Fully Nomadic Sitters

It is, indeed. And I´ll be the first one to second that :wink:

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We, as a family, have been nomadic (by choice) since December 2019. We sold our property, sold or gave away most of our ‘stuff’ and have been travelling and house sitting ever since. We house sit about 90% of the time. We use a family member’s address for mail, and anything official that requires a physical address. We have a storage shed (paid) that has what we wanted to keep and large things, like, bicycles that we don’t take with us, but if it’s a ‘local’ house sit, we go and pick them up and keep them at the house while we are there. We have a motorhome, which we have ventured off on some occasions, and used between house sits sometimes, but it is up for sale right now as we are not really using it.
Contact any company that send you mail and ask that it be sent electronically. if any attachments come through, I save them as a pdf ( so I don’t have to look through emails for documents).

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Hi,
I’ve been nomadic almost 5 years now and even a longer TH member. Initially, I placed a few boxes at my friend’s shed and had my address changed to there as well. I would return every 2-3 months.
Earlier this year, I decided to move my official residence to my sister’s in the other end of the country. She has a guest room, so I’m lucky to return whenever and have a place to stay.
I did briefly put my things in a storage and they also provided mail hold service. If I am in a longer sit within my country, have thee mail forwarded.

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Love this idea of keeping/getting a shipping container on the/my property. Clearing out to minimal, then renting out the farm! Thank you thank you, what a great idea. I’ll bet possessions get less important - I look forward to the day! Great post, thank you.

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That is truly the most brilliant on all levels. I love that you’ve got your autonomy when you need it. Thank you for sharing this.

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I’d love to hear how you established a relationship with a dentist. The one I was using told me I could not get my teeth cleaned without getting periodic x rays and exams on schedule. My teeth have been fine for the last few years and haven’t needed any major work, I was disappointed to have to give up on my dental cleanings. I’ve also checked with other dentists and was told the same thing, they will not just do the cleanings without x rays and exams.

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@savoryandrose NO way! I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months. Still. At a dental hygienist. Wherever we go. Which means I see a different one every time! Some dental hygienists are linked to dentists and the cleaning include a quick dental checkup by the dentist (literally 2 minutes), sometimes an x-ray too, but you can tell them you don’t want an x-ray, no one can force you to have one. Other times, it’s just a clean, with no dentist popping in to examine. Just explain to them you are a traveller and it’s time for your 6-monthly clean. Most practices will love and respect you for maintaining good oral hygiene and will try to accommodate you. Worth noting: I always pay out of pocket for this, but for me, maintenance is cheaper than repair.

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Hello!
Ive been fully nomadic since April 2022. I use the address of a family member or friend. And in Ontario Canada you can assign yourself a mailing address at the post office free of charge ! :blush:

That’s really interesting, I have never heard of this. I live in Florida and every dental hygienist here works out of a dental office. A hygienist will not perform a teeth cleaning without a dental examination if you are new. X rays need to be done once I year, I believe, and if they’re not up to date, they won’t work on you. I even checked with a dental school in a less affluent part of the state, hoping that I would be able to just get my teeth cleaned, but their response was the same, no cleaning with an exam/x rays.
I had (so I thought) a good relationship with my own dentist and hygienist in my area, and they wouldn’t make an exception for me, even after years of service. I’m guessing they don’t want to deal with non insurance cases, and it must be a FL thing, they’re very strict about the rules down here.

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@savoryandrose, we went to dentists across the US over the past two years, and most were fine with us sending them our most recent x-rays. Those who weren’t gave the reason that the x-rays were more than a year old, so they took new ones. The dentists always popped round for a few minutes after the cleanings to take a quick look and hear about this wonderful life we’re living :laughing:

We decided to establish on-going relationships with doctors (primary care, eye doctor, etc.) as we’re at that stage in life where it’s good to have those relationships in place in case something goes wrong. We have dental insurance, so adding a dentist to the mix was easy. Our plan is to now see our new dentist at least once a year, and at the six month mark we’ll either go back to see her hygienist or do as we’ve done before and send our x-rays to a dentist in whatever town we’ll be in at that point. :tooth: :toothbrush:

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I haven’t had x rays done in 2 years since I started this nomadic lifestyle and don’t have insurance to pay for new ones, but I’m glad to hear it’s working out for you. Safe travels!

Thanks @savoryandrose. Safe travels to you too!

Hi! Have you made inquiry and considered that you may not need dental insurance?
Barring an accident or oral surgery, a bite wing X-ray may be between 35-100 USD
A cleaning varies but avg $100 give or take.
Ask around.
Create a budget for it.
Might be about the same or even less than insurance.
Sitters who travel can also do this in other places away from home.
I’ve done it. Worth a look

Yes, I’ve heard they have excellent dentists in Mexico, for example, who charge far less than insurance or US dentists cost.

(My husband has very soft teeth, so he needs additional work (fillings, etc) on a regular basis. That’s why we have insurance)

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I’ve looked into it. At some point when I do have insurance again, I’ll go back that route, through the x rays, etc. I’ve also had plenty of work done overseas many years ago, back when I needed it. I’ve since learned how to take better care of myself. If there are other sitters based out of FL, though, I’d love to hear from you if you have a hygienist who will see you without the usual exams and X-rays, I haven’t found one yet but it doesn’t mean they aren’t out there, perhaps in more rural areas.

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Hee hee I get it
I’m “Floridian” but always get things done elsewhere.
Best wishes

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I’m just finally settling back down to have my own place after 3 years of being nomadic to have our second baby in February - however, before that, I used a family members address for our permanent mailing address.

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That’s what I thought, you know the “drill” :wink:

@thejohnsfam, congrats on the soon-to-be new member of your family!

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I agree. Mail is fine, you don’t really have much (bank and a lot of other stuff can all be online) and I use a family member’s address for any mail or parcels but doctors are a pain. In the UK GPs are supposed to take someone on their books if they are ‘homeless’ but I don’t identify as homeless (I have a van as well as house sitting) and trying to explain to a GP practice that I’m not homeless but I don’t have a permanent ‘home’ is a bit tricky. Frankly though I can’t afford to rent on my income and I would rather travel. I try to do pet sits abroad in the winter. I must say lining up house sits has become more fraught with the 5 person limit!!!

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