Sometimes we just have to do something crazy. Or maybe it’s the “send it out to the universe and it will come back to you” theory I’ve espoused. But I am considering relocating to a world-class city from a mid-sized capital city and am exploring a way that’s not quite the normal way.
I researched hotel pricing and found it exhorbitant, so I thought I’d try a crazy way to find lodging…for free…while I explore and check out how I feel about the new city. (When you’re single you have a lot more options than couples do.)
My friends think I’m nuts, but I placed an ad on Craigslist explaining that I wanted to come to visit the city and asking if anyone wanted a pet-sitter or someone to live in and watch their house while they traveled on vacation or abroad for either no cost (a trade) or a low cost.
I got calls.
I explained that I was an middle-aged (heaven forbid) woman; quiet and responsible. And that I had done this before.
So this weekend I am staying at a woman’s house who is going on vacation. She has offered her house for the entire week. It is in THE most desirable and high-end area of the city I’m considering…how lucky is that! I can’t wait to see it. We’ve talked on the telephone and I think we’re going to become friends if I move there too. We have very similar backgrounds and career aspirations and are going to go to a wine bar together on Friday night after she gives me a tour of the pet care responsibilities so we can talk about our futures.
While I’m there, I’m going to check out a second opportunity of a woman who wants to rent me her house for a really good price because she was intrigued by my ad. That would line up an affordable place to move to in this not-so-affordable area.
This isn’t the first time I’ve found such accommodations on Craigslist. Two years ago I went to Austin TX for 10 days on a similar pet-sitting adventure while the owners were in Europe. I was looking for a sublet on Craigslist, saw their ad, and worked out the details over the phone. They told me what area of town they lived in and when I researched it I found out it also was in the best and most toney neighborhood. But I was in for a surprise when I got there. These accommodations weren’t quite as lush as what I’m expecting this weekend…it was a 3-room carriage house that you had to walk sideways through to get past the kitchen counter.
They also didn’t tell me they didn’t own a TV set, so that was one of my first purchases…that I returned at the end of the 10 days before driving home, but don’t tell the store.
I know that being a single woman traveling alone that I have to be careful. But I’m willing to give alternative options a chance. All it takes is a little bit of creativity, a release from thoughts of what you “should” do, a belief that if you ask it will come, and a modicum of nerve.
One web site I’ve been curious about is called “couch surfing.” Supposedly there is a list of people who offer a place to sleep at their house…whether a bedroom or a couch…for free. Unspoken rules say that you should take the homeowner out to dinner though as a return favor. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to give this one a try yet, but hey, I just may.
Do you have a story of how you tried something different than the “norm?” I’d love to hear it.
