospital provided housing and I did not have a contract and ended up having a 2 day notice to move out of the house. It was terrible and extremely stressful. I was in the middle of renovating my camper and wasn’t sure where to move into, luckily I was able to throw things together to make my camper liveable. That is when I learned no matter what the situation you always have a housing contract.

So my advice for you all is- prioritize training your dog for travel, use certificates and paperwork to support how they are an asset to any housing community, organize housing options to use multiple platforms to your advantage, ALWAYS have a housing contract and consider personally looking at options before committing.

I am sure there are more resources out there- please leave a comment for more ideas! Now let’s discuss airbnb, VRBO, craigslist, Facebook groups, the chamber of commerce, real estate companies, furnished finders, and using word of mouth.

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Airbnb

I find dog friendly housing on Airbnb simply by using the filter that designates a place as dog friendly. I choose to sift through, finding the best location and then send a message. There are a lot of hosts who are willing to house traveling health care professionals, out of appreciation for what we do.

My message usually includes my contract days, when or if I can meet them prior to moving in, and some info about my dog and the training she has had. I mention that she is CGC certified and explain her good behavior as well. I usually avoid places with cats, because she is kind of a hooligan when it comes to cats.

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The best way to find discounts on airbnb is by sending a message. If you look up long term stays right away it looks like you will be paying $1500 a month. There are a lot of people who are willing to negotiate good prices on airbnb, including a castle I found in Ortonville, Minnesota for $600 a month instead of $1500 a month! Sending a message is also a great way to assess the communication between the host and the traveler.

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Chamber of Commerce

I have called the chamber of Commerce for almost every contract after I found out about how incredible this resource is. The Chamber of Commerce understands when their community has a need for health care and is willing to accommodate and make recommendations to help us. In a Kennebunk, Maine, the person I talked to offered her daughter’s farmland for a place for me to stay. It would have been a perfect opportunity! In the end I did decide to stay in a house instead of in my camper because I was nervous about winter camping. The Chamber will sometimes give you a list of their highest rated places with the phone numbers. They usually recommend local businesses that have been around for years and maybe haven’t had the need to transition to online advertising.

 VRBO

To be 100% honest with you all, I have actually had a bad experience the only time I used VRBO, where the host kept changing the written contract we had agreed upon. Remember what I said about communication and written contracts? Yup; this is an excellent example of knowing when to get out of a sketchy situation.

However, I know people have had successful experiences using VRBO, and everywhere you go, there are bad eggs. This website is similar to airbnb, where you can filter dog friendly options, and send a message requesting a monthly rate.

Craigslist

I use craigslist mostly to find RV spots nowadays, but there are a lot of people who have success finding pet friendly housing on this platform. I like Craigslist, because if there is nothing available you can post that you’re seeking housing for yourself and your pet. If you get nervous looking at Craigslist listings, share your google location with a family member or friend! It is all about extra safety!

Extended Stay Hotels

Most of the extended stay hotels I have found are not pet friendly, extremely expensive, and and don’t offer the nicest amenities. Isn’t that just weird, because they sound like an awesome resource for us. I have not had luck using this as a dog friendly strategy. Has anyone else? I do like to mention them, because I spent a lot of time starting out, calling Extended Stay hotels, unsure of what other options were available for short term housing. Now I know a whole plethora of options! Cheers to learning with experience right?

Facebook Groups

Facebook groups are an incredible resource for finding pet friendly housing. The 1st place to look is on Travel Nursing, the Gypsy Nurse. There are a ton of people who advertise their homes and who have availability all over the United States. This is appropriate both for RV parking and for home stays. Be sure to be polite and use the search bar at the top of the Facebook group page before you post. The second Facebook group to search is the Travel Therapy Gypsy Housing group, which is specific for traveling therapists.

