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Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food By Jessica Seinfeld”It has become common knowledge that childhood obesity rates are increasing every year. But the rates continue to rise. And between busy work schedules and the inco

Author: Jessica Seinfeld

Spiral-bound: 
208 pages

Company: Collins Living 

(2007-10-01)

(2007-10-05)

ISBN: 0061251348

List Price: $24.95
Amazon Price: $12.00

Used Price: $11.90

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I am always on the lookout for innovative, unconventional, and first and foremost, cost-saving ways to travel. I recently came across the concept of “caretaking“, i.e. looking after other people’s (often beautiful) properties and estates, as a way of procuring rent-free living opportunities in interesting places. Read about this innovative concept in this interview with Gary Dunn, expert on “caretaking”, and see if you might be able to apply it yourself….

1. Please tell us more about the Caretaking concept.

For those who are not involved in the profession, the word “caretaker” may have numerous meanings. But for the growing number of people who are discovering the caretaking profession, a caretaker is a property caretaker: a person or persons who cares for a property in exchange for rent-free living accommodations, and with the possibility of additional compensation.

The caretaking profession includes positions such as housesitters, ranch sitters, Bed & Breakfast and Innsitters, property managers, Estate Managers, and hosts at resorts and campgrounds. A caretaker is generally distinguished from a “caregiver,” someone with health care skills who is employed to care for another person, often as a live-in aide.

Caretaking is a very old profession, rooted in the British tradition of land maintenance. In 1868, The Times of London defined a caretaker as “a person put in charge of a farm from which the tenant has been evicted.” Today that definition has been expanded to cover a multitude of landowner/caretaker relationships. The number and diversity of these relationships has increased during the past decade. The caretaking profession continues to grow in popularity as more landowners discover the benefits of having a caretaker(s) on their property.

2. How did you become an expert in caretaking?

By practicing what we preach! We started caretaking in the 1970’s via word-of-mouth, and soon learned how difficult it was to find new caretaking assignments, after completing a housesitting assignment somewhere. So we saw a real need for a way that property owners and property caretakers could find each other - thus the genesis of THE CARETAKER GAZETTE.

3. You are the publisher about a newsletter on caretaking. Since when have you been doing this and what does the newsletter contain?

THE CARETAKER GAZETTE has been published since 1983, and we now provide our subscribers with 1,000+ caretaking and housesitting assignments each year, worldwide. We keep growing year by year and provide our subscribers with more rent-free living opportunities each year, along with helpful articles and info about the property caretaking field!

4. What type of properties become available for caretaking?

Every kind of property you can imagine - from simple homes - to mansions on large acreage and even private islands! A sample listing of the types of properties is available on my website, this will give you an idea of the diverse and often gorgeous types of properties available. Caretaking opportunities can be found all over the world.

5. What qualifications does it take to become a caretaker?

To get across to the property owner that you will be trustworthy and reliable with their property and that you are in good health and have a lot of common sense!

6. What kind of people are usually attracted to the concept of caretaking?

People who are tired of making rent or mortgage payments and want to live rent-free, plus a lot of travelers who like to explore various locations and people thinking about the best location that they would like to retire to and spend their retirement years.

6. What type of activities does a caretaker perform? What are the duties of a caretaker?

Some caretaking situations involve simple housesitting assignments, in which all that is required of the caretaker is to occupy the property. Some landowners seek experienced caretakers with specific skills (e.g., maintenance, farming, ranching or animal husbandry) while others are willing to take on and train people with general backgrounds.

As with most other professions, traits such as honesty, common sense, reliability, and flexibility are key prerequisites. For caretakers who live and work alone on the property of an absentee landowner, the ability to function independently and fulfill one’s responsibilities without daily guidance and instruction from the landowner are important qualifications. Although a love of nature and solitude is important, having hobbies and interests (e.g., reading, writing, computers, photography) that can be pursued in what are often remote areas is extremely helpful.

7. There are “innsitters”, “island caretakers”, “wilderness caretakers” and other unique caretakers. Please describe some of these specialty caretaking roles.

The duties and responsibilities of a caretaker are as varied as the landowners and caretakers themselves. Some caretaking positions simply require persons to occupy a home and watch after it as if it were their own. Other caretaking assignments provide opportunities to work in dozens of areas, including: groundskeeping, land stewardship, gardening, and resort management.

While some landowners need a presence on their property and do not require any physical work, others need fences mended, snow plowed, gardens tended, animals cared for, and houses, roads and pastures maintained. Plumbing and electrical work may be part of a caretaker’s duties - or the caretaker may be responsible for hiring competent repair persons.

Caretaking positions on nature preserves may involve land stewardship, caring for land to ensure that it remains intact and productive for future generations. Caretakers act as land stewards when their responsibilities include preservation and maintenance activities.

8. How does one find out about caretaking opportunities?

By being in the right place at the right time to find an assignment via word-of-mouth, or subscribing to THE CARETAKER GAZETTE via www.caretaker.org

9. How do property owners and caretakers usually connect, how does the selection process work?

Either via phone, fax, email or snail mail. The prudent caretaker sets out to develop a strong working relationship with the landowner. If the landowner’s goals and philosophies are stated in the caretaker-wanted advertisement, prospective caretakers should consider whether these are in harmony with their own beliefs.

While skill and experience are important, most landowners are initially concerned with character references. When answering an ad, a neatly prepared resume should be accompanied by photographs of oneself (and family, if applicable) and personal and professional references.

Landowners often request a personal letter, where the prospective caretaker discusses such things as interests, goals and reasons for desiring a caretaking position. Both parties should be as open and honest as possible. Information regarding any special skills, interests, or experiences should also be included.

