House Sitting Magazine Issue 18: February 2018

You'll find extra news, reviews and snippets throughout the magazine!

Our Road Trip Down Under Ian Usher

How to Maximize Your Chances of Securing More House Sits Vanessa Anderson

Myth Busting - House Sitting as a Solo Traveler Allen Trottier

Wildfires - A Guide for House Sitters Susan Greet

Why Walking Your Dog Is So Important Emily Conklin

Diversity - Funny Haircuts & Changing Climates Doug Dyer

How to House Sit Successfully in the UAE Moraig Minns

Caribbean Island House Sitting in St Lucia Andrew Martin

REVIEW - The All New HouseSittingWorld.com Ian Usher

Do Good, Feel Good Jenny Lincoln

Volunteering With "The Mini Monks" in Luang Prabang, Laos Jenny Lincoln

How We Got Started With Trusted Housesitters Sam Ion

Exercise of the Month - Push Ups Elly McGuinness

Loud Awakening in Hamburg Coleen Kinsey

Year in Review Tania Hassounia

Resources - 50 Top Travel Tips Ian Usher

In the next issue...

ROAD TRIP DOWN UNDER

by Ian Usher

Welcome to the first 2018 issue of House Sitting Magazine.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year?

We're currently house sitting Down Under, in Western Australia. Christmas in the southern hemisphere feels very different to the traditional British Christmas we are both used to.

In November in the UK we felt bombarded by Christmas ads on TV, and every shopping centre was festively decorated, Christmas songs playing constantly on an endless loop.

Down Under, where wintery scenes of snowy weather are far from most people's normal experience, the Christmas season is much less commercialised. Perhaps it also helps that we don't watch any TV here.

Anyway, for us, Christmas and New Year passed relatively quietly.

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions?

The end of one year and the start of the next is often a time for reflection on our lives, and many of us wonder if we are heading in a direction that is in true alignment with what we really want from life...

Did you make any big resolutions?

We'll tell you of one of our decisions later on in this article - it concerns this magazine...

Radio and TV appearances Here in Australia it is currently mid-summer, of course. We are enjoying the outdoor lifestyle, and our current pets enjoy quite a few visits to the beach, or long walks in the countryside.

In early January we were contacted by ABC Radio, and invited into the Perth studio to chat with Glynn Greensmith about our lifestyle choices, and house sitting in general. Glynn centred his interview around the idea of reassessment at the start of a new year, and around a central theme of freedom.

That was followed by a live appearance on Australian Breakfast TV. We had to be at the studio around 5.30am for make-up, and were live on air just after 6 am, chatting about our house sitting lifestyle.

You can see I have stuck to "Aussie-casual" style below the waist for the interview! (picture on next page) What an amazing experience!

Lifestyle re-assessment In the run-up to the New Year we took some time to re-assess.

One of the conclusions we reached involves this very magazine. We have been publishing House Sitting Magazine for over a year and a half, and continue to offer it as a free resource.

We are finding that preparing and publishing the magazine takes up a lot of our time each month.

We began our house sitting journey several years ago with the goal of enjoying more freedom, more leisure time, more adventure, and more time to spend together. I imagine many of you have done the same, or are considering a lifestyle that offers more of what you want...?

We found the life we wanted, and our passion for this lifestyle has led us to try to inspire others. When the opportunity to publish House Sitting Magazine came our way, we thought this would be the perfect solution.

But of course, the trade-off for taking on this labour of love, based on our passion for the lifestyle we live, means that we now have a less time to actually enjoy that lifestyle.

We toyed with the idea of charging for the magazine, but concluded that this wouldn't really address our main problem... namely not having enough time for ourselves.

So we have decided on a halfway-house solution.

In order to win back some of our valued free time, we are going to publish the magazine bimonthly. This will mean we can continue to maintain the same great quality, but will win back a full month of time each issue to pursue our own personal goals and adventures.

We feel sure that our readers will understand this decision. We know that many of you appreciate how long it takes to contact contributors, gather all the materials, edit everything, and pull together an interesting and informative publication each month.

So, with a full month of online teaching to fit into January, as well as some Australian travel and fun, we decided that the December 2017 issue would be the final monthly issue, and going forward, beginning this month (Feburary 2018), we'll be publishing every second month. The next issue will be out in mid-April, with following issues in June, August, October and December.

This isn't too different from what we have done in the past anyway. We skipped the February edition last year, while we spent a month traveling around Cuba. We skipped the November issue too, as we were on the move so much in the UK during that month - however, we did manage to produce a useful "Black Friday Offers" special edition.

So, we hope you understand. We continue to produce this magazine out of a passion for the endless lifestyle options house sitting can offer, and with the hope of inspiring others to take a leap, and find their own personal version of freedom.

Road trip So what did we do with the extra bit of freedom we created for ourselves? We bought a car, put a foam mattress in the back, and hit the road. We had an 11-day gap between house sits, so we spent our time camping out on beautiful secluded beaches, and sleeping under the stars in amazing ancient forests.

There will be a few more pix from our journey scattered through this month's issue of House Sitting Magazine.

We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.

Ian and Vanessa (currently house sitting in Western Australia)

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CHANCES OF SECURING MORE HOUSE SITS

by Vanessa Anderson

We are often asked how we manage to consistently secure back-to-back house sits in the locations of our choice.

Well, firstly let me tell you, we have had to put some work in to make this happen.

Assignments rarely just drop into our inbox, conveniently timed to make our life easy! There are a number of steps we take to help this process along, and I'm going to share our top tips for selecting, and applying for, house sitting gigs.

IMPROVE YOUR POSSIBILITIES Join More Than One House Sitting Platform As full time international house sitters, we don't worry about the cost of joining house sitting platforms. Most subscriptions are only the equivalent of a night or two in a hotel or Airbnb.

We figure the overall saving on our annual accommodation easily compensates this expense.

We see it as an investment. And, by subscribing with two or three of the international sites, and a local country based site, depending on our chosen location we increase our opportunities and are more likely to fill gaps between sits.

Even if you are only house sitting for a couple of weeks each year, think about how much you are saving on accommodation and really weigh up how just a little more investment could open up more opportunities that fit your particular needs. This is especially true if you are a family, or if you have a pet of your own - two scenarios where you'll find less gigs available.

Take a read of our popular house sitting platform comparison guide to see which sites we think are worth joining. You can also take advantage of some specially negotiated discounts too - 25% with TrustedHousesitters and 10% with HouseCarers.

Create A Personal House Sitting Website We have created a personal house sitting website that lists all our previous sits and references, and we have a house sitting Facebook page, to show full transparency. Our personal Facebook pages are also set to public so that again, we have nothing to hide should a home owner want to check out our backgrounds.

As nomads who have sold up their properties, it's difficult to get ongoing police clearance checks, but this internet transparency has worked in our favor.

If you'd like to find out more about easily setting up your own house sitting website then Ian recently completed a short course to help you get started. Take a look here: https://courses.housesittingmagazine.com/

Find A Way To Be Part Of A Referral Group When we started out we joined the House Sitting Academy which also gives us access to an exclusive private referral group ("The Inner Circle") of house sitters and home owners. This has paid for itself over and over with house sits in some fabulous locations like Barbados, Mexico and the rural countryside of southern UK.

Another way to find referrals is by getting to know other house sitters - networking is key to this and https://housesitters.mapahub.com can help tremendously with this. It's a place where you can connect with other like-minded house sitters and meetup in person, all over the world.

Now, four years into our adventure, our house sits are selected from house sit platforms, repeat sits, our own website/social media, and from referrals. That's a good base from which to secure plentiful ongoing sits!

Be Among The First to Apply - Set up Email Alerts Once you've chosen which house sitting platforms to join, set up your email alerts (if this facility is available), so that each time someone posts an assignment that matches your filters, you get an email notification.

Your filters can usually include location, type of pets, duties and more, but we keep our filters pretty basic so we have a bigger catchment of assignments in the destinations of our choice.

Check alerts regularly.

With so many new people entering the house sitting arena, it's becoming more important to check and respond to your alerts as quickly as possible. Many home owners stop the applications after just 10 responses.

Your email or message needs to be one of these first 10!

TIP: When you are starting out, think creatively in terms of location. For instance, you may really want a house sit in Central London, but it's often easier to travel into London by public transport from the suburbs, and you may find the house sits aren't quite so competitive.

Find Sits Using An Aggregate Search Site There are now two sites that allow you to search for sits across a range of house sitting platforms. Each one searches different platforms, so using both could be beneficial.

HouseSittingWorld.com searches across Nomador, HouseCarers, HappyHouseSitters and HouseSitMexico.

HouseSitSearch.com has wider coverage and includes the largest international platform TrustedHousesitters.

Know what you want when reviewing assignments Obviously the location and dates are important, so we isolate those sits that fit the time period gaps on our calendar. We don't discount those that overlap a little - if they are close by we could separate to cover a day or two on overlapping sits.

