Your Escape Blueprint

The world of housesitting is amazingly diverse – which makes it interesting and extremely rewarding. This also means that some advertised housesits are more desirable than others.

We have been housesitting and monitoring housesit advertising sites since April 2012 and although every one of our sits has been a wonderful experience, we have noticed that not all sits are equally desirable.

Sadly not every housesit involves amazing people and pets creating wonderful memories. Some turn out be less than idyllic. We often see ads for sits we would not touch with a 10-foot pole and hear horror stories from other sitters.

To ensure housesits are dreams and not nightmares house-sitters need to do their homework – there are some people out there you would be much better off not meeting or housesitting for.

We decided to put together a somewhat tongue in cheek list of the sits you may want to avoid.

The Shanty Sit:

Some homes could be from the cover of Better Homes and Gardens where others would be a better fit for the cover of Better Shacks and Shelters. – Some Shack owners expect sitters to live in substandard accommodations without privacy, proper cooking facilities, running water or proper sanitation. To avoid these; get pictures, ask for a tour of the property on Skype! Ask lots of questions, even ask for references from previous sitters –  and NEVER assume.

The Zoo Sit (aka Circus Sits):

These are the types of sits where the sitter has to look after 17 dogs, 23 cats, 2 horses, 5 goats and a herd of milking cows. Unless you are a total animal freak and don’t mind getting up at 4:30 AM to milk the cows or spending 3 hours a day picking ticks off the dogs you may want to give this one a miss – or better yet be compensated for your efforts.

The Prison Sit:

We classify two different scenarios as a prison sit. The first is where you are expected to look after dogs with severe separation anxiety. Some pet owners stipulate you have to stay with Chomper 24 hours a day – they may “allow” you to go for groceries but the neurotic dog has to go as well. Even if you adore dogs this could be a little trying.

The second prison sit scenario involves owners who want their housesitters to provide 24/7 security for the property. Insisting that one person is present at all times. If round the clock security is required, either the owners are paranoid or the home is located in an area you may not want to live in anyway.

The Slave Labor Sit:  

Some people look at housesitters as desperate people who are a source of cheap labor. These folks think performing labor in return for a roof over their heads is a fair deal. As a housesitter you provide a very valuable service – choose clients who value what you provide as a home and pet sitter. Unless you are desperate just say next!

The Lets Shack-up Sit:

This is the type of housesit where you are expected to co-habitate with the owners of the property. They may want you to pay rent, contribute to utilities and/or provide slave labor as well. We have heard stories of owners who never leave the property despite their claims to be away for extended periods or those who really need hired help as they cannot manage the property by themselves.

The Baby Sitter Sit:

This is the type of sit that crosses the line from housesitting to caregiving. Some homeowners think it is OK for sitters to look after elderly parents, bratty teenagers, or invalid spouses. Stories of owners leaving their bed-ridden spouses behind, with the sitter now having to provide meals and act as nurse as well have crossed our ears.

If you like providing this type of service–it is a calling for many people–then share your gift and hopefully get some compensation. Otherwise, this may not be an enjoyable “housesitting” experience.

The General Contractor Sit:

There are homeowners who think it would be great idea to leave on holiday while they have the kitchen remodeled, and even a better idea to get a housesitter to “keep an eye” on the contractors!

There are several problems with this from the perspective of the sitter – one if you have ever lived in a house during a major renovation you know it can be very dusty, noisy and not to mention inconvenient. Secondly being responsible for contractors can be a major pain in the ass – not to mention a potential liability – we avoid this one.

Mail Order Bride Sit:

Some homeowners use housesitting wanted ads as a means of finding a love interest. Honest! If you are looking for love this may work for you.

The George Orwell Sit:

This is where the homeowner has security cameras in the house and will be watching you. Do you really want to be monitored? If so you may want to make sure your activities on the sofa are suitable for a family audience! We have also seen housesit wanted ads where the pet owner wants to board their pet in the sitters home and set up a security camera so they can keep an eye on the pets – Creepy!

Housesitting is about finding a perfect match and although we avoid these types of sits, they may be perfect for you. As a housesitter it is your responsibility to know exactly what you want and exactly what you do not. When choosing house-sits make sure you do your homework to ensure there are no nasty surprises.

Our clients have all been awesome people, the pets always a reflection of their owners and we have enjoyed every minute. This is perhaps because we look very closely at ads and do not apply for or accept scenarios that do not fit our criteria.

Hope you got a chuckle from our list of untouchables.

