House Sitting Magazine Issue 28: October 2019

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

We did it! The first House & Pet Sitting Conference Vanessa Anderson

House sitting teamwork Allen Trottier

Hometown house sitting Peter Collin

Planning for change Vanessa Anderson

10 facts about iguanas James Alston

How to stop your puppy jumping at you Dan "Doggy Dan" Abdelnoor

Reflections on... Panama Vanessa Anderson

New Feature - Make the world better Trash Heroes Doug Dyer

Pack your adventurer mindset Jenny Lincoln

Making ends meet on the road George Lutz

Your story told in comic strip Phillipe Lalonde

House Sitting Tribes Lamia Walker

House Sitting Dreams Mike Barfield

In the next issue...

WE PULLED IT OFF!

by Vanessa Anderson Well it finally happened, the first ever House & Pet Sitting Conference came into being over a gloriously warm and sunny September weekend, on the outskirts of Swindon in the UK. Both newcomers and seasoned sitters converged to listen to over 20 experienced house sitting travelers talk about the house sitting lifestyle.

Was it a success? You bet it was!

After many months of work (and our fair share of setbacks), it all finally came together and exceeded all our expectations. We've had very favorable feedback, so it seems on the whole that our delegates, sponsors, speakers and volunteers (pictures below), also had a great time.

What impressed us most?

Apart from the amazing contributions from everyone involved, I think the biggest factor to emerge in the post-show reviews was the power of so many like-minded travelers and house sitters coming together in one place. The power of sharing stories, advice and inspiration in a "real" environment shone through.

A HUGE THANK-YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED, ADVISED, PARTICIPATED, CONTRIBUTED AND ATTENDED - YOU ALL MADE THIS THE SUCCESS IT WAS! In a world of increasing "digital" contact, and in what can be a lonely travel lifestyle when constantly on the move, creating a space for us all to be together appeared to be a definite highlight of the weekend.

The Final Countdown Our repeat sit in London finished a week before the conference opened its doors, and so we headed to the sanctuary of house sitting friends, Kate & Simon (Terrific Sitters) in Marlborough.

This was when it really hit us - this event was actually going to happen... and in just a few short days!

In the conference "hub" upstairs we found a number of parcels waiting to be opened. They contained sponsor products, merchandise, printed posters, lanyards, a selfie frame … and we were a bit like kids on Christmas morning as we inspected the contents of each box.

Work began in earnest, printing and preparing signage, tickets and itineraries, organizing the raffle prizes, preparing for the networking dinner, putting together table plans, and uploading the final slide presentations into SlideDog (the software used to manage all speaker material and interlude videos).

Then messages began to arrive from speakers and volunteers, and we knew we were at the point of no return.

Delays and last minute changes in the schedule meant Ian and I were still both avidly practicing newly compiled talks and producing the accompanying slides, in-between the other demands of the pre-show organization.

We really couldn't have done it without Simon and Kate who kept us sane throughout the week and made sure we (and all our gear) got to the hotel in time for the first pre-show meet-up on Thursday. They helped us be as prepared as we could possibly be.

Our community, working together This first event really was a coming together of the house sitting community, a whole team of people who helped make it happen. Neither Ian or myself had previous experience of running a conference, so everything had been a steep learning curve. We were (and are) so grateful to have been able to pull on the collective knowledge of our house sit "colleagues", who together solved a number of problems we encountered once we arrived at the hotel.

You can read more about that in the next article... about how "house sitting teamwork" saved the day, and as told by Allen Trottier of Reliable Housesitters (sponsor, speaker and techie genius!).

Our original intent was to use some of the speakers and delegates (who generously offered their extra time), to help with the many "volunteer" jobs needed to keep the show on the road!

But we were blessed by the generosity of two couples, Brooke & Buddy (TrailingAway.com), and George & Michelle (TheRealHousesitters.com), who appeared like angels, and dedicated all their time at the conference as "crew".

This meant that, apart from the techie guys, most others were able to simply relax and enjoy the presentations, dipping in with help as and when needed at registration and breaks. It really was a demonstration of the adaptability and flexibility of house sitter skill-sets.

Talking of crew… they were all very easily noticeable thanks to the fabulous T-shirts designed and organized by Michelle McDines - known to many as The Happy House Sitter.

Michelle contributed 2 talks at the conference, stepping up when we needed to fill a gap, and she was the brainchild of her fun and innovative "Sit or No Sit" interactive presentation!

And so it began... ... and the first House & Pet Sitting Conference came into being. Although at the start we were tired, weary and worried about how things would be, almost everything went to plan. I don't think there was a speaker among us without some nervousness, but everyone excelled.

The networking breaks were a great success, with lots of people finally meeting after years of knowing each other digitally, and the food was better than we had anticipated!

Of course there were hiccups, that's inevitable with first events with no fall-back budget, and I'm sure with more people and relevant skills there would have been some things done better.

But we are proud of what we pulled off, and happy that so many people enjoyed being a part of this first event, helping to make it the success that it clearly was.

And among a number of us staying on at the hotel on the Sunday night, we seemed to have earned a reputation as gin drinkers... the G&Ts just kept appearing in our glasses until we finally made it to bed! So thanks everyone who helped with our post show R&R - it was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend!

A different perspective

If you'd like to get another perspective on the event as it unfolded, take a read of Lamia's (HouseSitMatch) diary of the two days here: https://www.housesitmatch.com/blog/housesitting-conference-photo-diary-21-22-september2019/

Would you like to see what we saw?

We know that many of you were unable to attend because of prior house sitting engagements, but some will have got a taste of the weekend as our "Roving Reporter", Jodie Burnham (Roaming Income), went live on our Facebook page.

But it was thanks to the amazing technical team of Ian, Allen, Philippe, Buddy and George, that we were able to video all of the event. In fact, the reason I'm writing this month's "welcome" is because Ian is currently editing all of the content - it's a long process when you have 3 camera angles and a dedicated audio track! The great news is it will be available for you to watch from the comfort of your home or house sit!

Not only will you get to see all the educational sessions, you'll have access to all the talks from experienced international house sitters, travelers, and life coaches; you'll be able to watch all the inspirational house sitter videos; and see the Q&A session with our sponsors.

This event really wasn't just about house sitting, it was as much about lifestyle and how to sustain and fund your unique version of independent travel or retirement with the help of house sitting.

This event really wasn't just about house sitting, it was as much about lifestyle and how to sustain and fund your unique version of independent travel or retirement with the help of house sitting.

If you'd like to watch the conference (at a low introductory price for magazine subscribers), you'll find more information here: https://HouseSittingMagazine.com/HPSCVideos And, while we are still loading up the videos for the final two sessions, you'll also get three of our online video courses included as an extra bonus - everything you'll need to get you underway with the house sitting lifestyle.

That's not going to be for much longer though! The price will increase and the courses will revert to their individual prices, the moment the last video is uploaded.

On reflection There was a lot of talk at the conference about making life choices, stepping into your "courage zone", and living a life of freedom that removes the stress and anxiety of 9-5 "normal" routines.

So it was a bit of a surprise maybe for some when Ian talked about feeling a little bit of a "fraud" towards the end of the weekend. We ourselves have struggled this year, falling back into tortuous work routines, overstretching ourselves, and losing touch with the freedom of life we'd previously created.

This hasn't been an easy year for us - losing my dad after 6 long years of illness, taking on the challenge (and succeeding with) "52 sits in 52 weeks", and the responsibility of preparing for this event, the first House & Pet Sitting Conference, have all taken their toll.

Unexpected situations created unexpected stresses, and our time since the conference has also been a time for reflection. This year has been a stark reminder of how easily life can change, in ways we least expect.

So we've taken the time to reassess our needs, our expectations and how we want to move forward with our own freedom lifestyle. We've changed some of our earlier plans from this year - it's an ongoing evolving process as always.

