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House Sitting in Retirement: Travelling the World, One House at a Time

By Sixty and Me April 21, 2019 Interviews

Have you ever thought about how much money is spent on hotel rooms that barely get used while we travel? Would you travel more if your room and board was covered? Today we will talk with author, fashion expert, and the self-proclaimed “Queen of Ageing Disgracefully”, Penelope Whitely as she shares her best tips on how to become a world-travelling house-sitter. Enjoy the show!

Many women over 60 embrace this phase of life by travelling the world and exploring new adventures. Penelope Whiteley is no exception. In fact, she’s a female road warrior who has paved the way for many women that have been bitten by the travel bug.

Having travelled to 57 countries (and having lived in 7 of them) Penelope’s dedicated her life to helping women over 60 reinvent themselves and to live life on their own terms. She leads tours around the world for women over 50 who are travelling solo and she’s an expert on today’s topic: house sitting.

What is House-Sitting?

Whether you want to get away for a few weeks, a few months, or even a year, house-sitting is a great way to see interesting parts of the world. Essentially, homeowners invite you to stay in their home while they are away, rent-free, in exchange for agreed-upon chores and/or pet-sitting. Women who love animals can enjoy the companionship of furry friends and homeowners can rest assured that their pets are being loved and cared for.

How Do You Get Started?

Penelope joined an organization called Trusted House Sitters but there are other organizations, as well, that work solely to match homeowners with house-sitters. The background screening process is quite in-depth for both the homeowner and the house sitter to ensure that everyone is safe and that only the highest quality of people are allowed to participate in such a trusting endeavor.

After joining a house-sitting organization, it’s important to decide where you want to go and how long you’d like to be gone. You will have the opportunity to apply for any number of homes and if you seem like a good fit, a homeowner will contact you to talk and discuss the details of the agreement. You are never obligated to if you are unsure or uncomfortable.

Life as a House-Sitter

While many women over 60 might enjoy travelling abroad for a few weeks at a time, some women like Penelope have made it a lifestyle. Because Penelope was unsure of where she’d like to live long-term, she opted to hop from house-sitting job to house-sitting job while adding in travelling tours between assignments. The flexibility is wonderful and the opportunities are endless.

Travel Tours with Penelope

If you find yourself inspired to travel abroad but you don’t have a partner to travel with you, Penelope just might have a solution for you. Women over 50 who wish to relax and comfortably enjoy a leisurely life of 5 star traveling are invited to join Penelope on any number of luxurious trips.

If you find yourself longing for more in life, and desperately wanting to expand your heart and soul, these trips are for you. Penelope believes that women over 50 are ready for some excitement, to laugh, and to eat and drink and have a wonderful time. She believes that these women have done what everyone has asked or expected them to do for so long, it’s high time they start treating themselves like the wonderful women that they are.

Have you ever been a house-sitter or would you like to be one? What area of the world would you love to live in for a few weeks or few months? Would you be interested in taking a solo travel tour with Penelope? Please join in the conversation below.

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The Author

Sixty and Me is a community of over 500,000 women over 60 founded by Margaret Manning. Our editorial team publishes articles on lifestyle topics including fashion, dating, retirement and money.

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