But What If...

There’s no doubt about it, one of the major concerns about house-sitting full-time is, what are we going to do when the house-sits don’t match up? In other words, what are we going to do when we have nowhere to sleep?

I know we joke about sleeping in the car, and indeed it is long enough for us to sleep comfortably in it, but even we admit that it wouldn’t be our first choice.

Then, of course, we do have some caring and generous friends who have offered us the use of their spare room. Plus, I have no doubt that, if we turned up on the doorstep of a selection of other friends, that they would be more than happy to offer us their couch for the night. But, the last thing we want to be is a nuisance. For the regular cry to be, ‘Oh look there’s Steve and Lizzie again! I bet they are only visiting because they haven’t got anywhere better to sleep!

How well house-sits really join up is something we won’t know until we’re actually doing it full-time. Hopefully there won’t be any problems and it will suit us perfectly, but in the meantime – just in case – we’re making ‘in case’ plans.

At the back of our minds there’s the thought of buying a small two-man tent for those odd nights. It would be cheap and adaptable, but I have to admit not very appealing in weather like we’re having at the moment(i.e. storms), plus it would require us to carry around more bits and pieces. (Also, it’s a long time since we’ve been camping – and who knows the ground may have got harder, bumpier and lower down since we last slept on it!)

Another option would be AirBNB. Cheaper than conventional hotels, doesn’t require us to carry extra bits, plus we get to live in all kinds of different places and have a holiday.

However, one of the other options that really appeals is where we do volunteer work at places for a few hours a day and in return they feed us and provide us with accommodation. When I first heard about this, most of the work was farm labour, which I have to admit I initially felt might not be ideal for me and Steve. It might have been once, and I would like to think it would be again after a bit more exercise, but – if I were honest – probably not at the moment.

Then the other day, whilst doing some more research, I found more online companies putting volunteers in touch with people needing help, and much to my delight these companies were after a lot more than farm labour. They listed babysitters, painters, admin workers, retailers and all kinds of things you (or more importantly ‘we’) can do without being young and fit. We might even find people looking for writers and photographers – even more appealing. Imagine that, travelling Australia or the world writing for somebody four hours a day and being paid in food and accommodation then being allowed to go off and explore or reflect for the rest of the day…

Almost sounds like the perfect life...

Here are some links just in case it appeals to you too:

wwoof

Workaday

HelpX