The price of the room changed while I was looking at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least, that is what it felt like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The listing looked affordable. Nice photos. Good Wi-Fi. A window that did not overlook my usual parking lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I reached checkout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Service fee. Cleaning fee. Taxes. And one mysterious charge that seemed designed to remind me why I stay home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I closed the tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was not the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For years, I had told myself that one of the best things about working online was that I could work from anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, I actually could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My files were online. My communication was online. My laptop had everything I needed, plus enough charging cables to survive a minor electrical crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The work could move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a difference between having an option and using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On paper, I could wake up somewhere new, make coffee, open my laptop, and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In reality, I woke up in the same room, made coffee in the same kitchen, and sat in a chair that had slowly molded itself to my bad posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing was wrong with my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was almost the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I kept waiting for the right month to travel. The right month never seemed to arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also realized I had been thinking about travel as a vacation: hotels, short-term rentals, sightseeing, and the pressure to enjoy every minute because every minute had a nightly rate attached to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I don’t really want a vacation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to temporarily live somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That led me to house sitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea is simple: someone needs their home or pets looked after, and someone else wants somewhere to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n