ON THE ROAD AGAIN... Hello again. Time flies when you're having fun. It also seems to fly when you are working hard too. Both of these have certainly been true for us this past month. We have thoroughly enjoyed our final five-week stay in San Miguel de Allende, and are very sad to be leaving today. We're not sure when we will be back, but Mexico has certainly grown on us over the past eight months. A visit to Guanajuato We've managed to squeeze in a couple of interesting day trips in recent weeks, including a visit to neighbouring city of Guanajuato. Guanajuato is an absolutely breath-taking little city high in the mountains, where tiny streets climb the hillsides in an almost unfathomable colourful maze.
Tunnels under the city take traffic in all directions, and getting lost is practically guaranteed if you wander for a while. We'll certainly be coming back here one day!
We've been working hard too this month. After our return from Cuba we had to fit a month of online English teaching into the second half of March. And with new destinations ahead in mid-April, we had to fit another month of teaching into the first two weeks of this month. And of course, we've also had this issue of House Sitting Magazine to prepare and produce. So we're looking forward to a bit of a break over the second half of April. Onward to Botswana Today we travel to Cancun, before heading to the UK for a six-day whistle-stop tour to catch up with friends and family. Then we fly south for our next house sit assignment - three months out in the African bush, looking after an off-grid home right by the water's edge in Maun, Botswana. We're very excited. We are led to believe that we will have hippos and crocs in the river at the bottom of the garden. So we're hoping we can get some good images of the African wildlife we will have on our doorstep over the next three months. Keep an eye on the website for pix.
What's in this month's issue? This month focuses on Australia, and provides an introduction for house sitters who haven't yet visited this vast country. Find out where the best destinations are, and which house sitting platforms to use. We have contributions from Aussie house sitter Katrina Elliott and Nat and Jodie, although they are talking about their recent house sitting experiences in wintry Canada! We're also joined this month by Michela from Rocky Travel who talks about how long-term travelers can benefit from house sitting in Oz. When we were house sitting in Australia, we discovered the magic of Aussie dog parks and beaches, and Ian tells us how to use them not only to exercise any dogs in your charge, but also for networking and finding more house sit jobs! Amazing photographer, Andrea Jordon, delights us again with her images as she describes her time house sitting in Wellington, New Zealand, and I talk about my recent experience having dental treatment in Mexico. We often say "listen to your intuition" when applying for house-sits, and Bernardine Devine joins us again this month to talk about how you can use intuition to serve others by serving yourself. There's also another article by Laurie Stolmaker as she explains how she and husband Neil overcome the challenges of their special dietary needs while traveling. Finally, Ian reviews a fabulous app called "TheBasetrip". If you need to know anything about a new location, you'll find it on TheBasetrip. And we love its ability to compare two different locations - see how much more expensive Panama is to Mexico, for example. We hope you enjoy the magazine as much as we enjoy putting it together. See you again next month. Ian and Vanessa (currently on the road between house sits, travelling Mexico - UK - South Africa - Botswana)
You'll find extra news, reviews and snippets throughout the magazine!
Getting Started - House Sitting in Australia Vanessa Anderson Serving Others by Serving Yourself Bernardine Devine
The Aussie Dog Park Experience Ian Usher
My Adventures house sitting in Wellington, New Zealand Andrea Jordan
Meeting the Challenges of Eating Healthily on the Road Laurie Sequana Stolmaker Resources - Review of The Basetrip.com Ian Usher Why Mexico is now my preferred location for Dental Treatment Vanessa Anderson
House Sitting for Long-Term Travellers in Australia Michela Fantinel - Rocky Travel Nat and Jodie at 20 Below Zero Nat Smith and Jodie Burnham Anything can happen in Australia! Katrina Elliott
In the next issue...
GETTING STARTED – HOUSE SITTING IN AUSTRALIA by Vanessa Anderson
House sitting in Australia – is it for me? House sitting has been thriving in Australia for many years now. This is why you'll find more house sitting platforms there than anywhere else in the world? Why is that? Well, Aussies love to travel, and often for long periods of time. Geographically they are a long way from the UK, where they often have family ties. If they want to see Europe then it's much too far for a quick 2-week holiday. In any case they'll lose a couple of days either end of the vacation, traveling on planes and readjusting from jet-lag. Short hop holiday destinations are much more likely to include Bali, Malaysia or Thailand, than England, Europe or the US.
This is great news for house sitters, because Aussies also love their pets (their fur-families), take pride in their homes, and really do value the services of house and pet sitters, both domestically and from all over the world.
Australia is a HUGE Australia is a massive country, covering an area of approximately 2.97 million square miles. Yet it has only around 24.5 million citizens. This is almost the same as the combined residents of just three cities - London, New York and Paris. The population lives across seven different states and territories, with the densest population (around 90%) in coastal towns and cities. The most populated cities are shown below. The inland political city of Canberra is part of the unlisted Australian Capital Territory.
New South Wales (Sydney) Queensland (Brisbane) South Australia (Adelaide) Tasmania (Hobart) (an island, not part of mainland) Victoria (Melbourne) West Australia (Perth) Northern Territories (Darwin)
Let's put the size into perspective. To fly from Perth on the west coast, to Sydney on the east coast, takes around 4.5 hours. To drive from Sydney to Brisbane on the Gold Coast takes 12 hours and you'll cover 950km. Sydney to Melbourne via train (very expensive) takes almost 11 hours. So, unless you have limitless travel funds, you might want to decide on a particular region and focus your house-sitting in one state or territory. Over a three month period it simply wouldn't be viable to hop from state to state for shorter term house-sits.
Feeding wild birds in Melbourne
Some interesting pet statistics (source RSPCA Australia) Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. About 63% of Australian households own pets totally more than 25 million animals, birds and reptiles. Dogs are the most common pet, with 39% of households owning a dog. There are estimated to be 4.2 million pet dogs in Australia; 19 dogs for every 100 people. Cats are the second most common pet, with 29% of households owning a cat. There are estimated to be 3.3 million pet cats in Australia; 15 cats for every 100 people. In 2009 the total number of pet birds was approximately 8.1 million and in addition there were about 1.06 million other pets, including companion horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, reptiles and other small mammals.
The pet population breakdown across the states and territories mirrors the country’s population distribution. New South Wales and Victoria account for 60% of all pets in Australia, and 59% of the country’s human population.
"Chooks" and their hen house in a Perth city house-sit
Chickens (known as "chooks" in Oz), are not strictly pets, but you'll also find a small flock at many house sits, even in city locations. These statistics could well indicate the best areas to start your house sitting search - but of course don't forget isolated Perth, in Western Australia, which is also a very popular house and pet sitting location.
What about dangerous animals, reptiles and insects? We are led to believe that Australia is the most dangerous place on earth, and that's what many Aussies will take pride in telling you, often in great, scary detail. When I first visited Australia many years ago, I refused to sit on a public toilet for fear of a fatal spider bite. However, I've since discovered that the last known death from a spider bite was in 1979! I don't want to belittle the suffering of anyone who has experienced a traumatic or even tragic encounter with Australia's wildlife, but I do want to reassure house sitters that there isn't a dangerous animal or insect lurking at every corner. We house sat in 2016 for three months, in a fairly remote "bush" location in the Victorian Alps, three hours north of Melbourne. We didn't see a single dangerous animal, reptile or insect.
We did encounter some damn big spiders! Those home-loving Huntsman spiders take some getting used to - but familiarity over time made them much more acceptable.
Risk assessment isn't a bad idea Of course you should take precautions:
Know what to do in case of a snake bite (this goes for many countries around the world). Find out the closest location for obtaining life-saving anti-venom. Know where to get emergency help if needed. Don't swim in the sea without first checking the shark and jelly-fish situation (a Box Jelly Fish sting can be fatal). Don't drive (or be extremely careful) at dawn or dusk in areas of wild kangaroos - they will "hop" right in front of your car or truck, a bit like deer in other countries.
It does make sense also to be aware of the markings on particularly dangerous snakes and spiders, as you might when house-sitting in America. I do actually feel quite reassured that I don't have to contend with bears and grizzlies while hiking in the bush in Oz! The reality is that more people die every year in Australia from bee stings and drowning, with only (on average) 5 fatalities from snakes, sharks and crocs. It's quite possible that the remote nature of many outback house sits will take more getting used to, than the worry about black widow spiders.
