This subject has been discussed ad infinitum here on the forum but still nothing is done by the tech team.
Here’s one such thread:
I’m bringing it up again because I have a few UK cities/towns saved and it’s driving me to drink that every single day I get a message telling me there are sits in the various towns but, to date, there never are. I wouldn’t mind up to 5 miles away but they’re often 60 or 70 miles away.
When, or when is THS going to resolve this and all the other issues we’ve been banging on about for years?? It’s disrespectful to ignore requests for improvements by paying members but, instead, to keep bringing in new changes we don’t want.
If I were the CEO I would be holding a staff meeting with a long list of all the matters we want addressing.
I would ask please that @Jenny or @Mark_ B passes this on to the CEO so that finally we are heard
I agree. For what it is worth, in the USA, I find that searching by County rather than City helps to limit the number of oddball listings that are far away from the target city.
What still drives me crazy is the fact that Owners can put whatever City they want as their location!! It is very purposely deceptive, in some cases. Some Owners are simply ignorant.
It’s a little off topic, so the forum mods might delete this post, but there are similarities in the geographical accuracy of the THS mapping function and RyanAir’s flight destinations. For those that don’t know RyanAir is a European budget airline. Here are some examples of their misleading flight destinations.
Paris Vatry Airport (XCR): It sits roughly 147 to 160 km (90 to 100 miles) away from Paris, forcing passengers into a punishing 2.5-hour drive or shuttle ride just to reach the French capital.
Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN): Marketed as Frankfurt, but located 120–126 km (75–78 miles) away—meaning it is physically closer to Luxembourg than it is to Frankfurt.
Oslo Torp (TRF): Situated 110–120 km (68–75 miles) south of Oslo, requiring a nearly two-hour trek by bus or train.
Paris Beauvais (BVA): Roughly 85–90 km (55–60 miles) north of Paris, taking 1.5 hours by road.
Munich West / Memmingen (FMM): Located 110–115 km (approx. 72 miles) from Munich.
I agree. It drives me nuts too and also the new sit notifications when the new sits aren’t always first - what’s that all about?!. How about a geographical search with a maximum radius - that would stop me getting notifications for my chosen locations that are actually miles away from where I want to be
This, I think, is the best compromise of the situation. I will be egotistical enough to state that as an American: “nearby” can have far different connotations in the U.S. verses in places like Europe. And methods of transportation further change that as well (50 miles is not as big a deal with a personal vehicle compared to flying across the pond and making the final trek via plane/train/ride share/horse and buggy).
As a rural HO in the U.S., I’m one of those houses that can be misunderstood, especially since I’m located in NY State, but am way further from NYC than some people outside of the U.S. assume. I make sure that’s clearly communicated in the description to establish realistic expectations, but from a sitters’ perspective it can be difficult to determine options in the first place. Establishing radial notifications (either specifically or generally) can help sitters make informed decisions of what is in their realm to accommodate, as well as ensuring HOs are considering everything they can to set the sitters up for success.
Will that hurt some of the rural HOs? Likely. But to succeed as a platform, avenues to encourage that transparency is what will help the platform succeed.
Completely agree but my particular bug bear when there’s a significant body of water between the search location and THS’s suggestions eg
Jersey- France
Jersey- Guernsey
With significant travel between its frustrating, my elderly Uncle lives on Jersey so if I’m visiting him the other places don’t really work. .
@BonnyinBrighton all the sits coming up at the moment are for this summer and I’m tied up with ‘stuff’ until mid October. What’s it like there in the cooler months?
I’d say it depends where you are as the prevailing winds/rain can be brutal at Gorey and St Oeuns in Dec-Feb. Tbh the temperature is always warmer than SE England but the big issue in October onwards is the risk of fog if flying and getting to/from the Island. I’ve git stuck a few times, but if nothing is flying in then HOs equally can’t fly out. I don’t use the Ferry/hydrofoil after September as it’s too vomit making for me and everyone else too it seems! So unless you’ve got seriously good sea legs I’d avoid the sea route.