All of this feedback seems great! I just wanted to add that, for me, anyway, it is nice to have a day or two between sits to take a breath, reflect, and reset. The pets and people from sit to sit are so very different from each other that I like to have a little gap to come into each one fresh. Also, for the reasons mentioned already, I would find it really stressful not to have some wiggle room in case of travel complications or other unforeseen events. Good luck! I hope you find the setup you are looking for!
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I loved reading your advise. I am thinking about becoming a digital nomad in April. My only fear is days between sits. I don’t want to pay for expensive hotel rooms but am willing to pay reasonable amounts. I’m beginning this life style in the US and then visiting Europe in Fall.
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@Mastiffmom Good luck on your new Digital nomad adventure!
I’m not sure how things are in the states but in mainland Europe (e.g Spain, France & Germany) if we have gaps between sits we never stay in hotel rooms. We pretty much always choose a cheap airbnb to fit our budget. Usually a room in someones home, or an annexe, as we always want access to a kitchen. These are plentiful. Just being able to make your own morning coffee and meals helps a lot in keeping expenses down! Sometimes the same budget gets us a self contained studio in a condo (with pool & gym & spectacular views!) especially in places Kuala Lumpur where we are now.
We average around $40 a night depending on location. In UK perhaps a little more. We also use Booking.com but airbnb is our go to.
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@KC1102 This is definitely the advice we are receiving. BTW: are you a writer? If you are I can see why? If not, have you considered it?
@Mastiffmom You are very welcome and that is exciting! Yes it is understandable to not want to pay a lot for accommodation in between. The US has so many sits so it is totally possible to book continuously with minimal gaps. And the more flexible you are with your locations, the easier that becomes as well. Of course cancellations are always a possibility so that is something you need to take into account, but in my 10 years of sitting, they have been pretty rare.
And again, because there are so many sits in the US, finding a replacement usually isn’t too difficult. I remember a couple of years ago we had a sit cancelled with less than a week to go and we had the dates filled again by the end of the day.
When we do need to pay for accommodation, we stay at Best Western, Red Roof Inn type places–they are usually pretty reasonably priced no matter where you are, clean and sufficient for our needs.
When my husband and I are in the US, the touristic appeal of the location isn’t really as important as when we are traveling abroad so that widens options even more. We would much rather stay in a more spacious upscale home in a suburb than an apartment in a major urban area. We particularly enjoy more rural locations as well.
Good luck and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
@Rosemary Thank you for that. I am not officially a writer, but I do have a blog and I have done freelance writing in the past!
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