Traveling around the world and not spending a single cent on housing sounds like a dream to many. For a young writer from the Australian city of Brisbane, this became a reality, and her good attitude towards cats helped her in this.
Blogger Madeline Gurley keeps order in the houses and takes care of the cats while the owners are away, in exchange for free accommodation: for three years, the woman managed to live in thirty places in different parts of the world and at the same time saved the equivalent of 1 on housing Russian rubles.
Housesitting (from the English house – house and sit – sit) is a popular way to save on housing: this is when you stay in someone else’s house for free, and look after it in exchange. Madeline first thought about this option back in 2017. On the advice of a colleague, she found a couple from San Francisco on the Internet: these people were looking for company for their cat during the Christmas holidays.
Madeline, who has always adored cats, phoned the owners on Skype, and they immediately approved her candidacy. After the first successful experience, the Australian decided that she would continue to look after the cats, since she loves them so much, only now also for her own benefit.
Over the next two years, she managed to live in different US cities: New York, Boston, Seattle, Santa Fe and Cincinnati. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Madeline was forced to return home to Australia, but now she did not want to stop and decided to explore the surroundings of her native country. So she worked as a housesitter in Tasmania, Darwin and Sydney.
Despite the fact that the woman herself pays for flights and transport, the advantages and savings from her hobby are obvious. “I could never afford to rest in the places I have been,” she says. The hosts also leave her valid travel tickets, meal vouchers or gift certificates. Sometimes they meet her at the airport, which also reduces her expenses.
“There is nothing difficult in this job – anyone can be a housesitter. It helped a little that I once had a cat and often looked after the house of relatives when they went on vacation. In addition, I was always lucky with the tenants, ”says the blogger.
The work really does not seem to be dusty, but still it is work. True, you do not get a salary for it, but the opportunity to explore new places and meet new people. In addition to cats, there are always other options: fish, dogs, snakes, and even farm animals.
If you have been dreaming of living in some place for a long time and you do not have the financial opportunity for this, check out the official housesitting sites. Suddenly, this will help to fulfill your dreams, and at the same time combine a good deed with a pleasant one.