I also think that nowadays a video call makes things a lot easier, and lets me get a feel for my potential sitters, so I like this.
When I started out on THS, that wasn’t generally done, so we agreed on the sit over chatting. This also worked out fine. We did well in the olden days!
Yes, I would assume that someone who takes those unfavorable sits (no heat in mid-winter and not being able to leave the pet) is fairly new to THS, as I once was. From the many responses to this topic from veteran sitters, being more particular and selective comes from experience.
Thank you @richten1 for your valuable input!
We have been sitting full time for three years and I agree with @Els , long sits are the answer. Doing month minimum sits gives you time to arrive, unpack, relax and completely recharge before it is time to move on again.
Also choose sits that are not going to be too strenuous or too demanding of your time.
Thanks @Colin ! When I first started sitting on THS I wanted to always be on the go, moving from city to city, however I would love to get more years of full time sitting under my belt and longer sits seem the best method for reducing burnout.
How far out in advance do you plan your sit calendar and do you take short breaks between these longer sits?
We’ve joined THS in early 2023, and loved it so much that we went full time after the first sit. We realised after about the first 6 months that it helps hugely when we stagger the types of pets we do, so if we have a normal fit and healthy dog one time, then we’ll do a cat or a small lightweight dog the next time.
Also, it really helps us when we do longer sits, say 3 weeks or more it feels like we have much more time in life in general, because it reduces the amount of time you spend packing things up and traveling etc, because with each sit you do, you lose a few days just travelling, settling in, and getting to know whats-what. So you really do gain a few days just by focusing on longer sits, and then just filling in the gaps with shorter ones if need be.
May and June we were on sits/ on route.
July we were at home.
August: a sit.
So we just today arrived home from the 3 weeks sit.
Tomorrow we go on a 5 day sit.
The houses, pets, homeowners and environments we go to are fabulous.
(All repeated sits).
But I know that next week I am also glad to be “home sweet home” for two weeks.
So I totally understand your feeling.
@Themavericksitter I have experienced sitter burnout and took a 2 month break from sitting and traveling to recharge. Between traveling full time across various countries / continents and going from sit to sit along the way I burned out pretty quickly within a year. I have learned a lot as I’ve progressed as a pet sitter and now more selective as a result.
I have been sitting full-time for a decade now, and I have never really experienced any sort of ‘burn out.’ I can say with all honesty that my experience has been almost wholly positive this whole time.
There was only one sit that we really had more serious issues, and we left 6 weeks into what was supposed to be a 9 week sit–we stuck out this assignment much longer than most would have I suspect. This was way back in 2015 and I often forget about it.
Other than that, of course there have been times where a pet was more challenging than anticipated or there were things about the location I didn’t like as much, but again, nothing that made me feel super-stressed or really unhappy. I have never had a sit with an extremely dirty home, I have never had any conflict with any hosts, dealt with unreasonable requests, had major things sprung on us after confirming,etc…
While I can’t really remember my earlier years doing this as much as I can recent years, I think I have always been at least somewhat discerning from the beginning, and definitely very so in the last several years for sure. And that is probably one of the major reasons I have never felt that way ever.
I rely very strongly on my intuition when choosing sits. I have a very strong sense of what I like and don’t like, and I don’t compromise because a location is very desirable.
Every sitter has their own priorities, preferences,etc… and what may work for one may not work for another based on these. Sitters really need to figure this out and live by it, especially for those doing it full-time or who sit for extended periods.
My primary consideration is what my day to day comfort and routine would be like. Not even the most desirable, interesting location would compensate for any major compromises on that.
For example, being right in the center of the most desirable neighborhood in Paris or right on the ocean on a Thai island would be great, but not if it was a studio apartment–I travel with my husband and I can’t live in just one room with another person–or a dirty, cluttered space. But some sitters would feel differently and wouldn’t care as much about that if it gave them the opportunity to go somewhere considered a really desirable location.
There are no guarantees of course, and even the most diligent sitter can get caught off-guard, but to have had the type of experience I have had for as long as I have had can’t simply be chalked up to luck. Figuring out what works for me and what doesn’t, honoring my preferences and relying strongly on intuition has seemed to serve me very well.
