Luke
& Annie

United Kingdom
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Profile information

Travel information
We are currently
Travelling
Our next destination:
Italy - from Apr 2024 until Jul 2024
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Description
Hello! We are Luke (32) and Annie (29) - a couple currently on a year-long sabbatical travelling around the world, planning to be in Italy from the end of April until the start of July 2024. We are looking to house sit in Italy (we are flexible as to location) and we are happy to take care of your property and do simple gardening, cleaning, and low key maintenance (as needed). We are experienced house sitters in London and can provide references on request.

👫 About Us:
We are both from the UK (London) and qualified lawyers. In September 2023 we decided to take a break from the legal world and spend a year travelling and volunteering abroad. So far we have been in Latin America for 3 months, India for 2 months (where we did our first Workaway project) and Indonesia for 1 month. We are passionate to explore new cultures and immerse ourselves in local communities. Annie is also learning Italian and is keen to practice.

🏠 Housesitting experience:
We have experience housesitting for more than 6 months in total in central London and Surrey, England. During that time we have taken care of houses, cared for pets (2 cats), carried out daily gardening maintenance, cleaned and carried out household chores. We are trustworthy people and will take care of your home like it is our own!

🏃‍♀️ Interests ⚽:
Annie is a passionate runner and successfully completed the London Marathon in 2023, having raised in excess of £2,000 for Newlife, a charity for disabled children. Luke is an avid traveler and football enthusiast. We both love music, food and wine.

🤝 Why Work with Us:
- We both have experience housesitting and also carrying out garden and farming work.
- We are passionate to base ourselves in wonderful local communities and to learn more about Italian culture.
- We are adaptable, trustworthy and hard working.

We are very excited for potential housesitting opportunities - please message us if you like our profile!
Interests
Yoga / Wellness
Writing
Team sports
Sustainability
Self development
Politics / Social justice
Outdoor activities
Nature
Music
Movies & TV
Mountain
Languages
Fitness
Hiking
History
Culture
Cooking & food
Charity work
Books
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Italian: Beginner
More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.
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Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
Languages
Eco Projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Hospitality/Tourism
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
Helping around the house
General Maintenance
Animal Care
Life at a Farmstay
More details about your skills
- We are both experienced in housesitting, having carried out 6 months in total, which involved daily maintenance, gardening, general chores, animal care, etc.

- With our legal backgrounds we are both hard-working, diligent, trustworthy and personable.

- We are both open-minded and creative, with a passion for travel and meeting people.
Age
32 & 29
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements

Feedback

23 Feb 2024

Left by host (Help develop my education ...) for Workawayer (Luke & Annie)

Luke and Annie was with us for two week they are very hardworking respectful and dedicated they helped at farm doing flood irrigation to wheat crop and alfa alfa , weeding , stacking dry fodder all animals related work, also they helped home in kitchen all house hold work they are very kind good hearted we had great time with them we will miss… read more

(Excellent )

22 Feb 2024

Left by Workawayer (Luke & Annie) for host (Help develop my education ...)

Experience the real India with an amazing family in beautiful Chundiyawara

This was our first Workaway so we were not sure what to expect, but our two weeks with Ishwar and his family were unforgettable. We shared moments with them that we will cherish forever. We were very sad to leave and could have easily spent longer with them. We feel very… read more lucky to have had such an unique and incredible experience where we were welcomed into a family that now feels like our own!

Ishwar, Tejal, Hapi and Hari are so kind, caring and accommodating. They all speak very good English (Ishwar and Hari are fluent). Ishwar took the time and care to teach us all about sustainable farming and local culture. We really enjoyed our chats over dinner about life and spirituality. Tejal is one of a kind, a wonderful and funny woman with an infectious laugh. Her home cooking is easily the best food we have had during our 2 month trip in India! Hari was an excellent tour guide, taking us to temples, introducing us to street food spots and taking us to the lake nearby. We enjoyed playing games and cricket with him during our spare time even if he did beat us mostly! He is a very intelligent 13 year old. We also enjoyed spending time with Ishwar’s father who lives with them at the house.

The house itself is homely and clean. The second floor for volunteers is basic but has its own separate entrance via a staircase and is very spacious. We often relaxed on the roof terrace after working on the farm which has a great view for sunrise and sunset. We quickly got used to the bucket showers and squat toilet which were no problem for us and enjoyed the way of living.

The food offered is delicious thanks to Queen Tejal who would often make our favourite things for us! We received 3 large meals a day, endless cups of of chai tea and lots of gulab jamen. The meals are organic and all veggie/ vegan with ingredients sourced from the farm and local markets. Meals have not felt the same since we left, we miss Tejal’s cooking every day!

The local area is beautiful with hills and lots of nature. We saw monkeys, peacocks and other amazing birds daily. We really enjoyed early morning runs (there are 2 good loops, a 5k and a 8k) and sunset walks. Monty the dog will often accompany you! Our stay was at the end of winter so the weather was perfect, Ishwar mentioned how it gets extremely hot during the summer months (40-45 degrees).

Chundiywara itself is a very special village which will always hold a place in our hearts. The people are incredibly friendly and generous. We were invited in for chai tea and sugarcane juice and when walking to and from the farm. We were made to feel part of the community and were invited to two weddings, Annie borrowing a sari and having henna applied by Krishna (a friendly neighbour) for the occasions. Ishwar also arranged for us to see nearby temples and beautiful nearby lake. Whilst Tejal took Annie bangle shopping, taking a tuk tuk ride with other women in the village to the nearby town of Punjpur.

In terms of the work, this was flexible but we averaged around 3-4 hours a day on the farm. Volunteers are not usually expected to work at weekends unless they would like to. We also assisted with general house chores on top (washing the dishes, helping to prepare dinner and one evening we cooked for the family).

The farm is beautiful and it was a pleasure to spend time there. The work was varied and meditative - we picked weeds, helped clear fallen branches, picked fruit, pruned the rose bushes, stacked hay and irrigated the crop. We learnt a lot about nature and sustainable farming along the way. We loved being around the buffalo, the best moment being the birth of baby Annie on our final morning - it was very touching and heart warming to watch her take her first steps.

Unfortunately we were not able to assist in the government run secondary school as it was exam season, but we enjoyed our time on the farm. The primary school which Ishwar founded has also sadly closed following Covid-19 which had a big impact on the region. From spending time in the village and with Ishwar, it is clear to see that he is a pillar of strength for his local community.

(Excellent )