We recently did this in Australia (with home owner consent) over the Christmas period, overlapping by just 3 days on two easy sits. In this was we were able to cover a period that might otherwise have been more difficult - again, maximize your possibilities by thinking outside the box.

Next we assess the home owner's advert. We look for the following:  

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A good representative selection of images of both the pets and the property.

A well written, informative listing that details exactly what's required throughout the sit in terms of both pets and the property - the more info the better. We are more attracted to sits where the owner is transparent about potential issues.

Unusual requirements such as off-grid, swimming pools, or remote locations - we have the skill set to look after these properties, and less people generally apply.

Firm dates - someone who hasn't confirmed their dates doesn't work for us. Furthermore there's a possibility it's simply an advert to see if house sitters are available, SHOULD they decide to book a holiday.

We work online, so internet is important - high speed internet is a must. Make sure you take into account any work considerations and filter accordingly. Don't forget you can ask for an internet speed test if in any doubt about connectivity.

Know What To Avoid This is a list that will potentially grow as you become more established as a house sitter. It's only after experiencing a number of different situations, in a variety of environments, that we've really identified what to avoid for our particular situation. Here are just a few of these items: 

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No pictures on the listing is a no-no for us - there's too much work involved in assessing whether the property and pets are a good match for us. But if you're new to house sitting, or simply have more time, then you could choose to pursue further. However, beware of no pictures and just a 2 or 3 line advertisement - that would definitely be a red-flag for us.

Detail and matching expectations is key to a successful house sit - that should start with the advert.

Any mention of deposits or payment for utilities, is another no for us personally. We prefer a trust based, payment free exchange that provides a win-win-win for the owners, the pets and us. That said we do understand that sometimes it's worth considering utility payments on long-term sits, or if the sit is especially attractive.

Because we still work online part-time we prefer not to have too many animals or pets that need a lot of continual daily care. Again this is personal to our particular situation and we don't want to ever feel that we can't give the required time to our charges.

Apply Quickly & Personalize Your Application As soon as you've found an assignment that suits you, send in your application.

I think the key to success is to personalize your email or message. Talk about points from within the advert and use the pet's names. If you identify with something In the listing, or perhaps know the area, then mention this.

When making an application, remember at all times that it is about fulfilling the home owner's needs first, not your own. Talk about how you can do that. Draw on your experiences and put links to anything that can back up your application, such as your personal website, a blog you've written - anything to reaffirm your credibility.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that you negate your own needs, but don't make them the focus of your application.

We refer a homeowner to all of our references in one place on our website, but if you don't have this, create a word document or a PDF that you can attach to your application. It helps to make this visual too - include pictures alongside your written references.

Offer to Skype or video chat at a time that suits them.

Be sympathetic to the fact that the homeowners are likely to be overwhelmed with enquiries, especially if they are in popular locations.

Maximize the exposure of your references in applications We are often asked, "What if I'm new to a site and my references are on other platforms?"

This is a more common situation than you may think, especially if you want to increase your house sitting job opportunities by subscribing to more than one house sitting platform.

But don't worry, it's easily dealt with.

When we first joined TrustedHousesitters, we had to compete with house sitters that had 20+ references. Of course we took advantage of the facility to request reviews from people we'd previously sat for, but we also took some pro-active actions:   

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Quote all or part of your best reference and insert it at the top of your profile.

Add your most recent references from sits through other websites, to the end of your profile.

Explain in your message that you are "new" to this particular website and that not all of your references are accessible. Direct the home owners to where they are available, with web links if possible.

Consider creating a personal house sitting website with a "references" page.

Keep On Top Of Your Applications When we don't hear back within 5 days, we send a reminder message or email.

If we don't hear back within a few days of this, we pretty much write off that application and move on. If a reply does happen to come through later, you don't need to feel bad if you've already found something else. You made the effort to connect and it wasn't reciprocated.

This is an opportunity to remind home owners that they need to respond quickly these days to get the best house sitters, and you can also suggest that they keep your details on record for future contact.

However, we've often found that slow responses equal patchy communication on an ongoing basis, which is worrying for us when we are filling a year round schedule.

We prefer to deal with people who take the time to respond promptly, even if it's a cut and paste, "We've been overwhelmed with responses but we'll get back to you soon".

Take Stock Of What Your Intuition Is Telling You After four years of house sitting, I can tell within a few seconds if a gig will work for us. My intuition is now highly tuned to house sitting expectations and I make sure to listen to what I'm being told.

On the one occasion we over-rode this to be in a fantastic location, we had our worst ever house sitting experience. We ignored all the red-lights presented to us, but did at least learn from this mistake!

Listen to your intuition when you first review a house sit online and most importantly once you start corresponding by email, and when carrying out a Skype interview.

Don't ever be afraid to turn down a sit if it doesn't feel right for you.

Does This All Seem Like Too Much Work?

Some house sits come easily, while others take a lot of back and forth communication and Skype chats.

In a sense, we see every house sitting application like applying for a job. Fortunately we've been very successful at securing most of the "jobs" we've applied for. In fact, out of our last 9 sits, we've been successful every time, so we must be doing something right. But it has taken time and effort.

If you think this is all too much work to get a house sit, then that's probably why you are struggling to get house sitting jobs.

If you want to succeed, maximize your possibilities by investing time and money into using good house sitting platforms and sit alert resources, and by putting effort into refining your alerts and making your applications. Don't give up!

You'll be sure to see a difference!

Vanessa Anderson is a full time international house sitter and co-publisher of House Sitting The ultimate lifestyle magazine. She has been traveling the world continuously since 2013 with her partner Ian Usher. They also work part-time as online English teachers, while looking after other peoples properties and pets.

Having sold most of their possessions, Ian and Vanessa prefer the freedom to explore the world, following their passions and living as locals for extended periods in different countries.

BUSTING MYTHS House Sitting as a Solo Traveler

by Allen Trottier

I often get asked about whether it's harder to get house sitting assignments as a solo male. Do homeowners prefer couples over solo house sitters? Wouldn't they rather a lady?

It's a fair question.

The thing that works against the younger generation (say, 20-30 somethings) are the general stereotypes:   

They'll party in the house They aren't as responsible They won't keep the place clean

And the list goes on...

When I first started, I had these same concerns. I wondered how hard it would be to break into house sitting.

BUT, after a year and half of full-time sitting as a solo male in my early thirties, I can honestly say these perceptions haven't been a factor in getting house sits.

In fact, I've had house sits nearly back-to-back through four continents and seven countries.

What's surprising is that I now have home and pet owners reaching out to me directly to special-request me for future dates.

So I really don't think you'll find it hard to find house sitting assignments if you're going to get started WITHOUT a traveling partner.

Couples Do Have Advantages However, there are some very good reasons why couples have an edge.

As a solo sitter, it's much harder for me to take care of a lot of animals at once. Unless they are perfectly behaved, I can't easily take care of 3-4 dogs who need multiple long walks each day.

Whereas, a couple could share the work or even take turns.

Along those same lines, I tend not to apply for house sits on very large properties that need a lot of upkeep. It would be much easier for two people.

Couples also have the advantage of splitting up for a few days if they have house sits that overlap with dates. One partner could stay at the current house while the other goes to start the next.

Have no fear though, house sitting solo can also be an asset!

Advantages of House Sitting Solo A lot of the homes that I've house sat for are truly best suited for a single person.

There have been apartments or guest bedrooms that are only meant for one person. These places wouldn't be very comfortable for a couple.

With my current home base setup in Vancouver, BC - my only expenses are the occasional flight, bus or train ticket to and from my next house sit. Just think about how much more economical it can be when you only have to purchase one ticket!

Another thing to consider is that some pets get anxious around new people in which case, homeowners may prefer to select a solo sitter and not have too many new people in the house.

These are just some of the advantages of traveling solo.

There's a House Out There For Everyone Simply out of curiosity, I've been asking pet owner's why they chose me as their sitter, to get some insights into their decision making process.

A lot of the feedback boiled down to the photos and video that I have posted on my profile.

One owner in particular said she picked me because she wanted someone strong enough to handle the dogs who pulled hard on the leash.

When I asked if they preferred solo sitters to couples they confessed that they hadn't really considered it. In fact, it wasn't even a weighing factor into their decision.

That was a big eye opener and it just goes to show that some of these perceived disadvantages are just in our heads.

Keys to Success If you're new to house sitting or just getting started, here are some quick tips to help get things rolling: 

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Apply to as many house sitting assignments as you can - There is a lot of competition out there whether traveling on your own or not. It is safe to say that you won't get replies from all of your applications so it's best to reach out to as many as you can that fit your dates and desired location.

Make sure your profile is complete - Detailed profiles are essential. Homeowners like to get to know applicants as much as possible before considering them for the job. Be sure to include all of your experience, qualities, photos and references.

Be one of the first to apply - This will require some extra effort but do your best to apply to house sits as soon as possible from the time they are listed. The majority of applicants will apply within the first 24 hours. You raise your odds by being one of those first applicants.