10. What practical advice can you give someone who wants to become a caretaker?

Inveterate travelers have discovered that caretaking enables them to live and work in a variety of interesting locales - both in the U.S. and abroad. Positions may be for the long or short-term (including two-week housesitting stints for a vacationing homeowner), seasonal or year-round.

Many newcomers to the caretaking field have been lifelong travelers. Most are motivated by the desire to explore another culture in depth. Caretaking offers travelers the opportunity to become a part of a community and experience life as the locals live it. Travelers can caretake resort properties during off-seasons, enjoying the use of the grounds and facilities. For travelers who are considering a move to another geographic area, caretaking allows them to experience life in a new location prior to spending time, money and energy relocating there.

Thank you, Gary, for enlightening us on this unique and definitely cost-saving way to travel. You have given me something to think about…

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions(http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest(http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

“Life is a Journey

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What does it take to effectively start your path toward becoming a freelance travel writer? What skills, experience, tools, education, and temperament are best suited for success as a travel writer?

The requirements to begin your career in freelance travel writing are pretty basic.

Most of us have heard the slogan from the popular athletic shoe maker - “Just Do It”. That’s applicable here. You’ve just got to start writing. If you aren’t interested in writing, if you can’t discipline yourself to write regularly, then you shouldn’t try to be a travel writer. Yep, that’s the hard truth of travel writing - you do have to write. But you don’t have to write a novel, you just need to take notes, observe, and write regularly.

You need to have an opinion, a voice. As you regularly write about your travels, or just your daily experiences, your voice will begin to develop in the words you put on paper. By nurturing and developing that voice, the articles that you submit will stand out and be more interesting. Editors will be more likely to take notice and publish your work. Tell the reader what you really think! (Well, within reason)

Working hand in hand with the emergence of your written voice are your powers of observation. When you walk down the street near you home, try looking at it like you’re a visitor and have never seen it before. What things do you notice that has escaped your attention in the past? Learn to exercise your powers of observation every chance you get. Watch people, notice the subtle changes in the afternoon light as summer turns toward autumn, take nothing for granted.

You now have gotten into the habit of writing regularly, you’re developing a unique writing style and voice, and expressing that voice with your thoughts and observations of the world around you. You’ve got a good start on becoming a successful freelance travel writer. There are a few more things you’ll need to complete the picture of an aspiring travel writer.

You need to be able to do some research. These days, most of your pre-trip research can be done online in the comfort of you own home. But you don’t necessarily need a computer, you can always go down to your local library to do your research. But research is a must. For instance, if you’re planning a trip to Costa Rica, you’ll want to find out the basics like climate and weather, population and culture, main tourist attractions, principal industries, government, and any additional information that may be pertinent to what you plan on writing about. You want to get a feel for the country or region and its people before you leave home. After you’ve arrived at your destination, you’ll want to seek out the unique and interesting aspects of the area and its people. Try to find things that the average tourist would find interesting and unique - dig a little deeper. Seek out and talk with the locals, read local newspapers, arrange to interview people that can help bring your articles to life - business people, historians, tour operators - Or perhaps just the person on the street to get some of the local color. The more research like this you can put together the more saleable and unique your articles will be.

The last thing is a willingness and desire to learn. Read books and take a course on travel writing. Many good books are available on the subject. There are college level courses available as well as some excellent home study travel writing courses.

You’ll want to get your hands on as much travel writing as you can. Subscribe to one or two travel magazines, read the travel section in your local newspaper, buy travel books. Find out what editors are looking for in a travel article. See if you can spot the basic structure of a well written travel article. In particular, pay attention to an article’s lead; how does it draw you in? How well does it state its theme? After a few sentences, are you motivated to read any further? After the lead and theme are established, how well does the article prove that theme and paint a picture. Do you have a sense of place as you read the body of the article? Again, is the writer drawing you through the article in an interesting and compelling way? If so, how is he doing it? If not, what is lacking? Finally, how well does the writer bring the article to a close? Does he effectively reflect on the lead and restate the theme? Does he leave you with an urgent feeling inside of you to visit a destination or try an activity or find out more?

The elements described above comprise the basic structure of what most editors are looking for in a travel article. Learn to spot what works and what doesn’t. You’ll find that once you start looking at travel articles with a critical eye, you’ll start thinking like a travel writer. Before you know it, you’ll get your first byline and editors will start thinking of you as a travel writer as well! Your journey has begun!

What You Don’t Need

You don’t need a degree in journalism or even a college degree at all (though both those things certainly don’t hurt either!). Editors aren’t going to ask to see your diploma. What they want to see are well written articles appropriate for their publication and submitted within the stated submission guidelines. You can learn how to do that without stepping inside a college classroom. (But remember, taking a home study or other type of course on travel writing can be a big help).

You don’t have to spend a lot of money. All businesses require some investment in both time and money to get off the ground, including freelance writing. But you don’t need to spend a fortune. Invest in some books, a travel writing course, and investigate some other resources available to travel writers like publisher databases, websites, etc. (find out more about these resources at www.TouristTravel.com/travel_writers_wanted.htm), but save your money so you can eventually travel to exotic locals rich in fodder for your travel writing.

But remember, you don’t really even need to travel; everyplace has a story to tell. Many are lucky enough to live in or near a popular tourist destination. Local excursions and your own personal knowledge and experience can easily form the basis or your travel writing career.

So there you have it, some of the ins and outs, needs and don’t-needs that will get you started on your own exciting path toward freelance writing success!

Happy Trails!

Tom is a freelance travel writer, copy writer, and web publisher. His popular website TouristTravel (http://www.touristtravel.com) features a section of resources for both beginning and seasoned travel writers.
Tom lives and works in San Francisco and is a member of the Bay Area Travel Writers Association

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