5 ways to make the most of off grid travel + house sitting

5 ways to make the most of off grid travel + house sitting

Off grid house sitting and travel is becoming a popular way of life for many. Let’s face it, most of  us want to switch off from the craziness of the world today. Living off grid is also an opportunity to practice a more sustainable way of living. When we had the chance to chat to Annemarie – an Aussie based in South America and living this lifestyle, we jumped at the chance.

 

Off grid house sitting and travel – living the dream?

In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, we meet Annemarie, an Australian who has been slow travelling through Central and South America for the past few years. Annemarie offers wonderful tales of travels and friends made along the way. And, she shares excellent advice on what it takes to survive and thrive living off the grid. 

If you’re wondering what the off-grid lifestyle looks like, Annemarie says it is a dream for her. BUT it’s probably not for everyone. That’s where house sitting is a great chance to dip your toes in to see if it is for you.

 

Getting into off-grid living

Annemarie’s initiation to off the grid living came about by chance.

A friend asked her to come to Costa Rica to help him set up an off the grid art eco events centre on his permaculture farm. Her off-grid experience there lasted seven months where she quickly learned what it takes to survive.

By definition, off-grid living usually means you’re relying on your own energy and water supplies. It also comes with nurturing your own food and learning to truly appreciate all living things around you. An attractive proposition for many of us!

To become accustomed to jungle life, like in Annemarie’s case, you need to be able to cope with isolation, be good with your hands, calm and adaptable.

“You are off grid. There’s no shop, there’s no letter box, there isn’t anything,” explains Annemarie.

Find out more by watching her interview – click to play above

 

 

How to find house sits while travelling off-grid

Annemarie uses TrustedHousesitters, but like some of our other Freedom and Four Paws guests including Nicky who travels with her dog, and this family of four house sitters, has also built a reputation and now has people contacting her for sits.

Annemarie shares that it’s important to continue to develop and foster relationships with locals where you live too – often leads come in that way.

Additionally, join community groups in your area, on and offline. Let people know what you do – tell them you do house sitting and people will soon reach out to you. “House sitters are in demand everywhere,” Annemarie tells us.

 

Annemarie’s top house sitting and off-grid travel tips

Anne Marie’s biggest tip to finding work and getting involved in the community is through WhatsApp.

She tells us that in many countries, including South and Central America, many businesses don’t have a website, they utilise WhatsApp. 

A few key ways to finding work on the road: 

  • Join community groups in the region – network and get to know people
  • Groups (including online like Facebook, or offline in networks) are the best way to find out anything
  • Tell people what you do – you can’t sell a secret
  • Engage, develop relationships and opportunities open up!

 

Click here to subscribe to Freedom and Four Paws on your favourite podcast service

 

Freedom and Four Paws

Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people traveling the world. They’re living their best life, often with their pets in tow!

More advice from Freedom and Four Paws: House Sitting in a Foreign Language Destination, and Slow Travel: 9 Years on the Road House Sitting

 

Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’

Freedom and Four Paws is brought to you by Travel Live Learn.com.

As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10.

And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com and mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service including personalised storytelling coaching.

WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube

SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies.

SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn

 

Solo travel and house sitting for women: insight from the travel frontline

Solo travel and house sitting for women: insight from the travel frontline

In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, tune in for an inspiring chat about solo travel and house sitting for women. We meet Aussie Beth Wilkinson who’s been house sitting her around the globe looking for a second home. Four years later, she is still searching – but in a beautiful way!

 

Finding a way into solo travel and house sitting for women

After 18 months being stuck in North America due to COVID, Canada finally lifted restrictions on international travel. As a result, Beth quickly discovered on Facebook groups that:

  1. Australians she knew there were eager to visit family and friends back home;
  2. Many of these expats needed someone to look after their pets – this is how Beth fell into house sitting!
  3. She quickly developed a positive reputation and people started reaching out for her to house and pet sit.

It was actually Beth’s Mum who suggested she use house sitting as way to travel outside of Canada.

In the past four years, she has now visited Europe, America and South America. This is a fantastic example of how house sitting opens up the world for travellers. We hear similar tales from the likes of Lisa who now makes money from pet care and house sitting; and the Frugal Travellers who have a successful YouTube channel about the topic too!

 

What we learn from travel

Through her solo adventures Beth has been able to push through her fears and any limitations which may have subconsciously restricted her.

The experience she has created means she’s able to apply this confidence to many social and business situations; it’s not just limited to travelling. After, backpacking solo around Mexico, Beth realised that she could adapt and in fact thrive in foreign countries where cultures and languages are very different.

Find out more, watch the interview here:

 

How to have the ‘remote work’ conversation with your boss

Beth works remotely full time for an employer, and this means she can live and work from anywhere she pleases.

For anyone considering this option, it’s important to have open conversations with your employer to discuss what works best for you, the business you work for, and what you can bring to your role as a remote worker and digital nomad.

