As I was relaxing on the back deck of our beautiful current house sit in Kelowna, British Columbia listening to a book, Karen commented to me that we were coming up on our 11th year of being ‘retired’ from our careers. This gave me pause to consider that statement. If you are a person who gets hung up on details it would be fair to say that we are still ‘working’, kind of. However, I am not one of those people. We are living.
After leaving our jobs with the City of Calgary we started travelling in Central America. We truly had no idea what was to come. This stop at the Panama Canal could have been seen as an indication though. From here the rest of the world opened up to us, much like the canal did for the world a hundred plus years ago.
I would have to say that the last 11 years has been a hell of a ride, and frankly, the end is not in sight. The 89 house sits we have completed thus far have allowed us to visit, live in, and get an understanding of 45 different countries. The 110 dogs and 45 cats, as well as dozens of other creatures we have cared for have allowed us to meet hundreds of new people and create many wonderful friendships.
The biggest challenge we face these days is trying to decide what unexplored areas to visit while also attempting to plan visits to friends in areas we have already been to. Who would not want to return to Australia?The other item I was unaware I had any real interest in was new foods. Though I have always loved eating quality food, it wasn’t until we hit SE Asia that my eyes were truly opened. The taste and quality of the street food as well as dining experiences was mind expanding.
Modes of travel have also been a wonderful experience. We have found that one-way cruises are a fantastic, comfortable, and jet lag free way of traversing great distances. We have managed to utilize them 4 times and are hoping to do more in the future. The nightmare NCL cruise from Mauritius to Cape Town has not deterred us. As well, we have learned during our 120 flights that sometimes it is worth the money to upgrade to premium economy or business class depending on the flight. Driving is the other adventure I feel I have to mention. Whether it is the left or right side of the road; manual or automatic transmission it has overall been an absolute blast. Albania and Bulgaria really brought that into focus. So much fun and freedom.
Of course, being able to check off a few of the greatest manmade sights on earth has been satisfying and awe inspiring. One of the reasons I love our lifestyle with absolutely no regrets is that you really have no control over when you get crappy news. During Covid I was diagnosed with a cancer called Multiple Myeloma. It required a stem cell transplant to get under control. Due to isolation requirements Karen had to utilize FaceTime to be at my side during the transplant. We didn’t include this bed in our count of different beds we have slept in. It is 293 by the way.Fortunately, we were in Calgary when that adventure started. We had an incredible house to live in during recovery and family nearby. Unfortunately it has changed our style a bit, but we are working to get the most out of it.We have also been fortunate enough to increase our scuba diving count to over 200. Including some epic locations like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, The Blue Hole in Belize, and dry suit diving between the tectonic plates in Silfra, Iceland.We were even able to dive the iconic SS Thistlegorm wreck in the Red Sea. Diving certainly has turned out to be an excellent way of expanding our exploration of different countries.No matter where we are in our travels we always, when possible, sit down for proper meals with each other. Whether it is in a conventional house or as the only occupants of a closed boutique hotel. I believe it is one of the ties that keeps us on track.Being on track together helps us with the tough choices. Like after our very brief stop in Mumbai, India confirming with each other that we probably won’t be going back to explore more of that country. Our life is awesome, but occasionally you realize some locations are not for you.And conversely, you go to some places and where some people would be put off by encountering some of the locals dressed like this, we found we loved Colombia and are looking forward to exploring it further. To each their own.I have no real comment for this image. It is just such a powerfully positive memory for us, I had to include it.
There you have it. Some memories and thoughts on the first 11 years of our nomadic travelling lifestyle. It is hard to express the satisfaction we feel at having made the choices we have made. No matter what your interests are I encourage you to live your life to the fullest. You don’t get any redos, so enjoy!
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing travel adventures with us. Some of which we have also enjoyed, be it in a different way. It is also nice as as armchair travellers to continue enjoying your travel adventures with you.
It was wonderful to read the summary of your adventures to date and the extent that you are enjoying it and living life. I admire your spirit! Keep enjoying every new adventure.
Thanks so much for sharing with old neighbors. Your travel around the world helps complete what I believe I see in you as growth in the knowledge that people remain essentially interesting, and strive to obtain some common things from the paths they follow. Take good care and continued great experiences. Best to you, Dean Joyce
Hi, we’ve been THS sitting for years but my husband just recently retired. Trying to figure out the right amount of time to be away…any tips on how far in advance you book, and your general planning process. Do you find a sit first and work around it etc. Very curious about the details. Costs and spending habits etc
We have loved using THS, however you may want to check their new business model. Now in addition to the yearly fee they are now also charging a fee to the house sitter and the home owner for every sit. We also use sites specific to the country we are in, i.e. housesittercanada, kiwihousesitters, aussihjousesitters. We have tended to get sits then plan our trips around them. We find that despite trying to be spontaneous most of the time we are booked 6 to 10 months in advance.
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