Once again, I was chatting with a client and he shared an idea with me, that I thought would be great to share with our readers. Originally, planning to buy an RV and travel across the country, he had spent some time rethinking that plan. Laying out tens of thousands of dollars in cash, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs doesn't seem like the ideal vacation. So, he shared his new retirement travel goal, HOUSESITTING.
Imagine living in a luxury condo in Chicago, an historic townhouse in London, or maybe a beachside villa in Cost Rica. All without paying a single dollar in rent or mortgage payments. Housesitting is becoming a real lifestyle for digital nomads, remote workers and retirees looking for a change of scenery. By trading a few hours of daily property maintenance and pet care for free accommodations, house sitters are realizing unprecedented geographic and financial freedom. Rarely is there an exchange that is a "win-win" for both parties. Housesitting may be just one of those opportunities.
But it's not technically a "free" vacation, since there are some responsibilities that go along with Housesitting.
1. Pet Care - The vast majority of assignments require some form of pet care. If you are not prepared to handle strict medication schedules, separation anxiety or 6:00 AM dog walks, housesitting may seem to be too much like a job.
2. Property Maintenance - There may be a plant watering regime to follow. Or gathering the mail each day. Taking out the trash and collecting the garbage cans. Even routine lawn maintenance, such as mowing or raking the leaves could be required.
3. Flexible Schedule Dependency - As a House sitter you need to align your life with the homeowner's timeline. That may require a willingness to pack up and move frequently. But then again, if you are only doing a gig here and there, that could work out well.
4. Clean Records - Platforms like TrustedHouseSitters.com require paying an annual fee as well as undergoing mandatory background and criminal checks. But for you, that should be a piece of cake.
The concept of the "sharing" economy has transformed the way we live. Everything from UBER ridesharing to Airbnb for short term vacation rentals to TURO for car rentals has allowed us to squeeze every ounce of financial opportunity out of those things we already possess. So, if Housesitting sounds like it might be an interesting way to do some inexpensive getaways, check it out and let me know what your experiences are! Happy travels.