What we are clear about is that life will be kept simple for a while, with no major new challenges on the immediate horizon!

But more on that next time!

HOUSE SITTING TEAMWORK

by Allen Trottier This September, I was very fortunate to have been a part of the very first House Sitting Conference. It was a weekend of learning and meeting fellow like-minded travellers.

Even though many of us have never met in person, we came together like friends you haven't seen in a while. We met up, shared fun stories and then got to the job at hand.

One of the biggest takeaways of the House and Pet Sitting Conference for me was the teamwork involved.

The Audio Team Myself, and many others from the house sitting community volunteered to help out over the weekend. As is normally the case, whether it's at an event or at my parent's house, I found myself as a part of the tech department. More specifically, in this case, I was one of the audio guys along with Ian, Philippe, Buddy and George.

The night before the conference we set up and tested all of the equipment. My fellow speakers also had a chance to try out the microphone system and slides. The audio team made a plan for how the next couple of days would work for getting speakers ready before they go on stage, figuring out how to communicate whether a speakers audio volume was too quiet or loud once they started speaking and a few of other little details.

The first hiccup came during the testing phase the night before the show. Out of the blue, the microphones stopped working. No sound. Nothing. We couldn't figure out what could have happened. We all tried troubleshooting what we thought might be the issue. Thankfully, Buddy came to the rescue! He followed some cords and wires to find that I accidentally clicked the speaker's power box under the table with my foot. Oops!

The Game Plan Day 1 started well. We all arrived at the conference room early to make sure everything was set up and ready to go. The game plan was for me to be out in the hall with the speakers to get the wireless microphone attached and ready. Once they went on stage I would hand signal Philippe the microphone number so he could make sure the correct dial on the soundboard was on and not muted. Philippe would look to George who was in the back of the room working the main video camera. George could then signal him if the audio was too high or low. Teamwork!

Also, while this was going on we hand signals for making sure the countdown timer, audio recorder and one of the cameras was recording for each session.

Testing, Testing, 1 2 3...

Everything started great until we realized the audio was cutting in and out on some microphones or completely not working for others. We couldn't figure out what was wrong but there wasn't much we could do as the speakers had already started. We didn't want to interrupt the flow.

Luckily we had a backup handheld microphone to keep the talks going. It wasn't ideal, but the show must go on!

During the first coffee break, we did more troubleshooting but to no avail. All the microphones were working perfectly the night before. What had changed? After many helpful thoughts and theories, we decided to keep going as is until the lunch break when we had more time.

Finally, it was the lunch break and the attendees went to another room to eat. This gave us more time to get to the bottom of the situation. Would you believe it... ALL the microphones started working perfectly. What?!?

Now we were more stumped.

After more fiddling around with the different consoles of blinking lights, we finally figured out that the microphones were all using different radio frequencies. AHA! What if there was interference from all the cellphones and iPads in the room that were using Bluetooth? It's like when we take flights and they ask us to put our phones and devices in airplane mode.

Sure enough, that did the trick. With everyone turning their bluetooth off we didn't have any more issues with the wireless headset microphones.

The rest of the conference went really smooth for the audio team. We had overcome some early roadblocks but came together to figure out solutions and got the job done.

All of the volunteers that helped out for the conference really came together to make the weekend a special event to be a part of.

Teamwork in House Sitting This got me thinking about house sitting and the teamwork that goes into it, just like the teamwork required to pull off the conference. Each house sit we do is a team effort between the sitter and the homeowner.

Before arriving at the house, we need to set up a plan of action for the dates required, when to arrive, how long is needed for the handover, emergency contacts, pet needs, house responsibilities and so much more.

Communication before the house sit is critical to make sure each party has the right expectations. During the house sit, communication gives the homeowner peace of mind that their house and pets are being well cared for.

In the event something happens to the house or pets, you can work with each other as a team to come up with solutions, ideas and fixes for no matter what happens.

We also have our fellow sitters on our team. Countless times in the House Sitting Magazine Group I see sitters reaching out for help and advice when they are faced with difficult or awkward situations. There always seems to be someone else who has gone through something similar and is able to offer a solution or share what they did that helped.

We have an amazing network of people that do the same thing we do. We're a house sitting team!

House sitting requires teamwork and for all parties to be working together towards a common goal.

If we work with homeowners as partners it is a much easier and more pleasurable experience for everyone.

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 NEW podcast which can be found at: ReliableHousesitters.com

If you didn't get to the first House & Pet Sitting Conference, don't worry, you can register now for video access to ALL the speaker content and presentations!

HOUSE SITTING IN OUR HOME TOWN It's life, but not as we knew it

by Peter Collin After thirty-nine house sits in nine different countries over two and a half years, we returned home to New Zealand in late 2018, not entirely sure what life's next steps would look like for us.

Honestly, why come home to New Zealand when our house sitting lifestyle and experiences in the UK and around Europe were going so well?

Hearing news from home that we were going to be first time grandparents really tugged at our heart strings. Especially for Liz to be honest, she'd waited years to be a gran. So home we came.

Then only one day after landing there was more exciting news!

Grand baby number two was going to be joining our family in June 2019, so no way was Liz going back across the globe any time before 2020 started.

No ifs, buts or maybes. No negotiation.

Initially we intended to move back into our own house that we had rented out for the two and a half years we'd been away. However, while staying with our family and making plans, Liz kept a constant watch for house sits and, surprise, surprise, we very quickly discovered there are plenty of house sitting opportunities available right here in New Zealand.

Stay at home house sitters hat got us thinking that maybe the house sitting lifestyle could continue right here - we didn't necessarily have to travel to house sit.

Since that decision to return, we've been house sitting continually back home. Most of the sits have been within a fifteen minute drive of our home town, Pukekohe. Some have come through our favourite house sitting website, TrustedHousesitters, some have been word of mouth... friends of friends of someone somebody who knows. There have also already been several repeats.

We've looked after a variety of dogs ranging from a 3kg Jack Russell to a pair of 50kg Portuguese Water Dogs, as well as most sizes in between. There are definitely enough attractive house sits right here in our own local region to keep us going for a long, long time.

So, back to the question "why would we house sit at home?"

Read on...

Home owner welcome One thing we love about house sitting is the degree of trust involved. We have experienced an even greater sense of trust and a warm, welcoming feeling when meeting local home owners through word of mouth recommendations.

People are so much more willing to leave their precious home and dearly loved pets in our care when our name has been recommended by someone the home owners know personally.

Especially in cases where the owner hasn't entrusted their home and pets to sitters before.

Word of mouth via the local grapevine is an extremely efficient way of securing house sits. It involves very little fuss for both the home owner and us as house sitters.

Another great advantage of word of mouth recommendations is that we can meet and greet the home owners and pets in person, ahead of the arranged sit dates. This helps us build a good relationship with the owner and the pets also have a chance to get to know us more.

Home owners are quickly reassured of their house sitter selection when they see first-hand a fond interaction between us and their pets. If we have mutual friends, that's further reassurance.

If more than one pre-sit meeting is necessary this can easily be arranged by being in the area.

We can assure the home owner that on the day of house sit change over there shouldn't be any unlikely travel delays with our arrival, because we don't have far to come. In fact, on several occasions we have been given house keys and shown the ropes ahead of time, creating a seamless transition for both parties.

Local sits - house sitter benefits One major advantage for local sitters, is that you don't have to give up your day job to enjoy this wonderful lifestyle change. In our case Peter had a call from his old boss who needed someone to fill a short-term gap. He agreed to take a part time role. That works for his boss and for us - it helps build the cash flow needed for our next overseas adventure.

House sitting locally allows us to continue to enjoy spending time with our friends and family, and Peter has been able to get back on the tennis court with his mates. Socializing helps to keep the feeling of community alive which is vital for us. The one thing that Liz struggled with when we were constantly on the move in the UK was losing that sense of community which local house sitting in your home area solves.