Personal Applications - It's OK to have a bit of standard template message to owners when you apply but it goes a long way to personalize the message. Include the names of the pets or comment on something specific from their listing. This shows them you actually read the listing, and all of their requirements.

Be persistent / Stay positive - Keep at it. Don't get discouraged if it takes a little while to get your first assignment. Once you've had a few house sits and build-up a few reviews and references, it gets easier and easier.

Enjoy the journey and happy house sitting!

For the last 6 years, Allen Trottier has been traveling the world as a digital nomad running a printing and eCommerce company in Vancouver, Canada.

Since discovering the house sitting community in early 2016 he has been house sitting full-time through seven counties and four continents. His current passion projects include a house sitting blog and podcast which can be found at: http://www.reliablehousesitters.com You can also follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reliablehousesitters https://www.instagram.com/allentrottier

WILD FIRES - A GUIDE FOR HOUSE SITTERS Intro by Vanessa Anderson (feature by Susan Greet) It's Boxing Day and you are just settling down for lunch by the pool when you hear the whirring of helicopter blades overhead. Not one helicopter, but two, plus a couple of very low flying spotter planes. Next you are aware of the sound of urgent voices on a nearby police radio.

Quickly spurred into action you realize there is a bush fire, and it's just beyond the neighbor's property in a quiet bush suburb, where you are currently house sitting in Perth, Australia.

This is exactly what happened to us this Christmas and we had a worrying couple of hours.

Fortunately the fire fighters did a great job of putting out the fire before it jumped the road, but as we were reminded by our neighbor, a sudden change of wind and it could have been a very different story for us this year.

Having house sat in areas prone to fire before, we had a strategy in place, which we had agreed with the home owner before they left. Theirs was very simple "take the animals and drive don't worry about anything else!"

But how would you react? Do you know what to do in the event of a bush or wild fire?

The image below was another fire that covered Perth with an apocalyptic orange smoke just after Christmas. Over 150 hectares burned out, but nearby properties were saved from burning the next day by record rainfalls for January!

Susan Greet, who has been evacuated twice in fires, gives us her tips and wisdom about how to prepare and deal with this very stressful and potentially life threatening situation.

LIVING WITH THE RISK OF FIRE

by Susan Greet An increasing number of people are choosing to live in or near forests, rural areas, or remote mountain sites. Being this close to nature and away from the city can offer the perfect setting for your next house sit, but you may also face the danger of wildfire.

We lived in Colorado where we were evacuated twice, fortunately without loss of our home.

Being about a quarter mile from the fire was close enough! It is important to discuss with the homeowner what preparation and planning, if any, has been done for this eventuality.

Here are some of our first-hand experiences and recommendations.

IT'S ALL ABOUT BEING PREPARED Although you can't possibly plan for every contingency, if you're house-sitting in a fire prone area, ask for a written plan or guidelines from the homeowners as to what actions they would normally like to take in the case of such an emergency.

These will obviously need to be reasonable requests and you are only agreeing to do the best you can. We are assuming that the location has meant you have a vehicle. If not, you will need to address this with the owners.

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PLAN COMMUNICATIONS This includes the local authorities' communications to homeowners and your communications with the homeowners. In Colorado, we had reverse 911 calls for evacuation notices. This is used extensively across the US. Many communities have text or email alerting systems for emergency notifications.

Find out how you can be linked to this service in the owner's absence and what the local process is for emergencies. This can usually be found on local authority websites.

Ask to be introduced to several neighbors prior to the home owner's departure.

Exchange email and phone numbers and get together for a drink or dinner to create a relationship.

Should an emergency arise, early communication with the homeowners is essential to make them part of the process. With our neighbors, we watched a fire approach for two days before evacuation. By then, we had discussed scenarios and organized ourselves to ensure that we all had the help we needed and knew where we would be staying.

This communication with neighbors would be especially helpful to a house sitter not familiar to the area. Your dog walks and trips around the area should help you assess the evacuation routes, so that you know how to escape fire from several different directions.

POWER Issues with power can vary depending on whether the property is on local services or a separate well, power, or septic systems. You should assume that you may lose power at any time, if you are connected to local services.

Identify what functions in the house cease with no power. If you're on a well system and you lose power, is there a backup generator? If not, you will be without water. We installed a backup generator for our well and house after our first evacuation. We were hosing down the roof of our house and the garden when we lost power. Hot embers in the air can start fires between half a mile to a mile away from the fire.

If you need use of landlines, the handset needs to be directly linked to the telephone line, not connected to remote devices using power.

Disconnect automatic garage door openers, so you can manually open the doors at a moment's notice. Open gates and position the car forward facing for a quick exit if necessary.

Ask the owners what emergency kits exist, including flashlights, batteries, first aid kits etc.

PETS Planning for evacuation of pets can vary dramatically, therefore an agreement with the homeowner is essential.

Dogs and cats can be loaded into a vehicle with the minimum of fuss, but if you have outdoor cats with access to a cat-flap, keep them inside, somewhere you can easily grab them for any planned exit – seal the cat-flap to prevent them leaving the house.

Horses are a different matter.

The homeowners should have an arrangement with a third party for any evacuation. It should not be the house sitters' responsibility, although they can assist where possible. We would suggest early communication with this third party by the house sitters.

We had about ten to fifteen dogs temporarily located on our property as the owners, closer to the wildfire, started partial evacuations.

PACKING Along with the homeowners, you'll need to agree on what can be loaded into the vehicle should you have to evacuate the property. We've seen people do multiple trips hauling furniture out.

Our position was that we had insurance, therefore only certain essentials or personal items should be packed.

During one of our evacuations we removed crystal that we wanted to save and accidentally broke a piece during the move. Because the incident occurred as a result of our actions, and not from the fire, the breakage wasn't covered under our homeowner insurance policy.

You also should think about the risk of your vehicle being broken into if evacuated items are visible in your car. Find a safe place to store these items.

How prepared you are will depend on how much time you have. We were able to pack our cars a day before evacuation. This enabled us to assess what we could take and be ready to leave within minutes if necessary.

Depending on the homeowners wishes they may want to move certain items well before evacuation. However, they need to have made the necessary arrangements for a safe location.

It is their responsibility to ensure continued insurance coverage.

5 P's FOR EFFECTIVE EVACUATION 1. People, pets and livestock - prepare to evacuate if you can safely remove them.

2. Prescriptions - for pet with dosages; personal medicines; medical equipment; batteries or power cords; eyeglasses; and hearing aids. Any food the pet will need for the duration of the evacuation 3. Papers - including important documents the owners may have left with you, contact information (hard copies and/or electronic copies saved on portable drives or devices), any personal papers the home owner asks you to take with you 4. Personal Needs - such as clothes, food for you and the pets, water, first aid kit, cash, phones, and chargers 5. Priceless Items – any items the owner may have requested you to try and save, understanding the risks and responsibilities involved Again, there should be some understanding as to what is acceptable for both the homeowners and the house sitters, especially on the items holding irreplaceable memories or considered priceless.

UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENT It's always good to understand your immediate environment. Studying a map of the area is good for preparation. Knowing whether there is a safe place in a local town or village is a good call too.     

Has the homeowner been mitigating his property against fires?

Is the home located in the hills or mountains? Fires accelerate up slopes.

Are the evacuation routes bordered by trees and in more open environments?

Are there fire breaks that could delay the spread of fire?

Where are your best exit routes.

ACTUAL EVACUATION You can research plenty of long lists detailing what to do when evacuating a house due to wildfires. The house sitter just needs to agree with the homeowner a list for that location.

For example, the lists say leave doors and windows closed, but unlocked for access by firefighters. Homeowners need to be aware of and agree to this. They also talk about taking down all curtains and moving flammable furniture to the center of rooms. This is possible if there is adequate notice.

From our discussions with various people, we understand that the heat generated by fires can cause items in the house to burst into flames without direct contact with the fire. We decided that we had proper insurance, and if the fire reached the house it would most probably be a total loss.

Numerous resources are available on the internet to help educate and prepare in the event you are forced to evacuate. Here are some for the USA and Australia. https://www.ready.gov/wildfires https://www.fs.fed.us/managing-land/fire https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/14090038593910e8ad1ed42c129f11fbc23d008d1ee85/how_to_prepare_wildfire_033014_508.pdf https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/safetyinformation/fire/Pages/default.aspx https://www.emergency.wa.gov.au/prepare

ENJOY THE HOUSE SIT, BUT BE PREPARED! Our recommendation is always to have open discussions with homeowners about emergency situations in any environment.

In fire prone areas most homeowners will have some thoughts about how they would handle such situations and what resources exist. Create clear guidelines and plan early communications with the homeowners.

In today's digital age there are a multitude of resources and communication warning systems that exist in many countries. Tap into the neighborhood network. Travel around and familiarize yourself with the location and its environment.

Most wildfires come with plenty of warning. Local authorities should be providing the necessary support and advice. A little preparation and common sense should allow you to do the best under the circumstances.

