I’m surprised that so few people have asked me how the heck I ended up in Malak Izvor. Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. 🙂
Back in January, upon the advice of a couple of friends, I signed up at Mind My House, a site that brings together folks looking to house and pet sit with folks looking for house and pet sitters. Most of the gigs are in the US, Canada, and Western Europe, but there are really gigs all over the world. I’d never considered housesitting before, but it sure sounded like a great way to travel around the world with minimal housing costs and the chance to live like a local.
A one-year membership is 20USD. I can already tell you that I will be renewing my membership!
I signed up in January and started to look for gigs in Eastern Europe, of which there were very few. I found Max’s ad in February and sent him a message showing keen interest in his gig. However, he prefers people who can stay long-term, eight months to a year or even longer, so he politely declined. I thought that was it.
Over the following months, I continued to look at gigs in places I was interested in, including the Czech Republic. And then, Max got back to me in June to see if I was still available because my 85 days of availability were going to be better than nothing. The rest, as the cliché goes, is history. Needless to say, this one gig has more than paid for my membership to Mind My House!
The gig has really spoiled me in that I’m very much in my own space, not someone’s home. What I’m really here for is the pets, not the property. But it’s a successful first foray into housesitting and a first reference through the site. I hope to find something in Portugal, Spain, or the south of France for the start of 2017. I’m also looking for something in a non-Schengen country between the end of September and January, but I’m not holding my breath on getting that lucky twice. I am very open to where I go next, though, and willing to see what opportunities present themselves. Flights from Europe to almost anywhere are so inexpensive that I have a lot more options than I did back in North America.
I’ve seen a few ads for gigs in Mexico, so that’s something I will look at when I’m ready to head back there. Hopefully, I’ll find a gig in the Yucatán!
I have read about such opportunities and always wondered how they worked. It has also been interesting to see how you go about acquring a new language.
Well, I have no intention of giving Bulgarian a huge amount of brain space since I won’t be here long. I’ll just be happy when I can say hello to my neighbours without making a mistake! 😀
Our friend Les had done several house/pet sittings over the past year or so, He seems to have enjoyed them all.
So far, this is a positive experience…
Yep, Les turned me on to it. I keep checking but they are mostly pet sitting jobs. It seems you would be tied down to the duties of pet keeping versus being a tourist. You certainly can’t go far because you have to feed, water and walk the dogs. Looks good though for something different. I’m not opposed to it, just not quite sure how confining it would be.
Looking forward to reading your experience.
Chris, it depends on your travel style. Since I like to live like a local and I’m working long hours, these types of jobs make sense to me. But I did approach living in a very rural part of Bulgaria for three months with some hesitation and it’s only the fact that the owner is here on weekends, giving me a chance to get out and explore, that made me commit.