Another way to use Facebook for pet friendly housing is to find whatever town or city you are going to on Facebook and search through their page. Has anyone looked for housing options this way in the past? Or, if you don’t even care- put together an adorable post of you and your pup, and you will have people lining up to house you. For example, if you are working in a small town Minnesota and you search Hardwick, Minnesota you can post asking for housing options on the Facebook group. In this scenario I was able to call the Chamber of Commerce who suggested a place in Hardwick, Minnesota which was in the exact middle of where I needed to be for work! It was so perfect. This is also probably it the best campground I have ever stayed at with to the sweetest people in the town wanting to be involved in my life.

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Real Estate Companies

This is a great strategy to find short term, pet friendly housing because Real Estate companies usually support travel health care workers similarly to our contract company does- hoping we will eventually wish to stay forever. The best communication platform is usually a phone call, followed by email/written communication. Be sure to check Google Maps for the listing that they provided to ensure that it is in a safe area, and a nice looking home because there have been history of Spam-ers in real estate companies who take advantage of people who are looking at housing options from a distance.

 Word-of-Mouth.

There is nothing wrong with asking around a community, in pursuit of a place to stay. So many people have room for a camper on their property, or own a spare room in their house. In fact this is a great way to find some awesome deals on housing, and also make some incredible friends. Often times when I am on the housing hunt, I will ask during an interview if the DOR is aware of any well-reviewed campgrounds, or places that are safe for someone to stay. Co-workers often also seek to support travelers in their housing hunt, because they usually wish for you to stay long term as well.

Though I have not personally done this because I feel awkward asking for a written contract when it’s someone I know, I had a friend who did this in southern Minnesota and made some awesome relationships- including being involved in bean bag competitions and a volley ball gig, and some first hand education related to hog farming. A few of the word-of-mouth opportunities I’ve experienced involved helping out a family by babysitting on occasion, or driving an elderly person to appointments. I think it’s fantastic to help a community, be close to a family and have cheap housing; and though I personally value my weekend’s a lot and plan to use time for adventures, it is a wonderful money saving strategy and pet friendly concept to just ask your coworkers, or discuss during an interview and talk to the locals at the local bar/coffee shop to see what housing opportunities are available .

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Classifies in the Newspapers

I’m laughing. Are you laughing? Yeah, so I have never used this strategy since I started traveling; however the best car I have ever purchased was found using the classified ads in the newspaper. I also have had multiple patients who advertise a spare bedroom in the newspaper, hoping that someone can be around to help them out with little things such as making meals or walking their dogs. It is another fantastic way to find pet friendly housing! Yeah, it is hard to look at newspapers when you’re not in the area you’re going to be living. This is another platform to use if you have a couple weeks or a month at an airbnb or state park, and then assess the situation upon arrival.

Furnished Finders

Here is another strategy I have never used, but definitely recommend trying! I looked into the website and it is an awesome resource. The first thing they do that I really like, is offer housing ehh… let’s just call them housing reality checks because they make sure the listing is legit! It doesn’t have to be a furnished finder listing- you can do this for ANY housing opportunity you find. SO. DARN. COOL. I also really appreciate they have a payment platform called cozy, so you can set up payments just like you would do with airbnb. I know they charge for people to list their houses on this platform, but they do not charge the travelers anything for using this platform- airbnb and VRBO have a service fee, where they make all of their money; but furnished finders doesn’t do it! It is really a super traveler friendly way to find great spaces. I have had a friend list her housing option this way in Summerville, SC with success. Give it a try! Share your experience. I hope it works for you guys, even though it does not look like they list RV- parking spots

What about RV Housing?

The above are detailed accounts for traveling with a pet when you do not have an RV. And though I had planned to discuss RV options on this blog post too… I am exceeding my 2,000 words. By a lot. Holy crow, I can talk. Chloe knows it too.

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I will be SUPER brief here, but promise to come back and share more next week. My favorite platforms for camping if you want hook ups are: AllStays RV, Google Search, Chamber of Commerce, State Parks, County Parks, Craigslist. If you are open to be without hook ups: Hipcamp, freecampsites, I Overlander, and airbnb.

So stay tuned for next week where I will talk more about RV Temporary Housing searching opportunities- this is also great for vans and camping of any kind!

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