Our last word of advice –

Be choosy – there is a world of perfect housesitting opportunities out there!

 

 

Have you ever encountered the huge price disparities between meals, drinks and even cab fares in many parts of the world? This is not all due to differences in the price of local commodities. It is often due to the “how much can we charge this tourist, (or somebody perceived as a tourist/ traveler) or expat as opposed to a local” mentality and creates what we nicknamed the Tourist/Expat/Local economies.

In North America, we are so used to everyone paying the same price for the same thing; we are often unaware of these different economies or levels.

A tourist fresh off the plane is often considered fair game and will be asked to pay sometimes, extortionate prices. Especially if like us, they had just done a 15-hour marathon to get to Manila. We knew he charged too much but was horrified to find that our cab driver charged us five times what it should have been. We were victims of the Filipino sport of charging long-nose prices. Tip: If you think, you are being charged too much in the Philippines, smile and tap your nose. The culprit will grin at being caught and reduce the price. 

A tourist enjoying his annual two-week trip to the beach, doesn’t really care that he is paying three times or more the going rate for a beer. He does not mind spending $5 for a beer and $15 for burger and fries. He is just happy to have a cold beer on a stunning beach, before its back to the grindstone.

A seasoned traveler or an expat resident pays a lesser price than the tourist. You may notice that  as the tan’s get deeper and the hair longer, the lower the prices. Once the local vendors see you around for longer than a week, you start moving away from tourist class. The established ‘expat’ is happy to walk down the beach to the little rustic shack, where the service is not as polished and the misspelt menu is scrawled in chalk. After all, it has the same view. However a beer costs only $2 and a heaped plate of fried fish, rice and beans is $6.

A local, will avoid the tourist traps, often because of the prices,  he knows exactly what a case of  beer costs at the store. He also knows that just around the corner is the local hangout that serves cold beer for a $1 and a huge meal of comida typica (typical food or local food) for only $3.

Not all expats, even if full time residents ever get to the local level. Some cloister themselves in expat communities, others shop at stores that cater to the expat community and hang out at tourist or expat bars.

Others like Elaine and Danielle built a home in a small Panamanian community. They buy fresh produce from the van that comes by twice a week for the same price as their neighbors. These neighbors also share produce from their gardens and volunteer to pick up fresh fish at local prices for Victor’s famous fish fry.

Tips for paying local prices:

• Try to integrate into the community
• Learn the language
• Avoid the tourist traps
• Know what things should cost
• Shop at the local markets
• Use the local buses

The above take time, however the rewards are worth the effort.

Tip: When shopping let a local go first and watch what he/she buys and what they pay. It is a little harder for the vendor to inflate the prices when it is your turn. Once you have found a vendor who appears honest, reward them with your ongoing loyalty

By being aware of what prices should be, we can avoid setting a precedent. If the local water-taxi driver knows that, a tourist or traveler is an easy touch for an inflated fare. He will focus on those fares only, leaving locals—unwilling or unable to pay his fees–stranded. After all if one trip earns him $10 why should he do five trips at the regular $2 fare if he can earn it in one? This practice causes price creep for everybody. Tip: Find out what taxi and boat fares should be before you arrive. Tourism offices, hotel receptionists and fellow travelers are great resources as is Numbeo.com .

Whether paying Tourist/Expat/Local prices, consider it a game played by you and the vendors, sometimes you win and sometimes you loose. By avoiding the tourist prices wherever possible you can travel further and longer and still contribute to sustaining the communities you visit.

We hope you find these tips useful and we look forward to hearing your travel tales and your money saving tips.

The same day that Canada issued a travel advisory about the epidemic sweeping the Caribbean, I went down with my own up close and personal experience.

This had not come as a surprise, during the last few months we had heard of and seen multiple cases of this mosquito borne virus Typical symptoms include severe to mild headaches, joint and muscle pain, cramps, fever and skin rashes. Some people described the pain as “if their bones were breaking and the pieces grinding against each other”.

Luckily, my own personal taste appeared relatively mild. It started with dizziness, pain in my toes, ankles, knees and fingers. Causing major mobility issues as I was about as active as an arthritic octogenarian. Headaches soon followed!

There is no treatment for chikungunya which originated near Tanzania in Africa where the name in Makonde means “that which bends up” referring to the contorted posture of people afflicted with severe joint pain. Only the symptoms can be treated, painkiller’s containing acetaminophen such as Paracetamol & Naproxen are recommended. As well as bed rest and good hydration.

