Creative Ways to Travel in Retirement
When they leave the workforce for good, one of the main things many retirees want to do is travel. For a lot of people, that means saving up for a dream vacation and heading out on the one trip you’ve always wanted to do. This is a great way to spend your retirement and celebrate everything you’ve worked for, but it isn’t the only way.
Seeing the world and going on adventures can happen in so many different ways. One way that you may not have thought of is what’s often called “slow travel.”
What does “slow travel” mean? In general, it means spending more time in an area and living more like a local. Instead of rushing off to tourist sites and zipping around with a guidebook, one of the goals of slow travel is to immerse yourself in the culture and live more like the people from the area.
At this point, you might be thinking that’s easier said than done. Sure, you’d love to stay in one place for months instead of taking a quick two-week trip, but how do you actually do it? Isn’t it prohibitively difficult and expensive?
The truth is that it doesn’t have to be.
How to Travel Slowly
First of all, it can actually be cheaper on a daily-cost basis to stay in an area for longer. For instance, if might be charged $150 a night for a hotel room if you’re staying a week, but many places offer lower prices for long-term stays. You might be charged $100 a night if you stay for a month, for example. Of course, while the daily cost is lower, the overall cost has increased.
There are more affordable and practical ways to travel slow. One of the most common is house sitting abroad. While hotels and even long-term rentals will charge you to stay in an area, house sitting often lets you stay for free. Yes, for free.
How is this possible? In short, it’s because you’re not simply staying in the home as you would be if you were renting it out. You’re exchanging your services for the ability to stay there.
All About House Sitting and Pet Sitting
How does it work? A lot of people travel and, when they do, many of them want someone to take care of their home. Sometimes it’s because they need someone to take care of their house plants or tend to their garden. Other times it’s because they don’t want their house sitting empty for a month because that’s a security threat. In many cases though, it’s because they have a pet (or several pets).
Boarding pets is expensive. If a person sends their pets to a kennel or sitter service, this costs quite a lot of money and that can make it much more difficult to travel. There are a lot of people who simply don’t travel because they don’t want to pay for a service to watch their pets, because they own pets that services won’t take, because they don’t trust their beloved pets to a service, or because their pets don’t handle moving around very well.
House sitting and pet sitting lets them travel with peace of mind and lower costs.
The way it works is simple, they let someone stay in their home while they travel as long as the person cares for their pet. They don’t charge the person for the stay, and they also don’t have to pay anyone to look after their animal. It’s a beneficial relationship that works out for both parties.
Becoming a House Sitter or Pet Sitter
One of the best ways to become a house sitting abroad is by signing up for a platform that connects people who want house sitters with people who would like to provide the service. There are many options out there, so look for ones that meet your needs.
Most services have a verification process, and many will want you to list your previous pet experience. A lot of homeowners will be more comfortable leaving their pets with someone who has a history of looking after animals. It practically goes without saying that you’ll have a better time pet sitting if you love animals.
Once you’ve signed up for the platform, you’ll be able to contact people who are looking for house sitters. If you’re connected with a homeowner, you’ll likely need to have an interview, often by video call. People want to talk with the person who will be staying in their home, after all. Not only do they want to check for the right fit, but they’ll also need to fill you in on their expectations, information about their pet, and anything else you’ll need to know.
Things to Keep in Mind
One of the most important things to keep in mind if you’re planning to travel slowly by house sitting is that you’ll often need to be adaptable. When you’re traveling on your own and staying in hotels, you can choose many of the details, such as when you travel, exactly where you stay, and the length of your stay. With house sitting, you need to conform to the needs of the person who wants your services.
This means you’ll need to be flexible with your travel dates, and you may end up staying somewhere different from your dream vacation. However, that doesn’t have to be a deal breaker. In fact, it can be very enriching. You’ll get the chance to experience something new and truly have a trip unlike anything you would have done on your own.
This type of travel is perfect for retirees, since you have fewer concerns relating to vacation time or when you’re able to leave work. When you’re in the workforce, you may have to be more ridged with how and when you travel, for instance. In retirement, you can be more flexible.
Of course, the trip isn’t completely free. You’ll still need to pay for flights, transportation, visas, and daily costs such as food.
Another thing to remember is that you will have responsibilities. You’re not just staying somewhere for free; you’re exchanging your time and effort for lodging. You’ll need to care for the home as if it was your own and make sure that the pets are loved and looked after. This means you might have to structure your days around the pet, at least somewhat. For instance, you may not be able to stay out all day every day because you’ll need to come back to feed the animal(s) in your care.
When you are house sitting, it changes how you travel. You’ll be able to cook more meals yourself, for instance, since you’ll be living in a residential area and have access to a full kitchen. Not only can this save you a lot of money, but it helps you feel like more of a local. You’ll be visiting the store or the market often, purchasing goods from the area, and truly embracing slow travel.
House sitting even changes how you pack for your trip. You won’t need to bring weeks and weeks of clothing, for instance, if you’re staying in a home that has a washer and dryer available. You might even have a vehicle to drive, if the homeowner provides one, and that will change your trip as well. In short, by house sitting, you’ll get a unique experience and an opportunity to truly live in a different place as if you were a local. It’s slow travel without the high costs, which can make it perfect for retirees.
