Good mornings. We have a fantastic story about a couple traveling the world as House Sitters. Incredible adventures by two really nice people. Charli and Ben show us you don’t have to be wealthy people to live a rich life. How true that is. Let’s here what they have say and see their adventures below.
Our time in New Zealand encompassed 18 months, an epic road trip in a caravan, and five house sitting assignments. From the Bay of Islands to Stewart Island we soaked in all that this amazing country has to offer. I’d dare to say NZ stole my heart, there wasn’t a day that I didn’t wake up to a spectacular view.
In 2010 we made the decision to live a life less ordinary and six months later, after much downsizing and guide book consulting, we embarked on an undefined period of travel.
Flying over Honolulu in a tiny prop-plane en route to Molokai was one of the most exciting flights we’ve taken. Seeing the city from above was surreal, we hadn’t envisaged quite so much concrete in paradise but the urban jungle on Oahu was quickly forgotten after we landed in the real Hawaii.
We embrace every opportunity for adventure and have been fortunate to experience adrenaline highs in six different countries to date. Travel has enriched our lives to such an extent that we’ve no plans to return to the average existence we once knew.
Our neighbors, the Green Monkeys in Barbados were a funny bunch. Every evening they’d come and pick the flowers from the Royal Poinciana trees in our garden, and they didn’t offer us any! How rude! lolol.
If I told you that over the course of the last four years I’d not spent a penny on rent, you’d probably assume that I was still living with my parents or sleeping on a park bench.
A day of paddle powered adventure on Lake Wanaka is a must for anyone visiting New Zealand’s south island. I could almost hear the beating heart if the indomitable landscape that surrounds the lake.
The reality is quite the opposite. Over the last four years I have been living rent free and travelling the world as a house sitter. Along with my partner Ben I have lived in nine different countries and 27 different properties. We’ve looked after alpacas and deer in New Zealand, walks dogs along Caribbean beaches, and cared for cats in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
Leaving Oceania behind us we flew to New York for a short layover en route to our house sitting stays in the Caribbean. It offered a stark contrast to the vast landscapes of New Zealand, but as ever the change was welcome, and we took the opportunity to sample life in the Big Apple.
House sitting abroad has enabled us to explore the world and live like locals while dramatically reducing the cost of our travels. So often we talk to people who tell us ‘we’d love to do what you do, but we can’t afford to travel’, our reply is always ‘you can, why don’t you give house sitting a try?”
Beginning our adventure in Costa Rica we spent hours just chilling out with this green iguana. He was content to relax in the shade of a tree while the midday sun beat down overhead. We feel in love with the country’s incredible wealth of biodiversity as we traveled around house sitting and exploring for eight months.
We are not wealthy people but our lives are rich thanks to the opportunities we secure through house sitting. We live simply and spend our money wisely, but we live fully and enjoy each day. Checkout the Wanderlusters Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/Wanderlusters?fref=ts
Hiking the 19.5km Tongariro Alpine Crossing has to be one of the highlights of our stay in New Zealand. Although the challenging terrain certainly tests your resolve, the volcanic views are so inspiring!
We couldn’t quite believe our luck when we landed a house sit on Barbados. Ocean views, white sandy beaches, and far too many rum punches awaited us!
Follow the Wanderlusters Ben and Charli on Twitter; https://twitter.com/wanderlustersuk
Crossing the Nullarbor Plain was one of the highlights of our Australian road trip. We spent 12 months exploring Down Under and drove over 25,000 km around the continent!
We spent two months house sitting in Melbourne and fell in love with the city’s laid back, hipster vibe. Our charge during our stay was Digit Von Schoot, he loved nothing more than playing ball at the park.
Sammy & Family would like close with how inspiring Ben and Charli are out there living the dream. It’s one thing to dream and think about it, but its whole other thing actually doing it. Just like Charli and Ben said, you don’t have to be wealthy to live a rich life. With some planning, commitment and execution life can be anyone’s for the taking. The Wanderlusters have proven that. Thank you Charil and Ben. God bless.
Website: https://wanderlusters.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wanderlustersuk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wanderlusters?fref=ts
Instagram: https://instagram.com/wanderlustersuk/
