Property Caretaking: A Wonderful and Adventurous Lifestyle

For Weston and Amy, property caretaking has been what they describe as "a wonderful and adventurous lifestyle choice." They found that caretaking provided them with the means to live a flexible, simple, and contemplative life while exploring our amazing world. During their years as caretakers, they met great people all over the United States and had countless adventures in stunning wild places. All this, while providing a valuable service to property owners who need assistance with their homes and estates. Weston and Amy explain, “We both left our jobs at a point when we felt ready for something radically different from the life we had been living, even though we weren't sure what that might look like.” Weston and Amy were looking for a practical and affordable means to develop their interests in meditation. Even with college debts to contend with, they both felt certain that they could experience life more fully, not by dropping out or running away, but by running toward their passions. It occurred to them one day that taking care of other people's homes might be the perfect solution to satisfy their relatively simple needs, fulfill their wish to travel, and employ many of their eclectic talents.

While browsing the internet one day, Weston and Amy discovered and immediately subscribed to The Caretaker Gazette. They were very inspired by the opportunities it presented. Eventually, through an ad in the Gazette, they found a job caretaking an off-the-grid yurt and two cats in the wilderness of southern New Mexico. Weston and Amy developed a wonderful and sincere friendship with the owners (as well as with their friendly neighbors). Their "amazing caretaking experience in New Mexico" deepened their interest and commitment to caretaking as a lifestyle. Once they made the decision to live as caretakers, they traveled throughout the United States, primarily in the western part of the country. When they weren't tending to someone's home, they had time to visit with their parents, friends and relatives. They say, “Much to our delight, we found that many caretaking jobs also provide a salary or some other financial compensation. We learned firsthand that caretaking is a valuable service and that many people are interested in paying well for the kind of responsible and trustworthy help that they provide.”

When people ask them about their lives, Weston and Amy say, “We mention our life as traveling caretakers. Most delight and share with us their own longing for the kind of freedom and flexibility we experienced and developed and committed to. We realized only in retrospect that simplifying our lives had been far easier than we ever thought. The largest obstacles we encountered were our own beliefs and fears." Fortunately, the caretaking lifestyle offered them exactly the kind of space and repose from which to examine and uproot those kinds of internal limitations.

Through caretaking, Amy and Weston have learned a tremendous amount about what it means to be responsible, sensitive, and receptive to the needs and concerns of the clients who invite them into their homes. Throughout all their travels, they've even managed to build an attractive caretaking resume. Although at first glance they might appear to be little more than glorified vagabonds (by virtue of the fact that they so often lived out of their little silver Hyundai hatchback), but as caretakers Weston and Amy tended to their bills, commitments, and relationships just like anyone else. They found the kind of diversity that caretaking offers provides a continuous challenge that inspires them to grow and discover more all the time.

They conclude, “Our suggestion to anyone thinking of simplifying their lives or trying out caretaking as a lifestyle is just to go for it! We've found that with a sincere interest and intention, we've been amazed at all the ways that the property caretaking lifestyle provides the means to take care of commitments and obligations, while still extending the freedom to live adventurously."