From Business Insider · Amber Campbell · · 2m
Testing retirement by housesitting across North America
At 55, Amber Campbell has spent three years housesitting from Washington to Mexico to figure out where she wants to retire, discovering what matters more than location.
In brief
At 55, Amber Campbell has spent three years housesitting from Washington to Mexico to figure out where she wants to retire, discovering what matters more than location. Amber Campbell, fifty five, has housesitted in dozens of locations over three years to test where she wants to retire, learning that solitude and…
The empty nest question
Amber Campbell grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, raised her kids in Seattle, and became an empty nester.For the first time in over twenty years, she had freedom to choose where to live.
Starting to housesit at fifty two
At fifty two, Campbell started housesitting in exchange for places to stay to travel without depleting her savings. She quickly realized how much she enjoyed the nomadic lifestyle and testing potential retirement locations.
Going full-time nomadic
After a few months, Campbell liked housesitting so much that she gave away almost everything she owned, put the rest in storage, and decided to do it full-time. That was almost three years ago.
Dozens of locations tested
Since then, Campbell has lived in dozens of cities, towns, and remote islands, from northern Washington to the southeastern coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.
San Francisco taught her something
Campbell booked a housesitting job across the street from her old high school in San Francisco. But nostalgia wore off quickly, and a one hundred five dollar street-cleaning ticket reminded her of city life hassles.
Discovering she wants less, not more
Campbell realized that a noisy, crowded, expensive city is not where she wants to settle. These days, less traffic, more green space, and a slower pace feel more like her style.
“less traffic, more green space, and a slower pace feel more like my style”
The remote island surprise
Campbell booked a multi-week housesit on a remote Pacific Northwest island where the closest grocery store required a ferry ride. She fell in love with the solitude and has returned several times.
Reconsidering the US entirely
Campbell booked a five-week housesitting gig for an American woman who had retired in La Paz, Mexico. Although unsure Mexico is where she wants to settle, she has not ruled out retiring outside the US.
What she knows now
After trying out more than fifty locations in three years, Campbell still does not know where she wants to retire.But she knows she wants somewhere to walk in nature, enjoy solitude, and engage with community.
“I'm searching for a place that makes me feel at home, even when I'm visiting for the first time”
The takeaway
Amber Campbell, fifty five, has housesitted in dozens of locations over three years to test where she wants to retire, learning that solitude and nature matter more than city convenience.