However, I have actually come into contact with a black widow, not in Oz but in the US. It crawled into our RV and settled by my toothbrush! For more of a reality check, take a read of Bob in Oz - he's got all sorts of other useful info too about Australia on his popular website: BobInOz.com/migration-advice/australias-killer-creatures-the-truth-about-deaths/
Seasons, climate and extreme weather The seasons in Australia are opposite to those in the Northern hemisphere. Christmas falls in the middle of summer and so this is a popular time to travel. School holidays allow for longer journeys and so house sitters are in demand. Australia has many different climate zones. From sub-tropical and tropical in the north (Queensland, Northern Territories), to temperate in the south. Only the southern parts of Australia show the distinct four seasons as they are known in Europe and North America. You may have heard the popular "Crowded House" song - Four Seasons in One Day - this refers to the city of Melbourne. In the North the weather is warm or hot all year round. The tropics have only two seasons: A warm dry season (May - October) and a hot wet season (November - April).
Once you've decided on a region, check out the internet for more detailed information on the local weather patterns.
Four wheel drive vehicles are sometimes necessary in the bush as well as the outback - we are off-road in the Victorian Alps
THE OUTBACK VS THE BUSH The Outback is the vast, remote interior of Australia. The term "the Outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush" which, colloquially, can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The arid outback zone makes up 70% of the country and much of it is inaccessible without a four wheel drive vehicle. In fact, setting out in some areas of the outback, ill-prepared, is extremely dangerous. Fuel stations can be few and far between. Long distance travel adventures in Australia should be properly planned with appropriate vehicles and camping equipment. Outback temperatures are not always unbearably hot. Alice Springs can be cold at some times of the year, with temperatures plummeting below zero during winter months: http://traveloutbackaustralia.com/outback-climate.html/
Fire damage can be seen all over the bush
EXTREME WEATHER - BE PREPARED Australia is prone to occasional extreme weather - cyclones on the east coast, and flooding and heat waves that cause dangerous bush fires in more rural areas. In fact, as I write this, Queensland is suffering some of the worst flooding for many years - the effects of Cyclone Debbie. If you house sit in an "at risk" area, you'll find plenty of information in your local town about radio and TV information channels that provide info bulletins. You'll also see signs for local evacuation meeting points. For Americans this may all be very familiar, but for us Brits and Europeans, this sort of preparation can take a bit of getting used to. We are often unused to extreme weather conditions, other than rain and flooding!
Visas and immigration Many nationalities, including Canadians, Americans, UK passport holders, and most Europeans, must complete an ETA (Tlectronic Travel Authority) when arriving to Australia by air. It is available online at a cost of $20 AUD. It's very similar in nature to the US ESTA. After your ETA is granted you are able to enter and leave Australia as many times as you need to during a 12 month period, from the date the ETA is granted or until the expiry date of your passport, whichever is earlier.
You can stay in Australia for a maximum of three months on each visit. We spent two months house sitting in Victoria and followed this with one month resort-sitting in Fiji. We returned to Australia for a further 3 months of back-to-back house sits in Perth, leaving for Central America. This flexibility means you can combine house sitting in Australia with house sits or travel adventures in other countries like New Zealand, Bali or Thailand within the one year period. Flights to these countries are fairly inexpensive and could give you the option to fly out of Sydney for instance, to Bali for a 2-week holiday, then back into Pert As with any visa, immigration and entry requirements for your particular nationality, you must do your own research. We've seen continual changes to requirements over the last few years, sometimes with minimal notice for travelers.
Our beautiful first house sit in Myrtleford, Victoria
How to find a house sit in Australia? We found our house sits in Australia through HouseCarers and AussieHouseSitters. As already mentioned, there's no shortage of house sitting websites and we've listed as many of them as we can find below. The prices shown are for house sitters, for a 12 month period, and in Australian dollars, unless indicated.
Some sites such as HappyHouseSitters and HouseSittingTasmania offer a choice of plans - check sites for more details. Prices are correct as of April 2017. Most of these sites offer free listings for home owners. Australia specific house sitting platforms: HouseCarers is an international platform, but heavily Australian biased - the annual charge for house sitters is USD $50.
AussieHousesitters - $65 AUD AustralianHousesitter - $30 AUD HappyHouseSitters.com.au - $65 AUD HouseSitters.com.au - $40 AUD HouseSittersAustralia - $15 AUD (limited period - new site) HouseSittingTasmania - $69 AUD Mindahome.com.au - $49 AUD Stayme.com.au - FREE
The best international house sitting platforms:
TrustedHouseSitters Nomador HouseCarers HouseSitMatch KindredSpirits (vegan only) (based in Tasmania)
Facebook Groups: There are many Facebook groups for house and pet sitting in Australia, and it would be impossible to list them all here. Most are location based. If you want to try this route, we suggest you search the term "housesitting" or "house sitting" followed by "Australia" or a specific city. Here's the largest country based group I found with over 3,000 members, that isn't affiliated with a house sitting platform: https://www.facebook.com/housesittingaustralia/
Where are the most popular house sitting locations in Australia? Obviously the larger cities and their suburbs, in the most densely populated areas, offer more opportunities. So, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are among the more popular locations. You'll find it difficult to be far from a beach if you choose to house sit in coastal towns. The beach above was close to Melbourne and you'll usually find a range of activities to keep your days filled.
The island of Tasmania is also pretty popular, as you'll see if you check out the HouseSittingTasmania website. At the end of the day it really comes down to the type of environment you would like to house sit in.
Language - Aussie Slang Aussies speak English with a twist! There are some very commonly used words that it's worth knowing if you don't want to look like a complete drongo (idiot). For instance, when talking about their own country, Australia will often get shortened to "Straya". I got caught out in Perth when our homeowners suggested we take the dog to the beach in the Arvo. "Where's it parked?" I asked, having only seen a Toyota truck in the garage. After some confused looks, Ian realized my mistake and explained that an Arvo wasn't a type of car, but short for "afternoon". Here's a great video if you want to learn a bit more Aussie slang.
Cost of living in Australia Living in Australia is not cheap, but we didn't find it much different to the UK or the US in terms of day to day food purchases and supermarket shopping. It does vary a little from city to city, and Sydney is the most expensive from what we've been told. As long term travelers we always look to reduce our budget, and these are some of the ways we achieved this while house sitting in Australia: BYO - Many restaurants have a "bring your own" drink policy. So you can take your own wine, beer or soft drinks. Some charge a corkage, but many don't. This can make a big difference to the price of a meal. We found wine super cheap in supermarkets, especially when taking advantage of 3 for 2 offers. Op Shops - There's an extensive range of second hand charity shops throughout Australia, known as Op Shops. Any extra clothes we needed, we bought here. They are great places to buy books, and any accessories you might need that are missing at the house sit. We bought a couple of really good garden loungers in Australia for $ 5 AUD!
St Vincent de Paul Op Shop - commonly known now as "Vinnies"
Check out local produce markets (farmer's markets tend to be expensive), and people selling veggies and fruit from their gardens (in rural areas). At our two month house-sit in Victoria, I planted tomato plants in a vacant veggie patch for an on-going crop of toms (with permission of course!). In cities we buy travel passes to reduce the cost of public transport and walk as much as possible for exercise. All these little things help, especially on a long-term sit.
Getting about in Australia All the big cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, etc., have good public transport systems and you'll find online websites where you can get info about travel cards that might save you some money. We have found that most of our house sits in Australia have provided a vehicle for our use. In Australia the vehicle is generally insured, not the person, making it much easier to allow house sitters use of a car. Long distance train travel is expensive, and we've found it easier to fly city to city.
