Fully agree, you simply cannot compare a holiday to petsitting. Totally different
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Exactly! And I have my own pets. Even if I was going on a relaxing spa holiday or an adventure trip ā and not a sit ā Iād miss them and be thinking of them. So going on a city exploration, or Verbo type week or weekend in a rural setting and having to āpetcareā as a responsibility just means doing things that are part of my daily routine anyway, but still being able to do other stuff.
I live in NYC, so when people apply, sometimes they are coming because of a work opportunity, internship, family visit where theyād rather not stay with family, etc. But usually they are coming to travel, see the city, and have fun ā a holiday. Iām always slightly suspicious of sitters who tell me how theyāll be home most of the time taking care of my cats. It sounds like what they think I want to hear. I honestly donāt need to be home most of the time. I just need a sitter to be there for breakfast, dinner, and evening snack.
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It depends on the individual. Iām on my 14th sit and actually have spent a great majority of my time at sit homes, because I telecommute and Iām a very slow traveler.
When I want to do significant sightseeing, I just pay for days outside of sitting or I donāt sit at all.
Also, it depends on how well traveled someone is. Like Iāve been to NYC countless times. If I were to sit there, Iād be interested in primarily going out to eat and seeing a museum or two. And I recently declined a cat sit in Chelsea, because I just didnāt feel like going.
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Iām a āslowā traveler as well which is why sits suit me fine. We did 10 days in San Fransisco in Sepember and there were days when we lounged around. Most evenings we were in for the night early and enjoying Netflix on the gigantic television screen. If we had been paying for accomodation, it would have been a much shorter trip and the pace would have been more intense.
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I find it a little strange that you would be slightly suspicious of sitters who tell you that they will be home a lot. Iām older and not someone who needs to be on the go all of the time. I know NYC very well, so for me when I visit, I may get tickets for a show, see a museum or two, take some walks. I also enjoy being home, relaxing with a good book with some pet company. Oftentimes, when I apply, I say exactly that. I thought it may be a positive for most. Sounds like for you, that may not be the case.
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Naaah, Iāve visited 120+ countries, many of them multiple times, and have zero interest in seeing yet another cathedral or whatever other landmark. All I want is a glimpse of day-to-day life, a city vibe on my way to the grocery store. All I want to know is āCould I live here?ā So, if I tell you Iāll be at home most of the time, I mean exactly that. This doesnāt necessarily mean Iāll be taking care of your cats all the timeā but I know theyĀ“ll be right next to me assisting me with my remote work or whatever else I might be doing
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Exactly. Even when I pay for a nonsit vacation, I spend a lot of time lounging around my hotel room.
Thatās partly why I love solo travel ā I donāt hold anyone back from their travel check lists or such and I donāt feel obliged to do things just because someone else doesnāt want to lounge around.
I also enjoy lame things like seeing how normal people live and going to the supermarket or coffee shop. Iāve been to various places and seen relatively few sights and am perfectly happy with that.
Most people also take a lot of photos and selfies. I take only scenic or mundane photos, not ones of me. Like I donāt have photos in front of iconic places or such. If I wanted that, Iād just photoshop myself in, LOL.
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@Marion We are currently on a 5 week 2-cats sit down in the south of France. The hosts, like almost every other host weāve met (!), have informed us of various restaurants, cafes, markets and all the wonderful things to do/see hereā¦none of which is of real interest to us! We chose this (last minute) sit precisely so we could chill out in the sun after 6 months of intensive UK sits (all great!) but in mostly cold and very dull weather! We both feel rather more in need of some serious R&R rather than intensive sightseeing etc. The house and garden are lovely and the cats adorable. This first week all weāve done is slept a lot, watered the (large number) of plants in & out, played with the kitties, done a little local pottering and enjoyed dinner al fresco on the terrace! All perfect. 
After a couple of weeks Iām sure weāll get the urge for a bit of exploring too!
But the thing isā¦life as a nomadic traveller can sometimes be exhausting! Weāve had no fixed base for 12 years now so nowadays some of our housesits become more like retreats- a great opportunity to settle internally again. Both my hubby and I have travelled extensively throughout our lives so these days when we consciously choose to do/see nothing we never feel we are missing anything!!
Sometimes I think that sitters and HOs are different breeds! Especially nomadic sitters- we see life through a different lens and have very different priorities. Not better or worse- just different! 
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Yes, if I were sitting in a lovely country home I might be around most of the time, but if someone ask to sit in my modest, small NYC apartment, my thinking is that even if they are wfh some hours, theyāll want to be out and out about other hours ā and there is nothing wrong with that.
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Maybe I shouldnāt have put it the way I put it. This is more a reaction Iāve had to a few potential sitters who seemed very eager to tell me how much time they would spending with the cats when the question hadnāt even been asked. Itās happened more than once, and itās been with younger sitters, so it just felt fake like they were telling me something they thought I wanted to hear. It felt inauthentic.
If I was concerned about whether or not a sitter would be around enough, I might ask them how theyād be spending their days and how theyād schedule in the cat time, but asking the question might also just give me insight into who they are. It was the eagerness to reply that theyād be home all the time that made me feel like they were responding to a question I hadnāt asked.
Iām also older and have been on sits in great locations where I was happy to take things slow and spend long stretches at home with the cats.
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Precisely!
I concur, for me its all about the pets and the connections you build along the wayā¦
As an retired gal my priorities have changed. I am pretty low key, and on my recent sits I prefer to relax and hang out close to the pets. Regardless of how swanky the home might be. Iām very adaptable and enjoy relaxing as well as a liittle exploring. This winter most of my exploring has been in between the sits so I feel more at ease and not worrying about the pets at home. Iām currently in a village in south yorkshire and she has a lovely backyard and feeds the birds. Iām content to sit in the yard after filling the feeders and seeing who shows up. Cozy and comfort takes precedence over swanky.
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Iām intrigued by this term ālow keyā (Iāve seen it in some HO descriptions too) what does it mean/imply as we donāt use this term in my area of England so no ideaā¦.
Some synonyms for low key would be relaxed, quiet or subdued
@BonnyinBrighton , Low key is the thing you put into the bottom lock on the door 
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@BonnyinBrighton (are you really from Brighton?!) Iām a true Brightonion- born & bred! And Iāve always known the term ālow keyā. I see it as the opposite of āover the topā e.g I chose to celebrate my last (60th!) birthday ālow keyā just me and the hubby housesitting on a gorgeous country estate with good food, a bottle of bubbly and a bunch of furry friendsā¦ instead of a having a huge OTT birthday bash!
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āHove Actuallyā born and bred so perhaps itās a generational thing then? Iām not sure of the wider implications tbh
I mean a low key supper is that a kitchen supper? Is a high key supper therefore with a tablecloth? Is it about āeffortā maybe?
@BonnyinBrighton aha āHove Actuallyā!
Havenāt heard that expression for years! Me too! I was born in Brighton General but brought up in Hoveactually!!
(Wish rd!) At least till I was 5 years old then we moved back to Brighton.
I guess a low key supper would be something quick or simple like soup or baked tats etc e.g ālets have a bite to eatā and, yes, probably around the kitchen table! As opposed to a formal dinner party where you dress up and get the family silver out! 
Iāve never heard of the term āhigh keyā used as the opposite!
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You sound just like us and itās definitely not all about sightseeing and eating out, itās just stepping into someone else life for a few weeks but living it your way. Enjoy France after the UK weather, we were three months in France and been back in UK for two months, miss France terribly.
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