I am new to this site and am making a first introduction. We are a fun loving family with two boys aged 11 and 12 years old. We are American and Brazilian and currently live in India and have a great street dog that we adopted six years ago. We are looking to relocate to France for 6-9 months from late December of 2021 for mid-life retirement and personal reasons. We have looked at all sorts of long term stays, short term leases, but thought we’d explore this as an option as well. I know it sounds over the moon, but we are initially looking at areas in or around Paris given my wife will be studying in that from January 5th. However we are open to consider other options where I can house sit and pet sit with my boys while my wife studies solo in Paris. If anyone has any properties, ideas, or suggestions, please let me know. We are extreme clean freaks and we always leave the apartments we’ve rented in better shape than when we moved in.
Hi @alwalkjohn a very warm welcome to our Community Forum and to TrustedHousesitters thank you for joining us from India.
We already have things in common, I lived in Mumbai for 6 years and moved to France from India, I also worked with a vet on a spay and neutering program for street dogs, it is a huge problem all over India (and other countries too) thank you for giving one homeless and deserving dog a chance to live its best life.
Looking at pet and house sitting isn’t as you say “over the moon” although it shouldn’t be relied on as a full time accommodation solution especially if you are location specific. There are many full time sitters with no base, who successfully live the lifestyle with back to back sits however it takes time to develop and one of the key factors is flexibility with time and location and always having a plan B as life can throw up surprises, although I’m sure you are thinking more along the lines of pet sitting and having a permanent base.
Another factor to consider is family friendly sit opportunities, while these are on the increase they are less than those for other sitter combinations, which of course is a limiting factor.
Pet and house sitting is a wonderful lifestyle choice and there are many TrustedHousesitter families enjoying all it has to offer, Jess & Willian Swenson, an American couple, took their three children on a trip around the world https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/blog/travel/we-took-a-trip-around-the-world-with-our-three-kids/ now back in the States they continue to pet and housesit and I know that Jess would be happy to connect.
The forum is a great community, helpful and supportive so feel free to ask any questions you’ll also find lots of information on the website blog enjoy the conversations and connecting with other members from around the world and thank you again for joining, we cannot wait to see where your TrustedHousesitters adventures take you and will do all we can to help you get “over the moon” 
Angela and the Team
Thank you Angela and great to connect. Hats off to you for spending six years here in India working on the spray and neutering program. We have dozens of local stray dogs here in Bandra, all with clipped year and the collar indicating they are neutered and vaccinated. They are the most loving and happy animals, always wagging their tails and running up to you when they remember you. Our Indie is an old princess now, she prefers the comfort of the couch than the life on the streets, runs and hides when she sees the leash.
We are basically aiming to pack up in India at the end of the year and head to France for 2022. Our children are fluent and we’d like for them to spend a year there in full immersion just to tie off any doubts. Given we are big fans of animals and pets, and if there is anyone who is looking to be away for an extend amount of time, more than the traditional week or two, then we’d be open to explore the option of going deep in the house sitting and pet sitting responsibilities. Paris is obviously a more difficult market but if there is anyone who needs extended sitting then we’d definitely be up for the challenge, or more like the privilege. And if we had to divide and conquer, the wife can rent a small place in Paris while I take the boys for an extended sitting job.
We may not be the first choice for those looking for a sitter, but if someone needs their pets to enjoy the love and excitement from two enthusiastic children, and of course parents, then here we are.
I"ll definitely read the thread about the couple who took their kids around the world for a year. We’ve been abroad for 20 years now living in both Japan and India. We don’t have a home, we’re raising our kids as global citizens, and seeking the alternative route to travel, explore, help out, live, and make friends.
Thanks again for reaching out, glad to see this site and community is alive and kickin’!
AJ
That’'s a great plan to have AJ and it really just needs all of the stars to align for the right opportunity (ies) to come along and it all starts with creating a great family profile introduction, which owners use in their selection process.
Until you get your first THS reviews the addition of references to your profile is very important they play a big part when owners are considering who they might consider and not just for you but also for the children, having a short message from someone other than their parents can be a very effective endorsement.
Another point is while some sits don’t classify themselves as “Family Friendly” I know of families who have applied and found owners to be incredibly receptive saying they didn’t realise family sitters were a “thing” so if the listing looks as though it could accommodate a family, such as sits with multiple pets in a countryside environment it’s always worth applying.
We will watch your journey with great interest and it really is a small world … I lived in Bandra & Juhu
Enjoy your weekend