Driving in the New Zealand countryside
After spending the first eight and a half months of 2015 in Southeast Asia, I now find myself on New Zealand’s southern island. In the city of Christchurch to be exact.
How did I end up in this most Christian-sounding city?
I’ve used the website TrustedHousesitters, which connects homeowners in need of home and pet care while they are away with people like me that offer just this service.
It’s basically a win-win for both parties. The homeowner can go on vacation knowing their home and pets are safe and tended to while the house-sitter gets a rent-free place to stay.
It’s also a great way to live “like a local” and meet nice people along the way.
Here are some of my personal housesittings “stats” for 2015:
4 – Number of housesitting assignments I have had. (One by myself and three with Heidi, my travel companion since June.)
3 – Number of countries in which I have house sat. (Cambodia, twice in Malaysia, and New Zealand)
6 – Number of pets I have looked after.
6 – Number of male pets I have looked after.
5 – Number of cats I have cared for. (Pepper, Lucky, Emmett, Whiskey, and Brandy)
2 – Number of “indoor” cats.
3 – Number of “outdoor” cats.
1 – Number of dogs I have cared for. (Luke)
186 – Number of days, by the end of this current housesit, I will have spent housesitting. This includes 50 days in Cambodia, 56 in Malaysia, 80 in New Zealand and amounts to over 6 full months in total!