Beth highlights that finding a balance with work and your wellbeing is important and vital for happiness.,

The greatest benefit of solo travel as a remote worker and house sitter is being able to do what you want, wherever you want, whenever you want and not having to rely on other people’s timelines.

 

Beth’s best advice

Beth discovered that there is a niche for solo house sitters. In order to stand out in a competitive house and pet sitting market though, her advice is:

  • Treat your application like a job
  • Sell yourself and what you uniquely have to offer
  • Talk about your specific experiences
  • Get involved with Facebook community groups.

 

PS you can find Beth here on Instagram

 

🐕Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service

 

Freedom and Four Paws

Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people like Beth, traveling the world. They’re living their best life, often with their pets in tow!

In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, we know you’ll find Beth’s advice is invaluable.

More advice from other Freedom and Four Paws guests: How to travel with your own pet! And how to house sit as a family :)

 

👉🏻Subscribe now and never miss an episode featuring excellent tips on how to slow travel, successfully work remotely or as a digital nomad, and house + pet sit. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts or your favourite podcasting app. Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’

Freedom and Four Paws is brought to you by Travel Live Learn.com.

As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy – relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night, visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10.

And if you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com and mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service including personalised storytelling coaching.

WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube

SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies.

SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn

 

How to travel on a budget (cheap or for FREE) in 2024!

How to travel on a budget (cheap or for FREE) in 2024!

Are you looking for how to travel on a budget, cheap or for free around the world?

In this episode of Freedom and Four Paws, we meet Frugal Travellers Mandy and Lee. They have been travelling the world on a budget for over 30 years and over 100 countries. These avid adventurers have mastered how to travel the world on a budget. Mandy and Lee share fantastic advice on how to get the most out of your money while exploring the world.

The Frugal Travellers were recently featured on CNN Chance Encounters, a show which highlights real life stories of couples who met while travelling.

 

How to travel on a budget: top tip, house sitting

One of the most popular topics on this website is house and pet sitting. Lee and Mandy lean on house sitting as a way to travel cheaply. Their introduction to this mode of travel came about by chance while living in Australia. At first, friends asked them to look after their pets. Word quickly spread that they were lovely and trustworthy and then referrals started to flow in.

In the years to come, Mandy and Lee joined several paid and free services that also enabled them to secure house sits.

They now house sit full time.

 

 

How to travel cheap and keep costs down

One of the couple’s success tips is to make a game out of sticking to a slim daily budget. These are a few key ways they save money while travelling:

 


 

International travel is available to everyone – you don’t have to be rich!

Through Lee and Mandy’s YouTube channel, their intention is to prove that you do not need to be a millionaire to enjoy a life of travel. The pair themselves embrace slow travel and the freedom it brings, and their inspiring content shows how anyone can do it.

 

Click here to subscribe on your favourite podcast service

 

Freedom and Four Paws

Join us on our podcasting adventures as we hear inspiring stories from amazing people travelling the world and living their best life.

Subscribe now and never miss an episode. Each includes excellent tips on how to slow travel, and successfully work remotely.  Search ‘Freedom and Four Paws’ on your favourite podcast service.

As a valued audience member, enjoy 10% OFF at our affiliate partner Cloudy. Relieve stress throughout the day straight to a soothing sleep at night.  Visit trycloudy.com and use the code FREEDOM10.

If you’re a fellow traveller and pet lover who is keen to share your story and inspire the world, visit exhalemediagroup.com. Mention FREEDOM20 for 20% OFF any purchased service.

WATCH: Find out more about house sitting while you travel, view the playlist on YouTube

SIGN UP: TO TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS HERE AND ENJOY 25% OFF! It’s on our VIP mailing list, including other freebies.

SUBSCRIBE: on YouTube for more adventures youtube.com/travellivelearn

 


 
 

Halloumi fries London – we’re obsessed

Halloumi fries London – we’re obsessed

 

The other day I found myself, once again, scrolling aimlessly through social media in a sort of comatose trance when I was suddenly startled by three words: halloumi fries London: deep-fried cheese. mmmm cheese.

Quick somebody pinch me, and why am I only hearing about this now?

An hour later I was on a Tube hurtling towards Camden Markets, specifically Oli Barba‘s.

They are the facilitators of these guilty pleasures: scrumptious deep-fried fingers of halloumi cheese. These crunchy sticks of golden cheesy goodness are warm and gooey on the inside and deliciously crispy on the outside. The fries are drizzled with zaa’tar yoghurt, a tasty sweet glaze, then affectionately sprinkled with mint leaves, pomegranate seeds and chilli flakes.

Curious to see what all the excitement is about halloumi fries?

Take a look at our video below.

Travel Live Learn vlog

Travel Live Learn vlog

 

Have you seen our latest clips? We’ll post below from Tuscany, but you can subscribe here on YouTube and never miss one :) We also post alternative content on Instagram and Facebook, linked on this site.

Let us know if you have requests for clips from the UK and Europe and we’ll see what we can do!

Thanks for stopping by,

Coops and Sarah

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