Hear how Nicole saved over $100,000 on accommodation and uses her location independence to support political campaigns. Nicole Green shares how she built a full-time travel lifestyle through cat sitting, saving more than $100,000 on accommodation while staying everywhere from penthouse apartments in Montreal to ski chalets in the Swiss and French Alps. She explains how pet sitting became her gateway to location independence, the strategies she uses to secure sits around the world, and how her travels inspired her to create Traveling Catsitter, a community for cat-loving travelers. Nicole also discusses how she uses her freedom of movement as a “Nomadic Activist,” traveling to political battlegrounds to volunteer on grassroots campaigns, support progressive candidates, and explore the intersection of travel, civic engagement, and social impact. Along the way, she reflects on solo travel, digital nomadism, sustainability, community building, and the lessons she has learned from years of living without a permanent home.
391: How to Travel the World Rent-Free as a Cat Sitter and Drive Political Change as a Nomadic Activist with Nicole Green
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Nicole Green
Nicole Green is a digital nomad, traveling petsitter, cat lover, and activist who has spent the past three years traveling full-time around the world through pet sitting. What started as a way to afford travel turned into a lifestyle built around her love of cats and adventure that has provided her free accommodations around the world and taken her from penthouse apartments in Montreal to mountain homes in the Alps. She is the creator behind @travelingcatsitter where she shares her unconventional cat-filled travels and helps others travel more affordably by pet sitting. She is also the creator of @NomadicActivist which shows digital nomads how to blend travel and civic engagement. She used her location independence to travel across swing states in the U.S. helping to mobilize voters in the lead to the 2024 election, and to work on progressive campaigns for candidates ranging from Cori Bush in St. Louis to. Zohran Mamdani in NYC.
What You'll Learn
- How to use pet sitting to secure free accommodation around the world.
- How remote professionals can use their location independence to support political campaigns.
- How long-term travel can foster cultural immersion, reduce materialism, and expand your worldview.
Links From the Episode
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LEARN MORE ABOUT NOMADIC ACTIVIST
SIGN UP FOR NICOLE’S FREE PET SITTING 101 GUIDE
START YOUR TRUSTED HOUSESITTERS ACCOUNT
CONTACT AND FOLLOW NICOLE
- Nomadic Activist Instagram
- Nomadic Activist X
- Nomadic Activist YouTube
- Traveling Catsitter Facebook
- Traveling Catsitter Instagram
- Traveling Catsitter TikTok
- Traveling Catsitter YouTube
#1 BOOK THAT NICOLE RECOMMENDS
#1 PERSON WITH WHOM NICOLE WANTS TO HAVE DINNER
TOP 4 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKETLIST DESTINATIONS
LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
WINE CONSUMED DURING THE INTERVIEW
PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
INSTITUTIONS AND COMMUNITIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN ARGENTINA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN AUSTRALIA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN ITALY MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN PENNSYLVANIA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN SWITZERLAND MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Lake Geneva (Switzerland)
- Verbier
- Swiss Alps
PLACES IN VIETNAM MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
WEBSITES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
CAT TOURISM PLACES MENTIONED
- Daikeizan Gotokuji temple
- Kotor (Montenegro)
- Tashirojima
- Istanbul (Turkey)
OTHER PLACES IN JAPAN MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
OTHER PLACES / SPOTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[0:49] Introducing Nicole Green
[3:21] Nicole’s Most Epic CatSits
[5:58] Growing up in Pennsylvania
[7:08] Studying Abroad in Australia
[9:05] First Solo Trip to Vietnam
[11:00] Working Remotely and Becoming a Digital Nomad
[12:34] Becoming a Traveling Petsitter and Designing Her Ideal Lifestyle
[15:00] Tactics and Logistics of Booking Amazing Petsits
[19:00] Staying in a TreeHouse AirBNB in a Cat Sanctuary in Thailand
[20:04] Starting Her Traveling CatSitter Brand
[21:27] Visiting Unique Cat Tourist Destinations
[23:27] Building her Traveling Cat Sitter Brand on Organizing Cat Tourism Opportunities
[25:23] Becoming a Nomadic Political Activist
[27:27] How Travel Expanded Nicole’s Worldview
[28:32] Using Location Independence to Work on Political Campaigns
[30:40] Stories from the Cori Bush Campaign in St. Louis
[35:44] Stories from the Zohran Mamdani Campaign in New York City
[40:45] How to Get Involved with Political Campaigns
[42:48] Personal freedom vs collective responsibility in the digital nomad lifestyle
[44:28] The Immersive Experience of Living in Other People’s Homes
[45:50] Building Community in a Lifestyle of Itinerant Travel
[48:24] How Travel Has impacted Nicole as a Person
[49:35] What Travel Means to Nicole
[50:38] The Lightning Round
[54:39] Contact and Follow Nicole
