Exotic House Sitting

I decided to write about this because I wanted to make sure that I didn't lose the websites. So this is sort of a selfish reason for sharing, but it also looks like a lot of fun!! There are apparently a number of websites that link people together for the purpose of house sitting.  That is - owners going away for an extended period of time and needing someone to look after their place, while they're away.

This is not like a house exchange, where you go and live in someone else's house and they come and live in yours. We have actually done 2 of these, one to Hilton Head SC for 2 weeks and one to Scotland for 3 weeks. Both worked out very well and we even exchanged cars. The only negative is that I had to do a lot of cleaning to bring my house up to trading standards. I also had to leave the exchange house very clean when we left. It was worth it though to have free accommodation and free use of a vehicle while on holiday!!

A little weeding required

House sitting is actually going to live in and look after someone else's house while they're away somewhere else. The book, "Live Your Dream! House Sitting Around The World," by Cheryl MacDonald and Lisa Chavis explains how to raise your profile on these exchange sites so that you will get "noticed" and possibly be offered a "housesitting job."  The idea is that you can go to exotic places, not pay for hotels etc. and have a wonderful time, while taking care of someone else's place!! Both of these woman have done just that and lived to write about it!!

A little shoveling required

The sites mentioned were "trustedhousesitters.com" and "housecarers.com" The authors made suggestions, such as mentioning some of your talents. For example, if you love gardening, you may be able to snag that gorgeous cottage with a English garden for a month or so. Or if you have run a hobby farm, are good with horses and/or can manage large properties, be sure to mention these to bump up your appeal. Saying you are good at hosting wild parties probably wouldn't work :)

I just popped along to the sites. Housecarers has places all over the US, Canada, Australia, NZ & France. Trustedhousesitters has the same countries with the addition of spots in South America, South Africa, and Asia. Now if you get to go somewhere exotic, you must promise to let me know so I can be totally envious!!

The picture? - My house. I like it better in summer :)

Have a great day!!