Gypsies with jobs
Since we understand that entrusting your home to two total strangers can be a very nerve-wracking experience, following are some highlights to help you to get to know us better.
We’re a 40ish couple with a serious travel bug. In recent years we’ve visited the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Central America, Mexico, Utah, California, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Washington DC, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and many other places passing through. We have no pets of our own, and all of our physical belongings fit into a four-door car, aside from a pair of bicycles mounted on top.
Although we’ve done stints in the city (Chicago, NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta), we prefer the wide-open green spaces and freedom that come with rural addresses. Even better are locations with large blue spaces, especially coastal areas. Our love of sailing provides us with pleasures beyond compare – the solace of the ocean, the peaceful sound of the waves breaking on the hull, the clanking of the rigging, it’s truly the best way imaginable to break away from the rigors of society.
Jim:
A 17-year veteran of the IT industry, I enjoy my job as a Senior Consultant for Microsoft Corporation. My job gives me the ability to flex my creative muscles and write world-class software, while allowing me the flexibility to work from anywhere and travel the world to visit our customers.
I spend my days actively working on the security side of both State and Federal government, so your worries of failed background checks are a moot point unless you have more sensitive information in your home than our nation makes accessible to me on a daily basis.
My hobbies include scuba diving, tennis, racquetball, wakeboarding, bicycling, sailing, hiking, technology, research, and pretty much any physical or outdoor activity. Quite a bit of my time is spent in front of the computer since it provides a very lucrative income, and my ever-present thirst for knowledge is easily whetted by the vast quantities of information readily available.
I’ve had pets my entire life, cats and dogs while growing up, and cats during my adult life.
Once we decided to take the plunge and become digital nomads, we discovered that we could derive just as much pleasure from other people’s pets as we could our own. It’s always nice to know when we’re finishing up a housesitting experience that there are a few fuzzy friends who will always welcome us back unconditionally!
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. –Helen Keller
Colette:
“There’s a whole big world out there to explore” were words I often heard from my Dad while growing up in a big family in southern Minnesota. And he’s right! I love to learn and explore through travel, and really immerse myself in an area – beyond the tourist highlights. I’m very fortunate to have a job I enjoy. I provide soft skills training that includes philanthropic teambuilding, and the end result of my workshops often benefit soldiers deployed overseas or under-privileged children. As long as I have a cell phone and internet connection, I can do my work from anywhere. I’m truly grateful that my work offers me the flexibility to live the life I choose.
I have a general balance of yin to my yang. I enjoy the energy and all that a city has to offer, but I also enjoy nurturing my spirit in the quiet of nature. I’m active and love to relax. Expanding my world spiritually, intellectually, and culturally is important to me. Among the ways I like to connect with a new community is through volunteer work…with animals, children, senior citizens – those who can’t always help themselves. Growing up I was surrounded by all kinds of animals and I had two cats until a few years ago.
I also enjoy working on home improvement projects, which is how I ended up owning several rental homes in the Tampa Bay area. Thanks to good tenants and trustworthy local contractors, I am able to manage these properties from afar with only the occasional routine maintenance visit.
Most of my free time is spent outdoors if possible…sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, tennis, biking, hiking, and watching a beautiful sunset. Thanks to technology, I am able to maintain strong relationships with friends and family no matter where I am.
A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for. -John A. Shedd