House Sitting - Traveling the world on a dime

    
Traveling

       About 10 years ago I decided to explore the idea of house sitting. I had heard about it before but never gave it much thought until I realized that traveling with my children would be more affordable, comfortable and a richer cultural experience through house sitting. 

       There are a few official websites that you can use. I've been using one called Trusted House Sitters since I've started this venture. There is a background check for sitters so people know they are getting who they are agreeing to (after all, it takes a lot of trust for someone to open up their house for someone and have their belongings or fur baby cared for in their absence). This isn't a house swapping thing (like you've probably watched on the movie The Holiday). I don't have pets in my house so I'll have a friend pop by occasionally and bring in mail or help with the yard - especially when we are gone for an entire summer holiday. 

       So what's the cost and what's the benefit of house sitting? Let's start with the cost benefits for sitters (like me). We have traveled for up to 5 weeks in other countries for summer holiday. Imagine that kind of hotel bill?! 

Average hotel night: $150 x 35 days = $5,250
Mind you, that's just for the lodging. That doesn't count food, laundry, transportation, activities, etc. 

       Signing up on Trusted House Sitters is an annual fee of $120 (or get a discount through my referral link here). On the website you are able to select the types of animals you'd be willing to care for, the places you'd like to go, and sift through all of the photos that hosts have so you know the kind of house/apartment you'd be staying in. 

       I'm a very clean and tidy person (yes, even with kids) so I select homes that are comfortable for me. I like homes that don't have clutter and, let's be honest, some people who have pets have a house that is a bit overrun by the pets. I much prefer a space that feels clean and tidy - really, it makes such a different for me. 

       Because you're staying in someone's home the comforts of a home are already there. We cook our own meals, do our laundry, have a nice comfortable home, and the best is when hosts leave us their car to use. We do most of our house sits in Europe, which has pretty fabulous public transportation so it's not essential for many house sits to have access to a car since public transport is easier (in those cases). 

       We did stay in Wales (United Kingdom) which was pretty remote. Having a car was a must. The lovely lady who left me and my daughters in charge of her home and 2 sweet pups left us her car as well. It was perfect for us to zip around Wales because a bus was really not happening and Uber and Lyft ... yeah, that wasn't going on with reliability in the remote area of Wales where we stayed. 

       As I start expanding this blog, I'll do a country write up for many of the house sits we have done over the years as well as show some of my favorite photography from my travels. Little by little the list of countries below will have corresponding posts (and photos) along with recommendations about the country and our stays there. 

  • Switzerland
  • Cyprus
  • Germany
  • Wales
  • England
  • Ireland (and personal travel)
  • Scotland 
  • Belgium 
  • USA: Florida
  • USA: North Carolina
  • USA: Georgia
  • USA: Vermont
  • USA: Tennessee
  • USA: South Carolina
Trusted House Sitters
** View some select travel photography here **        

If you have questions about house sitting, our experiences, why I use the website I do, please feel free to message me. I'm more than happy to answer questions. On the website is the ability to list YOUR home to have it cared for whether you have no pets or a whole bunch of them (from farm animals, to reptiles, to cute pups or cats, etc) ... and you can also sign up as a house sitter as an individual, a couple, a family and so on. 


 

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