If you thinking of hosting me, renting an apartment to me, having me house-sit for you, or travel with me, you’ll want to know about me.
CourchSurfing.com has a review feature so its members can check me out. This page supplements that and is also for everyone else.
Here are: house-sitting letters of reference and some of the reviews/references that people have written about meeting me or having me stay with them on CouchSurfing.com.
You can also see more about how I treat homes in this post, My special thank you projects.
Friendship, visit, house-sit + visit
February 2019
I met Andrea in Norway during my 3-year solo travel. We stayed in touch via Aerograms. Hard to imagine now. She visited me in LA and I took her all over including the desert, Flagstaff and Las Vegas. It took me until 2018 to finally get to her home. I stayed close to 3 weeks and they repeatedly said I must return in the warm weather.
Cindy was sleeping in your bed today. She misses you. We all do. (Cindy is a cat.)
We hope you could sit our apartment in summer if you can. We first have to fix [daughter]’s summer job and book the holidays. Then we can tell you when either July or August. What do you think? And we see you before and after our holiday too.
~A&A, Austria
Invitation as a Guest
Come back. I miss you.
~A text from C.C.
Another Invitation as a Guest
Deb,
Just spoke with David. You are welcome to stay there. He says that you are a low-maintenance guest. I asked him how long is too long – 4 days? 6 days? He told me to come up with a number. Three years? He was OK with that.
~DMS
House-sitting Emails
House-Sitting Reference • M&D, 2019
March 2019 — pieces of emails from a homeowner as I send reports.
I was asked to return to LA just to do this 3+ month house-sit for friends. They even offered airfare, not wanting to leave for so long without having me there. I know the house, the area, and how to maintain a Kosher home. While here, I report mail that seems important. Unexpectedly, first there were unusual winter storms and while that was happening, over a week of building maintenance/repairs came up.
- Thanks so much for taking care of the rain at that door. I had forgotten about that problem because it happens so seldom. If you hadn’t been there, it could have done some real damage.
- [When over a week of maintenance came up] Thanks so much for being available.
- We are so grateful for all you’ve done. What if this repair thing had come up with no one in the apartment?! I’d have had to come back. It was totally out of the blue. Because you are there, we feel safe having the work done.
- Wow! No amount of rent could replace the work you’re doing! I can’t thank you enough for relieving my worry about Pesach.
House-Sitting arrangement email • Suzi, Los Angeles
March 2016 — email from a homeowner as I returned the 5th time. (I am now there for the 6th time.)
Deb, I feel so lucky to be able to go off, with peace of mind about home, to celebrate my in-laws. Thank you.
~S
House-sitting Letters of Reference for Deborah Shadovitz
House-Sitting & Guest Reference • Vickey, South Bay, LA area
2018
Deb has been both a house-sitter and a house guest at my condo. As a house-sitter, I had no worries that all would be fine. My house was cleaner than when I left, with many little things fixed (a hole in the bathroom wall, a bad phone jack in the dining room).
As a house guest, she is lots of fun. We have worked together on several projects and so had plenty to do. Deb likes to cook, which was great, and she is very neat and clean–but not obtrusive about it. Being tech-savvy, she also helped trouble-shoot an internet connection problem. In general, she is always ready to help, either with suggestions or by rolling up her sleeves and getting to work. She also loves to get to know the area, so anytime I wanted to go out and walk or try a new restaurant, she was excellent company.
House-Sitting Reference • Mark, San Diego
Deborah has been a friend of ours for quite a while, and after moving down to the San Diego area we didn’t get to see her very often, so it was with great pleasure that we were able to host her – twice! – between her frequent international travels.
My wife suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and is a science fiction writer, so sometimes our house is in need of a bit more attention than she can give or that I have time for; Deb saw the need and, stopping only to ask permission, dove in with a will. Her skill for organization, honed by her backpack trips, was a tremendous benefit to our house and, frankly, my peace of mind. We’ve made a few changes to the system she set up for us, but her gift of a solid place to start was invaluable.
