Have these sits been all over the world? And 14 years full time or every now and then? Pretty cool though!!
Those questions you mention are great I’d say. I ask 'em too. Especially those cameras aye! Definitely always do a call. It’s good to see who’s on the other side of the camera and to get a feeling of someone too. And of course to get an idea of the house!
And so true, you can be surprised anytime, anywhere.
Uhlala yay!! How was your first sit? And in which state?
Verrry good idea to not take a sit out of fear of not finding another one! I’ve done that too and even recently. Even though I knew it wasn’t what I exactly wanted and I knew I should listen to that feeling. But hey ho. Stubborn. 
Oh boiii, Whoopsie! 
True!!!
Are you also a full-time sitter? If yes, do you ever stress out about not having a place to stay? Even though worst case you can book accommodation or something. People ask me this question quite ofter, so I’m curious about how other people think about it and do it.
I just replied on someone else’s comment about the same thing. It’s easy to ignore that feeling and justify it for yourself why you should do the sit and blahblah. But it’s just not worth it, is it?
First sit was GREAT! Aside from me needing to plan ALOT better to sleep comfortably (this is a me problem 
). We sat in a small town in New Mexico for 9 nights for an old kitty. The area is one we wanted to spend more time in (we’ve been there one other time) as we are considering it as an area to live in for the future. Super cool quirky vibe, live music, delish food, lots of hiking/mountain biking, a pilates studio for me, a gym for hubby, a Marshalls! Mountainous so summers arent so brutal (as they are in Sonora, Mexico where we live 9 months a year). It has all the essentials FOR US.
Hi @emmarrr
Yes and yes 
We’ve sat all over the world and have been doing it full-time since we retired in March 2012. It’s our retirement lifestyle of choice, and yes, we do think it’s pretty cool!
Yeah, gotcherback, I have in my profile that I’m a Light sleeper and can’t share my bed, takes care Of the whole issue of dogs in bed. And so far I’ve been happy with all sits except my second which to this day confounds me. I think I didn’t know enough to vet her properly… we weren’t a fit and I was miserable till she came home early and released me. The dogs were obnoxious and reactive, the house was 300 years old stone and it was winter without permission to use tiny wood stove (“no! I can’t risk you burning the house Down!”), absolutely freezing , there was no place To sit and read, no bedside table (oh well, spilt My red Wine on her comforter and had to take a bus to a laundromat to clean it!), and the house was 2 feet from a 45 mile Hour speedway so when I stepped outside with the (bolting, untrained) dogs, I was in fear for all of our lives! Oh, there’s more. The biggest takeaway I have is to NOT rely on prior reviews ( liars!), but to go with your gut in the video call and, as already mentioned, ask as many questions as you can.
Interesting you should ask, actually…
I’m a frequent (but purposely not full-time) sitter, specifically because I want to avoid situations where I might allow my need for lodging to override my gut instinct & therefore take a sit that I shouldn’t have. From the reading I’ve done it just seems like the majority of sits that go sideways have generally involved gap sits that were needed to fill in dates for lodging.
Because I do plan to do a lot of traveling & sits in Europe over the next few years, I’ve decided to secure a long-stay visa & lodging on that side of the Atlantic, to have a European “home base” to return to when I need a break or have a gap where nothing especially promising pops up. Permanent lodging might cost me $1000 per month, but a single gap of 2 days in a major city might cost me $500 for a hotel room for just that stay.
Even more pertinent as a solo female traveler — I have a strict criteria for the sits I choose, and I’m especially committed to not making compromises where I feel there could be potential safety concerns.
@MerryPuppins I love this way of looking at it “permanent lodging $1000 per month” so you don’t risk settling for sub standard sits. It also means you can just give your self a break from sitting. What a good way to do it. Not everyone can afford it, but yeah if you can why not. We have never sat back to back and always enjoy our autonomous travel in between.
This too, definitely! I love the pets & new places/people, but was starting to feel a little burnout building after 3-4 sits in a row — even with a few “just me/hotel days” in between!
Most of the Visa options I have explored require having an address established to complete the application. I am curious what long term visa you are exploring. I am getting tired of the Schengen shuffle. Thanks,
I’ve applied for Irish residency via their retirement scheme, although Greece may be on the table in future for the longer term, for cost reasons. Love Ireland, but rents are mad there — plus it isn’t part of Schengen region, so the shuffle would still be required for travel in related countries. (All the more reason for a base somewhere to step back to.)
I’m not sure how you get around having a permanent address prior to the application; they want to see income & expenditures including home address. It might mean renting something small in your home country for a few months ahead of time; I’ve heard of people using a long-stay AirBnB or the address of a friend/family member, but they’ll want copies of rent receipts & mail (like bills of some sort) that have been delivered to the address you provide.
Best of luck!
I am the opposite. I was surprised there were people who didn’t let their pets sleep in the bed. We also ask where the pets sleep in order to maintain consistency.
I would phrase it quite differently, The Balkans (shrinking over time), UK, Ireland, Turkey and Morocco ARE the Schengen shuffle; they permit an American (or other citizen) to stay indefinitely in the Europe area with a bit of planning. This is essentially the bulk of what International Living and others tout as their “secret” method of living in Europe. There’s a handy app to help you stay compliant.
That’s amazing!! I’d love to hear some of your stories 
Woohoo great to hear!! What happened that you didn’t sleep comfortably?
Ah so smart to do a few petsit in a place you potentially wanna live in. Sounds like my vibe as well. Maybe one day! Have never visited the states actually
Wow. That sounds intense. Crazy experience aye. How long ago did you do this sit?
I get where you’re coming from. Like someone else said: if you can afford it: great!
For me personally I don’t find it worth it to put money towards a house. I’ve had my own place and all, and of course it can be challenging from time to time when you have no sits lined up for example, but I’d rather book a few nights at a hostel than paying rent/mortgage. Though, if I had all the money in the world: I’d go for my own place. ;D
It’s good that we can all do what suits us best, right?