You can try these airlines for internal flights:
Qantas Domestic Virgin Australia (formerly Virgin Blue) Jetstar (Qantas subsidiary) Tiger Airways (Australia) Rex
WiFi for roaming income We had no issues with WiFi at any of our house sitting locations, but they were all in well covered areas. Here's an article that gives a bit more insight into what's available throughout Australia. https://bugaustralia.com/connecting-to-the-internet-when-travelling-in-australia/ If you are house sitting remotely, in the bush or the outback, then check with your home owner if you need internet connection for your work. Get them to do a speed check with a pc tool such as http://www.speedtest.net/
Ian at Uluru
Sightseeing in Oz There are endless options for sightseeing in Australia in cities and in the bush and outback. Here are some our favourite travel bloggers. Check out their websites for more inspiration about destinations in Oz and Tasmania. yTravel Blog – Caroline & Craig Makepeace ToTravelToo - Jane & Duncan Dempster-Smith Aussie Traveller – Toni & Drew NomadicMatt.com/travel-guides/australia-travel-tips/ To get a professional insight into the culture of Australia, take a read of Nomador's recent article: https://www.nomador.com/blog/news/house-sitting-in-australia-a-cross-cultural-guide-tospecific-considerations-for-australia If there's anything else you'd like to see featured in this guide to house sitting in Australia, please send us an email at this link!
SERVING OTHERS BY SERVING YOURSELF by Bernardine Devine
When I started house sitting I checked off house sits like a laundry list. I felt a certain need to create these opportunities, and would often accept sits just because they were offered. It was the same with my digital nomad work. I would look around wherever I went to see what was available, and I grappled for all the work I could do. There was no real planning or "tuning in" to what served me, or what I loved to do. I felt I had to go where I was wanted. But when I began to use my intuition more, I asked myself where I’d love to be and what I’d love to be doing. That evolved into, "how could I serve others highest needs?", and then, "Where would it most serve me to be, and what should I be doing?" Because ultimately, in truth, I can only be of service to others by serving myself.
What does serving myself mean? By this I don’t mean selfishness. Being selfish does not serve my highest expression let alone anyone else. Being in service to my own highest needs means being in tune with what I love; what I love to create for myself and my life, and what it is that wants to be created through me. By looking at what I loved, I came up with a rich list of things that were important to me. Many of these were non-negotiable. At the top of my list has always been freedom and this underpins everything. I love to be able to travel freely and to work for myself doing what resonates within me. My list looks somewhat like this:
Freedom Travel Healthy Lifestyle Adventure Transformation Fun Purpose Healthy Lifestyle
If we take a more detailed look at living a healthy lifestyle, you'll see I have a sub-list:
Beach Country Good food Friends Family Travel
Within my "travel" category there is another sub-list:
Travel at home and overseas A home base to travel from Time to spend with family and friends Places I’d love to visit at home and overseas – France, US, Africa, Thailand, Britain, etc. Things I need at a house sit – TV and Internet Food I love to be able to get in the areas I stay – organic, healthy, yummy
These, plus more, are the criteria I consciously look for when I'm applying for a house sit. It’s also the criteria I used when I created my digital nomad business. But what I really love is that first step of being of service to your own needs.
THESE ARE MY NEEDS:
I want a digital nomad lifestyle where I can work anywhere in the world. I need a home base from where I can go out into the world for travel, house sitting, business, and adventure. I must have purpose in my life and I love to meet new people, creating more conscious connections and rich experiences. I love sharing great food and living a healthy, nourishing lifestyle surrounded by my loved ones.
Building the foundations of what you love to do When going for a house sit it is important to know the things that you love now and what you’d love to create in the future. All of this can then become the foundation for your house sitting and digital nomad business. It will help you to only go for what is in alignment with your needs, and to let go of what doesn’t serve this vision. It will then serve your needs and result in a richer and more valuable experience. I can't stress this enough: "To be of service to others you need to be in service to your own highest expression".
Using intuition As well as knowing what you love and what you’d love to create, you also need to be aware of what wants to be created "through" you. The way to discover this is to use your intuition. Everyone receives intuition differently, but there are four main ways we all experience it:
visual auditory kinesthetic knowing
Visual intuition is received through pictures, auditory through words, kinesthetic is felt through the body, and knowing is something that just comes to you. Through these mediums you receive information, interpret it in a way that is meaningful to you and then act on what you have received. In this way you are open to receiving new information and allowing things in that you may have thought to be outside of your comfort zone. While I have certain criteria for house si ts and for my digital business, I am always open to the new and unexpected. If I get information intuitively that something is true for me and serves my highest, then I go for it.
Intuition in action I recently had the choice of 3 different house sits. One was in place and I was lining up the second one. It seemed logical to take one of them in particular as I’d already be in the area. But my intuition had other ideas! When I tuned in, I favored the house sit that was furthest away. So I said YES to that one, knowing how my intuition never lets me down. As it turned out, the longer house sit in my home area was cancelled. The owner was injured and had to cancel her holiday. In this case, going with my intuition opened a whole range of possibilities that I would have missed out on if I hadn’t listened to my intuitive voice. It has changed the direction of where I want to go next year, which will give me greater freedom and opportunity around my business. It will also surround me by people with whom I have a greater connection. I know that in serving my highest I will be best placed to be of service to the people that I need to reach. My needs will be served as well and this is the key to finding your kingdom. What is true for one is true for all. By serving our own highest we serve the highest of others. It’s the only way it can be actually. So, I would recommend, that in searching for how you can be of service as a house sitter and/or in your work as a digital nomad, you begin to look at what serves your highest needs and expression.
Rediscover your passion Before you can tune in intuitively, you should start to look at what you are most passionate about. Remember what it was you loved as a child, connect with what you could do without being paid, and what you could do all day long without losing the energy for it. Reconnect with the passions you’ve let go of or never fully claimed This will provide the clues as to what wants to be created through you. We all come into this world with these passions for a reason. We are meant to serve with them. What we love doing is not separate to our purpose. It is intrinsic.
Life is meant to be an adventure Life can be fun, fulfilling and abundant. What fulfills you also fulfills your purpose. Using your intuition to know this is vital. Then you can really be of service. Being of service does not mean accepting whatever you are offered or choosing second best. It means being aware enough to know where you are best placed. This involves following your heart and being open to possibility. Travelling and working as a house sitter and digital nomad can then be a magical journey beyond what is already possible.
Allow yourself to be guided Make your list of what you love and what you’d love to create as a foundation for your house sitting lifestyle and your nomadic business. Then be open to receive intuitively wherever you are being guided and to what unfolds in your life. When you connect with what wants to be created through you, often you find that it is in the deepest alignment with your heart and soul. Sometimes in ways you weren’t consciously aware of, or had never even imagined until now. When you make your choices consciously you save time, energy and money. Using your intuition allows you to say NO to opportunities that aren’t right for you. It allows you to say YES to those opportunities that are right for you. It may sometimes involve stepping outside of your comfort zone. But it is worth the momentary discomfort to stick with it until it becomes second nature. In doing so you open up a world that flows magically, and transports you to your highest calling.
You have it all within you You are always being guided by your highest calling. Just remember to have fun and enjoy the adventure of living consciously. Using your intuition is a magical process and by trusting the journey it will guide you towards your life, your house sitting opportunities and your digital business. My life unfolds by magic every day. There are challenges, but I feel well placed to deal with them and to be in service to the highest of all. Serving yourself and your highest, serves the highest for all. That is all you need to know and then simply trust the process of unfoldment. Remember, you are here to create adventures that are uniquely yours!
Bernie is the founder of the CREATE PASSIONATELY & DANCE THROUGH LIFE e-Courses and consulting. She has an MA in Creative Writing, over 30 years’ experience in the consciousness field, 20 years training in intuition and 10 years in the study of alchemy and creating. She has training in natural therapies including herbal medicine and nutrition, holistic coaching and counseling, kinesiology, Journey work, dance training, writing, intuition, creating, alchemy and consciousness. Bernie enjoys living a life of freedom, profit and adventure as an intuitive digital entrepreneur. “Create Passionately and Dance through Life!” www.bernardinedevine.com https://business.facebook.com/createpassionately
THE AUSSIE DOG PARK EXPERIENCE by Ian Usher
Walking a dog in Australia can be a very different experience to looking after dogs in other countries. In early 2016 we had three different house sits over the course of two months in Perth, Western Australia. Our first sit was in the northern suburb of Duncraig, where we looked after Xena, an extremely energetic two-year-old German Shepherd.