Property can be replaced, not people and pets.

Susan Greet and her husband John, have always shared the same spirit of adventure and love for travel. In 2014, they sold their mountain home in Colorado to spend an extended period as full-time house sitters and travelers. They have traveled in North, Central and South America, Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. They keep healthy with hiking, cycling and yoga.

While traveling around the world they blog about their experiences at: http://unforeseentravels.com/

WHY WALKING YOUR DOG IS SO IMPORTANT

by Emily Conklin

Taking care of dogs comes with many responsibilities, including feeding, grooming and medical care. But one responsibility that doesn’t cost any money, just a little time and effort each day, is that of exercising the family pet.

It might come as a surprise then that recent studies show how regular exercise for dogs is greatly lacking. One such study shows that one in three dogs in Britain alone is considered overweight. In that same study, we're informed that one in three of these same dog owners are also overweight.

HOW YOU & YOUR DOG CAN BENEFIT As a house sitter, part of the territory is ensuring that the family dog gets well exercised according to their normal routines, as described by the home owners. And, by taking as little as

20 minutes of exercise per day, the rewards of walking a dog can be reaped by both you and the dog(s).

Let's start with the benefits to the dog: Most dog breeds are programmed to get plenty of rest each day.

Let’s face it, dogs like to spend a lot of time lounging around mom and dad’s bedroom, the kitchen or by the front door. But, as much as they like to lounge, they also need their daily workout.

Without regular movement and exercise, dogs can become depressed or bored because their brains aren’t being stimulated. Depression and boredom in dogs can lead to some very destructive actions. For instance, an under-exercised dog may start to chew at or destroy items within or around the home.

For some dog owners, who don’t give their pets enough exercise, they are likely to come home to discover their dog has chewed a piece of furniture, wrecked a pair of shoes or upended a houseplant.

As well as fulfilling the purpose of stimulating their brains, dogs also need daily exercise for their overall health and well-being. If a dog is under-exercised, they can quite easily become

overweight. And, an overweight dog can be prone to all sorts of medical conditions, such as canine diabetes, heart disease, breathing difficulties, and damage to joints, bones and ligaments.

Of course, it's always good to get advice from vets about the amount of exercise your dog will need, especially as a puppy. Certain breeds that suffer from hip problems, can in fact be overwalked as pups, so this is an important consideration too. When you're house sitting always consult with the home owner and check how often, and how long your charges should be exercised for.

What about the effects on humans?

As mentioned, the health effects for dogs are just one side of the equation. The health effects of walking a dog on the owner are also not to be ignored.

Another study by the University of Missouri-Columbia, observed that participants who walked a dog for just 20 minutes a day, five days a week, lost an average of 14 pounds (almost 6.5 kilos) in one year.

Think about that for a moment - one simple walk a day for only five days a week lost that much weight over the course of only one year. That's weight lost and also not weight gained which could possibly be the result with no other exercise!

So, by simply putting a harness on the dog and stepping outside for a brief walk, you and your dog can benefit greatly.

Walking is not only healthy in terms of weight, it also increases the heart rate which leads to better respiratory stamina. The combined effects of losing weight and increased stamina can help prevent many of the same bad things in a human that it does in a dog - diabetes, heart disease and poor mental health.

GET STARTED WITH A SIMPLE ROUTINE Now that you know the effect of regular exercise on you and your dog, the next and often hardest step, is putting a plan into place.

We all live such busy lives these days and finding the time to consistently exercise your dog for a decent period of time can be difficult. How often have you simply opened the back door to let your dog have a quick run around in the garden when running late for an appointment?

So, if you know it will be hard for you at first, my recommendation would be to start with a short but steady walk close to home. Even if you exercise yourself and your dog for 10 minutes each day, you can think of this as 10 more minutes of exercise that neither of you were getting before.

As time goes by, you'll realize the benefits and this exercise will become much easier as your pace increases. Now's the time to step it up to a longer time-frame.

Ideally, when fully exercised, a dog will be getting at least one to two 30 minute walks per day.

Some breeds of course require much more exercise and this is something you should consider when either taking on a new dog or when applying for house sits.

Whatever level of exercise you settle on, you and your dog will soon benefit from the rewards of this increased exercise and daily routine. And it's good for both body and mind. You might find this time beneficial for clearing your thoughts, de-stressing or to focus on your schedule more positively.

The great thing too is that no matter whether it's raining “cats and dogs”, snowing profusely or it's zero degrees outside, your dog will seldom say no to a walk.

This should be motivation enough to get that all important exercise routine under way!

Emily Conklin is an author for Gladwire.com a happy, uplifting news site and social community on Facebook.

When she's not writing she enjoys skiing, traveling and playing with her bunny.

DIVERSITY Funny Haircuts & Changing Climates

by Doug Dyer

When Johanne and I reflect on our first 20 months of full-time house sitting, we are somewhat in awe of the amount of diversity that we have experienced. Diversity in many forms - cultural, geographical, culinary, lifestyle and climate.

Putting our bags down in 15 different locations has been quite enlightening and made life very interesting.

From a 5-Star colonial home in a major cultural city, to a remote off the grid cacao farm, and every scenario in between, we have found ourselves in unique situations which we could not have imagined without being house sitters.

Endless open beaches, Caribbean coves,funky little surf towns, volcano rims… the list goes on and on.

Essential Skills to Help You Adapt Most of our sits are a month long or more so they do require a bit of adaptation. In exchange we are granted a glimpse of what a location is really like, how it feels to live there day-to-day.

Coupled with an ability to adapt, a sense of humor is also an essential skill. Take for example a recent visit to the hairdressers. I sat down for a trim and with just three quick passes of the big shears, I looked like Justin Bieber’s grandfather! Only humor eases us through some of these unexpected daily occurrences.

Accepting this diversity and growing from it is so rewarding.

Observing and learning from the people living in these various regions and economic states has changed us. I think we have become more respectful of others and the lives they lead. We never were huge consumers of "stuff" and didn't ever buy into the idea that a trip to the mall could make you happy.

We have seen people living on very basic means compared to our standards and at times it is difficult to grasp the disparity.

We have house sat on two Caribbean islands less than 200 miles apart. Barbados, a major destination, is buzzing with activity, commerce and life.Yet, Saint-Vincent of the Grenadines, a 30 minute flight to the west, feels completely different. It is like it has been passed over and it is struggling to find momentum. "Laissez faire" and a lack of motivation is in the air.

The difference is profound.

Effects of Tourism We have also witnessed what the cruise ship industry can do to a place. Of course an argument can be made that it brings welcome dollars into the economy, but it isn’t always pretty. Just imagine hordes of foreigners with fat wallets wandering aimlessly though towns where the average income is $10-$20 US a day.

The sight of a monster cruise ship from a remote village where local people are struggling just for lunch money is overwhelming. This is not diversity at its finest.

The Expat Influence Another glaring example of diverse lifestyles is apparent in the choices that expats make when they decide to settle somewhere.

We recently house sat in the thriving community of Coronado on the Pacific coast of Panama.

Here you will find ocean side communities that compare to anything you would expect to see in Florida. The towns are brimming with high-end delicatessens and fancy shops where shelves are stocked with everything imaginable. Cheeses from France, garlic stuffed olives and glutenfree goodies fill the shopping carts. BMWs and Porches compete for parking spaces.

Immediately after Coronado, we traveled across Panama to the island archipelago of Bocas Del Toro which could not be more dissimilar in lifestyle.

No BMWs here, in fact the preferred engine is an 80 horse Yamaha fastened to the back of a panga (a type of boat). A trip to town can be a 40-minute boat ride across open water, with a constant eye on the weather.

Once in town, shopping for the basics is an exercise which requires planning and flexibility.

Don’t dally, the wind is picking up and the boat ride back could get hairy.

We find that being exposed to a variety of experiences widens our acceptance of how the world rotates. Traveling with an open mind will have that effect.The other afternoon we were served a Greek falafel by a Jewish Rastafarian while gazing up at an Aztec pyramid.True diversity in a nutshell; something many more people should experience.

Adjusting to Climates Currently we have chosen a much different climate and geography than what we have become accustomed to - our own self-imposed climate change. For almost two years we have lived in hot tropical places along the coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula. The temperature was often in the 30’s C and the humidity off the scale. We decided we wanted a stint in cooler climes just to see how we would fair.

For our next few sits we will be at higher elevations in the hills of Mexico; a completely different feel. We actually had to buy long pants! But it is really the dryness of the place that has been the biggest adjustment for us. I think we are still undecided as to which climate our bodies prefer.

Certainly, the high elevation locations have a lot to offer, however Johanne and I know for certain that we need the sound of an ocean nearby.

Most of all we are grateful for the diversities that we have witnessed and lessons they have taught us. We eagerly look ahead to many more adventures on the house sitting trail.

