Hello dear people!
I have a scheduled sit coming up and was wondering if you usually bring a small gift when you arrive for the sit.
Usually I just leave some flowers or chocolate when I leave, but this time the house owner has been so helpful with booking my flights etc. that I’m thinking of bringing her something small when I arrive, but I don’t know what…
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I took a small token gift of a scented candle to my last sit just to thank them for choosing us as we haven’t lots of THS experience & they are very experienced hosts but also we were seeing them in person before they left & they were cooking us a meal. I replaced some dying flowers with a new bunch before we left. I think for me if you’re a guest you never go empty handed. It doesn’t have to be expensive- even a thank you card is sufficient.
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I don’t bring gifts. I might buy the pet a gift while sitting, if I happen across a pet store. And I might leave some human treats or a plant before I go, but only if I happen to feel like it. Depends on what hospitality I received.
I’ve treated hosts to meals sometimes — we went out after their return.
My current sit dog shown below, happily trying to gnaw the face off a toy I got him while we walked around town. Last time I sat him, I got him a Kong toy and he skinned it and then chewed it to bits.
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I primarily sit for cats. I usually leave a card and a cat-themed puzzle book for the homeowners.
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If they are cooking us dinner then we take a bottle of wine as we would for friends as that seems hospitable @hannahsunshine
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I don’t bring anything, except a bottle of wine if the HO is cooking dinner for me. But I leave a card and a small gift - something like a little house-plant - at the end of the sit.
If I sit internationally, I will bring a small, light gift from my home country which homeowners seem to really like. A simple souvenir. I always either cook a meal or leave fresh bread, milk and fruit for their return, depending on their time of arrival.
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I think that it doesn’t matter what anyone else does, if someone has gone out of their way to be kind and helpful to you it would be very sweet to bring them a gift. We usually leave a gift at the end but certainly if somebody had gone out of their way we would feel good about showing our appreciation. We have left everything from a pretty scented candle with a card to photos of their animals in a frame. Or a bottle of wine.
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We have never brought anything for the owner, but we might leave them something homemade if we really liked them (my finance loves cooking or making homemade elderflower juice in the summer). We also ensure we leave the home completely spotless for every owner, which they often really appreciate & rave about in our reviews. We have also mowed lawns without being asked to, or left fresh bread & breakfast pastries for them, and they have really appreciate this gesture too 
If you want to get them something though, some ideas could be:
- a hamper of treats or body creams
- a gift card maybe?
- maybe some tea and a cute mug?
- a travel themed hamper for their next trip (like an eye mask, cute travel toiletries kit or something?)
I don’t know, but I hope that helps 
I see that you are specifically asking about bringing a gift on arrival, since she helped you plan your travel.
If you are coming from far away, one idea is an item that is specifically from your area, like a jar of local jam or something locally made from wood. Or a nice dish towel or package of pretty cocktail napkins, wrapped with a pretty ribbon.
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I have a HUGE stock of covid sanity hobby things. Mead, hot sauce, jams, pickles, preserves so I’m slowly making my way through them as gifts for HOs. So far they have been well received. When I run out in 2094 (approximately) I will move on to Portuguese wines.
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Yes, I bring myself as a gift.
If I am sitting a playful cat / dog, I bring them toys such as wand toys / tug toys / tennis balls. With the homeowner’s approval, I also bring them treats.
I take many photos of the pets and upon completion of the sit, I use one of the photos to have a magnet photo made at a drugstore. This serves as a memento to give to the homeowner to show my appreciation for entrusting their precious pets into my care.
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I do not bring anything for the homeowner, but I usually get something for them as a thank you before I leave. It might mirror what they gave me.
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You’re not supposed to give them anything before or after, and I think the majority of sitters don’t. After all, both sides are doing each other a favour through the pet sitting arrangement.
I normally don’t bring/leave something. However in this case if they’ve been very helpful and even helping you with booking flights (wow, never heard of that before…), I would certainly bring something small to show your appreciation.
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Hi @Bluehorse What do you mean by this statement?
I don’t bring gifts and while I do accept and treasure the (non-consumable) things I’ve been given over the years by owners that I had built relationships with or are just nice memories of sits (eg my first NYC sit over Christmas) I think it’s good that it’s not the norm as it’s too easy to miss the mark when getting things for people you actually don’t know. There were a lot of posts around Christmas from owners and sitters who were upset because whatever kind gift or gesture they had prepared wasn’t accepted, taken or even acknowledged.
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It is already a fair exchange for sitter and HO. I have no idea why so many people feel as if a transaction or even a relationship is incomplete with some type of consumerism.
Housesitting is a win-win, so there’s no need to turn it into a competition between sitters to bring the best gifts. That will only result in a race to the bottom.
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We always bring a food gift from Greece (olives, ouzo, olive oil, jam, honey, etc) that is not costly, but a special local item from the island we left. We only do international sits, so I like sharing a bit of where we have come from.
We leave a thank you card.
If we are invited to a meal beforehand, we bring wine.
I also bought some fresh roses for my last sit, as the homeowner had several fresh flowers around when we arrived, and we ate some of her food (we were invited to do so) and they were so affordable (3 pounds) so it was worth it.
I think it’s nice to show appreciation to people, our home owners have been delighted with the gifts and we, in turn, have appreciated the gifts we have received from them.
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We always leave a Welcome Home card (from the pets!) And a vase of flowers from us. Or occasionally something else if flowers don’t seem appropriate. Plus happy pets and a very clean home. This is our standard and is not based on what the host may/may not have given us or even on the length of sit. Its just our way to complete the sit. If the sit was exceptional in some way we might leave an extra little gift. If we are overlapping at the end of the sit and the hosts arrive in time for dinner we always offer to cook for them. We have never brought a gift on arrival. We ourselves are the gift!- we give them total peace of mind so they can fully enjoy their trip. So far our approach seems to work! 
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We always leave a card and a plant,
flowers, homemade granola plus happy healthy pets and a clean home! We love to feel appreciated and I think HO do too 