After four days I was back on my feet and off the painkillers. By day five I decided to get back to duty (currently housesitting) and help take the dogs for their morning walk. I only made it half way up the hill before the pain in knees and ankles sent me home. An hour later, I was covered with a blotchy rash and back in bed. These relapses are common and some people report that they are more severe than the original symptoms.

I was once again lucky and my relapse was short lived, my brush with chikungunya lasted only a week, unlike personal acquaintances who are still suffering after three weeks. Michael has avoided the virus so far and has been waging war on any mosquito that comes close.

The advisory recommends that the best way to avoid contracting the virus is to avoid being bitten. That is easier said than done, unless you are willing to bathe in Deet three times a day and cover up head to toe in light colored clothing. Staying in during dawn and dusk will not help either, as the mosquito responsible is active throughout the day, hanging out in shady spots such as nice cool houses waiting for its next victim.

Would we recommend getting Chikungunya? No, however I am not sure if I would cancel a prepaid trip because of it. Saying that, it could certainly ruin a two-week vacation. As with any other advisory, it is up to you to arm yourself with as much information as possible, weigh the pros and cons and then decide for yourself.

I do recommend bringing a plentiful supply of repellants containing Deet as it is in short supply on the islands at the time of writing. You may also want to be prepared as we were and have a supply of the recommended painkiller’s handy.

Summer months in the Caribbean means Carnival! No matter which of the islands they all feature feathers, colorful costumes, acres of flesh, lots of bling and music.

We were fortunate enough to witness carnival in St. Vincent and later in Grenada. The size of the costumes and the events vary but every event has one consistent theme. Music! Trucks loaded with speakers crank up the volume and the beat until feet, head and body succumb to the pull. Like the pied piper they lead the revelers through the streets, in a dazzling, pulsing mass the revelers dance until they can dance no more.

The pull of the Caribbean Soca music is strong even to those who grew up far away from these shores. It seems no one can resist the beat; even the little ones have all the moves down by the time they can walk. Maybe the early practice develops flexibility in the hips and lower spine, as Soca seems to require an advanced degree of flexibility.

We captured a few clips during St. Vincent’s Vincy Mas celebration, including a few clips that appear a little racy. You have to watch this to see what we mean, especially towards the end.

Strangely enough when we asked the locals if this was as sexual as it looked, the response was “No, its just dancing”. It may be just dancing but the clubs fill on the weekends, as everyone gets dressed up and goes dancing!

Personally I’ll stick to the steel bands the pulse is just as insistent and as impressive, especially when delivered by these teenage bands. Whom we spotted doing a few practice runs before competing in Grenada’s Steel band contest.

If I had to sum up the Caribbean in one word, it would have to be Music. No event is complete without it and it pours from truck-sized speakers, doorways, cars, boats and the local buses. Loving it!

If you have ever dreamed of escaping the 9 to 5 and following your dreams and then doubted that you could, remember others have already! Allow us to introduce you to more of our fellow “Escapee’s”.

Their answers may inspire you too to follow your dream.

We met Carolyn and Ed Saari when they advertised for a housesitter to look after their pets and home in Puerto Rico. We soon realized that they had not led a traditional life, yet seem to have enjoyed every minute of it. Carolyn agreed to share some insights with us.

Why move overseas?  

  “When I first met my husband Ed, he said he wanted to build a sailboat and go cruising.  I had recently started sailing, owned my own boat, and that sounded good to me!  I was on a career track, and that plan would have meant giving it all up, but the adventure appealed to me, as did the guy!   We set a date to leave and then we spent 3 years building the boat. We got married shortly after launching and left within a month of our target date set 4 years prior”.

How old where you when you escaped?  

“Both of us were just under 30.  We’re glad we didn’t wait until we were older, or we probably would never have done it”.

What were they looking for?  

“We were unhappy with the rigid lifestyle of the States and high level of consumerism. We felt a self-sufficient and simpler lifestyle was right for us. (And we still do)  We built our own boat, and emphasized self-reliance when fitting it out.  It was very satisfying to know that together, we had the skills to do most of the work and maintenance ourselves”.

When and how did you move?  

“In November 1981 we left West Palm Beach, Florida, in our Jim Brown designed Searunner 37 Trimaran, named Triumph.  Before we left, we sold both cars, all the furniture and everything else we couldn’t take with us to live in a very small space.  We sailed up and down the island chain, crossed the Atlantic to spend two years in Europe, then criss-crossed the Caribbean countless times North to South between Puerto Rico and Venezuela to spend hurricane seasons in the south”.

What where the biggest challenges for you?  