Doug and Johanne Dyer are house sitting full-time throughout Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. You can connect with them at www.joyfultravellers.com You can also learn more about their lifestyle transformation by picking up Doug’s first book: A Tale of Two Geckos on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2rgXc3I

HOW TO HOUSE SIT SUCCESSFULLY IN THE UAE

by Moraig Minns

In December 2016 we were in the process of repatriating to New Zealand after 10 years living in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). During the process of closing down our lives my husband, Brian (B), registered a case against his employer with the Ministry of Labour for non-payment of his "End of Service Gratuity".

An Immigration Predicament We were aware the process could be a long one and had been informed by numerous sources, including the Ministry, that we could leave the country as planned and the case would continue in our absence.

One factor which had not been taken into account was that B's employment visa had expired.

The consequence of this was that he was prevented from leaving the country when we were flying home from Dubai airport.

I was already through immigration and customs, so had no choice but to fly home alone. B on the other hand had to head back to Abu Dhabi. Fortunately we have great friends that he was able to stay with.

After six weeks back in New Zealand, and realizing that this was going to be a longer process than we initially envisaged, I returned to the UAE on a Tourist Visa. As B was ostensibly an "over-stayer" and I was a visitor we were unable to work or enter into any type of property rental agreement.

So what were our alternatives apart from hotels in order to keep our expenses as low as possible with no income coming in?

House Sitting Provides The Solution We had already subscribed to two New Zealand house sitting websites as this was always part of our future plan. But we had never even considered house sitting in the UAE as the culture, at first glance, did not appear to lend itself to the concept.

However, after much research we signed up to the Trusted Housesitters site and immediately found a couple of options in Dubai which we applied for.

After the usual communication and negotiation with the homeowners, we were accepted for both sits. These two sits gave us a total of four weeks of house sitting with a few days in between - these we supplemented with hotel stays.

We were on our way!

As there were no new homeowners advertising on the site, we started to think about how we could access the thousands of expats who would be planning to leave the country for the summer.

We had house and pet sat for our friends in Abu Dhabi on a number of occasions. They were so delighted with the convenience of the experience and how happy their two French Bulldogs, Alfie and Minnie were when they returned. So they suggested we reach out to local Facebook groups - those that focused on animals.

Building a House Sitting Network in the UAE We researched Facebook groups in the UAE that focused on cats and dogs, and joined as many as we could find. Once accepted as a member we posted our offer to house sit pets in exchange for accommodation and Wifi. We stipulated that no money would change hands - we were subsequently inundated with enquiries.

It was then a matter of matching our calendar with the proposed dates from the homeowners, ensuring we fit in as many as possible to mitigate our need for hotels.

We found that once we got started the whole process snowballed and we got repeat requests and also referrals.

Filling the Gaps However, it was almost impossible to arrange back-to-back house sits, so we had to start thinking about how we would accommodate ourselves in those gaps.

We've found booking.com is always a good start and by researching accommodation just 24 hours in advance we were able to attain high quality low cost hotel rooms, mostly in the older, more interesting parts of the cities.

The PROs… As a consequence of joining some of these Facebook groups we inadvertently became involved in the animal rescue scene. With such a large expat community (80% of the total population), there is sadly a proliferation of abandoned pets in this country.

One of our house sits involved a lovely wee rescue pup called Eddie who was part of a litter of four, rescued from a farm, along with their mother. Eddie fought a great fight against parvovirus during our house sit and subsequently also developed carpal laxity. He was fortunate to have been adopted by our homeowners where he was given medical care.

Through our membership of PARA we became aware of Eddie's brother Asil, who had developed the same condition. Unfortunately his foster family were unable to afford the medical fees to treat his condition. We made contact through PARA with the foster family and offered to pay for Asil's treatment. Soon after he embarked on his treatment journey to correct the deformity in his legs he found his forever home.

The photo collage above shows Eddie from the first day we met through to Christmas this year.

… and the CONs The UAE is a highly regulated society and some of the Facebook groups objected to our posts, challenging us with questions regarding Trade Licensing etc., and the legality of what we were proposing, referring us to government ministry requirements.

On these occasions we didn't enter into any dialogue but just removed our posts from the particular group and left it at that. Our view was that we were not accepting payment so the agreement was just an exchange of services. But this is something to be aware of.

The UAE governance is not democratically elected. It is a federal system comprising seven emirates in which local governments are based on traditional patriarchal monarchies, ruled by sheikhs from royal families who have long held the leadership positions of tribal confederations.

CONCLUSION & MORE INFORMATION It is possible to house/pet sit successfully in the UAE, however you will possibly have to think creatively.

For more information on visas and travel to the UAE take a look at: https://government.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/types-of-visa

Or research your own government's information online and make sure it is totally up-to-date as immigration law can change without notice.

The constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi (which serves as the capital), Aman (Ajman), Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Shariah and Umm al-Quwain. Emirates flies out of Dubai and Etihad out of Ahu Dhabi - both are excellent international airlines. Low cost carriers include Fly Dubai.

You can also find more information about living in the UAE at: http://www.livingindubai.org https://www.expatfocus.com/destinations/united-arab-emirates

Moraig and Brian Minns are New Zealanders who have lived and worked in the Middle East, specifically the United Arab Emirates for the past ten years. During this time they have traveled extensively through the Middle East, UK, Europe, parts of Asia and back "down under" to New Zealand – 26 countries in all.

Approaching their "silver years" they have left behind the corporate environment to visit those destinations not yet ticked off our bucket list. Nothing excites them more than the anticipation created when booking tickets, hotels or house sits in a new destination. You can read more about their adventures at their blog: https://safetravels196.com

CARIBBEAN ISLAND HOUSE SITTING IN ST LUCIA

by Andrew Martin

We love pets and so when we decided to uproot and go traveling for a year, there was really a wonder as to how we could do this and have more contact with animals.

That was when we found pet-sitting.

However, on leaving home over eight months ago, there was never any intention to go to the Caribbean. But, we were happily cat sitting in Canada when we saw a request for someone to look after a dog on the island of St Lucia.

It appeared to be a fantastic opportunity to see more of the Caribbean because we could head to St Lucia and then look into other islands to discover more of the overall area.

Small Luxuries Are Harder To Find Anyone who’s been to the Caribbean will know that it's beautiful and warm, but what you might not know is that finding things you're used to buying, can be harder than you think. This is especially true when it comes to food.

I had to expand my cooking horizon as some things were just not available to buy that I would use all the time at home.

The hardest thing for me was not having the usual fruit and veggies which I love to cook with.

With less variety of produce, I had to cook more often with the vegetables I particularly liked.

The great thing about this was that I learned about some of the local cooking methods.

Eating out in the Caribbean is a totally different experience. The food is fantastic and we ate at many great places. If you are ever on St Lucia I would recommend going to The Pink Plantation House for great local food and great people.

One thing though, is not to expect fast service, which is the same everywhere in the Caribbean.

We had to wait longer than usual at all the restaurants we visited, but the trade-off was that the food was really good!

Getting Around St Lucia There were two options to get around, either a taxi or the local bus.

The local bus is the cheapest way to travel. If you are close to Castries (the capital of St Lucia), then most bus rides to the surrounding area cost you about $2 XCD (East Caribbean Dollar).

We often went up to Rodney Bay, which cost $2.25 XCD. You can get there with the 1A bus from town. Just be careful with Rodney Bay as it can get very full and busy when a cruise ship is docked, as it is one of the locations for day trips.

The locals are always helpful if you need to find a bus. The buses have their starting points all over Castries, so if you're not sure where one starts or which one to take, just ask a local. They were always helpful to us.

Just remember that starting points for buses can change on Sundays and public holidays. We got very confused because of this when we couldn't find our bus one day. Thankfully a nice local pointed us in the right direction.

We also took a day trip down to Soufriere on the 3F. We saw a lot of nature and the local villages, but we weren’t able to stop when we wanted to. That is one advantage of hiring a taxi for a day. They will stop wherever you want so you can enjoy a lookout or take a picture.

When we looked into day trips with taxis they were mostly around $80-100 USD, where as the bus to Soufriere cost us $7 XCD.

If you're going to take a taxi on any Caribbean island make sure the you haggle first, they will always quote you higher and you can usually negotiate down to a more reasonable price.

The only exception to this is on Martinique. On this island all the taxis have a meter and they MUST turn it on. This is due to them being part of France.

Treat Yourself To Some 5* Luxury There were a couple of 5 star all-inclusive resorts on St Lucia, and you can get day passes to those resorts at a fraction of the cost of staying overnight.

We went to three different resorts and were able to enjoy the pools, food and drinks provided for their guests at around $100 USD a day per person (varies from resort to resort). You can get day passes which run till around 6pm or full day passes that go into the night.

Looking After Pets In The Heat Our dog was great. He was fun to look after, but one of the hardest things to organize was when we could take him for a walk. It's very hot and humid during the middle of the day, so we always had to get out early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

There's also the problem that there are no footpaths, so you are always walking on the road.

This means you can't go out after dark or before the sun comes up.