Socialization for dogs and house sitters A short walk on the leash each morning and late afternoon took us to the local park and sports field. Here we discovered a wonderful social scene, where dog owners from all across the suburb would regularly congregate. Our home owners were very sociable people, so everybody at the park instantly recognized Xena, and would chat to us, asking where our owners were, and when they would be back
Networking for house sitting jobs Most dog owners at the park were also fascinated to find out about our role as house sitters. When we explained what we did, and how house sitting is a win-win-win, many of our conversations then went something like this: "What, you mean you look after other people's pets for free?" "What are you doing in April?" We were surprised to find that relatively few pet owners were aware of the possibility of using house sitters while they went on holiday. While the humans chatted, everybody let their dogs off-leash, and they too enjoyed their canine world of social interaction.
Most dogs that mix freely are better socialized We were always amazed at how well all breeds of dogs mixed and played together with very little, if any, barking or aggression. We asked a few owners about this, and most reckoned that the dogs are so well socialized, because they get to mix freely with other dogs almost every day. We saw this too at the dog beach, where Xena could join hundreds of other dogs running up and down the shore, or chasing balls into the waves. Rarely were there any upsets or conflicts. Once again it seemed that a regular dose of canine socialization meant that all concerned could act in a very easy-going way This seemed like such a contrast to other experiences we have had in other countries. Dogs have had to remain on leads, often straining and barking, keen to get at other dogs, because they so rarely get to interact in a natural way.
Our second sit was south of the river, in Yangebup, sitting for a young couple who were heading off to Bali for a family wedding. Our charges were two cats and two dogs. Our dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, were very relaxed and easy-going.
Again, very close by we had a wonderful huge area of open parkland. There were less people around this area, and on many days we would only see a couple of other people in the park. The dogs were able to roam off-leash, and obviously loved this freedom to explore. Occasionally we would meet other dog owners and have a chat while the dogs played together. Our third sit was in a trendy suburb, East Victoria Park, which is closer to the city. Here we looked after a beautiful Malamute/Labrador cross called Fang. Fang was somewhat inappropriately named, as he had a very sweet nature - very soft and friendly.
The local park was another huge area which doubled as multiple sports fields, and was a gathering place for dozens of dog owners with their pups of all shapes and sizes. It wouldn't be unusual to see forty or fifty dogs, all off-leash, and all behaving remarkably well. Here, like in Duncraig, our owners knew lots of people, and by default, when we had Fang with us we were part of the social circle. And again people were fascinated by the idea that as house sitters, we would look after pets in exchange for staying in the property. We had many more offers and requests.
What better reference than to be seen "on-the-job”? This got us thinking. If we had planned on staying in Australia for a longer period, we could have so easily found more house sit opportunities simply by chatting with other pet owners in the park. If we really wanted to be pro-active about this we could have printed business cards and had them ready to hand out to other pet owners. We believe we could have booked as many house sit assignments as we wanted with very little trouble, especially as we have our own house sitter website profile page to refer people to for more information. This means that we wouldn't have to fill a small business card with lots of information. We could simply put our names, a title (similar to a profile headline) and a website link, and people could find out all about us. And what better reference than being seen in action, looking after pets in a public place? Has anyone done anything like this? How successful has it been? Do you use any other unusual or creative ways to secure house sits?
Finally ... where to exercise your dog in Sydney We came across this great article on mindahome.com about the best places to exercise your dogs in Sydney. There's also some useful information about how to deal with heatstroke - something you may not have considered when exercising house sit pets in countries with extreme heat.
MY ADVENTURES HOUSE SITTING IN WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND by Andrea Jordan I have had two distinct periods of house sitting in New Zealand. I first started house sitting for friends. Then I discovered that there was such a thing as a "house sitting website", where those with homes were able to connect with those who wanted a home and/or pets to care for. Back in 2010 when I was first house sitting, it was a relatively new concept in New Zealand, and there was only one platform operating – Housecarers.com
A whole new world opened up! I took an assignment looking after a dog in a cottage in Muriwai. This house-sit resulted in a referral to the landlord, who also lived in Muriwai, and I next looked after her two dogs.
I also cared for an amazing house in Coatsville, which was built on the shores of a reservoir. My charges included a paddock full of sheep, an elderly horse, a rabbit and a kayaking dog.
That’s right, a kayaking dog! Because the house was on a reservoir the family had a kayak I could use. On my first outing their dog sat on the shore barking. I paddled back to see if he was okay and he launched himself onto the kayak! He sat on my feet like he knew what he was doing, so I gently took us away from shore. Our outings became a regular activity. As soon as he saw me in my kayaking clothes, he’d race to the kayak and patiently wait. This was one of the oddest, and most enjoyable, animal experiences I’ve ever had. When I decided to move more permanently to Wellington, my first sit was for a cat who had a home overlooking the sea. One day while seeking directions to a local venue, I came across my next house-sit, as the elderly couple I chatted to needed someone to look after their cottage while they were on holiday. After my last house-sit in that period I got a job and wanted to be settled in one place for a while.
Phase Two: 8 cats, 2 dogs & 7 homes My next house sitting phase began when I made the leap to becoming a business owner. After test driving this as a digital nomad in SE Asia for 5 months, I began to house-sit full time in Wellington, and would do so until I left New Zealand in May 2016. It all started with looking after Sam the cat over the summer in Mt Cook. He wasn’t very sociable, only coming in to the house to be fed, and for a quick pat.
A beautiful home and garden in Brooklyn I moved up the road to a stunning two storey home with a view over Wellington and the Bays. There were no animals to care for here, instead a big garden needed my attention to survive the summer months.
Two funny boxers in Greytown After Brooklyn, it was time for some animals again, so I headed over the hill to Greytown to care for two boxers. These two characters made me laugh every day.
They had a big lawn to run around on so they didn’t need to be walked, but they made it clear when they thought I could do with a walk. They would come and sit by my desk and stare at me. If I didn’t get the hint, they would come back with a ball to make it clear it was time for play.
Each afternoon we’d drive to a local river for a walk and swim. They were very smart and knew that when I got my camera and hat out that it was time to go. They’d be sitting at the car by the time I got there.
Two gorgeous ginger kittens in Melrose These two kittens were gorgeous! They were too small and too young to go outside, so they kept me company as I worked at the dining room table.
They were so cute that I didn’t even mind the early morning wake-ups as they decided it was time to race up and down the hallway. Occasionally they’d stop by the bedroom, jump on my bed (and me!) to make sure I was part of their fun.
Two fluffy indoor cats in Tinakori Two cats from England needed some care while their owners headed back to England to see family. I find it surprising when people have indoor cats. But, there was a lot of traffic near to the home which meant these cats were quite content to safely watch the world go by from inside.
A cat in Evans Bay I house sat for another indoor cat in a sunny town house in Evans Bay. Now, this cat did want to go outside! I’d sit out on the fenced deck with her so she could get some outdoor time. Fortunately she only made a bid for freedom a couple of times! I went back there twice. The second time was so the owners could go on their honeymoon. It was lovely to be a small part of that celebration.
Two cats in Belmont To escape the harsh Wellington winter, I spent two months in Bali and Thailand. On returning I headed out of Wellington to Lower Hutt to a house-sit that I’d arranged before I left. Six weeks in a cosy home, right by the river, with a log fire and Netflix. This was the perfect place to hibernate for the rest of winter with my two fun filled companions. We had a lot of rain while I was there and the cats were getting cabin fever, so I built them a hut with empty cardboard boxes and blankets. They had a great time hiding and playing – so like little kids!
How did I find my house-sits? The house sitting scene had changed a lot since my first house sitting period. The best house sitting platform to use now in New Zealand is Kiwihousesitters. They had the largest amount of homeowners by far. I also kept an eye on HouseCarers and TrustedHousesitters, but they didn’t have many sits in Wellington. I also noticed that a lot more people were and still are looking for house sits in New Zealand, so it’s really important to have a great profile, and to apply for house-sits with the homeowner in mind.
Where did I stay in between house sits? Rather incredibly I was able to have an almost continuous series of house-sits during that second period of 18 months. I did stay with friends on two occasions, and rented from two Airbnb hosts for the odd day or two. I also traveled to Sydney for a dance performance where I caught up with friends.
