House sit and see the world for free

but...

House sitting ain't for chickens! 

(a repost from my travel/relocation blog; The Aspiring Expats)

an exploration of something I never considered doing....

House sitting

Of course, I knew that house sitting was a possibility because so many of the younger travelling expats were successfully house sitting and sharing their successes online. As a matter of fact it seemed like house sitting was utilized by a healthy majority of the younger set. One month they were in Costa Rica and the next time you heard from them, they were half way cross the globe in Switzerland.  "All well and good" I thought, but since that was not what I had in mind for my retirement, I never really gave house sitting any serious thought. 

Until....I read the blog post about the couple who got married and sold all of their belongings to travel the world. They've been at it for several years now and they are making good use of house sitting. I contacted the couple and after our communication I gained a new found awareness about the possibilities of house sitting. 

All this time, I had the misconception that house sitting was only for the young. That's not true. As a matter of fact, it can be a plus to be older and more "mature". I mean, if you are going to entrust your home to a total stranger you just might want to have a stable, retired, grounded, and experienced older person/couple looking after your possessions. This is actually a situation where older just might be better! (no drunken beer parties!) It's also a BIG money saver, because in the majority of house sits you pay no rent at all in exchange for looking after the house and possibly the pets and some chores (utilities and other monthly bills will be worked out in the agreement). You can travel the world or choose where you want to concentrate. You can find a short term or long term house sit.

Since our container community is several years off, we have some time to explore other housing options. House sitting sounds pretty good to me so I have already begun looking into the process.

Oh, but before you go....

Remember I said "house sitting ain't for chickens??"
bwok, bwok, bwok

Watch

I'll report back on my findings.