The thing about intuition with housesitting in particular, is we really have to be willing to trust it because intuitive nudges to avoid something are often not validated. We will never know what actually would have happened and if we were ‘right.’
Good luck!
We have been doing this full time for 2 years now and while we don’t feel ‘burned out’ we think that we have learned to be more patient and picky when it comes to choosing the right sit. We have learned that the more no reviews a HO has, the more likely we will not apply for the sit. (more than 2/3 that is a no go).
Also, we have learned that ads that are very short and sweet, usually throw a lot more extra things at your when it comes to the welcome guide and upon arrival. The more in depth the listing, the better it looks to us.
We have also learned to avoid a few things that help us not feel so tired/burned out at the end of a sit:
We have only canceled one sit because it was in the future by about 5 months, the dog was getting up there in age and it wasn’t clear on the listing or the guide about any medical issues (when there is a good chance there is some) and it was only a 2 week sit.
We have gotten VERY picky and learned that just because there is a sit that has great dates…don’t be so quick on the draw. Be patient and the right sit will come to you 
I think it can depend a lot on the level of responsibility of the sits that we take on. These days, I tend to prefer only taking on sits where I am responsible for a maximum of 2 pets and I generally tend to look after just one as that works best for me.
One thing that’s also helped me personally to avoid burnout is my personal preference after doing close to 60 sits now is to check in with updates and photos etc every 3 days. That’s my ideal pace of communication personally. I always discuss this with the HO though at during the pre-sit discussion to ensure we’re in agreement about that before going ahead.
I feel this pace hits a really nice sweet spot between us keeping in touch and also allowing us to enjoy and relax into our own respective experiences. Since I’ve expressed upfront that this is my frequency of communication and what has worked best on my other sits, I’m noticing a lot of HOs are completely fine with that tempo so it’s a great match.
Whilst I quite understand there are HOs who prefer more frequent updates and of course they are quite entitled to request that, I would simply not be the right fit for them and vice versa. And there’s nothing wrong in that.
Since I got really clear on what keeps stress on a sit to a minimum and the things that make it more enjoyable,
I’ve been able to significantly reduce that feeling of burnout. Also, as others have wisely said, never underestimate your gut instinct. If something feels even mildly off during a pre-sit call, chances are it is. We can all save ourselves a lot of headaches by paying attention to that and not getting ourselves entangled in situations we later regret!
This is great advice which I completely echo based on my own experience.
Every now and then, I must confess I do get tempted by the cuteness of a sweet puppy in a listing and then I remind myself, it is a LOT of work.
I recently came across a guy in my local park who looked roughly in his late twenties who’d recently got a sausage dog puppy that was only around 15 weeks. The poor man looked like he hadn’t slept for a year! He told me the pup is waking him up at 4 am every night.
He was so sleep deprived, he’d forgotten poo bags so he asked if I had any on me. I crouched down to have a rummage in my handbag and his puppy jumped right in there! 
It was hilarious but a definite reminder that there’s a lot of work involved in those early days and I’ll be honest, it’s just way too much for me!!!
I’m just chiming in with the self care which is extremely important. The better you take care of yourself the more energetic you are for others. I’m not full time, I spend about 2/3rds of the year sitting. I don’t sit during major holidays and tend to take on the longer sits so I can just take the time to restore snd replenish. I spent 4 months sitting abroad this winter and spring in the UK, and took several little breaks of being totally on my own in-between in order to avoid burnouts. After almost 4 years on this platform I’ve also come to be more discerning about what’s a good fit and what wouldn’t work. Just trusting your intuitive sense is key.
So interesting to read your thoughts in this thread! The experience you share on burnout/ preventivt burnout is so valuable, also to a «holiday-sitter». 
I see that several mention the vetting of sits and what you look for. I need to make note of some of the questions you ask, indeed valid questions. 
Also the length of sits. During the years, I’ve often talked about another matter - ideal vacation-time - with coworkers. It is often said that you use the first week winding down and settling in - and the last week «winding up», preparing for last minute stuff/travel/ going back to work - so to fully relax, that is only true for the middle week of a three week vacation. 
A little harsh, perhaps. But some thruth to it. I can imagine that many weeks during a longer time period where one is «gearing up or down» and few weeks where you just - live - can be tiring in the long run. Also the feeling of not having roots is maybe more present at times than the feeling of adventure? 
