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Benefits of Off-Season Travel

While it may be very exciting for a person to be in the thick of action during any event, the same cannot be said of travelling during the high season. Sometimes, a trip during peak tourist season is unavoidable, as this is when most people are able to go on holiday. Travelling during the off-season, though, can be a remarkably different experience.

The first and most noticeable attraction of low-season travel is how much more affordable things are. If you've always wanted to go but were discouraged by the prices, now is the time to book cheap airline tickets to Florida. It's not just airlines that reduce prices when the flow of tourists slows down to a trickle. Hotels, tour agencies and car rental agencies have to make every effort count to attract business and stay afloat. This means you have the chance to enjoy savings of up to 50 percent for a nice room, with the possibility of receiving an upgrade to an even better room and other special offers and gifts.

Aside from enjoying a more cost-effective trip, a low-season traveler wouldn't have to jostle through crowds of fellow tourists just to get glimpse of a famous monument or get from Point A to Point B. All that extra space would make trips to the beach so much more enjoyable too. You can take your time composing a gorgeous photograph of the sunset without worrying about an inconsiderate fellow traveler stepping into the frame and spoiling the shot. Even the locals might be friendlier in the absence of large groups of boorish travelers.

Before you rush out to the travel agency though, you should be aware of the reason a low-season exists for your dream destination. If it's largely based on the holiday period, then you don't have to worry much. However, the weather can make or break your off-season holiday. For instance, booking a trip to Asia during the monsoon season is just one way of setting yourself up for a miserable time. Other destinations may be completely inaccessible to outsiders during the winter, such as the Rocky Mountain National Park.

There are also some towns that virtually shut down when the tourists leave. Most of the time, business owners use this period to carry out maintenance and repair work. Neglecting to make enquiries beforehand may mean arriving at a fabulous hotel whose west wing is currently undergoing maintenance, or is located beside a site where construction is being carried out. There's also a chance that museums and monuments might be closed to public at these times too.

To avoid disappointment, it's best to enquire at your dream destination's local tourist bureau for the timing and reason for their low season. Hotels, airlines and travel agencies in the area may have different definitions of the off-peak period, but it's highly likely that you'll find a happy medium if you take the time to do a bit of research.

Enjoy your time away without the worries.

Match up with a Housesitter to
care for your home and mind your pets.


By Angela Yorke

House sitters Libertybelle sit 8 months from Brisbane to Bass Straight

We have had a very busy year with sits ranging from Brisbane to overlooking the Bass strait!!

And some strange experiences like agreeing to mind 4 breeding Cavalier Spaniels and on arrival finding that that was an understatement. We ended up with 13 dogs, 2 horses, 4 chooks, 4 Parrots, a cat and 4 fish!!

We were responsible for caring fro two pedigree litter one from birth to 7 weeks old, a litter of five pups. They were lucky we were agreeable people and that they still got to go off to Canada for 8 weeks!! ( even though it took us 48 hours to get the farm house up to a hygienic state).

However we now have some great references and are off to NZ for 4 months then back to Bundaberg to do another 2 months for a newly retired couple up there.

We have been away for 8 months this year and probably at least that next year.. keep up the good work.
It's a great site.

Merry Christmas
Jenny and David (Libertybelle)

House sitters Libertybelle profile

Sitters Sauni and Ken sit a Virginian log cabin and explore new horizons

Thru Housecarers, we had the most delightful experience this summer housesitting for a most interesting couple in Virginia on 70 acres of land living in a log cabin, caring for their dear dogs, chickens, rabbitts,a falcon, a hawk, (the owner is a Falconer)

The couple were terrific, introduced us to some of their friends at a dinner party. It just couldn't have been a more perfect opportunity to help out and explore new environs. Thank you! Sauni and Ken ... ROSACAMILLE

View profile for sitters ROSACAMILLE

Camano Island Washington USA homeowner gets a win win result after choosing a house/cat sitter for 3 month housesit.

"Thank you for a successful adventure for us finding a house/cat sitter.

We have been very pleased with the rapid response of so many qualified applicants to our ad.

We are happy with our selection, and believe he will be happy staying in and caring for our house.

A win win result. You are providing an excellent service."... Camanonana

Housesit details:

3 months Rural Camano Island,Washington USA

We are hoping to find a couple who will live here, and care for our cat, Sam. Our 3500 sq. ft. house, built in 2000, is on five wooded acres on an island (with a bridge), with water and mountain views.

