I wonder how many of us arrive at a city or town and try to imagine what life would be like if you lived there. Linda and I travel a lot sometimes stopping in tiny little towns and talk about the pros and conns of maybe living there. Would we try to reinvent ourselves or maybe try a job for fun. Who would work on our car and what kind of internet do they have. That’s Important!!! Is the town progressive and growing or fading away into a slow existence. We sometimes even look at houses and that can be a bit dangerous. Its like looking at new cars and maybe coming home with one. So what about you?
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@CharitySitters I would love to start this one off with my reply as it feels very relevant and I am sure many others will join in as well.
Yes! We also do this. I think that the great thing about house-sitting is that it’s easier to picture yourself living there, plus you often get more time to explore the local area and all of the things you mentioned.
In fact, since moving to the USA with my husband we have been staying with family as a home base whilst we housesit. We are now looking at finding our own home base and two locations we are considering came after we house sat there. It would be highly unlikely that we would have ever considered living there otherwise as they are more rural areas that we would have not known about.
One owner on our last day (after a repeat sit) and knowing we liked the area drove us around to all of her favourite places. That was super thoughtful and really helped us get more of a feel for the place.
Maybe we move to one of these locations, maybe we don’t but we do always use the housesits for inspiration. On a side note, we have also got many great home decor ideas from housesits, also book and gadget recommendations! I think there is another thread discussing that if anyone is interested 
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I actually intentionally did a sit like this. I’ve always daydreamed about living in an English village. There was no better way to do that than sitting, because I got to stay in a well-appointed house with a conservatory and a beautiful garden, with lovable pets. And the high street was only blocks away, as were great walks. I met neighbors and other pet owners on walks. There even were sheep grazing on conservation land. It was easy to imagine living there, versus if I’d stayed at a hotel, Airbnb or such.
I even got to take the sweetheart poodle puppy to the pub, where she was super well-behaved.
The HOs were the loveliest people, too. We enjoyed meals together before and after their trip and have since kept in touch.
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What’s interesting to me is how I feel about my own home after I return from a sit. Sometimes I’m thrilled and relieved to be back in a clean place with all the conveniences, other times it seems to fall short, the furniture looks outdated, etc. But after a couple of days, I feel reasonably comfortable either way, then I’m ready to go again!!
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I arrived in the place where I now have a home quite by accident … notice I didn’t say I’m home, that’s on the other side of the “pond” 
I’m kept motivated and inspired because I can “live” anywhere from being REALLY rural where I need a car to just get milk, to another part of the country in fact the world, where there are so many choices that each day is an adventure.
Then I return to rural and once again learn to appreciate the peace and quite, the views of the Loch and outlying Islands … the same view I found boring and no doubt will again until I escape to to that “I can live here for awhile” place.
That’s the beauty of a TrustedHousesitters “best of both worlds” lifestyle.
Oh and did I mention I get to have pets on my travels too? 
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We actually did move to a city where we did a house sit twice for the same homeowner. We had been thinking of downsizing and moving for quite some time. The city we moved to is only an hour away from where we lived. It’s been three years now and best move ever!
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I have and quite often most of my life. I am just a happy wanderer and I always find greatness in most places I visit. Very spontaneous too, don’t think too much about it, just up an go.
However my most favorite place in the world is the one place I have visited that I can’t just stay there. To be able to go there now as a sitter is surreal. Lovely people, lovely animals, countryside…
I cannot help but feel blessed to be able to this in this fashion.
Not in my wildest dreams.
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Oh yes, we do that… and sometimes the actual sit! On longer sits I catch myself thinking about ideas for the house and garden, and have to remind myself it’s not my place! 
When we sold our house to sit full-time, we thought it was only going to be for a short while till we bought something else. We intended for house-sitting to be a way of living in different areas to find where we felt most at home.But we enjoyed it so much we have just kept going!
We’re in the process of buying a (tiny) property, but right now at least, we intend to use it as a base, and carry on sitting.
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It’s funny, because you do so many things while sitting that feel like you live there.
A couple of sits have allowed me to do stuff like take care of many plants, even picking limes for gin and tonics, and harvesting asparagus. I’d never even seen a picture of asparagus growing before. Somehow, they looked hilarious to me, like miniatures of giant beanstalks in fairy tales.
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Yes! We recently had an asparagus bed that just kept giving. They made me laugh too, when they just kept popping up all over the place! The dog was very ‘helpful’ in pinching out the tops…
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Yes sometimes I walk along a broker in a place I sit and see a house/appartement in the shop window really nice with an awesome (sea)view.
Fantasizing me living there how awesome it could be.
At that same moment I get shivers, thinking to be stucked at 1 place for a long time and am glad as I can travel in my camper again after the sit.
For me it’s not the right time (yet) and that’s good to know for yourself
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We are very fickle and are always on the lookout for the place that we would sometime like to call our permanent home. I have lost count of the number of times we have found that perfect place - only to change our minds when we roll up to our next sit!
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Exactly @Colin .
I’ve tried being “normal”.
Just really doesn’t work with my feisty spirit 
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I’ve been searching for my place throughout my entire life, dedicating full-time effort for the past eight years. So, every time I visit a new location, I ask myself, “Could I live here?” Well, I’m still on the lookout.
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Well that’s the thing @anon47943759
While we are there, we are living there aren’t we? We are very much alive in those moments.
It’s strange, someone,
A dear friend, said to me last night, « I don’t understand you. Why do you travel so much when you don’t go anywhere?”
Found quite funny as I have been to the most extraordinary places, too numerous for this comment.
I just said, “I’m not playing tourist. I simply enjoy the people, the culture and atmosphere. It makes me happy.”
To which the reply was well if that’s what you like.
And it is.
Every time I make effort to anchor myself I get restless and go again.
Nothing is forever.
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My Partner and I have been playing the game, “if this was my house, what would I change or remodel in it”. It’s just fun to think about especially since we have been staying in beautiful houses that we will never be able to afford
This is the name of the game Seven-year itch???
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I moved to a place in Costa Rica after doing a sit here just before the pandemic.
That doesn’t stop me from fantasizing about picking up and moving again. Fell in love with Brittany, but came to my senses as I do not speak French 
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Yes! We do this too. Our initial housesitting tour was ‘Around Australia’ to see where we might want to settle. In the end we settled somewhere else where we’ve holidayed before but never got to housesit there 
.
But then the itch started again… we’ve been on the move (again) for 18 months now in Europe and SE Asia, and as @Amparo said: we live everywhere, how exciting. And yes, we always look at house prices and possibilities, and we nearly got caught up in Spain…but it’s hard to commit when you’re a rolling stone. After 18 months, with 6 more months to go, I am thinking more and more of our home waiting for us. I’m getting excited, but I know, I’ll be there for a year and then get itchy feet again (or ‘ants in my pants’
, as my mom says). By the way, I totally inherited it from her!
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@Amparo well now, we are all waiting on the edges of our seats! Where, oh where, is this place so divine?
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