Lots of us dream about taking an extended vacation — maybe going on safari, taking a world cruise, or simply setting off on the grand tour, flitting hither and thither as the moment dictates. The things that hold us back are the responsibilities we gather as we go through life, many of which revolve around house and home. The key to successful travelling without doing anything drastic like selling up, is to plan ahead so your responsibilities are taken care of while you’re away. Here’s how:
Rent Out Your Home
If you’re going away for six months or more, you could engage a letting agent to find a tenant and take care of the financial and property matters. They’ll take deposits, collect the monthly rent and keep an eye on the place to make sure everything stays in order. Once all the papers are signed, all you need do is hand over the keys and set off on your travels.
If renting feels a little drastic, an alternative is to get in a house sitter. This works really well if you have pets that you’d rather not put in kennels or catteries. It’s an equally good arrangement if you have cage animals such as rabbits or chickens. There are two ways to find house sitters: through an agency where everyone on the books is pre-vetted, or through websites where sitters advertise their services. The latter is likely to be cheaper, with many sitters seeing the chance to live rent free as a fair exchange for their services.
Safeguarding Your Possessions
When you’re going away for a longer period, and regardless of whether you’re taking on a tenant or sitter, knowing your possessions are secure is vital for peace of mind. The choice here is whether you’ll empty the house or simply remove the most expensive and difficult to replace items.
For security, you can’t beat self storage. Economical, local and convenient it beats relying on friends and relatives to take care of those things you care most about. For one thing, it’s a lot more secure than a shed or garage, plus access is easier than someone’s loft.
Many people don’t consider self storage for their personal effects when they’re travelling because there’s a mistaken assumption that it’s only for really long-term storage, or for those who’re storing the contents of the whole house. In fact, storage rentals run from just a week and start with units measuring 10 square feet — perfect when you only want to put your 50 inch TV and your Bose music system in there. And if you do want to pack up every last stick of furniture, there are units big enough for that too.
Making Moving Easy
Of course you can do it all yourself by hiring a van, and if you’re just moving a few boxes that’s fine. But the easiest way to move large quantities of items or furniture is to hire a removal firm.
As with self storage, the general assumption is that you need to be moving house to take advantage of such companies. If you have larger quantities of items to move, however, they’ll be glad to help regardless of where you’re going.
The very best advice is to start making arrangements as soon as you decide to go travelling. It takes time to reach decisions and engage any professional help you need, and packing is always more time consuming that you think it will be. The rewards, though, are carefree travelling knowing you’re worldly goods back home are well taken care of.
