I’m doing a personal experiment this year. I work online, every couple of months need to do meetings in my area but mostly can work anywhere with wifi. I’m an empty nester. I love to travel.
Long story short, my adult kid needed a new place, couldn’t find one that suited, so I gave up the house to him and his roommate for a year, they moved in a couple of months ago. I store my and D’s stuff there and we have a place to sleep but the deal is it’s their place for the year and I am only there a day or so a month, if that.
So I’ve been traveling, house/pet sitting, visiting friends, this and that.
Anyone else doing, or done, this?
Really interested to know if anyone is doing the online house/pet sitting sites (like Trusted Housesitter, etc). I have had more house/pet sitting requests than I can do from people I know, so far, but am interested in possibly doing house sits outside the US and am not sure if it’s worth trying one of those sites.
I do keep trying to convince friends we could share a number of abodes. Eg, three of us go in on a year round summer house by the water, just big enough that we had independence when there at the same time. I offered to house sit for a friend who’s in a long transition from the current home to another place. So far, no takers.
I offered my D and her almost fiance the house for a year, with the caveat I keep a bedroom and can visit. The timing was wrong, for them.
I hope you’re having an adventure. I don’t think online housesitting is much different than folks who take a longer rental from an online company. Their house, their rules, but now, add your resposibilities. People have been doing home exchanges for decades, via a third party. I’d guess, look for the right contract and insurance coverage.
I have to figure that there’s a reason my Gypsy grandpa left that nomad lifestyle behind…
One of my temporary roommates is doing that. She just got out of a bad relationship so she’s bouncing from house to house until she decides what she wants to do.
I’ve been home only a few days this year (I just got off a plane a few hours ago after being gone for a week. Before that, I was dog/house sitting for 2 weeks). Personally, I’m over living out of a suitcase. It was fun for the first few months but it got old, fast. It takes a special kind of extroverted person to do it and not be incredibly lonely, IMO.
Wow. Would be miserable doing this. I’m a homebody. I like my things, my bed , my bathroom. But for those who don’t feel that way, sounds like it could be interesting.
We’d live on the road 24/7 if we could afford it, but it’d be backpack traveling for the most part - staying in hostels or similar.
Alternatively we’ve thought about a Class B+ motorhome or H wants a liveaboard sailboat.
We love to wander, but I don’t think I’d want to take care of other peoples’ places full time.
H’s job is mostly portable, but he does need to be on site sometimes so we have to be back home fairly regularly. The most we’ve taken off at one time is 2 months. There have been several month long trips. These have been mostly tent camping (with some condo rentals) - the fewer the amenities (at the campground or condo association) and greater the view the better as far as we’re concerned. National/State Parks and condos on beaches are fantastic.
We’re hoping to stretch to 3 months this winter. Time will tell.
Quite honestly, we only settled down so the kids could have a hometown. Now youngest has graduated from college so our wandering genes are resurfacing, but house/pet sitting doesn’t appeal here.
@lookingforward thanks, good thoughts on the insurance, etc for the online stuff. I’ll look into it.
Yes I’m enjoying it. So far I extended a planned trip to the South Pacific - the beginning of the arrangement, then spent time in New England, Puerto Rico, NYC and nearby mountains, currently house sitting not far from home so doing the business meetings I need to do periodically.
Got travel and a couple of house sits out west planned for August and September, then after that is still open. I’d enjoy being somewhere warm for winter and have a few ideas, some domestic and some very far away, and in between.
That’s me I guess. I enjoy hiking and swimming and other things you shouldn’t do alone, lol…have always worked alone, so that’s fine. (Seriously for hiking I share my location with certain family members via an app so they can freak out if I don’t tell them I’m OK when I get off the trail!). But I’m in my home area for a couple of weeks right now and it has been really nice to catch up with my friends and family here - feels like being grounded again (not can’t go out grounded, grounded in the good sense of feeling rooted).
But I do get restless and ready to move on after a bit.
I find, so far, I can get up early and work a few hours, then be done in time to enjoy the place I am visiting in the afternoons and evenings.
Our good friends are embarking on an around the world trip for a year. They were given two airline passes to travel anytime on standby by her brother who is a pilot for a major airline. Since it’s standby they are not even making reservations where they will be staying once they land somewhere. The only firm-ish plans they have are to meet H and I in Iceland next May.
They thought about renting out their house for the year, but have decided against that, as they probably will come home for a week or so every few months.
Sounds exciting, OHMom. I find that footloose in a new place often gives me that childlike sense of wonder as I do new things. I’ve got a young friend who heads to the Pacific Islands and pretty much boat sits or crews. Just heads somewhere and goes boat to boat in amarina, asking.
Can you tell us the ins and outs on how the whole housesitting/pet sitting thing works? How you find gigs, what it entails, how you pick a gig/how they pick you? Sounds interesting.
I think I’d be somewhat picky about the house I’d stay in.
@doschicos When I was in New Zealand earlier this year I chatted with a couple we rented an airbnb room from, and they and their friends (all retired) had been doing house sits through those web sites, mostly rather fancy houses up in Auckland. So I started researching it there. Lots and lots online about it.
It seems they work like Uber/Airbnb/etc in terms of booking through the sites, reviewing the sitter and the homeowner, everyone can read the reviews, etc. Homeowners post photos and descriptions of their house and pets (if there are any). Sitters post profiles with pics and “about me” type stuff. House sits get posted, potential sitters respond, then they work out whatever.
Currently I’m just doing this for friends and family, I have not registered with one of the (many!) web sites for that purpose.As friends and family learn what I’m doing they ask if I can house sit for them, so all personal connections, so far.
@lookingforward if I could crew a boat I’d do it! But places I’ve been before feel different when I’m living in them, and new places are just awesome to explore.
I always wanted to travel, to live abroad, beyond vacations. I had kids in my late 20s and stayed put for them. Divorced, they’re grown, I’m still young - this seems like the right time to try it out. My work has always permitted me to work from pretty much anywhere, I just didn’t take advantage of that because of kids. And actually, dog - my lab died this year at age 16.
@HImom So far for me it’s been an even trade, but I think the general answer is “it depends”. For the web sites, I think the idea is usually that it be an even trade.
There are caretaker jobs out there that require a decent amount of labor or “handiness”, I’d think those were paid but would not be my gig - my work travels with me. I’m in it to experience living different places. In fact so far I haven’t done a dog sit - obviously more work (if needing walks at least) than cats or fish or no pet at all.
