Hey! I'm a house sitter. My husband and I started house sitting 13 years ago when we start fulltime traveling sailing. We would house sit in hurricane season when we weren't sailing. We continued house sitting in the summers a few years after we bought a van to travel in and sold our boat. We joined Trusted House Sitters 4 years ago.
House sitting for us is more about having a break from traveling. At first it gave us a place to live and a chance to work to make more money for sailing. Just this past year we did two house sits that were more tourism orientated, on in Cusco, Ecuador and the other in Lima, Peru. We were already backpacking through South America. It was a good chance to spend more concentrated time in those cities.
You really need to love animals to house sit and your time isn't always free. Many pets can only be left alone for a certain period of time. I'd suggest that anyone wanting to use house sitting as a way of travel to do a lot of research first. Get on the Trusted House Sitters Fourm and get on some Facebook group.
Also. This is super important. Many countrys see house sitting as work. Even if no money changes hands. A tourist visa doesn't mean you are allowed to house sit. You can be turned back at the border and barred from the country.
Wow!! This is a treasure trove of information. Thank you Duwan. I'd love to know more about your experiences. This is something I'd like to consider with my wife sometime. It makes sense about the visa situation. What I read didn't mention the possibility of getting turned away at the border, so that's valuable insight.
Yes, the pitfalls of house sitting aren't wildlife advertised. If you read the forums you will learn a lot. I'm happy to answer any questions you have.
My daughter did not intend to teach English abroad.
She was touring South America after studying in Concepcion, Chile, for a year. After its 2010 devastating earthquake, all the American teachers got the heck out of there, so the school was desperate for teachers and she worked there for quite some time. Didn't pay well, but did include a free apartment!
What a time to be there! Some ESL jobs don't pay too well, but others do (relative to what locals make at least). It's interesting how some opportunities fall into your lap. How long did she work there?
Almost nine years! It wasn't strictly an ESL school; it was an "American school" for the children of wealthy Chileans. Now she is living in Costa Rica and is teaching at a comparable school, although the families aren't quite as wealthy.
Hey! I'm a house sitter. My husband and I started house sitting 13 years ago when we start fulltime traveling sailing. We would house sit in hurricane season when we weren't sailing. We continued house sitting in the summers a few years after we bought a van to travel in and sold our boat. We joined Trusted House Sitters 4 years ago.
House sitting for us is more about having a break from traveling. At first it gave us a place to live and a chance to work to make more money for sailing. Just this past year we did two house sits that were more tourism orientated, on in Cusco, Ecuador and the other in Lima, Peru. We were already backpacking through South America. It was a good chance to spend more concentrated time in those cities.
You really need to love animals to house sit and your time isn't always free. Many pets can only be left alone for a certain period of time. I'd suggest that anyone wanting to use house sitting as a way of travel to do a lot of research first. Get on the Trusted House Sitters Fourm and get on some Facebook group.
Also. This is super important. Many countrys see house sitting as work. Even if no money changes hands. A tourist visa doesn't mean you are allowed to house sit. You can be turned back at the border and barred from the country.
Wow!! This is a treasure trove of information. Thank you Duwan. I'd love to know more about your experiences. This is something I'd like to consider with my wife sometime. It makes sense about the visa situation. What I read didn't mention the possibility of getting turned away at the border, so that's valuable insight.
Interesting!
Yes, the pitfalls of house sitting aren't wildlife advertised. If you read the forums you will learn a lot. I'm happy to answer any questions you have.
My daughter did not intend to teach English abroad.
She was touring South America after studying in Concepcion, Chile, for a year. After its 2010 devastating earthquake, all the American teachers got the heck out of there, so the school was desperate for teachers and she worked there for quite some time. Didn't pay well, but did include a free apartment!
What a time to be there! Some ESL jobs don't pay too well, but others do (relative to what locals make at least). It's interesting how some opportunities fall into your lap. How long did she work there?
Almost nine years! It wasn't strictly an ESL school; it was an "American school" for the children of wealthy Chileans. Now she is living in Costa Rica and is teaching at a comparable school, although the families aren't quite as wealthy.