I have been sitting full-time on this site for over a year and love my overall experience (caring for wonderful pets, exploring new areas, and helping hosts), but I am feeling a bit burned out. I’m planning on still traveling full-time, as a digital nomad, however not confirming any sits for a few months, until I address this burnout feeling.
I was recommended to this site by a coworker (veteran sitter) who gave me so much advice on how the site works and how to get good sits and good reviews, yet now this coworker says they are having to be extremely particular with sits they accept. I am beginning to feel the same sentiment. I have always made the most out of my sits, but want to proceed with a better strategy beyond does the house look clean from the photos and are there good reviews.
Recently, I came across a sit that I liked but didn’t apply because the host had too many 5 star reviews from former members and active sitters deciding not to leave a review, which I perceived as a potential “not so good” sit. I also recently cancelled a confirmed sit (20 days before the sit started, so HO had time to make other arrangements) with a new HO (no prior sits with THS) after they sent over an empty Welcome Guide and were slow to respond to my questions, which seemed like the sit would be ”not so good”.
Are there any other full-time or veteran sitters that felt burned out and are now very particular with how they apply to and cancel sits, and can share their methods or process?
I am risk adverse so went into house sitting expecting and preparing for the possibility of worse case scenarios . One benefit of this mindset is that I have been very careful about sits I choose , insist on a video chat before confirming a sit and insist on receiving a welcome guide promptly after the sit is confirmed.
This approach certainly doesn’t work for everyone but so far we’ve had only great sits .
Hmm… from everything I see from you, you appear to be fantastic sitters.
That said, the things you list in this post are self evident things I’d not even care to list… even though you say you are very particular, these things set the bar very low. But I suppose you have more and harsher criteria
I don’t sit during year-end holidays, so my last sit of the year will be in October. I’ll be taking a break and play by ear when to start sitting again.
I’ve always been selective and cautious with sits. (Better I miss a sit over a false negative than get a bad sit over a false positive.)
For me, sitting is entirely optional. I have comfortable homes and can afford other ways to travel. Even back when I was young and tight on money, had there been a THS then, I would’ve never accepted sits that gave me pause or such. I would’ve rather not traveled at all or sat only local-ish, rather than put myself at risk of being exploited, abused or such. Or of being stranded and unable to afford an escape.
Travel is terrific, but self-care is way more important to me and always will be.
We’ve been housesitting full-time for over 4 years and I hear you.
I think the key to avoid burn out are long sits, I’m talking several months. The constant changing and moving definitely takes its toll. Before embarking on this lifestyle, I hated the word ‘routine’, now I occasionally crave it Doing ‘nothing’ is a blessing sometimes.
We also find that it helps to stay in the same country for a few months. You get used to the language, the food, the culture,…
And yes, we’ve become stricter in the sits we accept. Yesterday we applied and withdrew for 3 different sits cause they seemed great at first, but after a short coversation, not all our ‘needs’ were met. Before we might have compromised more, where now we are ‘these are our conditions’
I can tell from other posts that @Maggie8K is a veteran sitter and gives valuable advice, thanks!
You’re right self care is more important, than travel!
I often with takes short breaks in between sits (usually a few days or a week or two), but I’m considering not accepting any sits during a longer time frame. Hopefully, a few months without sits and just focusing me myself will help.
Thank you for your thoughtful response and sharing that you too understand feeling burned out!
I don’t want to sound whiny, at all, especially since THS has greatly changed my life. I’ve mostly had good experiences and just want to figure out how I can stay on the platform, long term.
I agree that longer sits are more suitable for me, so I rarely apply to short sits (less than 1 week).
If I am particular about a sit, it is because I am being selective about the sit—not necessarily burn out. If I felt burned out, I would take a break, rest, and re-energize before taking on sits.
I think whether a person sits part-time or full-time, it is ok to take mental, emotional, and physical breaks.
If people don’t take care of themselves, how can they be expected to care for others? And in the case of sitters, how can they be expected to care for pets?
As for your feeling burned out, take care of yourself, listen to your body and mind and take steps to give yourself the grace and pause you need to re-energize.
As for being particular of the sits you choose, continue to trust your instincts of sits you are willing to accept or not accept.
Don’t compromise your standards for sits just to fill the dates on the calendar.
Absolutely! I’ve told myself that I need to address this burned out feeling before taking on any more sits, as it’s not best for the pets. They desire a sitter that’s a bit more energetic and I’m finding myself cuddled up with them watching more Netflix, than usual.
I just booked a lovely Airbnb by the beach and will use my time to re-energize and prepare for my return to sitting.
Thanks for your advice @sharondc !!! Going forward, I won’t just try to fill out my calendar, but find and secure the best sits for me.
Personally speaking, I know myself well enough that I just couldn’t do full time. I do this for roughly 30% of the year on average.
I’ve been on this website over five years now and the last year has been the best for me in terms of experiences. I think that’s partly because I’m more experienced, have a lot more reviews under my belt and I’m a lot more selective and discerning these days than I ever was in the beginning. It’s been quite the learning curve for me!!!