We are 20 miles west of I-5, two hours from the Vancouver BC border where the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in February, and 1 1/2 hours from downtown Seattle. We are walking distance from two State Parks, Camano Island State Park and Cama Beach State Park, both with beaches and wildlife and no crowds.

For skiing, snowboarding, crosscountry skiings, and snowshoeing, the North Cascades are a day trip.

DaisyandMarigold find a lovely siter couple from Canberra to mind Collingwood Melbourne house and cats, close to the cafes, restaurants, shops and ba

"Hi - just want to thank you for your impressive website and house sitting service. I've organised a lovely couple from Canberra to sit my house and cats, and had about 14 responses... Pam (DaisyandMarigold)"

House sit details: Collingwood Melbourne VIC Australia

I'm looking for a pet-loving house sitter from December 23 - 29, 2009. I have a lovely 2 bedroom terrace house in Collingwood, with a garden and vege garden.

My two beautiful cats, Daisy and Marigold, love affection and cuddles. My home is close to the cafes, restaurants, shops and bars of Smith St, Gertrude St and Brunswick St in Fitzroy and Lygon St in Carlton.

Responsible sitter essential, and I'd prefer a female or couple without kids who'd be happy to water the garden (rain water tank and 1 day of mains water. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you

Sitters timeforchange line up the housesits in USA and Canada

"Just a note to let you know how great we are finding this service we have so far secured 2 housits 1 for 2 weeks in calgary and we are then moving onto edmonton Canada for a six week housesit.

We have now updated our profile and are now hoping to find something for a month in new york.We start on New Years Eve and cant wait to meet the people we going to housesit for.What a great adventure we are going to be on."

Sharon (timeforchange)

View profile of house sitters timeforchange

Sitter RespProfessional holidays by house sitting for 5 years

We're currently on holdiays... and of course once againe we are house sitting. This time in Cairns QLD.

This will be our fifthe year of house-sitting for our holidays.

We're so please to have discovered it - and to have the service HouseCarers as a way of arranging it each time.... Carol (RespProfessional)


View profile for house sitters RespProfessional

Delightful couple visiting their daughter in Sydney from Ireland found for Upper North Shore Sydney Housesit

Hi Ian

"Just to let you know I have successfully found someone to look after my home, and dog, while I am away over Christmas/New Year period. They are a delightful couple visiting their daughter in Sydney from Ireland. I feel that the benefits for both of us will be mutual.


I will certainly recommend your service. I found that I had many, replies – I actually lost count – and felt reassured that the “right fit” would be achieved. I also tried another service – which had fees involved, and they were only able to send through one applicant, who was not suitable.
Many thanks"

Sally Billie3357

House sit details:

Upper North Shore, Sydney NSW
3 weeks AvailFromDate = 2009-12-15

I have a Miniature Schnauzer dog, aged 10, who is blind. While we are away it is important for her to stay in the family home as she knows her way around it very well and is no trouble.

I am looking for someone, or a family, to love her while we are away. Our home is 4 bedroom, A/C, Swimming Pool and is walk to shops and bus stops. It is 25 minute drive to Sydney CBD and 20 minutes drive to many beaches. If you feel you could look after her, and water the garden, we would very much like to hear from you.

Coffs Harbour homeowner gives rap for retired housesitters WeCare

"I recently used your service for the first time to find house sitters for my home and animals.

The response I had to my add was amazing.So many genuine people applied it was difficult to choose.The couple I chose,Barney and Sandy (House Sitters username Wecare) were an absolute delight and I would thoroughly reccommend them to anyone.

The animals had a ball and my home and car were sparkling when I returned.A big thank you to House Carers for a fantastic service and to Barney and Sandy for a great job.
Kind Regards Jenny (username Kalmiah)

Housesit Details: Coffs Harbour NSW, Australia
16 days From Sept 7 2009

I need a caring person/persons to look after my 2 dogs and cat.

Sprat is a small terrier cross and Tiffy a look alike Disney shaggy dog(clipped at the moment) Tootsie is a geriatric Birman cat who sleeps most of the time.

