If you’ve ever felt torn between your passion for travel and the love for your dogs, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed.
In this Soul Touched by Dogs conversation, I sit down with serial entrepreneur, business strategist, and fellow dog mom, Marisa Hoskins, the visionary behind Paws Abroad.
After building (and selling!) Canada’s most nutritious dog food brand, Marisa set off on a global adventure with her rescue pups - and hit a wall of frustrating, confusing pet travel regulations. Sound familiar?
Rather than accept “that’s just how it is”, Marisa turned her experience into purpose and created Paws Abroad, a digital platform designed to make international pet travel stress-free, empowering pet parents everywhere to roam the world with confidence.
We talk about:
The heartbreaking reality of why expats often have to give up their dogs, and how Paws Abroad is working to change that.
How Marisa leveraged her startup background and software development expertise to solve one of the pet world’s most complex problems.
What it really takes to build a “community over competition” platform for global dog lovers.
Why “collaboration, not gatekeeping” is her philosophy for revolutionizing the pet travel industry.
PLUS: An exclusive treat for Soul Touched by Dogs listeners!
Get $5 off any Paws Abroad travel planner tier at https://pawsabroad.co/launch with the code BYDOGS.
If you’ve got adventure in your soul and a dog at your side, this conversation will leave you inspired and equipped to dream bigger about where your journey could take you - together.
👉 Listen now and share with your fellow dog-travel dreamers!
00:00 Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs Podcast
00:24 Meet Marisa: A Journey with Rescue Dogs
01:09 The Challenges of International Pet Travel
02:43 From Stressful Moves to a Business Idea
07:48 Launching Paws Abroad: A Digital Pet Travel Planner
10:13 Building a Community for Pet Travelers
11:25 How Paws Abroad Stays Up-to-Date
12:43 Future Plans and User Feedback
15:14 Where to Find More Information
18:53 Conclusion and Farewell
To find out more and connect with Marisa:
Website: https://www.pawsabroad.com
Bio: Marisa Hoskins is a serial entrepreneur, business strategist, and passionate dog mom on a mission to make pet travel stress-free. After scaling and selling a human-grade pet food company that became Canada’s most nutritious dog brand, she moved abroad with her rescue pups and experienced firsthand how complicated global pet travel can be. That journey sparked the creation of Paws Abroad — a digital platform that simplifies international pet travel with up-to-date regulations, travel checklists, and pet-friendly airline options.
Now based in Thailand, Marisa is building the future of pet travel from the beach, helping fellow pet parents explore the world with confidence. When she's not building startups, you’ll find her sailing, cold plunging, or hiking with her dogs by her side.
Social media links: @pawsabroad.co (Instagram & Tiktok) https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-hoskins/
As always, all about Soul Touched by Dogs at https://soultouchedbydogs.com