Time for something different, need your advice

[belgianwolfie]

Hi all,

Found this nice forum through Paolo after emailing him some inquiries regarding his website theluberon.com

I'm a 34 year old Belgian with a homegrown love for the South of France. Have been vacationing in France for as long as I can remember, cause that's what Belgians do ... we go to France.

I guess living (and working) in Belgium is not much different than life in the UK. Living here has become nothing more than living like semi-intelligent 'rats' in a never ending race.

Belgium has one of the most densely populated territories in Europe, with 97% of the population living in urban areas.

I am currently working two jobs here (fulltime webdesigner for a belgian tv station (http://www.vt4.be) combined with my own business as a webdesigner/webdeveloper (http://www.thealliance.be)) and have been doing so for the last two years.

I'm 34 now, don't have any kids yet, don't own a house yet ... have been renting for the most part of my life ... I guess you could say that subconsciously I always have been preparing to leave at sometime in my life

That time is now. Starting 20th of June I'll be leaving on a 12 month sabbatical together with the sweetest girl on the planet.
She has already been away last season to work in larger scale bed & breakfast (more like a mini-hotel) in Provence last year.

So this time around I'll be joining her.

Would anyone on this forum be so kind as to shoot us some pointers how we would tackle the issue of finding a semi-permanent housing somewhere in the South of France (languedoc-rousillon or higher - provence - ... ) for a longer period, from where we can start exploring the region even deeper and finally venturing ourselves on the real estate market to find a small (but happy) place where we can live for a few years and sit on a little terrace with a glass of "pastis" planning the rest of our lives (and catching our breaths from all the 'ratracing' we have done over the years)

Thank you in advance for reading through my longish intro and looking forward to your answers.

Kind regards,
Bart

[Charollaise]

Have you thought about house-sitting?

http://www.mindmyhouse.com/

I had a sitter look after my farmhouse in Burgundy for a few months - worked out really well for us both...

Good luck with your plan - have fun!!

[belgianwolfie]

Have you thought about house-sitting?

http://www.mindmyhouse.com/

I had a sitter look after my farmhouse in Burgundy for a few months - worked out really well for us both...

Good luck with your plan - have fun!!

Yes, we registred there.
It struck me that all those sites require a subscription fee. I guess it's a way to verify the legitimacy (is that a word?) of people that apply and advertise on there.

[wallypott]

I have been using helpX for all manner of things of late (20€). I know some people only do long term house sits of like 6 months or so. Alternatively if you did some shorter ones then you would get to try out various areas which might be a better solution. I think it is important to know an area in winter before committing to purchase, because winter in the south will be a different kettle of fish altogether.

[belgianwolfie]

I think it is important to know an area in winter before committing to purchase, because winter in the south will be a different kettle of fish altogether.

You might hold a very valid point there. I mean, winters can be depressing here too , but at least we have the comforting rays of artificial lighting and the "joys" of spending money on things we don't need in the Shopping Malls nearby.

When in the rural countryside of France, there won't be much of that during winter.

Met with a couple of Belgians that run a B&B farm in Lot-et-Garonne ... more or less an hour away from Bordeaux ... they say it's lovely there too. Provence : too expensive (realestate as well as cost of living)