Then there are the many popular and familiar dog walking locations that are already known to us. However, despite living locally for many years, we never had the time to properly explore them. Our new found local house sitting lifestyle means we have time to slow down, relax and appreciate the beauty of our gorgeous surroundings, while out walking with our new canine friends. Dog walking is the best excuse available for exploring the great outdoors!

Liz has been able to spend some days caring for our grandson while still caring for the home and animals. Our grandson has had a wonderful opportunity to get up close to dogs, cats, cows, sheep, goats, chickens and turkeys. He was particularly intrigued with Murphy the "Huntaway" (pictured above), who spends most of his day "rounding-up" or watching over the four chickens as if they were sheep, yet being terrified of the turkeys if they come anywhere near.

Choosing to house sit long term in one particular area also adds the advantage of being able to fulfill repeat house sits. Home owners often plan several holidays each year, but it's not until we meet them personally that they offer us the chance to sit for them again. These repeat house sits can very quickly fill up our calendar, keep us local, and maintain our friendships with the furry friends we are looking after.

A great way for newbies to try out house sitting If you love animals and have ever thought you might be interested in house sitting, we can highly recommend that the best place to begin is right at home in your own backyard. House sitting certainly is a fantastic way to explore the world but by beginning in your own local area you can gain experience and build up your references and profile, without moving too far outside your comfort zone. You might just begin with a weekend house sit for a neighbour or work colleague and before you know it you'll find yourself visiting new places, meeting a bunch of new people and truly understanding the joy of house sitting as we know it.

Chasing the sun A standing half-joke of ours has been that we should try to find a lifestyle that gives us six months in each hemisphere, living a never-ending summer.

We're not at retirement age and unfortunately can't afford to retire early. However, being able to house sit locally, as well as overseas, brings that pipe-dream of a perennial summer a step closer to reality.

Honestly we can say that we love house sitting in our own home town. We have time on our hands to drink a coffee or two while we relax and enjoy some stunning views from a new location that's only a few minutes drive from our own home.

We look forward to more great opportunities ahead, meeting new people and making new friends (of the animal kind) as we explore local places that we haven't discovered before. From sunrise to sunset, house sitting at home and abroad allows us to truly live the life we love.

Elizabeth (EC) & Peter (PC) Collin have been house sitting full time since 2016. They have now completed 46 house sits in ten countries, looked after over 120 pets and slept in over 110 beds.

Their philosophy is simple - the pets come first and the home is treated as their own.

Check out their website https://www.ezypzylife.com/ and their profile on TrustedHousesitters or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @ezypzylife

PLANNING FOR CHANGE

by Vanessa Anderson How many of you want to make positive changes in your life?

How many of you are inspired by hearing stories of travel, of lifestyle changes and of freedom from debt and customs that keep you from pursuing your dreams and your passions?

We all get bored from time to time – that's why we've created so many activities and pastimes to fill our lives. We need continual stimulation to feel positive and inspired. But occasionally we become more restless and recognize that a bigger change or challenge is needed to rekindle our passion.

Many of you want to change your lives, to make them more interesting, to explore new ideas and be more creative, but you don't know how to take the first step.

You see it as a difficulty that is impossible to overcome. You're inspired by talk of change but don't really believe that it's something you can make happen in your life.

Well, that's because it isn't easy making changes!

When something is easy it isn't a challenge. We can all live our lives in mediocrity - we get by and we have a degree of happiness that stops us from taking the risk to make the changes that we quietly dream about.

So often, change comes about when things get so bad that you have no choice but to do something different to improve your life. You get sick, someone you love dies or you become so depressed with your situation that you are forced to do something different.

But I have learned to embrace and love change as a normal part of my life. I plan for change and enjoy the feeling of freedom that it gives me. And I'd like to encourage you to do the same.

But how?

Well, you have to learn one step at a time to retrain your mind to see change as a positive action, not a scary negative one.

You start small.

It doesn't matter whether it's a big change or a small change – any change is better than none if you feel unhappy or restless with your life.

It will of course depend on your circumstances, your personality and your financial situation, but these things should not be seen as insurmountable obstacles. There are ways around all situations with some "out of the box" thinking and determination.

Learning to set and accomplish goals can be an important part of making successful life changes. Writing down your goals is also very important – it shows a sense of commitment.

If you are ready to make a change in your life, start by making a short list, just 2 or 3 things you'd like to be different. Then work out an achievable plan to make these changes happen.

Stay out of your imagination and keep everything very practical. Set a completion date and mark this on a calendar. Tell as many people as possible and talk to your family and friends. The more support you have through accountability, the easier it will be to follow through.

Not everyone wants you to succeed Of course there will be some people who will want to convince you not to follow your dreams – but remember they are usually the ones who are too scared to make similar changes in their own lives. They want to keep you trapped through their own insecurities.

Stay strong, and keep yourself focused on what is important to you – you will be an inspiration to others and you may find yourself living your lifestyle of choice sooner than you thought possible!

I didn't suddenly have the ability to make and embrace change in my life. I worked hard when I was young to set myself small challenges to build my confidence. Every year I made a list of just 5 things I wanted to accomplish in that 12 month period - and I made sure they all happened through perseverance and determination.

Sometimes I failed, but what I noticed was that the fear of change slowly disappeared. Now I love change - it makes me feel alive and fulfilled. I want you to have that feeling too!

If you can embrace change, you'll find yourself less bored, your mind will crave new challenges and lead you in directions you might never have thought possible.

We are programmed from an early age to resist change, to stay in a system that ensures we will pay taxes and mortgage repayments until we retire ... if we make it that far.

De-program yourself, step outside the box and learn how to start living a freedom lifestyle.

Live life while you can!

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10 FACTS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT IGUANAS

by James Alston - Exotic Direct

1. There are around 35 species of iguana And they’re all a bit different - although the family has undergone some reclassification in recent years.

The iguana that most people are probably most familiar with is the common Green iguana, which is also a popular pet. Some others include the Marine iguana and the Lesser Antillean iguana (both of which we’ll learn more about later), the Desert iguana which doesn’t even really look like an iguana, and the Spiny Tailed iguana which can be smaller than a meter in length.

2. They like it hot Iguanas are native to tropical areas, including Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Being cold-blooded creatures, they spend a lot of time lazing about in the sun in

order to regulate their body temperature. It’s all right for some! But although they do lie around in the sun a lot…

3. Iguanas aren’t as lazy as you might think Iguanas certainly look cumbersome, and they’re mostly big creatures - some have been found to be over 2 metres long and over 19 pounds in weight. However, they’re actually quite fast animals, some smaller species are able to run at over 18 mph. They’re nimble climbers and are able to make short leaps from branch to branch, and some have been observed falling up to twenty feet with no harm to their health. Not recommended for humans.

4. Most are good with heights, but some prefer the ocean Most lizards are predominantly land animals, and spend their time eating, resting, and regulating their body temperature in the sun. That being said, some species of iguana don’t mind getting a bit wet.

The marine iguana, found only on the Galapagos Islands, has the ability to forage in the sea, something no other lizard can do. It feeds mostly on algae and can dive up to 30 metres, remaining underwater for more than half an hour if it needs to.

These iguanas also have symbiotic relationships with some other animals, such as Mockingbirds and crabs which feed off the mites and ticks on their skin, and they’re often found living close to Sea lions to no apparent mutual benefit. The two simply ignore each other. How rude!

5. Its not just marine iguanas that likes a dip The aforementioned marine iguana lives predominantly off of algae, hence its proximity to the ocean. But other iguanas are generally good swimmers, too. One way they attempt to escape from predators is by jumping into the nearest body of water and swimming away.

However, some hawks, a natural predator of iguanas, have developed a technique of singing which makes the iguana freeze, meaning it can easily swoop in and pluck it up in its talons. Poor iguanas!

