Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
I needed to get away so I looked to my handy dandy trustedhousesitters.com and applied for a house/pet sit in Hilton Head. I wanted to go to the beach as well as be gone for a couple of weeks, but I couldn’t find both so I settled with a 5 night sit just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean.
On the way to and from Hilton Head I car camped in my Camperolla. I finally got to test out my side window shades I made out of cardboard which makes me sleep so much better knowing people can’t see my laying in there. However, on my return journey I had an unexpected visitor and I talk about that experience in a video I uploaded to youtube.
Each day basically consisted of taking care of my charge, Ula the blind and deaf Puggle, going to the beach, and grabbing a free vanilla latte in the condo’s multi-use room. I lucked out on the weather during my stay as it only rained one night and most days were in the lower 60s and one day it was close to 70. I went to the beach in the afternoon and at golden hour and had the beach mostly to myself. I took a camp chair and sat out on the beach for hours reading, taking photos, and walking Ula. I was very grateful and excited that the hosts had a beach bike I could use so I took that out a couple of days. The area is fairly bike-friendly so I was able to take designated bike paths to the beach which only took about 15 minutes. Plus, it was my first time riding a bike on a beach and I loved how easy the riding was. There’s just something about the beach that makes you want to get out and be on it whether it’s walking, running, or biking, and for that reason I would love to live on the coast even though I don’t consider myself much of a beach bum (I love snow covered mountains more).
I didn’t get out too much to see the rest of the island, simply because I’m not into spending money by eating out or shopping, but one night I did go nearby to Shelter Cove Marina to see the boats lit up with Christmas lights. It was fun, but I think if more boats participated it could be spectacular. Overall, I had a great time at the beach, and I just wish I could have stayed longer. I’m so grateful I found out about house/pet sitting as it allows me to travel, live somewhere cheaply, help someone out, and I get to play with cute animals. I look forward to housesitting more in 2020.
