Interview With Charli and Ben from Wanderlusters

Added by on March 26, 2013

1. Can you start by giving us a little bit of background about yourself and your blog. How did you start traveling? When did you start blogging, and what did you expect readers to get out of it?

wanderlusters-nullarbor-southaustraliaBefore our nomadic existence Charli worked for an independent art gallery in London facilitating exhibitions and Ben spent his day coordinating IT Projects for a large multinational. The stresses of the daily grind made us re-evaluate exactly what we wanted from life and we resolved to make the change to our situation that we both craved.

Just before leaving home we started a personal blog on tumblr with the intent of updating family and friends and for a long time it remained a diary of our travels. Just three months ago we made the move over to wordpress and have crafted our own addition to the wealth of inspirational travel blogs. Wanderlusters not only documents our travels, but is where we share advice and tips to help others succeed in exploring the world. We aim to inspire a sense of wanderlust in our readers so you’ll have to let us know if we’ve succeeded!

2. Let’s talk experiences – what has been the best experience you’ve had on the road?

We spent most of 2012 touring Australia in a motorhome and while it provided us with more ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experiences than we could have dreamed possible our highlight was volunteering on a five star live abroad and exploring the Great Barrier Reef. Working on the dive deck we spent fourteen days at sea exploring the reef system and putting our PADI dive master training to good use. wanderlusters-anemone-fish-great-barrier-reef

The experience of diving in gin clear water over sheer coral cliffs 100m down to the sea floor put the scale of the reef into perspective. We got up close to giant rays, sharks and countless species of fish, vibrant nudibranchs and coral. It was like submersing yourself in a David Attenborough documentary. The shark feed dive out at Osprey Reef was something we’ll never forget. Being so close to some of the oceans most feared predators was a very humbling experience.

3. I know you do a lot of house sitting – can you speak a little about that for those who might not know much about the concept?

We utilise house sitting assignments to travel at a more relaxed pace than your average backpacker, and have looked after twelve incredible homes to date. It was actually securing a house sit that dictated the first destination we visited. We left the UK in May 2011 and have spent the last two years exploring parts of Central America, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. House sitting has given our itinerary a focus and helped us save thousands of dollars in accommodation costs.

The concept is very simple. Homeowners advertise for an individual, couple or family to care for their home and animals in their absence. House sitters take on the responsibilities stipulated by the homeowner in return for the opportunity to temporarily live like a local in an unfamiliar community. We are registered with three websites but have found Trustedhousesitters.com to offer a wider variety of homes and locations. We’ve been offered assignments in each country on our itinerary through their website and have just secured another two here in New Zealand.

For an annual fee of $60 you become a member and have access to all the assignments currently available. The hardest part is choosing which opportunities to apply for!

4. Please describe a recent house sitting experience you’ve had.

Each assignment is different and provides us with new experiences.

wanderlusters-waterfall-house-sit-liberia-costaricaOur first assignment in Costa Rica bordered a mango plantation and each day we would cycle along the Pan American to buy fruit and vegetables at the local market. Our third assignment further south was on a cashew farm high in the mountains where we had an incredible view of the Pacific Ocean from the plunge pool. While house sitting in British Colombia we took a road trip over to Banff and the glacier fields of Jasper National Park and learnt the basics of macadamia farming while on assignment in NSW Australia.

Our current assignment here in New Zealand is a ‘Lifestyle Farming’ property overlooking Mount Maunganui. We’ve twelve alpacas, eight chickens and a vegetable patch to care for. Each day we head out to poo pick the fields, feed the alpacas, tend the vegetable garden and collect eggs. The great thing about house sitting is you get to try out different lifestyles and locations. We’ve yet to decide where we’ll eventually lay down our roots but house sitting is providing us with a check list of features we want from our home.

5. Can you give some advice for others who might be interested in house sitting?

The most important piece of advice we can share is to take the time to create a comprehensive profile when you first sign up with a website. When talking to each of the homeowners we’ve house sat for they have all mentioned that it was due to the wealth of information and photographs on our profile that they first made contact. Imagine you’re crafting a CV. It’s vital that you portray professionalism yet retain an insight into your personality.

Consider the logistics involved and research the location of any foreign assignments you are offered.

It’s also vital to get your application in as soon as you see an advertisement. Sign up to receive daily alerts listing new opportunities. Homeowners are inundated with applications and likely discard late applications once they’ve found a few potential sitters. The owners of our current assignment said that we were the first to apply, they looked though our profile, decided we were perfect and contacted us immediately.

6. I notice that you often showcase posts with a quote – can you share a few of your favorites?

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

This quote resonates so clearly with our attitude towards travel. There are some who are content to remain in the comfort of familiar surrounds and while we would never belittle their choice, we desire to read every page of the volume of life wanderlusters-poor-knightsand pray we continue to have the opportunity to do so.

“You lose sight of things… and when you travel, everything balances out.” – Daranna Gidel

The excesses of modern life are often all consuming. Technology, fashion and the weird world of celebrity can brain wash even the best of us. The past two years have taught us how little value these commodities bring to our lives. As long as we have our health, the love of our families and the ability to put one foot in front of the other we’ll be more than content.

7. You have a great guide on financing your travel. Can you share some of your best tips for saving money?

Cheers!

Obviously house sitting has provided us with the opportunity to save a huge chunk of our travel fund; however we are super careful with how we spend our money. Our friends and family seem to think we’re on one long holiday but the reality is quite far removed. To sustain long term travel you really do have to count each and every penny you spend. We maintain all the obvious techniques like not eating out in restaurants and looking online for the best deals before purchasing travel gear, air fares or tours, but we also work hard to make our money work for us.

We would recommend that you utilise travel friendly credit and debit cards, look for a credit card bonus scheme that works for you (ours is a points system that can be redeemed on flight purchases), consider the best place for your savings and if you don’t need instant access try putting a chunk of money in a high interest savings account. Sign up for online cash back websites to redeem money on internet purchases, plan ahead and stock up on products you know to be expensive at your next destination.

8. Tell us something that no one would know from having read your blog.

wanderlusters-redwood-county-californiaWe spent three months exploring the West Coast of the USA during 2008 and took a European road trip through France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria in 2006.

Ben loves technology and science, if it’s the latest version of a gadget, computer software or it’s been into space he’ll know far too much information about it.

Charli has a passion for running. She’s run thousands of different routes since leaving the UK and gets a bit grouchy if she can’t grab her trainers and nip out for a fresh air fix!

Author Bio

In 2010 Charli & Ben made the decision to live a life less ordinary and six months later embarked on an undefined period of travel. Enforcing no restrictions on their itinerary they have chosen to travel at a slow pace and incorporate house sitting assignments in each country they visit. With no time limit on their adventure they are content to continue exploring the world as digital nomads. From backpacking through Central America to road tripping around Australia they embrace each and every opportunity for adventure. Join them over at Wanderlusters or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Google + .

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