6. They’re vegetarians - but not that strict Iguanas are mostly vegetarians, feeding on leaves, flowers, fruit and shoots. Some have, however, been observed eating bird’s eggs and small insects in the wild and occasionally mice and fish in captivity, a bit like when some vegetarians can’t help but get a cheeseburger after a night at the pub. We all know one...

There is discussion about whether it’s healthy for them (iguanas, not vegetarians) to eat a diet containing so much protein. Some scientists argue it’s bad for their digestive system, whereas others have observed no health problems in iguanas who eat a bit of meat. To be on the safe side, ExoticDirect recommends you don’t feed your iguana any meat and let them get their vitamins from greens!

7. They’ve got eyes in the back of their heads Well, not really. What they do have, though, is a so-called "third eye", also known as the parietal eye. This eye can’t see like a regular one, but senses movement and shifts in light.

Iguanas use it to detect predators and stay safe. Obviously this technique isn’t 100% effective when the hawks are around, though, and there’s another problem, too...

8. Some iguanas have become endangered due to unnatural predators Numbers of the Lesser Antillean Iguana (pictured above) have been sharply declining and are now considered critically endangered. This is due to habitat destruction, hunting, hybridization with the Green iguana and the introduction of feral predators.

The latter of these is important because these new predators - dogs, cats, and Mongooses, mostly - have a way of hunting the iguana isn’t used to. Iguanas aren’t good at adapting to new threats and can’t properly defend against them, a phenomenon called "ecological naïveté".

Getting cozy with its neighbours is also a problem, because the more common Green iguana has been introduced to areas in which the Lesser Antillean iguana used to thrive, numbers of the latter have been decreasing. The two species are in direct competition for food, and moreover, because the two sometimes interbreed, the Lesser Antillean iguana has a declining population.

9. And iguanas aren’t so easy to save Only twice has the Lesser Antillean iguana been successfully bred in captivity. This is because most of the eggs they lay in captivity are infertile. At the Durrell Wildlife Conservation in Jersey, once in 1997 and once in 2000, iguanas were successfully hatched. The first project hatched just one iguana successfully, and the second eight.

The Marine iguana is also a protected species, as it is, while not critically endangered, considered threatened. Feral dogs and cats also pose a threat to them, much the same as they do to the Lesser Antillean iguana.

Added to this is the problem that Marine iguanas have never been bred in captivity, and there’s a big conservation problem.

10. Humans like them as pets, but they don’t do well in captivity Iguanas are among the most popular pets in the United States. They are generally docile creatures (though they can sometimes be aggressive in captivity) and can be a rewarding pet to have.

However, they are relatively difficult to care for and many die in captivity within the first year.

Make sure you look after your iguana properly by feeding it the correct diet at the appropriate times and ensuring its tank is large enough.

Make sure you’ve done your research and know how to effectively look after your pet. That way you’ll be contributing to maintaining our awesome population of iguana’s, that have it so tough out in the wild.

HOW TO STOP YOUR PUPPY JUMPING UP AT YOU

by Dan "Doggy Dan" Abdelnoor In a previous issue of House Sitting Magazine Dan "Doggy Dan" Abdelnoor shared a video along with some tips on how to stop your dog pulling on the leash. His suggestions could be put into practice by any house sitter, from the first day they meet the dog.

Another challenging dog behaviour we sometimes have to deal as house sitters is overenthusiastic dogs jumping up at us. As in all dog training, and as with most behavioural issues, this is best dealt with as early as possible, when the dog is still a puppy.

As house sitters we don't have that opportunity.

However, the tips in this following article on puppy training can still be very effective in communicating to a dog how you expect them to behave with you.

Learning how to stop a puppy from jumping up is something you need to get onto straight away.

For a puppy, jumping up is a very natural thing. They do it to get attention. And in the wild they would do it to get fed, by licking the mother’s face, which encourages food to be regurgitated.

Showing your puppy that it does not get attention when it jumps is something that you should encourage from a very early age. Often it can seem like fun when a puppy is very small but when your dog grows to 35kg and can jump 5 foot high it is not so funny.

If you do not stop the jumping when your puppy is little then when your puppy turns into a larger dog it soon turns into a more dominant display of demanding your attention!

If your puppy is jumping up, simply turn and walk away. Ignore your puppy, no eye contact, no speaking and no touching.

Continue to ignore and then after your puppy has calmed down, wait for five minutes and then call your puppy to you.

If your puppy does not stop then isolate your puppy by either leaving the room or by putting the puppy in another room.

Puppy jumping up on visitors: If your puppy is jumping on your visitors then ask them to do the same as described above. It may also help if you hold the puppy by its collar or on a lead until they relax – then release. If your puppy decides to mouth you then you should immediately isolate them in another room or a crate.

Puppy jumping up at you when you are getting ready for the walk: Put the leash down and wait for 10 minutes or until your puppy is calm, then try again. This is important and although you are keen to go for a walk you should not rush it!

Important concepts:   

 

It is really important not to speak – to stay calm and not say a word when your puppy jumps up. Remember your puppy is an attention-seeking machine!

Your puppy's jumping up and space invading is NOT his or her way of saying I love you!!

Space is very important to a dog and if she can invade yours whenever she wants then she will lose respect for you. How would you feel if a human constantly invaded your space! It is more similar than you think!!

Start as you mean to go on. When your puppy is calm then you can call her and pick her up for a cuddle.

When you are ignoring your puppy keep your arms folded and walk past the puppy confidently and assertively.

The two most common mistakes: 1) Inconsistency: Sometimes a puppy jumping up is given attention! This sends the wrong message.

2) Making eye contact: This invites your puppy over, so do not make eye contact, focus on something else.

Another trick that will help is to train your puppy to sit for everything! If you can get your puppy to practice lots of "sits" then her default behaviour will simply be to sit when you call her, and not jump!

I hope this helps you with your puppy training routines.

You can find out more about puppy training at my "Online Dog Trainer" website here.

Daniel "Doggy Dan" Abdelnoor is from Auckland, New Zealand. He is a well-known dog behaviorist who has spent many years studying canine behavior and psychology.

He is the creator of the highly acclaimed Doggy Dan’s “The Online Dog Trainer” video course, which aims to help dog owners overcome any negative aspects of owning a dog.

Dan is also a highly regarded author, celebrity dog trainer and is a staunch animal rights activist.

REFLECTING ON PANAMA

by Vanessa Anderson

Our transient lifestyle as nomadic expats allows us to peep inside beautiful homes and lose ourselves in fascinating cultures all over the world. We stay long enough to fall in love, but not so long that we get bored. There's some structure to our lives too - we are full-time international house-sitters with part-time remote incomes.

Panama is special for us, so we like to return to sit for friends at their off-grid properties, accessible only by boat, in the island archipelago of Bocas del Toro.

This is home to a small (mainly retired) expat community, with a diverse mix of nationalities.

Not just gringos, but adventurous types from all over Europe. On our last visit we joined a weekly philosophy class hosted by a Parisian teacher!

Although remote and surrounded by dense jungle, our last house-sit was well equipped and comfortable, with uninterrupted views across the vast bay. Dolphins played in the calm protected waters. This is living at its most sublime.

Through a thick wall of vines and jungle plants, lives a family of indigenous Indians, who regularly visited to charge their phones.

Off-grid here means that water falls out of the sky, electricity and hot water are generated by sunlight, and shopping involves a 40 minute boat ride into Bocas Town (weather permitting).

Still, a well managed system and four huge water tanks meant we had flushing toilets and a washing machine - pure luxury!

You can go days seeing nothing but the occasional slow moving sloth, so good communications are crucial. VHF radio is the lifeline of the community, as internet can't be relied on.

There's plenty to get involved in and the community is supportive, inclusive and fun to be a part of, even for a short visit. "Pot-luck lunches" and parties bind this fraternity, providing much needed social interaction in an otherwise isolated environment.

There are many small jungle restaurants dotted about the islands, where expats and tourists congregate on a weekly basis for afternoons of chat, drinks and to enjoy dancing together in the tropical sun.

