Hi from New Mexico

[iperiod]

Hi everyone! I've got a bit of a dilemma, and based on past experience it occurred to me that the answer might lie within the vanlife world - even though I don't have van. Here it is: I live outside of Santa Fe, NM and I may need to find a house sitter / animal sitter for about 10 days at the end of July / early August. But, due to circumstances too complicated to go into here and now, I may not. And it's really hard to find a conventional house sitter when you can't commit to being away from your house! I've had van-living / RV-driving house sitters when I've gone away before, and its worked out great -- in this case, if I go away, whoever comes could stay in the house, and if it turns out I can't go away, I can offer a free place to park, so whoever is planning on being here doesn't feel like they're out of luck. (It's nice here - 10 acres in the country). Anyways - that's my thought process - but I'm wondering, first, if this makes sense from a van-living perspective, and if so, how would I find someone who's up for the idea? Thank you!

 

[tx2sturgis]

I hope you find your answer here.

If you end up with no results, I have some contacts in that area who might be able to arrange that service for you.

Good luck!

 

[maki2]

There will be plenty of people in the forum who travel through that area of New Mexico in the summer. It would be a nice stopover break on the way to Taos and higher elevations in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado!

 

[iperiod]

Hi everyone! I've got a bit of a dilemma, and based on past experience it occurred to me that the answer might lie within the vanlife world - even though I don't have van. Here it is: I live outside of Santa Fe, NM and I may need to find a house sitter / animal sitter for about 10 days at the end of July / early August. But, due to circumstances too complicated to go into here and now, I may not. And it's really hard to find a conventional house sitter when you can't commit to being away from your house! I've had van-living / RV-driving house sitters when I've gone away before, and its worked out great -- in this case, if I go away, whoever comes could stay in the house, and if it turns out I can't go away, I can offer a free place to park, so whoever is planning on being here doesn't feel like they're out of luck. (It's nice here - 10 acres in the country). Anyways - that's my thought process - but I'm wondering, first, if this makes sense from a van-living perspective, and if so, how would I find someone who's up for the idea? Thank you!

Thanks for the replies! Is there a particular forum here that'd be the right place to post something about this, to draw those most likely to be interested?

 

[maki2]

Thanks for the replies! Is there a particular forum here that'd be the right place to post something about this, to draw those most likely to be interested?

On Facebook there is a group web page for Homes on Wheels Alliance and an associated Facebook page “We Camp Together”. I suspect if you post on one or the other of them you are likely to find someone interested in staying on your property for a while. Of course details can be worked out in private conversations on Facebook messenger. But at least going through those Facebook group pages will get you involved in the Nomadic community groups that spun off of Bob Wells’ Cheap RV Living efforts to help others live an affordable, safe lifestyle.

 

[Morgana]

Is there a particular forum here that'd be the right place to post something about this,

You might try the General Van Living Discussion forum (https://vanlivingforum.com/forums/general-van-living-discussion.19/).
I'd say the Trading Post forum (https://vanlivingforum.com/forums/trading-post.25/) but it's a bit of a stretch and anyway you have to have been around for awhile before you're allowed to post there.
A lot of people pick up posts by clicking on the New Posts button so they'll see it no matter which forum you post it in.
I can't say from personal experience how practical your idea is, but it sure sounds like a dream gig to me. 10 acres in the country outside Santa Fe? Wow!
Good luck.