More about Wellington as a house sitting destination Wellington is easily reached by its small, yet international airport. You can also travel by ferry if you're in the South Island or come by bus or train if you're in the North Island. The city has been voted as "The Coolest Little Capital In The World", so there is lots to see here. You'll find it easy to get around Wellington. One of the best ways to get around Wellington is on foot. The central city is only two kilometres across, so it doesn't take long at all to walk from one side to the other. The central city has many restaurants, hotels, attractions which are all within walking distance. If you love coffee this is definitely the place to be! Although New Zealand can be an expensive place to eat out, this city has many fruit and vegetables markets that are great value. There's an excellent public transport system which is well used by the locals, and you can get anywhere in the region using buses, trains or ferries. The cable car leaves from downtown Wellington and goes to the village suburb of Kelburn, and from here you will find some of the best views of Wellington. Because Wellington is surrounded by a lot of water it can sometimes get a lot of wind! So be prepared to hold onto your hats. For more information about travelling to and living in Wellington, check out the official website at this link.
ANDREA JORDAN: Andrea has traveled to over 50 countries and all 7 continents. She put her business in her backpack and is now traveling throughout Latin America, house sitting and volunteering in animal shelters as she goes. She’s a keen dog walker & champion bell-scratcher, but it’s when she picks up her camera that magic happens. She creates stunning images that capture the personalities of the wonderful creatures she cares for. You can see her photos and read about her travel adventures and her business life here: http://www.learndiscoverbefree.com
MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF HEALTHY EATING ON THE ROAD by Laurie Sequana Stolmaker
We love traveling and trying new foods but we have an unusual diet, so sometimes something as simple as having a meal can be fraught with difficulties. Last winter we read a book called "It Starts With Food" and did a dietary cleanse called The Whole 30. This change made feeding ourselves even more of an uphill battle. Some of our favorite recipes require unusual ingredients which can be a real challenge to find. Nevertheless, having tried many different eating plans, we were excited to find that eating Paleo makes us both feel our best. So, we are committed to staying the course. We have been house sitters for over three years, and have lived in Costa Rica, Canada, Australia, the US and Mexico. One of the great benefits of house sitting is having a full kitchen and a comfortable place to dine. There's no need to rely on restaurants and street food.
Even before we started this new diet, we always had special dietary needs. Paleo has just cranked the dilemma up a notch!
What’s on the menu? We avoid sugar, dairy, legumes, and soy, and drink very little alcohol. Wheat and other grains are off the table too these days. One health benefit of a whole foods based diet is the absence of processed and packaged “goods”. Anything that contains questionable preservatives and artificial ingredients. This also allows us to skip the expense of, and the search for, familiar junk foods from back home! You might wonder what we DO eat! Everyone agrees that you can’t go wrong with an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies. We eat lots of them, mostly local and seasonal, and organic whenever possible. We prefer to purchase local and humanely raised meats and eggs. We use coconut, olive, and avocado oil.
What about treats? Very dark chocolate is one of our few treats and something we try to locate early on when we arrive at a new destination!
How we prepare to house sit and maintain our diet Often, our adventure travel involves staying in local rentals, where we find ourselves in tiny kitchens with minimal cookware. A big advantage of house sitting over renting is that homes are usually well set up for us to cook and store food. Still, it is important to find out what sort of home we will be caring for. Photos of the house help us make a decision whether to pursue a sit. As we prepare for a house sit, we ask homeowners whether they are cooks and if they have a cook-friendly kitchen.
The conversation requires diplomacy as everyone has different ideas about what makes for a nice culinary work space. We start by chatting about our interest in cooking and ask about things like a blender, crock-pot and food processor. Other topics might include favorite grocery stores, farmer’s markets and local farms to visit. If we are in the US or Canada we usually have our car and can take along our most needed kitchen gear, which really helps. We also ask home owners if there will be space for us to cook and freeze food. At our recent pet sit in Oregon there was an extra freezer in the garage and a nice big pantry. Planning ahead, we found a meat CSA (consumer supported agriculture) and the lovely folks there agreed to provide us with a two month package of pastured meat. We picked this up on our arrival in the area. And… we found an “egg lady” one day when we made a wrong turn. She supplied yummy home flock eggs every week!
Keeping things flexible and fun When traveling to a new place, locating foods that match our diet can be tough. We definitely spend a lot of time finding specialty items. And sometimes things we want are just not available, or if they are they can be costly! In Sayulita, Mexico, we both took a big long breath before spending $9 US on a bottle of coconut aminos which we use in place of soy sauce! When searching for unusual ingredients we like to think of the hunt as an adventure. The key for us is making the search part of the fun. It keeps us moving around, walking the streets and checking the stores. Sometimes it even involves traveling to nearby cities where we can take in some new sights. Exploring alternative options for ways to prepare food in a different country has led us to find new recipes, improvisations and even to try reintroducing a few foods.
Homemade Paleo Bread
We also make things from scratch that most people would purchase in a jar or box. Home-made mayonnaise and bone broth are great examples of recipes we use. Bone broth is an important ingredient in our kitchen. Bones are always easy to procure. And mayo is made from oil, eggs, lemon juice and salt. We also have a great recipe for paleo bread. These things take time to prepare, so we probably spend more time in the kitchen than some folks.
What’s that you’re drinking? We enjoy an unusual beverage called "kombucha" and we brew our own kombucha whenever we can. We get a lot of questions about kombucha. It is a fermented beverage which is probiotic and delicious. When brewing kombucha, it is important to keep things clean and to keep good track of our process, so we even created and published a journal for kombucha brewing. The ingredients are simple, just tea and sugar! The sugar is consumed in the fermenting process before we imbibe. The only other ingredient is a starter culture, called a SCOBY. SCOBYs are shared by kombucha home brewers all over the world.
A few other strategies that you might find helpful
Pack it or Find It - It's best to always bring your own knife, vegetable peeler and French coffee press. Even so, when spending six months in Western Australia we frequented the “Op shops” (charity stores) and bought a few kitchen items. At the end of our stay we sold, donated or left things behind for the home owners. Ask for Help from Home - We’ve been known to ask our visitors to bring things we need! Especially when a family member is visiting, we request that they pack a few special things from home for us. Ask Around - One of the best ways to meet our needs has always been to talk to people. Whether chatting with new acquaintances or joining local forums and Facebook groups, other people are the key to getting special items. And we also get to meet many wonderful people.
It’s all good! It would be so much easier to just eat whatever is available wherever we go, but that just is not our style. So we have found a way of feeding ourselves that works most of the time. We do our best, but it's not perfect! Some of it is planning and some of it is just serendipity. We love it when the travel angels smile on us and a coffee grinder is provided, or there is a food processor to borrow. For the rest we just have to let go and relax. If you'd like to know more about Paleo, here's what Wikipedia has to say: The Paleolithic Diet Also called the Paleo Diet, Caveman Diet or Stone-age Diet. It is based mainly on foods presumed to have been available to Paleolithic humans. Wide variability exists in the way the diet is interpreted. However, it typically includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, meat, and offal, while excluding foods such as dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, processed oils, salt, and alcohol or coffee. The diet also avoids modern processed foods.
Laurie and Neil gave away or sold 99% of their possessions for a new life as international travelers. They now share the secrets of how they turn limited resources into a life of unlimited fun and adventure. Read more about them at their website: JoyfulJourneying.com
THE BASETRIP
Are you heading to a new country? A house sit in a new and exciting location? You probably have lots of questions:
What language do they speak? What is the local currency? How much do basics cost? What type of power sockets will I find? What number would I dial in an emergency? How much does a mobile phone SIM card cost? Can I hire a car? Am I expected to tip?