With water all around it's impossible to survive long by day without a boat. But as night falls, pangas and their passengers crisscross the bays to avoid arriving home after dark. The mangrove cuts all but disappear, and navigation without lights or a GPS is dangerous.

Residents frequently rally together to arrange shopping trips to Bocas Town, saving on expensive boat fuel. Bocas is the tourist arrival point, with its regular water taxis to the mainland and a small airport. It is vibrant and colourful, with waterside bars, restaurants and a selection of Chinese supermarkets. Our weekly treat was to visit the well stocked international deli full of all sorts of imported treats!

There's much to experience here. Beach front cycle rides, visits to chocolate farms, jungle trekking, horse riding, snorkeling in secret lagoons and lazing on stunning beaches.

Panama is home to a number of expat communities that thrive on both the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts, and inland among the beautiful coffee plantations of Boquete. Recent changes to immigration laws necessitates that non-residents leave every 90 days for at least one month. Because of this there are now many shorter term sits popping up all over Panama.

Bocas in particular is in need of experienced house-sitters, comfortable living in tropical jungle environments, with boat handling and off-grid living skills. With these abilities you'll find a very special year round location for house-sitting, tucked safely outside the hurricane zone.

But, despite this growing need, finding house-sits is challenging as they are mainly advertised by referral or word-of-mouth.

We suggest you get started by joining popular Panama expat and house-sitting groups on Facebook, where you can make your services known. If you network well and interact socially once in Panama, you'll find no end of opportunities!

Every place we've stayed in Panama has had its own special magic - we hope you find yours!

This is a new feature open for any on you who would like to put a spotlight on how you volunteer, contribute or get involved in volunteer or charity projects, with rescue centres, shelters or any project that helps make this world a better place!

For this first month, we asked Doug & Johanne Dyer to tell us about how they've got involved with Trash Heroes while traveling and house sitting in Thailand. Here's their story:

TRASH HEROES

by Doug Dyer of joyfultravellers.com

Trash is everyone’s problem Johanne and I were elated to be introduced to Trash Heroes on the island of Koh Mak, Thailand. It gives us an opportunity to have a positive impact rather than just complain about the garbage on the beach.

Trash Heroes is a volunteer group that started in Thailand in 2013, with the idea to clean up ONE beach.

It has now expanded into a network with 135 chapters in 12 countries!!

Here is a wonderful inspirational TEDx talk by the founder of Trash Heroes Myanmar, Phone Kyaw Moe Myint.

What is a chapter and why start one?

Chapters are local volunteer groups. Run by residents, with support from a mentor team, who organize weekly cleanups and / or manage a water bottle refill scheme. They may also run a kids’ program, do presentations at business associations, and other activities.

Currently the network of chapters extends to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, USA and Australia. They are dedicated to weekly cleanups and creating awareness of this massive global crisis.

All of the chapters are listed by location on the website at: https://trashhero.org/our-network/ There are many reasons for starting a chapter. The main goal should be that you want to create a positive change within your community.

Maybe you could encourage your homeowner, or their neighbors to start their own chapter?

But at the very least, you could become a Trash Hero if there's a chapter in operation where you are house sitting!

This a video of our work with Trash Heroes, made on Koh Mak, Thailand:

We challenge all house sitters to become a Trash Heroes when you travel.

We clean, we educate, we change!

DON'T FORGET TO PACK …

Your Adventurer Mindset!

by Jenny Lincoln

Travel has awakened an incredible desire to be vibrant and alive. To live each day with the heart and mindset of an adventurer.

What does that look like for you?

For me it is ...

Passion for life Kick started by curiosity and a desire for discovery. Curiosity takes you up those intriguing mountain roads, has you squatting over a rock pool or mesmerized by your pet's crazy antics.

It is an invitation to a world of wonderment and what I call the Power of WOW! It is an incredible source of vibrancy and aliveness inside. When you cultivate the POWER of WOW, the desire to jump out of bed and into the day is life changing.

Venture into the unknown with an open heart Too often we get cozy in our comfort zones! Curled up on the couch with your fur babies having a Netflix binge. There is a world of opportunity and excitement when we step outside our comfort zones and into our courage zones.

Maybe it's learning the local language, hiring a bicycle, bike or car and exploring the local villages, or taking a trek into the forest or even reaching out to potential new friends on mapahub.com - The Courage Zone is where the magic happens. It's the doorway to your "Authentic Self" - the part of you that knows what you are truly capable of.

Push your boundaries and stretch into the unknown parts of you Like a good yoga pose, stretching into yourself unlocks a wider range of movement mentally and emotionally. When you step outside your boundaries, you find new confidence and capability. This could be a simple as trying the local street food from a popular vendor or applying for your first off grid house sit.

Get comfortable in your discomfort This allows you to be open to trying new things but most importantly it allows you to face your fears with a confidence in your own capabilities. Don't let your Inner Critic talk you out of what your heart desires because of a little discomfort.

Take the reins from your mischievous mind and focus on the opportunity ahead. The reward ... you are able to greet the unexpected and you allow yourself to be surprised and delighted.

That's a big WOOHOO!

Appreciate the beauty that surrounds you Do you see the beauty and intrigue around you or are you too immersed in your head?

Too often we are ruled by the endless worries, concerns, lists of things to do that scroll through our minds. This mind chatter and head trash prevents us from drinking in the delights that surround us.

Everywhere we sit, stand, walk, hike or run there are aspects of beauty waiting to be devoured.

It could be as simple as the snap dragon flower that has poked its head through a crack in the pathway or the bald headed eagle that is flying above you.

Lift you head, clear your mind and see with your senses ... a magical world will open to you.

Walk with compassion in your heart Too often we judge ourselves and those around us for being different or making a mistake. If you are travelling with a friend or partner be OK when things mess up... 'cause they will!

Casting blame or criticizing someone for stepping up and trying something new will shut them down. It's OK to drive around the roundabout 6 times waiting for divine inspiration as to which exit to take! You know these moments create the best stories so you want a few of them to colour your adventure!

Don't be afraid of getting lost Driving and getting lost or hiking and getting lost can be the catalyst for some of the biggest relationship fall outs. The fear of getting lost can also totally shut down an adventure.

Here's the thing - when you get lost physically, you find something new in you mentally and emotionally. This grows your capability and confidence, so get lost more often!

Adventure is exhilarating, fun and it helps you feel vibrant and alive … it nurtures your heart, mind and soul. When you share it with like-minded and heart people, those shared memories will last you a life time. Great fuel for the soul!

So next time you are house sitting or off on a trip ... don't forget to take your Adventurers Mindset with you.

It will increase the colour and vibrancy of your experience, it will enable you to navigate uncertainties with balance, grace and ease plus it will grow your confidence and capability enabling you to take on bigger and better things.

Gotta be happy with that!

Jenny Lincoln helps people ditch their day jobs and live the life of their dreams. She's a full time travel nomad who house sits and volunteers her way around the world.

Her writings and teachings help open the hearts and minds of those seeking to live a true and authentic life. Her coaching programs give people the confidence and capability to step from their comfort zones into their "courage zones" so they can live a life free of regret.

You can find out more at her website JennyLincoln.com or catch her on Facebook or Instagram

Jenny Lincoln has been a member of the house sitting community for some while now - she was one of our first magazine contributors, writing about her time house sitting in Spain, and since then has regularly given our readers inspiration with her mindset articles.

So, we were so pleased when she agreed to come all the way from Australia to speak at the House & Pet Sitting Conference, where she delivered two awesome talks, "Travel is the best teacher", and "Create courage, find freedom, live your dreams".

