house sitting?

Moving permanently to another country is a big step, we all know that. For a lot of people who consider the move; the upheaval, hassle and leaving behind the comfort zone is just too much and never actually take the step. But perhaps that could be something they might regret later on in life.
The only way to know what it is like to live in another country is to actually do it. But how do you know if you will like the area you have chosen without committing to either buying or renting a house or apartment? No matter how many hours you spend looking at places on the Internet it just isn't the same as living there.
Renting is pretty easy in New Zealand and a good option before deciding where you would like to live. Lots of nice rental accommodation is available both furnished and unfurnished, long term and short term. But have you ever considered house sitting? This is something I hadn't really heard of before we lived in New Zealand but it is very popular here. You live in someone else's house while they are away, keeping the place clean and tidy, doing a few light jobs such as mowing the lawns and usually looking after the family pets. It doesn't cost you anything except your utility bill usage and can be for anything from a week to 6 months or more.
Our friends Norman and Linda have house sat a few of times here and has been a great success for them. One place they looked after for a couple of weeks was up in the hills just out of town in a lovely house set in pretty gardens with spectacular views all round. They had to look after the dog and cat and feed the chickens. Norman kept the lawns nice and they had fresh eggs for breakfast everyday. How hard is that? What they gained from the experience was that, although it was nice to live in a quiet rural area they wouldn't want to do it permanently. Valuable experience for them. A bit like try before you buy.
I decided to investigate this further and discovered that house sitting is available all over the world.
It could be the perfect option for 'living' in an area in a non-committal way before taking the permanent plunge.
The house Norman and Linda house sat had a horse paddock
Beautiful views from the deck


Georgia getting a lesson on chook keeping from Norman

Below - looking after Rosie the dog was part of the house sit deal. She was lovely!