To answer these questions can take quite some time as you trawl through different websites and blog posts. Now you can find answers to these questions, and many more besides, for just about every country and territory in the world - around 230 all on one very useful website: The Basetrip
"Pick a country, any country." On Basetrip's Countries page, website creator Sven Kapudija invites you magician-style to "Pick a country, any country." Sven says he started TheBasetrip as a mini-guide for just one country, Portugal. His travel plans prompted him to start gathering some info and things snowballed from there! The country list is now complete and I couldn't think of anywhere that Sven has missed. Even North Korea is listed. You can study all sorts of travel info for any country you like. But the real strength of the site is the comparisons it offers. Rather than just diving in to the country you are interested in, pick a country to compare it to. On the home page you can pick your current country, or the country you wish to use as a base for comparison, and then see how your new destination measures up. We are currently on the road between house sits, heading from Mexico (via the UK) to Botswana in Africa. A quick search reveals:
Gaborone is warmer than Mexico City by 5°C on average We will need Type D or Type G (same as UK) plugs for our electrics Botswana averages out at 8% more expensive than Mexico - not too bad at all - a cheap meal out is only about 4% more than Mexico - beer is 14% more - local transport is 11% cheaper The currency is the Botswana Pula (BWP) The crime rate is moderate - take the usual precautions against pick-pocketing, etc. Both 911 and 999 will put us through to the police in an emergency
Many of the information sections offer further details - just click the link at the bottom of each section. Under "Cost of living" for Botswana, one surprise is internet costs - a whopping 296% more expensive than Mexico City, for a 78% slower connection! (Fortunately, thanks to our home owners' fancy new satellite system, we should have a pretty decent connection... we hope!) Another Botswana shocker is the cost for a mobile phone SIM card. The website suggests that overall, mobile costs are 300% more than Mexico. The upfront cost for a SIM card is over 10x the price for a Mexican SIM. I guess we'll be sticking to Skype then, as long as the internet holds up. You can run this two-country comparison for any two places you wish to analyze, which makes this a very powerful tool indeed. Of course, everything is based on averages, but it really does give you a very good feel for what to expect when you arrive at a new destination.
Useful tips As well as the extensive information page that your search brings up, there's a useful TIPS page for each country, where you can benefit from the knowledge of those who have gone before you, and of course, share your own travel tips with others when you get there.
Mexico vs Barbados - not such a rosy comparison! After Africa we head to Barbados for three months. Comparing Mexico and Barbados doesn't offer such a rosy picture in terms of living costs. Meals out are between 175% and 250% more expensive. But beer is more reasonable at only 61% more than in Mexico! On the plus side, the crime rate is lower, and both internet and mobile phone costs are less than Mexico, with slightly better connection speeds too. One other feature we liked on TheBasetrip is the ability to create country-specific widgets to add to your website or blog. We made one for Barbados that you can see here. When you click on the widget it automatically detects your current country, and offers a direct comparison.
For those of a more technical inclination they also offer an API code, which means you can source the data directly from TheBasetrip and display it in any way you wish on your own site. So, before you book that next exotic house sit, check out the country first to see what you are in for: https://www.thebasetrip.com/en/
There will be another great resource next month In the meantime, for links to house sitting platforms, comparison articles, books, websites, downloadable forms, and lots of other useful house sitting resources, take a look at our "Resources" page on the House Sitting Magazine website
WHY MEXICO IS NOW MY PREFERRED COUNTRY FOR DENTAL TREATMENT by Vanessa Anderson
We've done a fair bit of traveling over the past year, and not too long after setting out I knew I was on borrowed time with one of my upper molars. After arriving at a house-sit in Grenada, Nicaragua, I got that nagging, "this doesn't feel quite right" pain in the offending tooth. I chose to ignore it, but a couple of days later the pain h ad extended to my ear and was pretty unbearable. I emailed a local dentist I found on a Facebook expat group, but didn't receive a response. In the meantime I'd also emailed a friend, a retired dentist from the US, for some advice. My suspicions were confirmed - I had an infection, which would need to be cleared before treatment could take place. I opted to bypass the local dentist and go straight to the drugs, with the hope that I could get the work done back in Mexico where I'd have more time.
My dentist friend told me which antibiotics to get (after checking my history) and I set off for the local pharmacy. Fortunately in Nicaragua you can still self-medicate and purchasing the antibiotics was cheap and easy.
A word on self-medication If you ever choose to self-medicate in an emergency, please speak with a qualified dentist or doctor to check you are buying the correct medication. Not all antibiotics or penicillin work at killing every type of bacteria, and some are more effective for teeth than others. Some people are also allergic to penicillin. You must also make sure there won't be any contra-indications from taking antibiotics alongside other medications. Because we often travel to remote places, we take with us a broad spectrum penicillin that is effective in killing fast spreading bacterial infections - but this was prescribed after consulting with a doctor back in the UK. I don't like taking antibiotics at any time, and least of all when traveling. They play havoc with all the good healthy bacteria in the stomach, which is even more important when you're exposing yourself to different foods in foreign environments. Still, there wasn't much I could do in this case, as the pain was worsening by the hour.
Just because there's no pain doesn't mean there's no problem! Around a week later the pain began to subside. We completed our house sit and continued our travels into Guatemala. From there we were heading back up to Mexico for a repeat house sit in San Miguel de Allende. The pain had completely gone and to be honest for a while I totally forgot that I'd had a problem. On the one occasion I did think about it, I decided it was just a flare-up and was better left alone. How wrong I was.
A costly mistake Almost four months later we were preparing for a month long adventure in Cuba. On the way we passed through St Thomas, US Virgin Islands to visit friends. Two days from the end of our stay, part of my tooth broke while eating. There was no pain, but I was aware of a gaping hole, so we made an appointment with a local dentist.
St Thomas is US "owned" and the expat US dentists charge accordingly. X-rays were taken, and a diagnosis made that I needed a root canal and crown. But of course there was no time to do any of this work before flying to Cuba. The dentist filed down the sharp bits, prescribed me even more antibiotics in case of a flare-up in the coming month of travel, along with some strong opiate based pain-killers for an emergency. A twenty minute consultation and one x-ray cost me $160 US. The medication (including the pain killers) cost a further $80 US. Sharp contrast to the antibiotics in Nicaragua that were less than $5 for a 10 day course. Further advice was to leave the tooth unfilled to avoid pressure (and pain) building, and to eat on the left side only for the next four weeks. What fun that would be!
Would travel insurance have helped? If I'd had travel insurance I may have got this emergency treatment paid for. But World Nomads, for instance, state that you can only have emergency treatment to alleviate pain. I was in none, so I'm not sure how that would have worked out. The thing to remember is that travel insurance is not medical insurance and so what is covered and what will be paid for is sometimes questionable.
Managing the situation in Cuba I managed nearly half of our Cuba trip before the infection built up once more and the pain returned … but nowhere near as bad as before. I think I'd had good advice to leave the tooth unfilled. Coconut Oil as a natural remedy I waited as long as I could before starting the second course of antibiotics, calculating that I should then get back to San Miguel without needing to find emergency treatment in Havana. Actually, many Canadians now visit Havana for dental tourism, but with limited communications in Cuba, and no consistent internet, it would have been hard for me to organize. At one point we met up with Jane and Duncan of ToTravelToo and they generously gave me some of their coconut oil. Coconut oil attacks the harmful bacteria in your mouth. It can reduce plaque build-up, prevent tooth decay and fight gum disease. Swilling the oil in my mouth for 5-10 minutes each day certainly seemed to help me. Here's more information if you want to know more: https://authoritynutrition.com/coconut-oil-and-teeth/
Checking out prices in Mexico I made it back to San Miguel and quickly did some research into costs for root canals and crowns, comparing prices with the UK, US and Canada. I was amazed. It seemed that the costs were considerably less than in my home country - the UK. San Miguel de Allende is not always a cheap place to live in and I paid more than I would have done in a smaller town or city. Because of my nervousness I picked a dentist favored by gringos and so consequently paid gringo prices. However, the best quote was still less than half the price of treatment back home. I was quoted in US dollars at $260 for a molar root canal, and $600 for a porcelain crown. This included all xrays. I opted to pay in Mexican pesos almost a month after receiving this price and did well on the conversion rate, saving around 3500 pesos on the final bill. On reflection I should have negotiated harder and asked for the price in pesos, so as not to gamble on the exchange rate. It worked in my favor this time but could easily have gone the other way.
The sunny courtyard waiting area
Checking out the dentist's credentials Rather than book on the telephone, I went to the address - keen to check it out personally before finalizing the appointment. I needn't have worried. The door opened to a cheery Mexican dental assistant who ushered me into a comfy seat in the open central courtyard (with complimentary guest WIFI), to wait for Dr Karla Carter, the dentist. Karla's certifications adorned the walls, and she was equally friendly and reassuring. She had trained in Canada and spoke perfect English. I got to look in the treatment room and we talked through the procedure. She explained how she uses a specialist endodontist for root canal work. Endodontists: They are pecialists in saving teeth and have at least two years of additional education to become experts in performing root canal treatment and diagnosing and treating tooth pain. The average endodontist completes 25 root canal treatments a week, while general dentists do about two root canals a week. I was happy - I went ahead and booked my first appointment. The endodontist didn't speak a lot of English, but we managed to communicate with Karla's help. It seemed that I actually needed 2 root canals.