Many of us just need that extra encouragement to make positive changes in our lives, and Jenny was praised for her spot-on delivery of the message a lot of us need! You can watch both of Jenny's talks by investing in the video version of the conference at this link: https://HouseSittingMagazine.com/HPSCVideos

But I would encourage you to take advantage of Jenny's offer here, and book your FREE discovery call with her by contacting her at:

discovery@jennylincoln.com

GET REAL ABOUT HOW TO MAKE ENDS MEET ON THE ROAD

by George & Michelle Here's the big question we get asked whenever we explain to people that we are full-time travellers, and it's an obvious query.

'How do you afford it?'

So, after almost a decade on the road together, we're excited to share the blueprint on how we manage our time and money to make this independent lifestyle work.

CASH IS STILL KING It should go without saying that, for most of us, money makes the world go round, and it gets us around the world too.

So how do we get that sweet moolah to take us from HERE to THERE? There are a couple of concepts we know of to fund prolific travels:

1. Generate your own business or investments 2. Get a J-O-B To address the first option, and for those whose 'own business' involves blogging, let's bust the most elephant-sized myth in the blogging room.

Return on investments takes time, and travelling the world on the merits of your own content creation is hard. Full Stop. And full disclosure -it's not something we do at the moment to any great effect.

Our dirty little secret to success is that from time to time we choose option 2 - we're proud to be lowly...employees.

It's become taboo to say you trade time for money in these heady digital days of travelling as an "influencer", an "ambassador" or an "affiliate marketeer". But in our blueprint, we don't mind a bit of traditional work every now and again.

What can we do?

Our first item of business is to assess what skills we can bring to market.

We both have degrees and experience in a couple of flexible fields like marketing and communications. We also rely on our vast casual employment history to snap up hourly work when required. You'll be surprised how much of that after-school, summer, or 2nd job from ages ago might be relevant to landing a similar position to help fund your travels today.

Where can we do it?

Once we have an idea of what we can do, we look for places where we're legally allowed to do them (while granting us at least a taste of the travelling life while we work.)

Usually this is on our home turf - we often fall back on our country of residence. It's easier to navigate the job scene in a place where we're familiar with the culture and have a few contacts.

This doesn't mean we have to stay in our hometown. It's a ton of fun to discover new locales around our native countries too.

A word about using a sponsor. Of course you can be sponsored by a specific employer to obtain a working visa in a different country, but we personally don't find this desirable for a couple of good reasons:  

It makes us too reliant on one employer - they would hold our future in their hands Being tied to one position is not flexible enough for our preferred travel lifestyle

Working Holidays. An amazing option we highly recommend is the Working Holiday Visa that some countries make available to citizens from elsewhere. These schemes grant temporary working rights in a host nation to promote cultural exchange. Some famous personal favorites along this route have included programs in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Freedom of Movement. Another model for finding a place to earn your footloose fortune is the 'freedom of movement' afforded by various countries coming together in a special union.

We find the ability to live and work across the EU (European Union) and EEA (European Economic Area) to be a beautiful right, and it's a shame hard working folks in the UK are set to have that freedom severed.

How can we do it?

There are a couple of different options available for choosing where our physical work gets done.

Office Space vs. Remote Control A classic choice is to work on-site (like our hospitality and admin roles) which we find has several pros and cons for long-term travellers.  

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Pro - It's a great networking opportunity to find future gigs, and provides a pool of new friends for local antics or tips on the area you are living and working in.

Pro - It provides structure and routine for where we're going and what time we need to be there. This can allow for a welcome change from the sometimes overwhelming freedom of always being on the road.

Con - It doesn't take long for the commute and micro-management to feel like a grind.

We remind ourselves it's only temporary, and our efforts are just a means to a glorious travel end.

Thankfully there's a new trend as remote work opportunities are increasing, which enables us to earn money from home (and theoretically anywhere). Remote work as digital nomads is all the rage at the moment, and is an evolving industry. There are now plenty of forums available to find work.

We've been fortunate to land gainful employment in several remote positions, including customer service and data analytics. Here are a few takes on what we've learned:  





Eliminating the commute is outstanding! The time saved on both ends of a shift is invaluable.

Knowing we can still earn money while we move is a traveller's dream. There are a few considerations that can sometimes create stress, such as intermittent WiFi, time zone constraints, and the need to bring specialized technology to do the job. All of these can impact the sustainability of life as a digital nomad.

Remote work demands an extra level of mental fortitude over in-house jobs. The 'selfstarter' buzzword really hits home when there's no-one around to help keep you focused and motivated. It can be a lonely road too, no matter how much video chat improves.

We also find this kind of employment less than reliable. Hours vary, head office moods shift, and working remotely restricts our ability to read any changing winds.

In the end, we combine the two. Our preference is for quality, stable, remote work when available, but the reality is more traditional work on-site still represents the majority of the opportunities to fund our lifestyle.

WE DON'T BUDGE OUR BUDGET As important as income is to our sovereign travel fund, it is also essential to understand our expenditure.

There are a plethora of quality resources out there to inspire a family budget embrace.

We have ours down to a near science, and with this mentality, we rarely feel restricted in what we do. Any extra cash we accumulate goes into savings for another day.

Everyone will find their own sweet spot when it comes to managing their money. Some of the budget basics which give us excellent mileage include:        

We don't have a mortgage We bought a used car in cash We have chosen not to have kids We don't smoke, and rarely drink We prefer home cooking to eating out We take care of our things and aren't big consumers We travel slowly, off-peak, and sleuth out great deals Our favorite hobbies are often free (just walking around a new place is tops)

Using house sitting to pump up our savings A total game changer for increasing our travel funds came when we discovered house sitting back in 2013. Now we deploy our service in a variety of ways to supplement our budget and make lasting memories on the road.

While we settle down to earn, we combine those efforts with securing full-time sits. The rent and utilities saved month after month is the equivalent of working an extra 40hrs each week.

We find this much easier to achieve in a big city where there's a large pool of people looking for sitters, but it can also be done consistently in some regional areas where seasonal properties are often left empty.

London has been our regular working base of choice due to the number of sits available, and we book them back to back while maintaining regular work. It's a great way to discover lots of neighborhoods in a dynamic city we would otherwise be unable to afford.

And when the urge to travel abroad does take our fancy, house sitting helps us enjoy more in farther flung destinations too. If there's a particular area of the world we're keen to explore, we'll look for house sits around that region to provide a new home base overseas.

This strategy came in very handy over our recent 5 month swing to the Americas where we saddled up with long-term sits in Denver, Rio, and Buenos Aires. We roamed the Rockies for our anniversary and caught a total solar eclipse in Argentina.

Our final thoughts ...

Though it may seem a mystery to many how we have managed life on the road for so long, the truth of how we afford it is rather ordinary.

We get jobs and save money. We're great at staying on budget, and house sitting has helped tremendously. If we have to work every now and again we don't mind - there are no plans to retire any time soon.

So make the most of your time on task, explore your own backyard, and take advantage of your earning potential to travel for longer after the work is completed, but in a place where the cost of living (like a local) is a lot lower.

This is our own travel lifestyle laundry...wash, rinse, repeat… for happy days!

George and Michelle are The Real Housesitters - a Yank and a Pom who met in the red centre of Oz. On the road together since 2011, they've hunkered down to work in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK while sitting long-term in 10 countries, and enjoying travels over dozens more. Their latest adventures include rock-themed anniversaries, chasing total eclipses, and coaching aspiring sitters.

You can follow them on their website at TheRealHousesitters.com or on Instagram and Facebook

YOUR STORY TOLD IN A COMIC STRIP! That's what illustrator Philippe Lalonde offered to one of the House & Pet Sitting Conference raffle prize winners! How cool is that?

In an attempt to make our event as eco-friendly as possible, we decided NOT to have goody bags full of wasteful leaflets and products only a few might use. Instead, we organized a free raffle for our delegates and speakers. It was a great success, with over 40 prizes donated by house sitting platforms, speakers and sponsors - and it provided some light-hearted entertainment between sessions!

