Trusted Housesitters
Trusted Housesitters is one of those wonderful concepts that could only work in the internet age. A world wide community of people who house and pet sit for free, the only monetary thing being the £89 a year membership to list either yourself or your house. Initially sceptical, I was rapidly converted by the impressive response to our listing and our subsequent experiences with Moll, who stepped into the breach during a recent South American holiday.
Use the following link for 20% off membership if you do decide to join – as I have mentioned below in an article I wrote for them, it may well be a life changing experience.
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/su/DVkupCuG
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A South American Holiday
(With Thanks to Trusted Housesitters)
In a recent competition I was lucky enough to win a five year membership with Trusted Housesitters. Our latest trip took us to Patagonia and was a great success for both us and our housesitter.
Would anyone want to sit on a rock in the middle of the Irish Sea in the winter? The Isle of Man is very beautiful but even its most ardent fans would admit that it is a long way from being an obvious winter destination. I must admit that I was doubtful but when I listed my dates on Trusted Housesitters, five people responded.
Moll’s bubbly personality shone through in her correspondence and the south westerlies duly blew her in in November. Seeking a winter bolthole and with old family ties to the island, she was searching for her roots: many have washed up on our shores for lesser reasons.
Our friendly cats viewed the changeover with equanimity and we departed for Buenos Aires. In the following three months, we criss- crossed the Argentinian and Chilean borders, working our way down through Patagonia via mountains, lakes and old frontier towns.
Eventually we reached the end of the road, and the end of the world as some would have it, in Tierra del Fuego, a land of big skies and silver waters. When we touched on the wifi of civilization, we would receive chatty messages from Moll detailing all her adventures and news of our cats.
A hint of cabin fever crept in at Christmas. The philosophy club fell by the wayside but the pub quiz was a success and masked balls beckoned. She rallied and by the time of her departure in early February, I think she too had come to appreciate the vagaries of island life and its idiosyncratic inhabitants.
Many a young farmer – and old – has been left bereft at her departure. The pub quiz has settled back to its usual sleepy state and I ride out foraging in her stead: a freelance chef, her talents were wasted on the island.
So thank you Trusted Housesitters for sending us Moll, who became a great friend to many. The cats thrived in her company and we had a wonderful holiday – unforgettable memories were forged on both sides. It is not unfeasible to suggest that this site could even be life changing.
My husband is Australian and a visit to see his family is on the cards: I feel a return to the Trusted Housesitters website is in the offing!