Dr Karla Carter - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
The x-ray revealed that the root in the tooth with the original problem had now calcified, suggesting it was dead. The neighboring tooth was the current culprit and the second infection was now affecting my jaw. This tooth was treated first. People had been telling me how horrible a root canal is and I had prepared myself for pain and trauma. I don't like dentist visits at the best of times, but, I was pleasantly surprised. The endodontist was gentle in his actions. I didn't feel the injections at all, and the work was painless. It was just a little uncomfortable lying with one's mouth open for almost 1 ½ hours. As I waited in reception to make my next appointment, I asked about payment. "Oh don't worry until the work is complete" was the response. $1500 US dollars worth of treatment carried out on trust. Not even a deposit! To cut a long story short, over the next two weeks I had a second root canal, a couple of hours prep work and then two porcelain crowns fitted. I felt more relaxed than I've ever felt in the UK, and had total confidence in Karla, the endodontist and the assistant. In fact, I've already decided that I will return to San Miguel for anything other than emergency treatment and take full advantage of dental tourism!
What do our readers think? We asked our House Sitting Facebook Group members about their experiences with dentists in Mexico and every response was positive. It seems that Mexico has a high level of expertise. Dentists offer quality treatment and at a cost that is just a fraction of that charged in the US, Canada, the UK and even Australia. Satisfaction levels were also impressive. If you want to be part of the discussion, join our Facebook Group here at this link Here's another great story about dental tourism in Mexico from Tracy and Rob of Expat Experiment, which provides more on price comparisons between Mexico and Canada. http://expatexperiment.com/dental-tourism-mexico/
HOUSE SITTING FOR LONG-TERM TRAVELERS IN AUSTRALIA by Michela Fantinel
Australia is a remote destination, so traveling long-term is probably the most cost-effective way of exploring this vast country at a slow pace. And if you are thinking of traveling for a few months or more, then house sitting may be right for you to consider as a valuable low-cost accommodation option. In recent years house sitting in Australia has become very popular because of the great benefits both home owners and travelers alike get from this mutual exchange.
Consider the commitment As a solo traveler in Australia with +12 years of travel adventures across the country, I have experienced all different kinds of accommodation - shared dorms in hostels, solo camping, guest houses, hotels, and private stays. But sometimes it's nice to settle, live in a home and cook your own food for a while - to take a break from constant travel. Although house sitting may sound like an appealing way of budgeting for your travels, it does involve a high level of commitment that you must consider first. Even so, as a long-term traveler, house sitting is a great way to experience Australia from a “local perspective”. You will be able to meet, connect and get to know Australians, be part of the community, and live as if you were a local. It was only in 2014 that I started with my first one-week house-sit in Mona Vale, Sydney, and I simply loved it. After that I house sat 3 more times for 2-6 weeks in Perth, and on the Gold Coast in fabulous homes with lovely pets. I am so thankful for this.
Mix-up your house-sit and travel experiences The idea of staying for free in a wonderful home in a nice area is enticing. However, as said before, it does involve a high level of commitment over a set period of time. Once you have accepted and agreed to the terms and conditions, you are locked in and must stick to the requirements. The longer the house-sit, the less flexible you will be during that period of time too. Don't accept a long-term house-sit in Australia if you aren't 100% sure you can fulfill the requirements, and stay for all of the requested time. While one or two weeks are easy to put up with, committing to 4-8 weeks of house sitting is something I would only consider over a longer total period of 3-4 months, at least. Neither would I suggest locking in all your time with house sitting. Going from one house-sit gig to the next will limit your freedom to move around. You are going to enjoy house sitting more if you fit it between other activities, like a camping experience, a road trip, or a group tour, etc.
Getting house sit gigs in Oz I know that finding your first house-sit is not easy at all. There's a lot of trial and error that occurs along the way to understand what works and what doesn’t work. It took me a while to get my first house-sit gig and with my experience I have now written a few posts on my blog on how to become successful with house sitting in Australia. Here I give you my best advice on the core aspects to get you started with house sitting in Australia.
How to find your perfect sit in Australia While there's no perfect house sitter, a single house sitter is more suited to a house with a single pet and little work. A couple will be the best fit for two or more pets, in a large house with more property work involved. Many properties in "outback" Australia have a lot of land, or even a swimming pool that needs to be maintained during the house-sit. Make sure your skill-set matches the needs of the homeowner. Ultimately the home-owners themselves always look for the best fit to match their expectations. They will research profiles, create a shortlist, and engage with potential sitters
until they find the person or couple that they feel best fit their needs, and who can take good care of their beloved pets and home. With this in mind, be as honest as possible about: a) what work you can take on inside and outside the house, and b) what preferences you have with regards to pets Openly showing your personality will always pay off. It’s very important that you make your house sitting profile as detailed as possible, so that potential home owners can spot you straight away. So, don’t be afraid to show what you can and can’t do. Most times it’s because of your unique profile that you get an offer. By making my profile very detailed I have had many home-owners approach me – this is how I usually get my house-sits too. I've rarely had to go through the ad listings on websites!
Choose a good house sitting website Choosing the right house sitting website is also a very important step to being successful as a house sitter. It took me a while to identify the right one. Finally I decided to choose an Australian website called AussieHouseSitters. In my opinion it is the best for all of Australia. For an up-to-date list of all the best house sitting websites check out House Sitting Magazine's comparison here.
Final thoughts on house sitting in Australia I highly recommend you start with a short-term house-sit test (1-2 weeks max), as this will give you an idea of how you like it, what you like and don’t like. Before accepting and signing your agreement be sure you are 100% confident you will be safe and comfortable with the assigned tasks, that you will be well connected with the homeowners while they are away, and that you have someone to call or who is willing to help locally in case of an emergency. Remember too that you may be living in a very different environment to that of your own country. Australia has occasional extreme weather patterns and even a few dangerous critters to consider! My first house sitting experience as a solo traveler was priceless. I wouldn’t have been able to sustain my amazing solo adventures in Australia without it.
If you'd like to read more about solo and long-term travel, and about Michela's house sitting experiences in Australia, check out these articles: http://www.rockytravel.net/blog/long-term-travel-in-australia/ http://www.rockytravel.net/blog/the-solo-traveller-australia/ http://www.rockytravel.net/blog/housesitting-in-australia-solo-traveller/
Michela Fantinel is the founder of Rocky Travel - a travel blog for the solo traveler. She has been traveling alone around Australia for over 12 years and has been blogging about this country for 7 years. She provides a helpful resource for anyone planning an independent trip in Australia. She is also a published author of Your Australia Itinerary Follow her at Facebook and Twitter
NAT & JODIE AT 28 BELOW ZERO! Having spent 7 months house sitting across the Caribbean and Central America and meeting a host of fellow house sitters along the way… when the time came to leave just before Christmas 2016, everyone we spoke to were shocked to learn we were heading to Quebec for the first 4 months of the year. Yes, into the dead of winter! But we couldn’t wait to get there! The thought of being able to sleep snuggled under a duvet, have a hot shower, and not have to wash our faces 20 times a day from perspiring so much. It sounded wonderful to us! And it only got better… We probably couldn't handle a full winter like this every single year, but to be able to help out the Canadian snowbirds who love to head south for the winter, we will definitely say yes to coming back again in the future. In this video we share just a few of our winter highlights…
What to ask your home owners
Do they have a fireplace or wood stove, or just rely on central heating. Is there a cost involved (there wasn’t for us and the firewood was cut to last the entire season) Do they have a generator? What is connected to it if it needs to be used? We got the TV and our satellite internet back when we used the generator one day during a blackout very handy! Do they have winter jackets, gloves, hats, scarves and boots you can borrow? How much snow clearance is required? We had a guy who came to remove snow from our driveway, but we did have to shovel snow from the steps ourselves.