You also always need to keep on top of the water situation with pets in this heat.

All that said, we did find a good place to take our dog for a walk and the friendly locals often stopped to comment on how great he looked. We really enjoyed pet sitting on St Lucia and meeting the friendly locals.

How Pet Sitting Changed Our Journey Our stay in St Lucia opened up a whole new area to travel, i.e. all of the Caribbean.

After St Lucia we visited eight other islands and this was all thanks to house and pet sitting. It was a fantastic experience and I would do it again.

Andrew Martin is currently traveling the world and pet sitting wherever possible with his girl friend. He was a teacher in Australia and plans to teach English abroad soon. You can follow his adventures on social media at: https://instagram.com/andysawesomeadventure/ https://facebook.com/andysawesomeadventures/

REVIEW The all NEW HouseSittingWorld.com Offering Real-Time Alerts and Integrated Planning

In today's online world, you don't have to wait very long to find what you need. You know exactly when there's an airline seat sale, or when that shirt you've been eyeing is 50% off. So why isn't it the same for house sitting opportunities?

Now, thanks to HouseSittingWorld.com, co-creator Louise Read and her husband Tim, you can experience the same level of instant service to plan your future house sits.

"As a full-time house sitter, I became frustrated with how long it took to find and lock down the right opportunities," explains Louise. "One night when we were house sitting in Oxfordshire, England, I had an epiphany that spawned the one-stop-shop approach for HouseSittingWorld.com."

This "epiphany" came in the form of some salty language, according to her husband, Tim. "I came back from walking the dog to find my wife cursing like a lumberjack because she'd spent a lot of time during the past few days looking for sits and she was a wee bit frustrated," he laughs.

"Replies were scarce, sits were already taken, rejections were mounting and, after going from site to site, Louise just lost it."

That's when the pair decided to develop their own site to bring everything together in one place.HouseSittingWorld.com benefits new and experienced sitters alike, featuring automated search and notifications from multiple sites, custom sit profiles, and an integrated planning system.

"My original idea began with "SitAlerts", an easy way to gather information from multiple sites," says Louise. "I didn't want to limit myself to one search profile. I wanted active searches for different regions and dates to plan out my next year or longer. And I wanted to search more than one site at a time" HouseSittingWorld.com does just that. You can set up searches for Italy, Morocco and Spain for next spring, and Mexico or Central America for the winter, all at the same time.

This streamlined system currently connects four house sitting platforms - House Carers, Nomador, House Sit Mexico, and Happy House Sitter, for real-time searches and notifications that alert users by SMS or email when there's a match.

You can set up to 10 active "Sit Wishes" at once, based on your preference for location, pets and length of time. Your notifications will always match your saved search criteria and, when a

partner platform lists a sit, you'll know about it within two hours. This short-notice time frame puts our members far ahead of the competition.

Based on extensive input from house sitters all over the world, other features include: Planning calendar: Track your sits at every stage from applied to accepted. Easily manage conflicts, travel, communications and more from ANY site or Facebook group.

Individual house-sitting profiles: Add notes and files to your sits so you can keep all relevant information in one place.Profiles include automated country specific information (e.g., banking, language, laws).

Travel: Plan your itinerary. Using a start point and destination, view and compare all your travel options, including trip lengths and costs. Save your preferred travel itinerary to your house sit profile. Book flights, find hotels, cars, travel gear and other services.

Document storage: Backup and manage your documents in a safe and secure place, in case your device is ever lost or stolen. Store and retrieve critical travel documents or reference letters from any device, anywhere. Choose to encrypt your files to ensure only you can access them.

Resource links: Discover new travel destinations, learn how to build up your references, care for pets, read informative books, and download the latest apps, such as "MapaHub" where you can arrange to meet like-minded house sitters and travelers "in-person" around the world.

You'll also find links to forums like "For Sitters by Sitters", and online courses such as the "House Sitting Academy" and "Become a House-Sitting Pro" at greatly reduced prices.

Both Louise and Tim are passionate about house sitting and they wanted to ensure the system is affordable to house sitters everywhere.

"The cost of membership is easily off-set by all the savings you'll secure. For example, if you join HouseSittingWorld, you can save 10–30% on individual house-sitting platform memberships," says Lou. "With a $60 fee, premium members at HouseSittingWorld can save around $300 by taking advantage of all the options."

Tim and Louise have been full-time house sitters since 2015. Tim spent 20 years working in oil and gas, while Louise traveled extensively working with EA Sports. With 2 kids and 7 grandchildren, they chose to pack it in, sell everything and explore the world. They have now visited 29 countries and 4 continents house-sitting on Greek Islands, Mexican Villages and a host of major cities.

Louise was the driving force behind house sitting and Housesittingworld.com is their first entrepreneurial venture. Their Facebook group House Sitting World has nearly 15,000 members.

DO GOOD, FEEL GOOD Enrich your life and the lives of others by volunteering

by Jenny Lincoln

It's a basic human need to want to make a difference in the world.

Whether this is with the people you love, your local community or an overseas cause. We all want to touch the hearts and minds of others in our own unique way.

Volunteering comes in many shapes and sizes.

You can choose formal paid gigs through organizations like:   

International Volunteer HQ Global Vision International (GVI) Go Eco

Or, you can opt for exchange projects through companies like:   

Workaway WWOOF Helpx

These companies all provide meals and accommodation in exchange for 4-5 hours of volunteer work each day.

And of course, the simple approach is to ask around the local community wherever you happen to be house sitting or living.

Personally, I've tried all types of volunteering and the method I've found that integrates best with house sitting is to check in with the local community where I have a sit, and then to source in-between weeks with Workaway.

There have been lots of fun times including:   

Bartering for fruit and feeding out at a the local bird rescue centre in Belmopan Belize Helping create awareness of ocean conservation with the children of Mahe Island in the Seychelles for the Save Our Seas Foundation Teaching English to the Buddhist Monks in Luang Prabang, Laos with GVI - you can read more about this experience in the next article.

Each time I volunteer I come away proud and purposeful. It is such a lovely feeling to be able to contribute to the lives of others!

The Powerful Health Benefits of Volunteering Volunteering is a wonderful exchange of enrichment for those in need - knowledge, literacy, schools, buildings, wells, water, etc., and it provides an array of well-being boosts for those who give of themselves. It is a fabulous form of fair exchange for your time and skills.

Do Good, Feel Good - Yes, it is called the "helpers high". When we help someone else it lights up the pleasure center of our brains, releasing endorphins that make us feel good about ourselves. A fabulous free healthy drug with no nasty side effects!

Attitude of Gratitude - Invariably, when you are volunteering, you are helping people that may not have the same standard of living and opportunity as you. This helps you become more appreciative and grateful for all that you have. Creating greater contentment as well as a lowering of expectations that can bind us or lock us into continual revolutions of "not being enough".

Powerful Perspective - Initially you may focus on heat, humidity, polyester sheets and poor WiFi. But before long your perspective will shift from "1st world problems" to "real life essentials" in the form of a simple smile, joy, inner peace, contentment, health and generosity.

Being reawakened to the simplicity of life is a blessing to us all. It is so easy to get caught up with the material perspectives of our lives.

Helps Us Be Happier - Happiness comes from within. One sure way to amplify your happiness is through getting a regular dose of the "helpers high".

Promotes Compassion & Kindness - When we see how others live their lives, it helps to open our own hearts and minds. This leads to greater understanding and less judgment, which can only lead to a more compassionate way of living, where acts of kindness become the norm.

What a lovely thought and practice for us all in 2018.

Builds Bonds with Community - Participating in a local cause helps you integrate in the community as well as experience life as a local. As Rumi says "wherever you stand be the soul of that place". What a wonderful way to love and appreciate the local culture.

Make New Friends & Have Fun - Shared experiences forge new friendships, whether they are for seasons, reasons or lifelong affairs. Socialization, fun and laughter are all essential for a rich and meaningful life!

So, as you cast your mind over the year ahead consider adding a few weeks of volunteering into your game plan. You will be making a big difference to the lives of others as well as permanently improving the quality of your own mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing!

It may even completely change your outlook on life!

Jenny Lincoln is a Human Behavior Specialist traveling and house sitting her way around the world. Her teachings help to open the hearts and minds of those seeking to live a true and authentic life.

Her practices enable people to create courage so they can move beyond limited thinking and fear based actions to the expansive space of open hearted leadership and living.

You can catch her on Instagram @lincoln_speaks.

Her new website is coming soon.

VOLUNTEERING WITH THE MINI MONKS IN LAOS Once in a life time experience in Luang Prabang

by Jenny Lincoln

There is something very special about being able to volunteer and to interact directly with a community that you would not normally get access to. This was the case when I got to teach English to the Buddhist monks of Luang Prabang, in Laos.

It is still one of the most precious experiences of my life. Spending four weeks with the young monks of Wat Mano was mind blowing and heart opening.

