When we launched Gopetfriendly 16 years ago, our goal was to allow people to travel with their pets. Maybe you remember it was like it was back then… when it was tough to find a place to stay and have something to do with your pet.
It wasn’t that the idea of bringing pets on vacation was a new concept. Some of them did that for years. But those were the exceptions. Most people believed that traveling with pets was luxurious, strange or too difficult.
Pet trips accepted
Certainly things have changed! Perhaps creating GopetFriendly helped to trigger a change in thought. But over the years, millions of pet lovers have visited the site to plan trips with furry families. It will definitely please me!
Eventually, when more people began traveling with their pets, businesses recognized the opportunity. Soon they began to promote the fact that hotels, restaurants and even the entire city were pet friendly. They added pet policies and pet-friendly directories to their website. They splashed it on the sign. I hung a sign on the window.
These days, if you roam most cities, you may find as many businesses as pet-friendly businesses. Probably more! That’s exactly what we wanted when we started the site.
And that means you don’t need much of a directory of GopetFriendly, a pet-friendly business.
Things change…and so are us
We have changed as the world began to embrace pet travel. After 12 great years in our camper van, we are happy to settle in Bisbee, Arizona. (If anyone is looking for a fun holiday destination, it’s super pet-friendly!)
I went back to school the whole time I was suddenly released from driving an RV. Two months ago I completed the AutoCAD certificate program (used by software designers, drafts and architects to draw architectural plans). I also chose several courses in housing construction while I was there. It was an explosion!
Cochise College Residential Construction Program
It was not clear where all of these courses would take me back then. It was fun to learn more about what has always fascinated me. And while I focused on homework and exams, the online world where Gopetfriendly existed was changing dramatically.
Technology is leaping
To miss out on recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), you need to live under the rocks. Certainly, I am concerned about how it will affect humanity. Meanwhile, I also remember seeing a self-checkout at a grocery store for the first time. When I looked back and vowed to Rod that I would never use it, he replied, “We might be a little younger to stop adopting new technology.” Of course, he was right. Although I still use self-checkout modestly.
However, there is no denying the fact that AI has already changed the way it plans its trip. The number of humans landing in GopetFriendly has dropped significantly over the past year. Why spend your time hunting options when you enter a simple request and get the answer?
Seriously, how convenient is it? ! Of course, you need to make sure the information provided is correct. However, you should also check the policies of pets found on GopetFriendly!
So – as they say – all good things come to an end.
It’s obvious that there is now Even easier How to plan a trip with your pet. That’s why we’re closing the GopetFriendly pet-friendly location directory at the end of the month. It serves its purpose and frees up time for something new!
How about your blog?
I’m currently setting up my blog. Partly because it created millions of memories made with Ty and Buster. But that’s because AI can’t do better. Our terrestrial studies are a bit dated, but still worth it. Hopefully, it will continue to encourage more people to travel with their pets. And who knows? I might post it once in a while if I find something particularly interesting.
What’s next?
A few years ago, Rod and I purchased a 3-acre lot on a mountain peak in southern Colorado. When I found an amazing house in Bisbee and decided not to build one here, my dream of building a building in that lot began to take shape.
Suddenly everything I was learning in class became useful! And a few months of research has led to finding the best way to build on slopes in remote areas where summer only lasts a few months…and winter can be brutal.
Of course, they plan to break in in May depending on the weather. The panelized home will be delivered in June, with crews completing the exterior of the home. Then we take over, do as much parts as we can and hire subcontractors to do what we can’t.
would you like to join!
Many of you who read this post know that they have been with us for years. The fact that you are still here surprises me. I’m really moved by the friendship we’ve created. And I hope you will join us on this next adventure!
It’s started YouTube Channel To share our progress. First video Yesterday I explained why I chose a prefabricated house. And I post a new video every week. And at the end of each, I’m doing a bit of “treatment” especially for my Gopet-friendly Peeps.
caveat: The video isn’t good! But you will remember that for a long time the first blog post I wrote was also not good either. Everything improves with practice.
(228 visits, 23 visits today)