Our dining room table is, as in many families, not simply a place to eat; Deb was able to get quite a bit of work done at our house and had many pleasant discussions with both my wife and my 18-year-old twin boys, both of whom, like their dad, are computer geeks.
Deb often brings or sends me things she’s picked up at trade shows or industry events, almost all of which I have put to immediate use; she definitely has an eye for the practical, and a heart that generously considers the needs and comfort of others.
We’re always happy to have her, and very much look forward to the next time she visits. As far as we’re concerned, she’s family.
House-Sitting Reference • Rachel, Israel
Via text when I sent updates and photos of her apartment Dec 2015:
I am just looking at the email now wow you are thorough! If you weren’t a tech junkie I’d say go into the organizing business!
Oh wow! I love the sand!! Creative! Amazing. Thank you so much!!!
Via text upon her return January 2016:
OMG! The apartment is Absolutely amazing you’re the best!! Thank you^10!!!
House-Sitting Reference • JT, Los Angeles
2013-2015
We’ve had Deborah Shadovitz house-sit for us several times and each time have been able to enjoy our vacations knowing our home was safe and secure in her care. Deborah even sent us email reports on how well our tomato plants were doing and about packages arriving. Under her care, our plants and fish thrived just as well as when we are home taking care of them.
It’s worth noting that our home is not your typical house. Our home is one of the original homes still standing in Los Angeles. It is on both the California and National Historic buildings lists and sports a plaque saying so. If water spills on our floors, the unvarnished wood stains. Fire would burn the home down. Each piece of furniture is of the period and worth a small fortune. It’s not easy for us to find a person to respect and take care of our home in the way we want it cared for. When we go away, Deborah is our first choice for care-taking and house-sitting.
House-Sitting Reference • M&T, Los Angeles
2013-2015
To Whom it May Concern,
I am happy to recommend Deborah Shadovitz as a house sitter extraordinaire.
My husband and I travel often so it is imperative we find the right person to keep an eye on our historically registered home in Los Angeles.
What works so well for us is that Deb is a mature, intelligent, world traveler, with an understanding of people, lifestyle and culture.
I’ve also had the chance to get to know her professionally, a relationship that has benefitted us both.
I recommend Deborah Shadovitz unreservedly.
Sincerely,
CouchSurfing Reviews for Deborah Shadovitz
I don’t always use CouchSurfing as I have invitations from professional friends, friends going back to my pre-internet travels, and friends I make as I travel.
Roby G • Tel Aviv, Israel, January 2016
Deb surfed my couch several times during her long visit here. She arranged for me to join her at a professional exhibition at the Hilton, and we had many interesting chats both professional and personal. Deb played wonderfully with my four-year-old granddaughter and shared my life for several weeks. While staying with me she kept on working and communicating with contacts in the US. A busy lady she was. I would host Deborah again.
Doan • Los Angeles, CA, USA, Nov 2015
Deborah’s 26+ positive references speak for themselves, but I’m happy to add another. Deborah is a wonderful person — very friendly, very giving, very smart. Your life will definitely be better for having crossed paths with her! =)
An • Eilat, Israel, Nov 2015
I hosted Deborah but this doesn’t show in the system. She requested months ago. At that time. I couldn’t host her but we got in touch later again. This is why it won’t show through the system.
Debra is a very nice woman. She doesn’t behave like most couch surfers. She is REALLY interested in the people and the country she travels. She spent a year travelling Israel, so she didn’t come only for the tourist “stuff”. She’d rather stay the whole day home with you talking to you and getting to know you and your life, than going to the beach. Debra thought me to make proper pina colada :) (Thanks Debra, I already made it again since you left .) She has great conversations and fantastic stories. Pity I didn’t have more time for her. Hopefully, we will meet again in LA. Looking forward to it!
Scott G • Israel, August 2015
Devorah was the perfect guest. She made her way to my small moshav and immediately seemed right at home. It was a treat, and very easy, hosting such an intelligent and intriguing individual.
She left nothing but footprints, fond memories, and chocolate cake !