Philippe and his wife Sophie are part of The Amazing Stroll - who produce comic strips for the travel industry. They believe "Travelling is just another funny story waiting to happen."

A multi-talented (and bi-lingual) French Canadian, Philippe showed his diversity at the conference by presenting a superb TEDx worthy talk about part-time house sitting.

He also stepped up at the last minute to manage and co-ordinate the sound mixing unit for the conference speakers as part of a team of volunteers.

BUT, back to the prize: It was won by full-time house sitter Beverly Belury -

Here she is with her husband John on their travels:

And here is their comic strip story...

I bet a few of you can relate to this story of getting started as house sitters! I know a few men who began skeptical, but are now strong proponents for the house sitting lifestyle!

If you'd like your story told in a comic strip - contact Philippe and Sophie. You'll find their details in the bio below. And, thanks guys for a most creative prize!

The Amazing Stroll - Relatable cartoons of when travel goes comically wrong Have you ever made an absolute fool of yourself in a new country? Us too. At the Amazing Stroll, we think these are the stories that need to be shared. We work with travel publications and individuals to turn great stories into relatable comics. Because every good traveler knows the importance of laughter.

Get 15% OFF your membership on all companies in the AussieHouseSitter Group with code: HSMAG15

HOUSE SITTING TRIBES

by Lamia Walker - Founder HouseSitMatch.com Remember when you were first trying to get started as a house sitter? What stage of life were you at?

Was there a reason why this idea became suddenly viable and fantastic all at the same time?

Think carefully, it might have an influence on which house sitting tribe you belong to.

I run an online house sitting and pet sitting network and so I meet all kinds of house sitters on a daily basis. In some respects, our vantage point has given us a unique perspective on the kaleidoscope of people to whom house sitting appeals.

Indeed, some of our members have become so addicted they've made it a lifestyle, full-time!

What makes a good house sitter?

We know that as a collective, house sitters share some common behaviours. We hear the same descriptors used over and over by homeowners, especially when describing their favourite sitters.

So, as a first step we decided to try and define what makes a good house sitter. We asked a few house sitters and homeowners what they thought the most prominent characteristics of a good sitter might be. Here's our summary:

PET LOVERS Love domestic animals and have experience in caring for them Perhaps it's no surprise to anyone that a love of pets and caring for them came top as both a desired and prominent characteristic. Popular sitters simply love animals and usually have had pets of their own. If a house sitter joins us and they are hesitant about pet care, they simply don't get many sits! it must be the law of natural selection, or something similar for house sitters.

COLLABORATIVE House sitters tend to work well with other people for mutual advantage Here, collaborative means they will flex their plans if they can to help a homeowner and care for their pets and property. They don't mind helping in the garden or checking the post or whatever the homeowner needs while they are away. So, build a good profile explaining what you are willing and able to do as a sitter.

LOVE TRAVEL They love discovering new locations and visiting new countries

Many house sitters also find that living-like-a-local is a preference, over staying in an anonymous hostel or inner-city hotel. If you like touring and visiting places local to the house sit, there is an opportunity to glean top tips directly from the owner.

INDEPENDENT OF MIND Sitters often demonstrate lateral thinking Whether you work as a digital nomad while you travel, or you house sit to enable your travel, many house sitters have an independence of mind which empowers them to lead a bespoke and independent lifestyle. They find very affordable and ingenious travel options.

DEFINING THE TRIBES So, when did you first think about "House sitting" yourself - when was it first a "thing" in your mind?

This may affect the tribe you belong to.

HAD - Holiday Adventurer – your tribe?

Were you reading a newspaper article or watching a video about someone saving money while travelling on a working holiday offering their services as a house sitter? Then possibly you possess HAD tribal characteristics.

GRAD - Grey Gap Year Adventurer – your tribe?

Or perhaps you were a classic empty-nester, kids have left home and you're semi or fully retired. You have more time available to you, you still have lots of energy and you want to travel, perhaps an adventure on an affordable budget? Then you might feel more like a GRAD tribe member.

Have you found yourself travelling and finding a way to work to sustain a travelling lifestyle? Do you work online, either in IT, Marketing, Teaching, Coaching, Writing or something else possible via remote digital logistics? Then you are a Digital Nomad. This is a large and a fast-growing group with various motivations.

As a digital nomad, could you spot yourself in a line-up?

Digital Nomad - MAD, TRAD, VLAD or BRAD? Digital nomads who house sit come in all shapes and sizes. How and why did you start house sitting and how to you sustain your lifestyle while on the road? It's worth giving that a thought as you consider which tribe feels like the right fit. So we ask you the question, are you a MAD, TRAD, VLAD, BRAD or even a FRED..?

The MAD Tribe Did you start house sitting when you decided to take a Mid-career break for Adventure?

Perhaps you found yourself between projects or jobs. It occurred to you that perhaps you had established enough credibility in your profession to take a little break. Perhaps the plan was for a six-month break, perhaps a year's sabbatical, perhaps longer.

You've built hard skills in your chosen profession, but you want a complete change to refresh, try something different. Money is tight so you need to rent out or sublet your flat, apartment, duplex or house so that you can afford your house sitting adventure.

As a MAD, house sitting enables you to travel without expending too much of your hard-earned savings. And if the blog or vlog takes off you might have some passive earnings to lean on via You Tube. Better tell your friends to subscribe. You need 100 subscribers to get your own channel url!

The TRAD Tribe As a trained teacher, you have portable skills. With personal tutoring on the rise in key stage skills like mathematics and literacy, you'll become popular as an online tutor. And as a teacher your police and background checks make you a safe prospect for anyone looking for a trustworthy sitter.

Perhaps as you look at your stacks of books to mark each night, and new lesson plans for your class of 30-35 pupils each September, you might consider alternative ways to earn your living.

There are many people who take a TEFL qualification or similar before they start travelling as house sitters in order that they can support themselves as online teachers of English as a foreign language, while they travel. TRADs have various options offered through their many transferable skills.

The VLAD Tribe If you love to care for animals and have spent time volunteering at animal shelters near home, then you might find you can volunteer and support animal shelters across the world.

Rescue shelters are always in dire need of support not simply in the pet care and management skills but often also in the business skills they need in order to stay solvent so they can continue their charitable work.

There are many house sitters who love volunteering near where they house sit, and stay longer after the house sit to help at that pet rescue shelter. Some people combine house sitting and volunteering at rescue shelters as they travel around the world.

The BRAD Tribe If you experience an unexpected break in career, perhaps through redundancy, or a relationship break up that takes you by surprise, sometimes an opportunity arises in house sitting to help you take a breath from your daily challenges.

House sitting is something more people are turning to when the unexpected happens and you need somewhere new to stay. Suddenly as a house sitter you become a solo professional traveller with a change of scene to enjoy.

The FRED Tribe These days we see increasing numbers of families travelling as digital nomads sometimes as a way for the parents to experience travel with their children for a year or two. However, we know of a number of families who live full time as Families Roving Everywhere as Digital nomads. These are the FREDs.

Children in a house sitter family can help stimulate and care for the pets. On our network the largest families we have placed have three children, although this is unusual it does happen.

We regularly post house sits in our assignment list where the owners happy for house sitting families to apply.

More often than not one or two of the parents in the house sitter family will be working online as a digital nomad. They will therefore choose a house sit with good WiFi and space for a part time desk worker.

The beauty about technology today is if you have transportable skills you could take your family everywhere by house sitting. You can experience the world with them, living new locations and cultures with them, tasting the extraordinary variety the world has to offer with your family.

House sitting today is made safe and expansive by house sitting platforms like HousesitMatch.com. The house sitting platforms offer each and every one of us in whatever life stage an opportunity to enjoy affordable travel.

This can be an active holiday caring for someone's pets and property, or expanding your horizons either as a Grey Nomad or a Digital Nomad.

House sitting has a lot to offer each and every one of us, whichever Houses sitting tribe we belong to.