I live in a nearly new 3 bedroom townhouse 2 minutes from the CBD of Coffs Harbour. With beautiful mountain views from the front and back of the house I am only 5 minutes from main beach and Jetty areas. There is an enclosed dog park 2 minutes away and I walk the dogs there every morning.I would like you to be able to continue to do this. Other than that your time is free to enjoy this beautiful area.

Housesitter found to experience Irish rural life 90 minutes drive south of Dublin in the rolling countryside of County Wicklow Ireland

"I just want to say how impressed we are with the efficiency and scope of your service.

We received an excellent response to our search for housesitters and have made arrangements with one of the partys to cover for us while we're away for 10 weeks. We'll report further in completion of the assignment.

Maenwhile, many thanks for allowing us to avail of your fantastic concept!

Richard & Grania, (Wicklowway)

P.S.
We have replied to all unsuccessful enquirers.


Housesit details: 10 weeks from 2009-11-22

County Wicklow 90 mins south of Dublin Ireland

We're seeking a practical couple to house-sit our property, pets (2 dogs, cat, hens, 2 horses and 2 donkeys) and 5 acre smallholding located about 90 minutes drive south of Dublin in the rolling countryside of County Wicklow, while we're absent from 26 November 09 until 31 January 2010.

Although December and January are not Ireland's best month's weather-wise -too little sun too much rain- the "cold spells" temperature seldom drops more that a couple of degrees below freezing.

This is an ideal opportunity for a mature and practical couple who want to experience Irish rural life, be within easy access of a capital city and spend Christmas away from it all in the company of a few special friends who could join them for the festive season. If interested in finding out more, please get in touch via Housecarers . We look forward to hearing from you

Housesitters CaringDuo land housesit for gorgeous home in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming

"I wanted you to know that we are presently house sitting a gorgeous home in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. We found the house sit through your site, all the pieces fell into place, and we plan to be here for perhaps 3 years.

The couple who own the house are delightful and happy to have us here. They are in Houston working on a goverment contract and have told us that they have piece of mind knowing that we are caring for their property.

You have a great service and I wish you much success. As you can tell from our renewal, we still what to keep ourselves briefed on what is available - we could leave here for a short house sit (vacation) in the region."

View profile for house sitters CaringDuo

Exessive charges being asked by some Canadian homeowners

There appears to be a practice in Canada where homeowners are asking up to 800 a month for utiliites. This is not in the spirit of housesitting, particularily when considering the benefits a house sitter brings - and the alternate high cost of leaving a vacant home eg costs of winterizing a home. Stata or Condo fees should not be included in the utilities as - condo owner has to pay monthly regardless of  occupancy.

I am including below a comment from a Canadian house sitter:

“The posters are definitely calling their charges utilities, not rent. However, if the posters couldn't find a housesitter, they would have to pay someone to remove snow from their sidewalk, rake leaves or water plants; or put some effort into what's called "winterizing" your home if you want to shut it down for the winter.

And finding a short term renter through traditional means is difficult, so they use your site to do it. In some ways a housesitter is doing them a favour: they want their house occupied while they're away, yet they want to charge for it. I live on the southwest coast, so can't say what heating costs are in colder areas, but $800 for all utilities is absurd, particularly in this Alberta case where they're called "strata fees" — a fee a Canadian condo owner has to pay monthly regardless of occupancy.

This is what we say in our guidelines:

"Other recurring bills such as phone rental, rates, condo association fees, body corporate fees, strata fees, local council rates, water, sewer, cable TV rental, ISP rental, or property taxes usually remain the responsibility of the owner. If your arrangement will be 12 months or more in duration, you might consider allocating all or a portion of the recurring bills to the house sitter


We urge you to incorporate your utility/tax payment conditions in your written contract."

Peacehousesitter shares her Bundanoon Pet sitting experience, including a blind Parrot

Just wanted to give you some feedback from recent experiences.

Bundanoon was great, the Arts Festival was on and the house was fabulous. Looked after a little old cat and a very old bird who gave me wolf whistles all day. I would like to take that as a compliment but he was mostly blind. I found her books very interesting as we had a lot of the same interests,,, Jeanette

Peacehousesitter

Newbie house sitter Norma sits All solar home in Sonora deserta

"I wish I had become involved in house sitting years ago....I am new to your service and have a 3 month assignment in the Sonora desert in a all solar home,

I love new situations! Going to sit out of the country would be really exciting.
Thanks for your wonderful service"

Norma (crazy4pets)


View profile for House Sitter crazy4pets

Auckland NZ homeowner finds site very easy to follow

"We have found a house sitter, thank you. Your site is great, very easy to follow.

