Soar at Work, Secure at Home

When your job needs someone to attend a meeting across the country or around the world, you’re the first one with bags packed and boarding pass in hand. But while you soar in your career, you want to make sure everything is protected at home. The best solution?

“Get a house sitter,” says Erica Dublin, CEO of SeeJaneFly. Once you find one who’s right for you, you’ll want to “leave updated emergency contact info, a set of spare keys, and let the neighbors know someone will be staying at your place.”

As far as plants and furry friends go, “Have your sitter stay over or check in once a day, at the very least. The last thing you want is a call about a flooded house when it could have been avoided,” adds Dublin.

Care, HouseSittersAmerica and MindMyHouse offer services from a weekend to three years and testimonials from homeowners and sitters alike.

Christine Columbus provides a list of reminders before you go, like alarm code passwords and instructions to operate the air conditioning and remote control.

Budget a little tight? Ask a family member to stay in exchange for meals and transportation, or learn more about sitters who do the job for free. To sweeten the deal, “make a little welcome basket,” Dublin suggests. “If you were welcomed to a house like that, wouldn’t you want to take better care of it?”

Bonus PINK Link: After you touch down, check out our article on dealing with jet lag.

By Caroline Cox

“There’s nothing half so pleasant as coming
home again.”  Margaret Elizabeth Sangster