I was very fortunate to be able to work with what we reverently called the "mini monks" - the 9 and 10 year olds who were just starting their spiritual journey. Novice monks study for anywhere between three months and twelve years from the age of 9 until 20. Only a small percentage go on to become fully fledged ordained monks.

Most young monks come from very poor rural families. Their training as a novice provides many benefits:   

honor to the family better education for the child better living conditions growing up



exposure to new opportunities and the opening of new doors especially through contact with volunteers and their organizations financial benefits of a better education allowing more money to be sent home to support their families



Sinhs & Sashes Being a teacher for monks is a revered position in the community and with it comes responsibility and protocols.

Because of our standing in the community we had to ensure we were dressed conservatively.

Teacher attire was a sleeved shirt with a closed neck and the traditional sinh (tube skirt) and sash. This attire was worn in the Wats (temples) and when teaching.

Given the possibility of meeting our students on the streets we also had to avoid wearing short dresses, skirts and shorts as well as singlet tops or sleeveless tops. Most importantly, no cleavage was to be shown!

Working with so many protocols, it took a couple of days to get into the swing of things. As female teachers we weren't allowed to:     

Touch or bump into a monk Pass anything directly to them. So pens and paper always had to be placed on the desk for them to pick up Be higher than them when addressing them directing. You would kneel or crouch by their desk making sure not to lean over them or on their desk Sit next to them when helping them with work Be causal with them - formal address and a slight bow was always required

A Day in the Life of a Novice Monk The day starts early for all monks, with chanting and prayers at 5am followed by the collecting of alms at 6am. This is where the monks all walk barefoot in single file throughout the streets of town with their "begging bowls".

The local people and some tourists participate in alms giving as an act of virtue. It is an age old sacred ritual in Buddhist countries and a big draw for tourism in Luang Prabang.

Back at their Wats, the food from alms is sorted in two meals, one at 7am and the other at 11am. There is no eating after 12 noon as that is what Buddha did. The rest of the morning is spent doing chores like washing, cleaning, painting and repairing the Wat. Afternoon and evenings were usually filled with classes, meditation, chanting and more prayers.

I took a class at 2pm and it wasn't unusual for these "mini monks" to be struggling to stay awake, as it was the hottest part of the day (around 33c with 90%+ humidity under a hot tin roof). Plus they were fatigued from the timing of their meals and an unbalanced diet consisting mainly of sticky rice!

If they were not novice monks we would have had them up running, laughing, being noisy whilst playing games. But that form of behavior is unacceptable for these boys as it goes against the tenants of being a spiritual leader. So we had to be inventive with our teaching methods!

There was also no singing or clapping as these were reserved for chanting and prayers. Most of the time these boys were really well behaved but sometimes you could start to see the stirrings of young boys wanting to cut lose!

EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF LUANG PRABANG Nestled between the mighty Mekong and its tributary the Nam Khan, Luang Prabang is a compact peninsula town. Once the ancient royal capital of Laos, it is a sacred town to many. It is also the heart of Buddhism with the highest concentration of ordained and novice monks. It has a lovely peacefulness with a sense of vibrancy as the locals go about their everyday lives amid the ebb and flow of tourism.

My 5 Favorite Finds 1. Gold Gilded Wat Xieng Thong - stunning by day and night. it is the back drop for the infamous night markets where you can get absorbed for hours.

2. Giving of Alms - a sacred ritual at dawn where the locals give food to the monks. Tourists can participate, you just need to dress conservatively and remember your protocols of lowered eyes, no touching or speaking. Tip – offer something other than sticky rice as they

get a ton of that. Boiled eggs, bananas or tomatoes are all healthy and easy to buy and prepare.

3. Bamboo Bridges traversing the Nam Khan - wonderful craftsmanship of jewellery and paper making are fun to explore in the small villages along the other bank. Tip - take your early morning tea or coffee to the riverside so you can catch the playfulness and serenity of the novice monks as they cross the bridges on their way to class.

4. Early Morning Markets along the Mekong side of the peninsula – you will see all the locals bartering and chatting. Head over to the "shake ladies" for a delicious fresh fruit shake or cool coconut to start your day.

5. Big Brother Mouse - a library come volunteer teaching spot where you can help the novice Buddhist monks practice conversational English. It is a memorable experience for all ages.

For more information on Luang Prabang and Laos visit: http://tourismluangprabang.org/ http://www.tourismlaos.org

Jenny Lincoln is a Human Behavior Specialist traveling and house sitting her way around the world. Her teachings help to open the hearts and minds of those seeking to live a true and authentic life.

Her practices enable people to create courage so they can move beyond limited thinking and fear based actions to the expansive space of open hearted leadership and living.

You can catch her on Instagram @lincoln_speaks.

Her new website is coming soon.

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HOW WE GOT STARTED WITH TRUSTED HOUSESITTERS Now For Something Completely Different

by Sam Ion

We've become big supporters of the new "sharing economy", though not all of it works for us.

We love the idea of home swap, for instance, but it isn't convenient for our lifestyle.

Airbnb, on the other hand, does work and we've rented places all over the world, and our home has been rented to people from as far away as Singapore, and as close as Ontario, Canada. It's been a huge success and we brag about being "super hosts".

We have used Uber to get around with mostly excellent results, and now we're now trying Trusted Housesitters to experience house sitting.

"Sam, you and Tom would be terrific at taking care of people's houses and pets while they're away", said our dear friend Wendy. "You could travel the world and have free accommodation with pets to pat."

But just where does one find this kind of job?

Online of course.

Applying to become house sitters And so we joined the international house sitting platform - Trusted Housesitters (THS). It seemed to be the biggest, so that's where we started.

It reminds me a bit of a dating site. There are literally hundreds of people looking for sits, as well as other people looking for sitters.

Staying with a kitten in Cancun in January may attract 30-50 interested applications, while I noticed that keeping a poodle company over Christmas in a more rural location had yet to attract any applicants.

Pet sitters need to become a member at a cost of $119 USD for the year, although as a reader of House Sitting Magazine you can get a 25% discount.

Then there is a three-step verification process, which includes global identity, with ID document cross-checks and criminal background checks. It took a while to write our reasons for wanting to become house sitters, and the reasons why anyone would want us caring for their home and precious pets.

You are responsible for getting to the house sit, and for groceries once you get there.

Sometimes the sit includes a car, but not always.

Making applications Once we were approved, we started to apply for sits. You really need reviews from actual house sitting experiences, even though you can request references as a result of dog sitting for friends and relatives who aren't members. THS suggest you first apply for short sits that are close to home.

We decided that we'd apply to care for older dogs. We have had lots of practice with elderly dogs - administering pills and dealing with different attitudes. We also applied for any Golden Retrievers who needed sitters, having had "Goldens" ourselves for more than 32 years.

Our first "no" was from an editor in New York City. He and his golden lived in a brownstone that looked like a movie set, and his daily walk would be in Central Park. But there were more than 40 applications and we didn't make the cut.

I kept at it, and soon had a couple of golden retrievers in Peterborough who needed a sitter for a few days. "We were a good fit", said Janice the owner.

Our first sit and our first 5* reference!

It was a fun four nights. Layda and Lucie were really good company. They walked beautifully on their leashes and behaved just as we were told they would. It was a part of Peterborough we didn't know, right beside the river with lovely dog walking trails.

It was a pleasure and we loved our 5-star review!

People looking for sitters have access to literally hundreds of applicants and can approach them as well. One day we had a request from a golden owner who lived on the shores of Lake Huron.

"I think you and Tom would be a wonderful fit for us." I agreed, but sadly we were busy, and couldn't make the dates.

Help when you need it As house sitters we have access to a 24/7 vet phone line if we need it. That's comforting, particularly in dealing with senior pets. There are of course several blogs, so that you can chat with other dog sitters.

Presently we're sitting Bridgette and Lola. Bridgette is a 13 year-old bulldog/cocker spaniel mix.

When applying for this sit we discovered in the profile: "She is very timid and anxious around people she doesn't know. Her hobbies include sleeping, lying in the sunshine and staring at people for long periods of time for unknown reasons. Her sibling Lola is a 10 year old English bulldog. She loves people and is very comfortable with strangers. Her hobbies include snoring, belly rubs, being the centre of attention and following you around the house. Lola and Bridgette are very much 'sisters'. Sometimes they love each other and sometimes they hate each other! They do have jealousy issues."

I can report that Lola and Tom had snoring competitions nightly!

We stayed for 10 days in a charming 50's bungalow in Fort Lauderdale, close to the beach, and downtown.

We enjoyed living in a neighbourhood, and meeting the neighbours, giving us a whole different feel of the area. It's been fascinating to watch FEMA cleaning up the enormous amount of branches and limbs that came down when Hurricane Irma hit. This area wasn't badly hit, but there was a lot of furniture rendered useless from water damage that was left out for pick up.

What about the home and pet owners?

The hosts are expected to leave good notes and instructions about responsibilities, the pets and how to care for the property, which you'll need to keep clean and tidy. Sitters are responsible for caring for the pets, and leaving the house the way they found it.