Over the weekend of the House & Pet Sitting Conference, a number of us spotted a member of the audience, sat with her iPad, sketching as she listened and watched the presentations.

Further enquiry from a number of us, led to the discovery that house sitter and remote worker, Gretta Jensen was putting her new illustrating skills into action.

Gretta has kindly provided some of her sketches from the conference event for this issue of House Sitting Magazine, together with some pertinent observations from the speaker talks!

For anyone who would like more information or to commission Gretta for work, please contact her direct at Ninkompoop.com

HOUSE SITTING DREAMS They do come true!

by Mike Barfield

For the past 15 years my wife and I have been avid travelers, taking vacations abroad and staying in AirBnb properties. We've enjoyed the experience of short stays in villages and small towns.

However, both of us dreamed of spending extended time in a location, living as locals, but weren't sure how to go about this. We loved the feeling of community one gets from being immersed in a local environment. The markets, coffee shops and restaurants provide an experience seldom duplicated on a short vacation.

We had heard about house sitting and how it offers opportunities to travel slowly, but we were unsure how to start.

Can we do this?

Over the years we talked about and researched aspects of house and pet sitting abroad, but felt we really couldn't achieve this due to our full time jobs, and our own pets who needed our care.

So, while the dream was planted and the pros and cons frequently discussed, we didn't know if it would be right for us. Our thinking was we couldn't make this happen until we both retired.

Fast forward to February 2019 I had been retired for 10 years by then, only working part-time, and Kathy had also made the decision to retire from her job.

We were finally full time retirees!

In the past it had been difficult to do any longer term travel because of our pets. When we lost our yellow lab Charlie a year earlier, we suddenly found ourselves with the freedom to lock up and leave our home. Now we could take that extended trip we'd always dreamed about.

After more research and investigation online reading about house sitting and studying blogs, we realized we were very close to making our dream a reality!

In spring of 2019 we arranged to travel from the US to visit friends in France, and thought "Why not tag-on a trip to the UK, where they speak English. It would be a good place to try this house and pet sitting idea."

After reviewing several on-line sites, we chose TrustedHousesitters. We signed up and paid the annual fee, which covers background checks and administration.

There were four stages to our house sitting process:

1. The house sitter profile We spent several days creating our profile, along with asking friends and colleagues to provide references, and of course picking the right photographs!

We had read that each of these items were important for a profile to give home and pet owners confidence in our skills and level of responsibility.

With the profile complete, we then searched Trustedhousesitters for suitable sits matching our dates - for us that also included filtering (searching) for dog only opportunities.

We applied for four sits, and were pleasantly surprised when we got an almost immediate response to a couple of our applications. After a video chat with one prospect and emails with another, we secured two separate house sits that coincided perfectly with our time frame.

2. The logistics Once accepted for house sit assignments, this decision, while intoxicating, quickly made us realize there were many other details to consider besides booking the airline tickets.

Questions came up like, 'What about postal mail? What about all our monthly bills? What about house plants and utilities? Who needs to be notified?'

After more research, we concluded we could hold our mail with the US Postal Service, make all our bills auto-pay or direct draft so we could pay them easily on-line, stop all Amazon auto-ship packages, (hard for my wife to do!), and find a friend to water our plants and check on our house once a week.

We made arrangements to rent cars for the period of our assignment, booked accommodations for nights when we didn't have sits and bought train tickets to get to our final destination. We decided on a direct flight from where we live in Austin, Texas, to Heathrow Airport in London.

3. The house sit Our house sitting adventure began on May 15, 2019 as we boarded our flight to London. We allowed three extra days prior to the start of our first sit to allow time to see some of the sights and for jet lag recovery.

A hotel close to Paddington Station in London was our pick upon arrival, which had the benefit of being easy for when we caught our train to Cambridge.

On our first night in London, we were fortunate enough to secure tickets to see Eric Clapton perform at the Royal Albert Hall. A wonderful concert in an amazing venue. Being flexible to spontaneous experiences is an unexpected advantage to house sitting that we hadn't considered.

The next day we obtained our senior rail passes and our train tickets for the one-hour trip to Cambridge, where we'd arranged a two-night stay to sight-see prior to the start of our sit. Our rental car was organized through Sixt car rental.

We had confirmed before we left the US that our T-mobile phones would work in the UK, allowing us to use Google maps to navigate. We arrived at our sit at the agreed upon time to meet our hosts and were immediately greeted by Zoe and Dillon, two Labrador retrievers we would be caring for over the next 8 days.

The house was a beautiful country home, just four years old, but in an idyllic traditional English country style. It was surrounded by farmland, country lanes, beautiful flowers and fields of wheat and barley.

Our hosts had provided us with a complete welcome pack of instructions outlining dog activities and suggested walks. Other items in the booklet included information on the house and its facilities, vet info, neighbor contacts and various places to visit in the surrounding area. Our hosts informed us that the dogs would be fine for up to 4 hours at a time alone, which would allow us to get in blocks of sightseeing during our stay.

A caution was given about the youngest lab Zoe, not being off leash outside the gated area, as she was a "runner". At only 2 years old, she was well behaved but still full of mischief too. In addition to being a "runner", she also liked to go "counter-surfing" in the kitchen for items left in reach, and she loved to chew on rubber shoes.

Our host advised us to keep the backyard gates firmly latched and make sure Zoe was always on a lead, as she would bolt if she got the chance, as she was very quick on her feet. We heeded their advice carefully!

We appreciated this complete briefing from our hosts, and then, just like that, they left for their flight, leaving us to mind their home and their dogs.

4. Our dream begins!

The first two days of house sitting were filled with discovering new sights, walking the dogs in the tranquil country lanes, filled with the smell of flowers, seeing pheasants, hearing doves cooing and taking in the peaceful surroundings. The dogs both seemed to take to us and enjoyed their twice daily walks thoroughly. We communicated daily with our hosts and sent pictures of the pups.

The second day after the evening walk, I brought the younger dog, Zoe to the back door through the back yard and left the gate open for my wife as she was bringing up the rear with the older, slower dog, Dillon.

Having a momentary lapse in memory and judgement, I unhooked the lead from Zoe before I had her completely in the house, and in a blink of the eye, she bolted like a streak between my legs and out the gate, before either of us could stop her!

As you can imagine, panic and fear overcame us as Zoe took off in the rear yard of the house through the open pasture and fields. She was gone in a flash!

Both of us quickly called her name and looked to no avail all around the house, yard and adjacent fields.

We split up going in two different directions to try and locate our missing Zoe! Our minds were racing and filled with the dread of our first dog sit ending in utter failure by losing the dog we had been entrusted to mind.

After 10 minutes, which seemed like hours, relief was at hand as my wife found the speedy escapee, two houses down, cornering some cats that thankfully had distracted her and allowed Kathy to catch her and re-clip the lead on her collar.

A valuable lesson had been learned by two rookie pet sitters, keep the leash on the dog at ALL times and make certain the gate is closed and latched at all times!

The rest of our week in Garboldisham was peacefully free from more dog drama, or missing canines! Our short outings included trips to explore Bury St Edmunds, Sandringham Estates, Castle Rising, Norwich, Thetford and Diss.

Would we do this again?

Absolutely! Words can't express the joy, cultural interactions and life experiences we have collected during our first house sit adventure. A five star review from our hosts made our day!

Visiting quaint English pubs, grocery shopping, and cathedrals that were breathtakingly beautiful, was a dream fulfilled.

Our first house sit was an enchanting experience and we eagerly await our next assignment.

Mike Barfield is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and resides in Austin, Texas. He is married to Kathy, they have two grown daughters, and three granddaughters. Mike graduated from Georgia Southern University, was an executive with the US Postal Service for 34 years including 10 years in Alaska and has traveled to more than 28 countries. Hobbies include racquetball, keyboards, rafting, travel and wine.

The next issue of House Sitting Magazine will be available from 15th December 2019

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