Thanks" Liz UserName: quilty

House sit details:

Howick Auckland East approx 3 weeks AvailFromDate = 2010-03-14

Our house is situated in Howick Auckland New Zealand. We have 4 bedrooms, but only 3 will be available as one is a workroom. There are 2 bathrooms and 2 living areas.

We need someone to look after the garden, which comprises roses shrubs and a vegetable area. These will need watering only if the rain stops!

We have a toy poodle with attitude who loves his walks. To ease your aches and pains there is a spa pool for you to enjoy. We are within walking distance of a supermarket and bus stop.

There is a ferry service to the city should you care to go but we have great shopping in our area. There is a large enclosed deck perfect for relaxing.

All mod cons can be found in our home and you will be very comfortable.

Housecarers unavailable while we move to a better home 23/9/09 from 11PM EDT

Housecarers will be unavailable from

September 23/09 starting around 11pm EDT for approx 4 hours while we move
to a new facility. This facility owned by hosting.com will provide far better connectivity,
security and uptime for all our members.

Ian

House sitters required to Enjoy Southern Spain

"Just to say thank you so much once again for providing such a great site.

It's a fantatic service and I have had many successful house sits.

I like to know that someone is looking after the house, garden and animals while I am away...and they enjoy their time away from home too."

Thanks and best wishes Enjoysouthernspain

Housesit details: = Conil de la Frontera, Cadiz Spain

Charming two bedroom villa on 350 sq metre plot with large enclosed patio, parking, flower beds, sunbeds and ornamental pond on the outskirts of Conil.

Queen Size bed,air conditioning, flat screen UK/Spanish TV, bath/shower, kitchen with electric hob/oven, fridge/freezer, washing-up machine. Wi-fi connection. 2 mins walk to shops and local ventas, national bus stop across street, 5 mins drive to beach, walk straight into countryside.

Requirements are to enjoy the house, feed and play with the 6 month old kitten and walk and play with delighful, easy, medium size dog and keep an eye on watering the garden if necessary.

Canine Influenza Virus risk for Dogs - another reason to find a House Sitter rather than a boarding Kennel

USA Today is reporting on the spread of the highly contagious canine influenza virus (CIV).

"it causes acute respiratory infections in dogs, and virtually all dogs who are exposed become infected. During the incubation period of two to four days, pets who appear healthy can still be spreading the germs."

Says Kimberly May, spokesperson for the American Veterinary Medical Association

Backgrounder: Canine influenza

May, also recommends exploring options such as having a house sitter stay with your pet.


Read full story- USA Today - Boarding your dogs? Find out if they need a flu vaccine

Denver Colorado Homeowner shares their house sitting experience

We've been using house-sitters for many years now and have become friends with some.
It's very important to be a good judge of character and to get references. I always check the potential house-sitter out on the internet if they pique my interest.

We don't pay our house-sitters and in fact, they're responsible for paying the utilities (other than water) while they're house-sitting. Most of our house-sitters are amenable to this because living in a different state or country gives them the opportunity for a "free" vacation. We let them use our vehicle while they're here. Our major requirement of house-sitters is that they vet our mail and let us know of bills due, to whom, the address and amount.

Yard maintenance is also an expectation. With one house-sitter, we set up an account for $1,000, in our joint names so that they could pay the bills for us. That worked out well, though I wouldn't recommend it unless the homeowner really trusted the house-sitter....

Read Full report in House Sitting Forum

2 months housesit Denver - Details:

We require a mature age couple or perhaps single non-smoker(s) to care for our home while we are on vacation.

We do not have pets.

No yard work is required other than shaking snow off trees and clearing of path and sidewalk (about 20 feet) if there is snow.

We require attention to our mail and e-mail notification of bills, so that we can timely pay them. The housesitter is responsible for paying electric/gas utilities and phone. We pay water bills.

Our home is two-storey and is located near Denver University and about an hour from the nearest ski fields. Denver has a good theater district. The home is handy to all facilities, such as supermarkets, post office, dining out, bus service and light rail to city.