Every time we commercial world we are reminded of why we live the lifestyle we do. In the commercial world it's all about money. People give to get something and there is an ethos of the more money you give the more you will get, and the ultimate is to get something for nothing!

I feel this is born out of the scarcity mindset that is prevalent in the commercial world. No matter if it is  buying or selling a product or service, the driving force is scarcity. That's what marketing is all about, get it now or lose, if someone else gets it you will miss out, pay more and you will be part of an exclusive group and on it goes.

During a recent blog challenge I completed, I realised the commercial world I had been participating in for so many years was generally based on an ethos of mistrust and self-interest. It is why I never really felt part of it, and only over the last five years of International House and Pet Sitting has my world felt different.

You see our world of International House and Pet Sitting is based on Trust and Contribution. We don't provide a service, we find a way to be of service. Now this is not just some sort of marketing spin for us, we do it because it adds a great deal of intangible value to our lifestyle and we feel great about it.

For us the True Currency of International House and Pet Sitting is Trust and Appreciation. We give that not to get it back, but because we feel that is the way we want to live our lives. We trust and appreciate life and our freedom lifestyle, and it just so happens that is what is reflected back to us.

Now i'm not saying here that this awareness and life cannot be reached in the commercial world, as it most certainly can. What I am saying is that with our International House and Pet Sitting, it is at the centre of our lifestyle and is a lot easier to maintain.

With a currency of trust and appreciation the Joy is found in the giving, and if anything is received that is just a bonus. We extend love to all our furry foster friends and receive it back 10 fold. We trust and appreciate all the home owners and see that reflected in their attitude toward us. Our sits are for the most part drama free, and when not, a solution is easily found. The relationships built are based on our values and the values of the people we seem to attract.

Following is a video we have on our website which goes some way in showing this, not to say yay we are so good, but more of an example of the attitude we experience.

While we are grateful of our home owners appreciation, it is not why we do what we do. We only participate because by extending trust and appreciation we start to see the whole world differently. It is a mindset that house and pet sitting was built on from the early days and I trust will remain as the industry moves forward.

I understand that there are many motives for house and pet sitting, both from owners and sitters, and I don't see anything wrong with that. However I do know there are a tribe of International House & Pet Sitters living a lifestyle of freedom who feel as we do. A lifestyle based on trust and appreciation, and directed by gut feel, intuition, guidance or whatever we would like to call it. We do it because we love it. It enhances our whole world and inspires others to a new way of living. We take total responsibility for all that we do and know whatever happens is for our own good and learning.

I feel it's important that we keep this message out there. It's important to speak out. To show by example and through experience that there is another way.

There is a way, and by changing our mind about the world through trust and appreciation, it does actually change the way we see and interact with it, and in doing so extend that to others. We use International House and Pet Sitting to do this and are very grateful to be part of a wonderful group of people who feel the same way.

​As House and Pet Sitting becomes increasingly popular and mainstream there are some very definite segments developing. Just some we have noticed are:

• Local Paid House & Pet Sitting
• Travellers House & Pet Sitting
• Savers House & Pet Sitting
• Vacation House and Pet Sitting 
• Grey Nomad House & Pet Sitting
• Expat House & Pet Sitting
• And the list goes on

These are just some examples of the different ways people are using House and Pet Sitting to compliment their lives and enhance their lifestyles.
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Then there are those of us who have decided to embrace House and Pet Sitting as a lifestyle. It is a way of living that allows us to travel the world, make new relationships, embrace and appreciate new cultures and continually experience the best of human nature.

Over the years we have been asked many questions about this lifestyle, and with this post I shall endeavor to answer some of the popular ones.
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For us yes. We have sold our own properties and no longer have a home base. At some stages during the last five years we did have a camper van.
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Basically we get invites from home owners around the world who want us to live at their home, maintain it and look after their pets while they are away. The invites can come from many places such as our website, dedicated house and pet sitting websites, social media etc. Once we accept an invite we travel to the property, meet the homeowners and pets and undertake the sit. When the homeowners return we generally move onto the next sit. Ok yes, there is a little more to it than that, however essentially that's it in a nutshell!
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With our style of house and pet sitting the homeowners do not charge to stay at the properties and cover utilities. We do not charge for our services and pay for our costs such as: 

• Transport
• Food
• Activities
• Other Living Expenses

It varies with each sit and the requirements of the homeowners. In general most include:

• Maintaining the property and surrounds. E.g. house, garden, pool etc
• Ensuring safety and security of the property and pets
• Looking after the pets. E.g. Walking, Feeding, Medicating, Playing, Loving etc
• Regular up dates to homeowners
• Mail collection, sorting and forwarding as required
• Bins and rubbish collection
• Other basic tasks as required by the homeowners

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No. We have done sits with no pets where the homeowners just wanted us to maintain and keep the property secure. However we tend to accept more with pets.
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We are in our sixth year of full-time sitting. With 43 house sits, 144 animals looked after, across 4 continents and 14 countries.
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​Apart from traveling the world and making new friends both human and furry, International Lifestyle House & Pet Sitting allows us to live a life based on our values of Trust, Appreciation and Gratitude. In a world increasingly based on money and what’s in it for me, we have found this lifestyle allows us to be of service to others and accept the intangible (but more important) rewards of mutual appreciation and gratitude.
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