While sitting in our guesthouse in Fortuna, Costa Rica last Fall, I was imagining our upcoming trip to Volcan Arenal when I found a housesitting assignment in Langkawi, Malaysia in the Caretakers Gazette. After nearly a year and a half on the road, staying in one place for three weeks sounded like heaven. I wrote to Valerie and Donal, the homeowners, indicating my interest and all about past travels to Asia including a brief visit five years ago to Langkawi.
George and I first met seven years ago on an online dating site; housesitting reminded us of the dating process. Whether in search of a mate or a housesitting date, we highly recommend that you remain patient and wait for a good match. Don't offer to housesit if you always dreamed of living in a specific location but the level of responsibility is not appropriate for what you want. If you have not cared for multiple pets or are unsure about being exceedingly remote, be honest with yourself and select assignments that fit in your comfort zone and are in line with your level of experience.
WATCH: ” target=”_hplink”>WeSaidGoTravel, and uploaded movies to our ” target=”_blank”>Breakfree: The Ultimate Guide to Housesitting, that “Housesitting allows you to travel the world on your terms, and while this is a growing movement, not enough people are taking advantage of it to see the world – yet!” When my husband George counted the money in his wallet, we were shocked at how little we spent during our three weeks of housesitting. Normally we spend under $50 a day for the two of us, but while housesitting we spent so little that it felt like we made money. Breakfree is a tremendous resource for both house sitters and homeowners.
Complete sections of the book have specific tips and stories to help teach how housesitting can be done well and what we should do if something goes wrong. Whether you are a newbie or seasoned house sitter, you will gain insight on how to properly write profiles, make checklists, and put together housesitting agreements. The authors will even makeover your profile to help you get started! Throughout their book, they share many ups and downs of housesitting with detailed stories.
As I read the book while we were housesitting, I could see how useful it would have been to read it before we made the agreement or arrived. Dalene and Pete Heck's “