Great Big Globe World Travel
We loved our time in Asia, Africa and Europe – but we were hitting a wall.
We weren’t tired of the sights and new places, rather the actual travel itself. We were coming up on eight months of consecutive travel and Europe really felt on-the-go. So, when we arrived in Turkey for our second house sitting job (check out our Bali gig HERE) we were looking forward to a break from moving around. What started as a “job” turned into what felt like a vacation from traveling!
Matt ‘working’ hard in the morning
We spent the first three days in Uzumlu learning the ropes of the house and dogs from Gary (the owner), as Gail had already gone to Australia. The first night we were able to head into the village to meet some of the ‘locals’. However, we were quickly informed these locals weren’t actually Turkish, they were Brits. As it turns out, the village we stayed in is hugely popular for British expats to retire.
Alana beating Matt in the finals at dart night
It was a Friday when we arrived and Gary thought it would be fun to grab a drink and meet the ‘locals’. Friday night is dart night at one of the local bars and we were invited to step in and play immediately. We had such a great time, we went out each of the subsequent Friday nights to play darts and hang out with the group. On our last Friday in town, Alana even won the final dart game, beating me in the finals. Nicely done Alana.
Hike overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
As mentioned above, the group of local expats were super welcoming and really fun. They extended invitations to us to join many of their weekly activities, which usually involved physical activity of some kind, which was great. Our favorite was hiking from Faralya to Oludeniz. It was a 4+ hour, 15 km hike that gave us some amazing views and a pretty good workout!
Mountains, Sun, Sea and Goats – All in a days work
I’m pretty sure we found our retirement location, as long as we can get those goats out of our future house. 🙂
Sunday hike near Nif, Turkey
Another activity we really loved was hiking about 30 minutes North of Uzumlu on one Sunday morning. The hike was beautiful, but our favorite part of the day was the traditional Turkish breakfast we took part in once we finished.
Kirkpinar Restaurant for our Turkish breakfast
We really wanted to enjoy a local Turkish breakfast, so this was the perfect opportunity. The company was wonderful and the food was outstanding! It consisted of a number of small plates with a variety of different foods. Warm Turkish bread was set on table that you would use to dip or apply the different foods to, my kind of meal. I am dipper and this is my preferred method of eating, just ask Alana about my chips and salsa/cheese addiction.
Mediterranean Boat Cruise
One of the absolutes we wanted to do during our time in Turkey, was to get out on the Mediterranean Sea. Fethiye was only a 20 minute drive from Uzumlu, but we weren’t sure how to best get on the water. Once again, our group of friends hooked us up and set up a boat trip for a day. It was a full day on the water, including a fabulous lunch for about $33 per person. It was a perfect day and the weather permitted us to jump in the water at a number of stops along the way.
Finally cooking again!
Home cooked meals again! We had been looking forward to this since we stepped foot in Europe.
Daily sighting at our house sit
Shots from our time in Uzumlu
Having some routine in our life again felt great. We love the nomadic lifestyle, but it can wear on a person and knowing exactly what each day held was refreshing.
Wake-up
Walk the dogs
Drink coffee
Eat
Read
Lay by the pool
Walk the dogs
Eat
Repeat 🙂
The Crew – Top left to bottom right: Reggie, Hank, Vernie, Marv and Chika
As with our first house sitting job, the hardest part about leaving was saying goodbye to the animals. We really enjoyed the dogs and after spending a month with them, you start to learn all their personalities and quirks. Reggie is the lazy one, Hank is the sweet one, Vernie is the boss, Marv is the bomb, and Chika is crazy. A perfect group that somehow gets along and made us laugh every single day. We miss these guys like crazy.
Are you interested in housesitting? There are opportunities available both around the world and in the United States. We recommend using TrustedHouseSitters.com to find a house sit. We have had five fantastic experiences and would recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative to the usual vacation.
Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Great Big Globe!
Love the daily routine! I could get used to that for awhile, especially after constant travel. I have only traveled constantly for 3.5 months and it really wore me out! I now like to make a base like you guys did and explore the area. Turkey looks incredible, I can’t wait to get there one day!
Hi Katie! We definitely enjoyed a change of pace and the chance to slow down in Turkey. We’re actually just finishing up our second sit in the same village. Have you had an opportunity to house sit? Sounds like it might be perfect for you!
Turkey is on our mind, but we still missed it… and we used to have a dog… so why not?? Thanks for sharing this inspirational tips!!
Absolutely! Dogs and cats have definitely made being away from our cat back home a bit easier. Cheers!
Such cute dogs!
I haven’t tried house-sitting yet but know that feeling of not wanting to ‘do’ or ‘discover’ something new everyday. I do hope to try housesitting on future travels.
Go for it! Highly recommend it from our experiences so far!
Housesitting does sound like a great vacation from your big ‘vacation’ (if you even want to call it that). And in Turkey? Hard life you’ve got there!
Hi Erica- Haha, yes, the house sitting has given us a few welcomed ‘breaks’ along the way. 🙂
And Turkey really has been great! No complaints and only positive experiences so far!
Matt
I would love to visit Turkey soon :). I’ve been checking the house sitting for a long time and I really feel like doing it! Specially as a couple. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi Sara – As you can tell, we really have enjoyed our housesitting experiences and highly recommend it to those interested. We sort of did the same thing as you in terms of checking it out for a bit, then we finally decided it was worth it in terms of the sign up fee. We figured if we even got one sit, that would easily cover the fee in comparison to lodging costs elsewhere. We are about to head to our forth house sit in a month and couldn’t be happier with the results!
Good luck and let us know if you have any questions. Cheers
Matt
Looks like another awesome housesit! It seems like housesitting is another great way to discover cities and towns off the tourist track as well, especially when you are flexible in where you want to go. Looking forward to following your new adventures in the fall! 🙂
Hi Jessica! We’ve really enjoyed both of our housesitting opportunities. It’s a really great way to immerse yourself in a new city. Plus, we love animals so it’s nice to have some furry buddies on the road! We’re hoping to find another one for this fall!
Hi Matt and Alana,
A fantastic place for retirement indeed! This is what is so fantastic about house sitting — you get to slow down for a bit, cook, meet locals, learn local foods and customs, and fall in love with adorable pets. Perfection in my book! Throw in the hiking and swimming pool, and it looks like the perfect house sit.
I love that you could take all the dogs off lead while walking them. That picture of Matt with all five is so fun.
Turkey is really beautiful, too.
Regards,
Josie
Hi Josie – House sitting really is a great way to experience a new place. We have only done it twice now, but we will continue to look for opportunities across the world. The dogs were unbelievable in Turkey, they were so sweet and listened incredibly well. We didn’t use the leads even once in almost a month of twice a day walks! Cheers!
Matt