I have been home-swapping many times on another plattform, and not experienced «bad swaps» as in the sense I see here - undisclosed issues that put a strain on your time/effort/overall experience, and I didn’t experience that people had these high expectations on what others should do for
oneself just for the general feeling of being «content» or «enough».
In part there seems to for some being that one doesn’t regard one another as an equal partner one feel a respinsibility for having an enjoyable stay, maybe in part it has also something to do with «the times» in general? Are more people nowadays more individualistic/ materialistic, «what is in it for me» - and less community-oriented? 
I just read an article of factors for what was important to «be happy». It said that if you had a materialistic mindset, 
you would need a 35 % (!) higher income to reach the same level of happiness as a person with an idealistic mindset. Although not directly applicable - maybe it could be reason to say that if a petsit partner is thinking about how a sit could be of value also for your partner, you are more likely to be happy? 
It seems that some fulltime sitters don’t really have a permanent home (but probably a permanent adress? Or not?)? Do you have some buffer for that, a possibility for a time-out, having a buffer-fund, a refuge-place?
Thank you again. Will have to bookmark this thread.
@Silversitters that is really insightfull and helpfull advise. How much of these questions is verbally over the videocall and how much is written afterwards? Do you keep all communication within the app? cause it sometimes seems to switch a bit after the videocall through WhatsApp
The question about how long the pets can be left for is in our application ( or even pre application as it’s a deal breaker) also the owners departure and return dates times is asked in our application if we are Co-ordinating back to back sits or have other commitments that we are scheduling.
The rest is covered verbally during our video call in a friendly discussion. I have a list of questions to hand and if we’ve not covered anything on the list naturally in our chat, I will raise those questions at the end .
All of this is discussed with owners prior to accepting a sit .
I’ve been sitting for about a decade. I’ve done very little for the last couple years because I switched to living in a camper van, so living in a house was less enticing - though I missed the creatures. Now I’m doing more sitting as I’m a bit burnt out on the van so I’m getting back into the routine. Being out of practice, I recently let myself down with a sit that I may not have taken before and I ended up having a not great experience. I’ve now dusted off my old habits and become much more picky again. I just accepted a 6 month sit over winter and I’m super excited about it. I was even able to stop and meet the HOs and their giant Maine Coon cat last week and it solidified that it was a great choice.
So yes, take breaks if you get burnt out. Or switch to only long term sits (I RARELY do anything under 2 weeks and even then only if it’s a spectacular sit). Just keep in mind when you get back into it the lessons you’ve already learned.
@elmi4711 I recently saw a listing here in the UK where 3 working dogs were pictured in scruffy and small outdoor runs and the listing stated they were ‘not to leave their runs’ for the duration of the sit. I was appalled, especially as this was a sit period of several weeks! Indeed, I contacted MS to ask if this was acceptable on the site, and the listing remained…
We try to book no more than 3-4 months in advance although we are too easily tempted away from our own guidelines ( we have just accepted a booking for April 2025! )
We did almost three years without a single break, mainly because many of our sits have the feeling of being on holiday anyway , however we did treat ourselves to months ‘proper’ holiday last January which was great and we will probably do something similar again this coming Jan/Feb.
I have kept a log of every stop we have done since we gave up our permanent address in 2020., whether that be an Airbnb, housesit, airport lounge, or staying with family.
Our original idea was to live full-time in Airbnb accommodations. So we bought a one way ticket to Greece and started our nomadic adventure from there.
We did this for a few months until an Airbnb host told us about housesitting, ( we had never heard of it until then) Our first housesit was in May 2021 and we immediately got hooked!,
@Themavericksitter
We are always particular when choosing sits now, after a couple of rookie errors early on.
But even after the greatest sits, we always enjoy going home and we can chill, do what we want to etc without the responsibilities of pets.
Not sure how people do full time petsitting, I take my hat off to them totally, but its not for us.
Just wondering, if any nomadic sitters, who have given up their house etc, if they develop a life changing health situation, it must be a bit of a predicament to handle surely
@Hallt64
A life changing health situation would probably be the thing that puts a stop to our nomadic lifestyle so we have our fingers crossed that nothing too terrible happens for many years to come! 