R&I • Northern Israel, June 2015
We had a great time hosting Deborah, we were a little worried at first (we never hosted before) but it’s been really great. She is very considerate, friendly and interesting. She is a keen traveler with many interesting stories to tell. it felt as if we were now sitting in Guatemala and sharing stories with fellow travelers :)
We felt very secure to also let her stay during the weekend while we were gone and the house was very tidy when we returned. I hope you continue to have great experiences!!
Hedda • Oslo, Norway, March 2015
Deborah is friendly and very open minded. A friend and I were staying at the same hostel as she had been staying at for a while. She told us what things to do, and she really made our experience ten times better. Even though she was very busy, she took her time to sit and talk with us for hours. You never get bored with Deborah around; she has tons of funny and interesting stories to tell.
Aaron! • American traveling in China, November 2014
Deborah is an amazing person, traveler, and friend. She has such a positive attitude, with her caring and tranquility, and it will surely brighten your day/week/trip. Would highly recommend getting the chance to meet her!
Callum • Melbourne, Australia, October 2014
Deborah is very friendly, happy and full of advice for travelling. She also helped fix my Mac when it broke one night and put a lot of effort into it.
Edgars • Riga, Latvia, Oct 2014
Deborah is a person you can learn a lot from and get inspired. She got a lot of stories to share and you can learn that balance between traveling and working really does exist. If you have an opportunity to host her don’t miss it.
Beate • Berlin, Germany, September 2014
Deborah was a very pleasant and interesting guest, easy to please. I really enjoyed to listen to her adventures around the world and we had some experiences in common too. It was nice to walk with my dog in the parks of Sanssouci and Charlottenhof and to show her my garden and the beechwood nearby.
We even had some political discussions. Thank you for the dog’s plaything. Hope to see you again sometime in the future
Sigita • Siauliai, Lithuania, September 2014
I am sorry it took a quite long time until I started to write this reference, but sometimes it’s not easy to verbalize nice experience. It was really a great pleasure to meet Deborah and to spend a few days around her company. We walked around the town, went to the Hill of Crosses with my 5 years old granddaughter, spent lovely time enjoying simple things.
Romas • Klaipeda, Lithuania, September 2014
Deborah spent some days in my home when she travelled in Lithuania She came to Lithuania to find her family roots. I spent very interesting time with Deborah. Long talks about life, trips. She is very friendly and sincere.
Zivile • Vilnius, Lithuania, August 2014
Deborah is a great, interesting, friendly person and a real traveler! Highly recommended as a guest or host :)
Katie • Auckland, New Zealand, August 2014
I met Deborah at a CSers meet up in Riga. She has an interesting lifestyle, so it was great chatting. She educated me on the 101 of couch surfing which was brilliant because it was my first event. Very welcoming and easy to chat to. Thanks and best wishes out there :-)
Zaiga • Latvia, August 2014
I met Deb in CS meeting in Riga. We had interesting conversations about different topics. She is very friendly and open person.
Sari Hannah
Yangon, Yangon Region, Myanmar, Aug 2014
Deborah is an inspiring person! It was amazing to find her in Vilnius and hear about her travels… the original CSer! Very much hope to see her in Israel one day. Best to you!
Michal, Warsaw, Mazovia, Poland, July 2014
It was great time while hosting Deb. She is very nice person, good company, and you can talk with her about everything.
Gabi Bialasik
Krakow, Lesser Poland, Poland, July 2014
Although we met through a Couchsurfing group, I can’t wait to meet up with Deborah in Krakow, I hope I will be able to host her and help her with travelling in Lithuania and Poland :)
Dorota Nowakówna, Krakow, Poland, April 2014
Before meeting each other in person, we talked on the phone, and I already had a feeling that I was about to meet a great companion. I couldn’t be more right. We agreed to explore Austin together, but spontaneity took the helm, and that day we never made it downtown – there were too many distractions on our way. I had a great time with Deborah. I really enjoyed chatting with her, exchanging opinions and experiences. She is an intriguing and extraordinary person, and I had never met a better shopping companion. We hung out a few times, and she hosted me in her place one night. Getting to know Deborah was one of the best things I experienced during my visit to Texas
There are many more, but that’s enough here for now.