I hear you, but that’s exactly what I went through in Dec 21… I thought things were opening back up and then the next wave hit. My sitter canceled a week before my vacation. My sitter didn’t have flight restrictions, but she just didn’t feel comfortable traveling internationally
I think I just have PTSD from that. Of course, a sitter can cancel for whatever reason, but international just brings so much risk with Covid around. Flights can change, country/travel restrictions are at stake… There’s just many factors at play
Thank you for the tip @ElsieDownie ! I hope we’ll be able to do that in the future (dog-sitting in USA and buying a car to explore the country !). That is on my bucket list !
I am booked in the UK April through July, still in the US.
US citizens can stay in the UK 180 days at a time or you can break it up by going to Europe and back as long as it is not over 180 days in 6 months interval.
only thing to consider is to remember to enjoy yourself.
Train and bus. Flying in of course
Check Trainline.com it’s fabulous. They have an app. You can buy and use to present your ticket.
Bus I use National Express in Uk and Flexibus is great in Europe. I’ll probably catch you @Edith in London or maybe Brighton?
Yes you sure can. I did it with a sailboat! Lived aboard and sold it for my purchase price.
My daughter did it with a car in Australia for a full year while pet sitting.
I am of East Asian descent. It hasn’t been easy for me to get sits… especially in the US. I think I applied 20+ sits before I got one in NYC, and that was mostly because someone cancelled at the last minute. I think we have to make the extra effort to show we are committed, like telling owners we would arrive a couple of days before the sit.
Also it can be hard if the owners expect you to be fluent in the local language. For example, for sits in France. It’s not enough if I only speak English.
Do you think your ethnicity is a reason why you are not getting sits, or did you mention it for another reason? I would never discriminate based on ethnicity, and I hope most others wouldn’t either.
As for getting sits in NYC - that is always difficult. I was declined for many until I had my first review. I did a local sit, in a suburb of my town, just to get the first review. After that one, NYC was easier to get…but still not easy.
@MissRien My opinion is that any language requirement by a homeowner is based on the circumstances of the sit. If a sitter is in an area where few people speak English and there will be a need to interact as part of the sit, then an owner is being reasonable (and in a way, considerate) in requiring a certain level of the native language. I rarely see a sit requiring fluency in a language other than English, but if it is a requirement, then there’s probably a true need.
However, I have comfortably done solo sits in countries where English is not the native language. I apply based on the listing details, discuss the point with the homeowner, and then make sure we are both comfortable.
I agree. I usually only apply for sits in big cities, so speaking English should be okay. But I guess with all things equal, owners would go for someone who can speak the native language, if the sit is a long one (like more than 2 weeks).
Sadly this is something that I will never be able to find out. But judging from the history of their sitters, I can get an idea or two about who they prefer. Also most owners do not state their sitter preferences in their profile, you know.
If it’s my ethnicity that is the problem, then I am really playing a losing game here. But I will try to keep working on my profile to see if it makes a difference. But I can tell you before COVID, it was much easier for me to get a response. I even got invitations occasionally. I find getting a sit extremely hard after COVID.
Yeah NYC was really hard… NYC is supposed to be racially diverse so I don’t think my ethnicity is much of a problem. I guess most owners in the USA prefer someone more local or within the USA.
The post COVID world is a very different world for everyone, many owners are still thinking travel issues, distance, convenience, who might not be able to get to a sit and more.
I applied for three sits in Edinburgh earlier this year, just 1 hour & 40 mins from where I live I was unsuccessful.
One owner went with sitters who lived 30 mins away , another with one who had previously applied, the third I don’t know but then there’s no reason why I should… One month later I applied for another two in the same city and was accepted for both
An owner’s historical sitter choice (judging profiles) is very subjective and one should not fall into the trap of generalizing based on past choices. Choosing a sitter is more than the sum total of their profile, the same as choosing a sit is never just about the listing, it’s about applying for the right sit not just as sit and with 15 5 star reviewed sits to your credit, the story of your success, there will be others.
Hi
I am going to Hs from Italy to Uk I have been accepted and I hope to have more occasions in Uk. I think diffidence is common everywhere … so I hope in nice and kind people no matter of their nationality!
Post pandemic life requires more Humanity!
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