People wanting to have pet sitters, pay the same $119 USD annually on TrustedHousesitters. I wish I'd known about this site years ago, but of course it wasn't around then.

Peace of mind knowing you have capable people installed and of course being able to take a break from our own routine, would have made a big difference to our life.

PUSH UPS

by Elly McGuinness

What are the benefits of push-ups?

Just like the squat exercise which was featured in December, push-ups are a compound exercise. This means they work multiple muscles in just one exercise.

Whether your goals are related to burning fat, gaining strength and/or building muscle, push ups are an effective exercise to include in your plan.

Muscles worked Push ups work around half of the muscles in the upper body. Specifically, they target your chest, front of shoulders and triceps

Technique For a full push up, place your hands on the ground, facing forward, and just outside shoulder distance. Extend your body into a plank position, ensuring you keep the core muscles strong.

Your head should be in line with your spine. Lower with control under your elbows are at 90 degrees, and then push back to the top whilst keeping your body strong and straight.

If you find that your back dips down a bit when you push back to the top, you need to try a half push up (see regressions below).

PROGRESSIONS & REGRESSIONS Regressions: To regress one step from the full push up, try a half push up on your knees. Get into a full push up position and then simply drop the knees down to the ground. This will help ensure you start with a strong, straight posture with the buttocks down Regress two steps from the full push up by doing a box push up. To get in the correct starting position, place the hands just wider than shoulder distance, underneath the shoulders.

Place the knees on the ground, underneath the hips. Lower into the push up by bending your elbows. The buttocks will stay in the air, taking much of the weight out of the upper body.

To regress three steps from the full push up, try a push up in an upright position. Place your hands just wider than shoulder distance on a wall with your feet a couple of steps back from the wall.

Progressions: To progress from the full push up, try variations such as placing the feet on a raised surface (on a box or step), or doing a full push up on the floor, with one leg lifted

Other Considerations 1. Always warm up before and cool down after your workouts 2. If you are not sure how many of each exercise to do, try building up to 10-15 repetitions.

You can repeat a second set after a short rest if you’re feeling energetic 3. Breathe continuously and never hold your breath 4. Keep movements slow and controlled – two seconds to the bottom of the movement and two seconds to the top

5.

IMPORTANT - If your shoulders, lower back, elbows or wrists hurt when doing push-ups, refer to a qualified personal trainer for advice. Similarly, if you have injuries or a medical condition and are not sure whether push-ups are right for you, please seek professional advice.

Elly McGuinness has been inspiring people to make sustainable changes to their health, fitness and lifestyle for the past 15 years. She offers online solutions for people who are looking to get started on, or improve their health and fitness. She blogs regularly, writes for a number of health and well-being publications and is the published author of a holistic weight loss book.

Elly is mum to a spirited three year old girl, and along with her partner Colin they embrace a digital nomad, world schooling lifestyle.

Find out more at: https://ellymcguinness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ellymcguinnessfitness/ https://www.instagram.com/ellymcguinness/

SURPRISE, SURPRISE Loud Awakening in Hamburg, Germany

by Coleen Kinsey

I awoke suddenly from a deep sleep. Out of half opened eyes, I looked around the room I was staying in. I recognized the European style windows and the high ceilings, then quickly remembered I was house sitting in Hamburg, Germany.

I’m a digital nomad, which means that I can run my business from anywhere in the world. All I need is a stable WiFi connection and a place to rest my head. Moving from country to country, city to city, you sometimes forget, for just an instant, where exactly you are in the world.

One of my favorite ways to travel is to be a house sitter. Sometimes I’ll take care of pets, or just keep an eye on the house and water a few plants. This time, I was taking care of sweet, black cat named Nanou, who seemed particularly fond of me.

As I lay in the giant, king-sized bed, I realized why I had awoken so suddenly. There was an incredibly loud chirping sound, but I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. When I glanced at

the window, it was closed, but the tweets were so deafening loud it had to be coming from somewhere nearby.

I rolled out of bed and shuffled my feet along the shiny hardwood floors to see where the racket was coming from. As I made my way down the steps, I was certain the bird chirping was getting louder. When I rounded the kitchen, I saw pretty little Nanou. She was perched attentively with what I swear was a proud look on her face. Between her teeth was a bird...

STILL ALIVE!

I shrieked loudly at the sight. My surprise was the perfect opportunity for the poor, captive bird to make its getaway from the jaws of Nanou. With the bird free in the house, it attempted to fly around the living room. It was obviously injured, but still a bit too quick for either Nanou or I to catch.

What a sight to see! A cat and a human chasing an injured bird around the house, but both pursuers had very different reasons for trying to catch it. Mine was obviously from fear and disgust (the terrified bird was leaving a trail of bird poo everywhere it went). Nanou’s was to give me a present and probably teach a dumb human how to hunt.

Finally after some time, I was able to catch the bird between two stacks of newspaper. I made sure there was plenty of pages between me and this creature. At an arm’s length distance, I transported the bird outside and made sure to put it as high up as I could reach, so that Nanou wouldn’t be able to get it again.

With the crisis averted, I smiled to myself and said, "Good job, Colleen." I began to walk back into the house and reward myself with a cup of coffee, when I realized the back door had shut. *#$%!!!!

My heart quickly fell to my stomach. When I reached out to grasp the door handle, it confirmed my fears. I was locked out of the house. Frantically, I ran around the house, checking the windows and all the doors in hopes that I had accidentally forgotten to lock one of them before I went to sleep the night before. But to no avail, I was locked outside.

The panic quickly turned into dread. Here I am, barefoot in my pajamas. I haven’t been able to run a comb through the mess on top of my head, let alone put a bra on. What in the world was I going to do? The homeowner wasn’t supposed to get home for another week.

I sat down on the cold concrete at the front of the house and began scanning my brain for options. Nanou decided she didn’t even want to be around me anymore and went back into the house through the cat door. Trust me, there is no way I’d be able to fit through that door too. I had thought about it.

While I was sitting outside in my PJs, I tried to remember the instructions the homeowner had left behind. The first part was instructions for Nanou, the second was about this lovely jam she had made herself as a gift to me (Ah! I could be eating that on toast right now with my cup of coffee!). Now, the third part was something about a neighbor...

Since we were on the corner, I had a 50/50 chance for which neighbor the note referred to. I attempted to make myself semi-presentable by straightening my pajamas and flattening my hair. I took a guess and tried to muster up as much dignity as possible as I walked over to the next door neighbor’s house.

I knocked and waited. Finally a young, blonde woman answered the door. Despite my adrenaline, I tried to talk slowly, because I didn’t know whether or not she spoke English or not.

"I am Colleen the house sitter next door. I locked myself out. Do you have a key." Then motioned the international gesture of unlocking a door.

The woman had an amused look on her face and responded in perfect English with a few questions. The dread and fear slowly began to dissipate and she gestured me inside while she looked for the spare key. I began to regale the events of the morning, which she found incredibly amusing.

After a bit of searching, the woman, who I learned was named Jana, offered me the key. I thanked her profusely and offered to make her dinner the next day.

After successfully getting back in the house, I looked at Nanou (asleep on the window sill), then the feathers and the bird poo around the living room and quickly decided I was going to lay in bed for a bit longer. I was not ready to start my day on this note!

The next evening, I met with Jana for dinner and we found that we had a lot in common! After I left Nanou and Hamburg, I kept in touch with Jana. This past year she came and spent Christmas with my family in the States! Even though it was gross and stressful experience, I made a long standing friendship that day and not just with Nanou.

Colleen Kinsey is the CEO of Kinseyco and creator of Travel Meets Happy. She continues to build her business while empowering other women to pursue solo travels around the world.

Follow her adventures on her website at: https://www.travelmeetshappy.com/

50 BEST TRAVEL TIPS FROM 10 YEARS OF TRAVEL from Your RV Lifestyle

In 2014 Vanessa and I spent 6 months traveling around the southern states of the US. We started in Texas, and wound our way through as many state and National Parks as we could.

In Austin, Texas we combined RVing with house sitting for a while, helping out a friend who had to work away on weekends.

We parked the RV outside the property and slept in the house to keep Tara company. She was a lovely old black lab with a few minor health problems, and was a delight to look after.

We know there are quite a few other travelers out there who also take breaks from their RV travels by securing a house sit now and then.

In fact Jane at "Your RV Lifestyle" website lists this option as Tip #3 in her extremely thorough list of 50 great tips for travelers.

Her tips cover the whole travel spectrum, from planning, through bookings, packing, flights, safety, health and, of course, getting the most from your trips.

Take a look at he complete list here: https://www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/travel-tips.html

Read more about our travels in the US on our personal website blog here: https://longtermhousesitters.com/fleetwood-pace-arrow/

Our "Beginners' Guide to House Sitting" (promised this month) has been delayed until the next issue of House Sitting Magazine

Available from 15th April 2018

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