Our highest recommendation is to JUST DO IT! Honestly, we have felt colder in Australia during winter than here in Quebec, even when it got down to minus 28 degrees Celsius! There was a time when our minds could not comprehend that - but now that we’ve experienced just how well catered for these areas are, we can see why places that are not equipped for the cold suffer more!
Originally from Australia, Nat and Jodie now travel the globe as full-time house sitters with no home or residency anywhere. Since 2013 they have helped hundreds of people get started in house sitting through their various projects, including publishing an Amazon best-selling book and hosting the world's first House Sitting Summit in 2016. Nat & Jodie are probably best known as the founders of the House Sitting Academy, a comprehensive online video course that gives people the confidence and know-how to travel the world with house sitting and gain ongoing support and referrals through the Graduates ‘Inner Circle’ Private Network. Their latest project is focused on helping travelers create more than enough income to maintain this rewarding lifestyle. Check out their FREE video training series at www.RoamingIncome.com
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN AUSTRALIA One house sitting couple's country living experience in the city of Sydney! by Katrina Elliott
My hubby (that’s Aussie language for husband) Dave and I sort of fell into house sitting on our travels but we’ve created some wonderful memories together that we love. We’ve gotten to travel the world, see some incredible places, meet some wonderful people and befriend some amazing pets along the way. We see it as a true win/win that benefits both parties because it frees up the owners to be able to travel and have peace of mind that both their beloved pets and cherished property are in good hands during their absence. For us, we get to see new places, experience different cultures and cuisines, make new friends and enjoy the pleasures of pets that aren’t really practical when we live and travel back and forth between family and loved ones in both the USA and Australia.
Inspired to travel by "Eat, Pray, Love" Before I met my husband, I had been traveling around the world on an “Eat. Pray. Love.” inspired journey. It ultimately lasted for 4 years and along the way, I did some house sitting part time in various places like the South of France (where I house sat a 7 story castle..yep, 7 stories), London, Paris and other dream locations. I am Australian and my hubby is American. We moved back to Australia in early 2014. I started to renovate a house and when my hubby flew in to join me from the USA , I don’t think he was excited to live in a partly renovated house (after all it was winter and we were missing half a house). We did have a bathroom, a master bedroom and office. The missing bit was the kitchen, living and dining room. Also absent was the TV and so he couldn't watch his favorite sport! It was one thing for him to give up his season tickets to the Baltimore Ravens games, but it was quite another to not even be able to watch the football games on TV! Despite this, we were soon married! After buying the house, starting a renovation, paying for the wedding and a residency application, we didn’t have much money left for a honeymoon. Plus, while his Australian residency was pending, we weren’t able to leave the country.
This was when we decided to house-sit throughout Australia. It was a perfect way for us to enjoy a mini-Aussie honeymoon every month, see new places and take a break from the property renovation and associated construction.
The search criteria for our house-sit assignments was simple. We wanted a kitchen (with a sink so we didn’t have to wash dishes in the bathtub anymore), a TV (for football), fun pets (which is easy as all of our pets are fun), and great internet connection, so Dave could run his relationship coaching business Christmas is always a great time to house sit in Australia. A house sitter can almost have their pick of houses - there are always more houses than sitters. Why? Because many Aussies pack up and go on holidays from before Christmas until late January the following year. Remember, we are in the southern hemisphere so Christmas is our summer holiday time. In January of 2015, I saw a house come up on Aussie House sitter’s website, and it was in Vaucluse, New South Wales. Now this area is known for being one of the wealthiest, most exclusive parts of Sydney, so we applied and were excited to be chosen.
We fully expected to enjoy a wonderful stay in a luxurious home. A week later, we were driving down "a millionaire's row" where most houses had a price tag of 3-5 million dollars. I am a property investor so I appreciate beautiful homes and communities. But, as we pulled up to the address, we quickly realized we wouldn’t be spending the week in luxury. As we looked down over the front gate, we soon discovered a humble, small and much older house, nestled in between two very impressive $5 million mansions. It was an unexpected contrast to be sure, because the resident of the home had actually turned this prime piece of real estate into a small, working, micro farm where she could teach her kids about raising animals and caring for crops. She even had banana trees growing off her back porch!
In the front yard, the owner had a small "chook" coop where she housed her two chickens that provided fresh eggs almost daily. One chicken was red so she went by the name Ginger, while the white one was (yep, you guessed it) Snowy. She also had a Border collie dog, typically used on farms in Australia to round up sheep, but in this case, she kept a couple of chickens in line when, during the day, they went “free range”. Aussie language check: "chook" = chicken. It's likely you'll see many house sits advertised with a few "chooks' to look after in the garden, even in cities! Due to the secluded nature of the property, it was easy to forget you were in suburban Sydney and not a much more rural location. Despite the older, more humble home itself, the swimming pool in the back yard was almost like something out of “The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” In fact, it might have been worth more than the house itself. It certainly didn’t hurt that it had a prime view overlooking the world famous, Sydney Harbor Bridge landmark. We could only imagine how magnificent the view would be on New Year's Eve when the entire span of the bridge gets lit up with an incredibly impressive fireworks display. All in all, it was one of our more interesting house sitting assignments.
Bonding with the "chooks" The chickens thought they were cats. When you called them, they came running and waited at your feet ready to be patted. The reddish brown chicken laid reddish brown eggs and the white one laid…(yes you guessed it)…white eggs. Let’s just say it wasn’t hard to determine who laid which egg when we went out to collect them for the owner. One day, we were even surprised to find that Ginger the chicken had decided to join us in the house. She'd squeezed through the security door and come right into the lounge room where she made herself quite at home. She even left us a little “present.” Luckily it was on the wooden floor and easily cleaned. It was the first time we had looked after chickens and someone once told us that every chicken has its own personality. We found that to be entirely true. She even loved to ju mp up on the couch and watch TV with us. The house sit was wonderful and we were blessed to be able to accommodate the owners so they could go out of town and be worry-free about their furry and feathered babies. Who would have expected to find a quaint farm house experience right in the middle of the city in Sydney, Australia? So, if you love variety…or travel…or pets…or have the ability to work from anywhere like we do, house sitting is a perfect way to enjoy a remarkable lifestyle while helping someone else, too. Plus if you’ve ever had the inclination to visit Australia and experience all it has to offer, we invite you to discover our other home “down unda.” Some of the greatest cities in the world; one of the friendliest cultures on the planet, wonderful food and places to eat – and some great pets and homes, too!
Katrina and Dave Elliott are in their early 50s and are part time house sitters. Katrina is a retired Australian police officer and attorney, and Dave is a retired graphic designer from the USA. After being inspired by the book “Eat Pray Love“ Katrina began her own 4 year journey around the world, occasionally house sitting on the way. She is a part time property investor, love coach, author, and lover of animals and life. Dave is a relationship coach running his company Legendary love for Life, remotely around the world. He is an international speaker, coach, author and healer in the area of love. They've both been involved in the personal development industry for the past 13 years. They met working at a Tony Robbins event in New Jersey. House sitting is something they are passionate about, because it allows them to serve the community, fall in love with wonderful animals, and visit unique places around the world. They feel they truly have a blessed life and are living the dream. They can be contacted at their website: LegendaryLoveForLife Facebook - Katrina Elliott
WHAT TO EXPECT IN ISSUE 10 Next month there's a big reveal! We have an exclusive interview with the creators of the house sitting web search tool, aptly named, HouseSitSearch. And… we think some of you may be in for a surprise! We'll also discover in this issue how you can effectively promote yourself to expat communities, and Jeb Marshall will explain how he's using house sitting to profitably look after other peoples businesses. Our destination is Colorado, and house sitter Vikki Walton will be giving us more information about what it's like to house sit or living in this beautiful part of the USA. We've more from Colorado as Brenda Middle introduces the concept of Dog Vacay - dog boarding with trusted local pet sitters. Yvonne Bauche will be giving her top tips on getting around in the Caribbean, and I'll be looking at identifying tropical fruits. Love is in the air as the Doggy Dream Team join our list of contributors to tell us all about "A Doggy Bromance". And... we've been asked to review another great app - GPS My City Of course, as they did last month, things could change, but we're always certain something equally interesting will pop into our inbox! See you in May. Vanessa and Ian (on our way to Botswana, Africa)
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