My finances were stalled and my life was sadly devoid of pets.
Each month I worked hard to pay rent and each month I rented so that I could work.
How could I break this cycle? How could I have a home without simultaneously working myself to the bone for it and continuing the vicious cycle of live to work?
I did some research and came to the realisation that I could solve this problem with one simple answer: House sitting!
I could begin saving for the first time, get my animal company fix and satisfy my need for adventure all in one go.
I signed up for TrustedHouseSitters, got my first sit and following that, gave up my permanent rental accommodation and jumped all in - in the middle of a global pandemic. Bold, but possibly not the wisest decision!
The following six months were filled with incredible sits - from a sunny hilltop ocean view home in Wales to a 5 dog, 3 cat menagerie in the Algarve, Portugal (all within the COVID travel regulations at the time of course!).
Here I am half a year later happy as can be with my progress and looking forward to the next sit and animal friend!
So, hello from a new but enthusiastic community member and thanks for having me!
Hi Ana and WELCOME to TrustedHousesitters and to our community forum.
“From Wales to the Algarve” what a great story thank you for sharing, we cannot wait to get to know you better and share in the next chapter of your pet and housesitting journey, looking forward things can only get better … more pets, people and places.
Enjoy the conversations, connecting with other members and thank you for joining our wonderful community.
Welcome! We too are full time sitters, and while we started our adventure prior to Covid (2016 actually), this last year has been a new landscape for house sitting! The move you made was definitely bold, and some may agree that it wasn’t the wisest, but one thing we tell people when they tell us they envy our lifestyle but fear they cannot do it is this:
By and large the world is kind and generous. You likely will not fail if you decide to house sit and/or be a digital nomad, but if you do stumble, there will always be people there to keep you from falling (you just have to look and ask )
Have you heard of FI/RE (financial independence, retire early)? From your introduction it may be something you’d be interested in and worth looking into.
We look forward to seeing you on the forum. Best of luck in continuing to find new and great house sitting opportunities!
Welcome Ana… love your enthusiasm and positivity - it’s refreshing in these often gloomy times. We are full time sitters, an Aussie and a Brit, but currently stationed in France after “escaping” the UK after the first lock down last year.
We’ve stayed nomadic throughout last year (with some creativity) and managed 11 safe sits in that time through THS, despite Covid, and 3 so far this year. This is a wonderful lifestyle, and really, many of us are already flexible and adaptable enough to ride these tough times.
We set out a decade ago and house sitting has stretched our travel budget (coupled with some remote part-time work) so we rarely dip into our savings. You’ve made a wise decision and one that will continue to to make you happy I’m sure. Hope to see you on the road some day!
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