“Occasionally, the biggest challenge was just staying alive!  Not often, but seriously, boat maintenance was a big challenge to keep us safe in all weather.  Maintenance is an ongoing thing, and you need to do something for the boat every day.  Family back home just didn’t get it.  We always had the idea that we were going to sea at our own risk, and that if something bad happened, we needed to figure it out for ourselves.  That is, not to expect someone else to risk their lives or property coming to look for us”.

Carolyn also experienced a lot of pressure from family and friends to stay on the expected path. She explains. “For me there was another challenge in the first year or so, because I had been in a career-type job and just gave it all up, in spite of family pressure.  At first, it was difficult for me to get into the mind-set of not having a paycheck or that I was not living up to what I had been brought up to do.  That is, have a career.   I also worried that we would not have enough money.  But money was never an issue.  We had some savings as backup, but casual work would always come along, many times when we weren’t looking for it.   We were able to work in a lot of different places and always saved enough money to continue the next part of the adventure.”

Any advice to others?  

“If you really want to change your life, make a plan and do it.  It’s not for everyone.  But, do the research and the math first, to make sure it will work for you.  It helps to have a good partner for support, who is truly committed to the same dream.  If you each have different expectations, it won’t work out.  We have had a very satisfying and interesting life, after almost 28 years living aboard.  But, we also knew at the same time when we had had enough and when it was time to move on to the next stage of our lives”.

We will be hearing more from Carolyn and Ed as they have always had pets and have often needed house sitters.

This and more Escapee profiles to come. We look forward to hearing your feedback, comments or ideas for further profiles.

Since we escaped the rat race in 2012, we have found new ways of generating extra income. As we are no longer working 40 or 60 hours a week on our businesses, we found ourselves with some free time. The decision on what to do with some of my free time (apart from traveling, researching and blogging) was the result of a seed planted by my favorite teacher Mr. Lynch.

He approved of my writing efforts, often reading my essays to the class as examples of how they should be done–much to the embarrassment of the book loving, shy teen that I was. He recognized the storyteller in me, a talent inherited from my Dad, who has the Irish ‘gift of the gab’. Despite my teachers urging I did not go onto to study journalism or English literature, I had other plans.

The idea of becoming a writer has lain dormant for years, until I purchased The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program from American Writers and Artists Inc.(AWAI). I started working through the material and was convinced I had made the right choice, each chapter provides motivation; knowledge and practical assignments to get you writing.

Before I had even finished the first half of the course I had–using the recommendations and templates –secured my first press or comp rate for five magical nights at a unique eco resort in Panama, Isla Palenque. Instead of paying over $2000, we paid only $500 because I had an editor interested in publishing my report. Within days, I had my first article published and even though this was not a paid article, it had enabled us to enjoy five days of pampering, exploring and experiencing a lifestyle normally well out of our budget. I also had my first published “clip” I was a travel writer!

Inspired by my success, I continued studying and using the course material. My second article was another story from our time at Isla Palenque picked up by International Livings Lifetime Communique Society. It was official I was now a paid travel writer!

Buoyed by success I approached Intentional Living Magazines editor, who intrigued by our own story asked for a submission. “Happy Vagabonds” appeared in the November 2012 issue and another paycheck arrived. Since then I have made a few $1,000 in return for a very rewarding and very part time business of writing and submitting articles that editors want to publish.

I never really thought that it could be so easy to enjoy the red carpet treatment that well known travel writers enjoy, but it is and the more I learn and the more I write the better it gets. I recouped my course costs in the first month and have enjoyed complimentary accommodation and romantic starlit dinners on St. Georges Caye with my husband Michael. We have also enjoyed complimentary stays at the Black Orchid in Belize, free scuba diving and turtle watching trips, all in return for writing a story about the experience.

Michaels skill with a camera has been a great asset too, he has sold photographs to accompany the articles to International Living and to Isla Palenque for their own marketing purposes.

There is work involved of course, but you choose how much or how little you do, what better work can there be than sharing the joys of the world’s magical places?

I have also said that someday I would like to write a book. The idea of writing a whole book is daunting! However, as with any big project you have to start somewhere. “How to eat an elephant, one bite at a time” ~ Unknown

Thanks to AWAI and their The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program , I can proudly call myself a writer. I am also somewhat surprised to find, thanks to those first few baby steps, that I am now (along with Michael and the staff at International Living) finishing our first book on house and pet sitting!

The seeds of being a writer planted in me so long ago have sprouted, proving that it is never too late to follow a dream and yes, you can write that book.