finding a pet/house sitter so I can walk my camino

[Andrea Mayfield]

I live alone and one of the challenges in arranging to walk my Camino was finding someone to take care of my pets, yard and house while I am away. I found a website called TrustedHousesitters.com and am thrilled to have found a young couple to stay at my house for free while I am gone. They will enjoy the central coast of California while I will walk worry free in Spain. This relieves a huge concern for me. I assume someone out there has had a similar experience or needs a sitter. I hope this information is helpful.

 

[suzrya]

Thanks for the info! One of my concerns will be my pets when I am preparing for my Camino. Have a wonderful & worry-free journey. Buen Camino. Suzanne

 

[Chacharm]

I have two trusted housesitters coming. One from April to mid June and the other until mid July. I am a trusted housesitter myself. I Spent 3 Months In New Zealand last summer while another trusted housesitter stayed here. I think it is perfect.

 

[CaminoDebrita]

I live alone and one of the challenges in arranging to walk my Camino was finding someone to take care of my pets, yard and house while I am away. I found a website called TrustedHousesitters.com and am thrilled to have found a young couple to stay at my house for free while I am gone. They will enjoy the central coast of California while I will walk worry free in Spain. This relieves a huge concern for me. I assume someone out there has had a similar experience or needs a sitter. I hope this information is helpful.

We have a very beautiful home in Oregon, but with two dogs, four cats, five head of cattle, and twenty chickens (sigh....okay, and four pet ducks who are needy), it was daunting to find someone to housesit for us. I briefly detailed my concerns on FB and immediately a very good family friend and her husband jumped right on it. I did NOT share the dates of travel (never do that publicly, unless I'm on here, where I like to think I'm rather anonymous, ha ha!).

Later, the husband has 'fessed up that he has NO interest in walking 500 miles to Santiago de Compostela, and anyway, he love our place and can't imagine leaving his yellow lab behind. Well. So. That took care of that, didn't it?

I guess you could say that if a person is called, they must go. If a person is not called to pilgrimage, it certainly sounds like a "less palatable" trip than hiking in the nearby Cascade Mountains and then resting by a crackling fire in the Timberline Lodge.

If your home is comfortable and clean, many people are willing to housesit though. I always advise putting the really valuable stuff in a safe deposit box or somewhere.

 

[Andrea Mayfield]

"I always advise putting the really valuable stuff in a safe deposit box or somewhere."

Good advice. I'm reassured by the fact that Trusted Housesitters are vetted and most have security checks. I see a myself as a sitter in my future!!

 

[Chacharm]

The thing about Trustedhousesitters.com is that these people have a police clearance letter and you're insured through THS. You can read reference letters and contact previous house sit home owners and know what you are getting - and you'll be getting a much more professional house sit than otherwise. Before THS I hired friends and friends kids to do it with often terrible results. My husband will also not be going, CaminoDeb, but he won't be at home (somewhere in TX or La) but will be near by if there is a problem.
When I house sit I leave the house and the yard cleaner than when I found it. I clean the chicken coop and wash the dogs (or have them groomed), I clean the pool and weed the beds and leave a bite to eat in the fridge along with a bottle of wine. I figure it is all a lot cheaper than paying for a hotel!
And in my case my house keeper will be coming in once a week and the yard guys will be by once every two weeks, so the house sitters won't have much work to do and there will be someone checking in on the situation.
I also spent Christmas last year in Munich, Andrea, as a THS. My son and I had a blast and then went to Dublin for a quickie house sit. It was great!

 

[CaminoDebrita]

The thing about Trustedhousesitters.com is that these people have a police clearance letter and you're insured through THS. You can read reference letters and contact previous house sit home owners and know what you are getting - and you'll be getting a much more professional house sit than otherwise. Before THS I hired friends and friends kids to do it with often terrible results. My husband will also not be going, CaminoDeb, but he won't be at home (somewhere in TX or La) but will be near by if there is a problem.
When I house sit I leave the house and the yard cleaner than when I found it. I clean the chicken coop and wash the dogs (or have them groomed), I clean the pool and weed the beds and leave a bite to eat in the fridge along with a bottle of wine. I figure it is all a lot cheaper than paying for a hotel!
And in my case my house keeper will be coming in once a week and the yard guys will be by once every two weeks, so the house sitters won't have much work to do and there will be someone checking in on the situation.
I also spent Christmas last year in Munich, Andrea, as a THS. My son and I had a blast and then went to Dublin for a quickie house sit. It was great!

You sound wonderful! And the THS program is definitely a great deal.

 

[SabsP]

I can call myself very lucky to have the best neighbours in the world!

 

[fortview]

We had a wonderful Norwegian lady from trusted house sitters. It was so freeing to be able to go off and walk without worrying about what was happening at home. We don't have pets, but we had a teenager that we were reluctant to leave on her own!!
I remember at the time, thinking of that expression, about trusting in God, but not forgetting to tether your camel, and that was what Mette enabled us to do. I'm forever grateful for that website, allowing us to find her, and therefore have a wonderful Camino.

 

[Chacharm]

So - the THS person stayed in your home with your daughter? I have never seen an ad for that!
My only problem with THS sitters from overseas is the car issue. Public transportation is unreliable in Austin, and most of the people who applied didn't own a car of their own, so no insurance for using mine.
I love your Rumi quote

 

[CaminoDebrita]

We had a wonderful Norwegian lady from trusted house sitters. It was so freeing to be able to go off and walk without worrying about what was happening at home. We don't have pets, but we had a teenager that we were reluctant to leave on her own!!
I remember at the time, thinking of that expression, about trusting in God, but not forgetting to tether your camel, and that was what Mette enabled us to do. I'm forever grateful for that website, allowing us to find her, and therefore have a wonderful Camino.

I bet the house sitter was not really "watching" the teenage daughter, but was probably "there" and thus ensuring that your home did not become party central!

As a secondary teacher, I've heard some real horror stories (you think you can trust your teens, but hmmmm temptation can be so great).