If I don’t feel 200% confident that it’s a good fit and that I’ll have a good relationship with the HO, I don’t even consider going ahead. There’s nothing worse than being trapped on a sit despising every moment! Every time, I’ve had that nagging niggle that something is amiss beforehand and I ignored it and went ahead, almost always things went sideways.
So, I’m ultra discerning these days and so far, it seems to be paying off!!!
Getting so much positive feedback on this topic is beyond my expectations, @Chatsetchiens!
Having completed almost 30 sits in just a little over a year, I’ve built up enough good reviews and hope to spend future years with THS, seeking out only great experiences and hosts.
That’s amazing to hear. You’ve amassed a lot of great experience in such a short period of time. That’s incredible!
I have to say, I do love many aspects of this lifestyle. I just got back from an amazing sit in Oslo. I’ve now been to Oslo twice - once as a tourist and the second as a sitter. Being there enjoying the experience with the company of a sweet dog was 500% better.
It really is such a great way to travel.
I love your username by the way and I also consider myself to be something of a maverick!
@Themavericksitter to answer your question -these are something things we ask before committing to a sit -
How long the pets can be left alone for ?
We ask this in our application, and have been glad that we have done so, because on more than one occasion the reply has been they can never be left alone / for 1 hour in emergencies- that’s not a good match for us , so we withdrew our application.
Any medical conditions/ medicines to be administered ? If a sit is confirmed several months ahead we follow up on this closer to the time - which has on occasion revealed newly developed medical conditions.( not necessarily a deal breaker but something that we want to know before we start the sit )
If the sit is for dogs - where they are walked ? If they can’t be walked directly from the property and need to be transported to a suitable place for their walk - we have withdrawn our application.
Are the pets registered with a vet and has the owner set up an account ? That’s a deal breaker for us .
Will the hosts be providing a welcome guide and when can we expect to receive it ?
What day / time will the owner be departing and returning?
Surprising answers have been that the owner:
•planned to stay and would overlap with us for 3 days at the beginning and one day at the end of a 10 day sit .
•Wanted us to arrive at 6:30 am on the start date -when we are a five hour drive away .
•Wanted us to stay until 7pm on the day ( when we had a four hour drive home ) .
We didn’t always ask this but after having experienced a host returning home several days early and curtailing our stay , it’s an important question that we discuss- before committing to a sit .
We either negotiated for a more suitable arrangement or withdrew our application .
By now asking these questions we avoid finding out deal breaking information at the last minute- .
Did the HOs give a reason as to why the dogs could not be “walked directly from the property and had to be transported to a suitable place for their walk”?
If the dogs requires …say 3-4 daily walks, then the sitters would need to transport the dogs 3-4 times per day? Unless the HOs are willing to offer the sitters their cars for transport, securing sitters could prove challenging.
Located on a busy road with no pavement/ sidewalk there was no safe option for human or dogs to walk from the property .
Two large dogs that needed a lot of exercise .
There was a garden for toileting but to get to a nearby location their daily long walk transportation was needed.
We withdrew our application but they found a suitable sitter couple who had their own dog . (I assume they also had a vehicle that could accommodate all three )
Whilst it wasn’t a good match for us , it seems that it was a good match for them to be able to bring their own dog to stay in a lovely home .
If this was clear in the listing we wouldn’t have applied but during our video call it came to light .
I mean - I’ve seen that a lot of times in Vienna - having a dog or dogs in the city, in apartments without outdoor space etc.; that is simply inappopriate.
And here in Spain it seems to be an epidemic - they “love” their dogs. Well, if “loving” means holding them in conditions nobody should even consider a dog. Many are sheltered in cages outside 24 hours, there are a lot of illegal breeders, etc.; if you can’t walk your dog in your vicinity - decide whether you want a dog or live there. (Yeah I know, you had the dog before and then you moved. You could have considered the dog’s requirements alongside yours when choosing a new home.)
Hi @Themavericksitter
As someone that’s been on THS a few years you start to find your own way of sitting that works for you. Some sit full time, some part time and some use it as a cheaper way to holiday. You also learn to read listings and what are red flags for you. I sit part time and not over Xmas (due to family commitments) and not for large parts of the summer due to my charity commitments.
The video chat is important for me as it’s a way to make sure we’re aligned for the sit. A home owner can reveal things during a char that adds conform to the sit or occasionally makes me withdraw. These have included no heating in mid winter and not leaving the property for a 6 day sit! Of course some sitters may accept these.
I had one sit, almost a year ago, where I never had a video call or phone call with the host or ever met this person, face to face and I did feel that wasn’t properly prepared for the sit. Never again!
A video call is a must, but I will admit that I use the video call to sell myself and get a better feel for the host. I usually save detailed questions for after I’ve received the Welcome Guide. This seems like a mistake in my end, especially not asking essential questions with my application.
Doing ‘nothing’ is a blessing sometimes.
