Hi @GregS , Welcome to the group! We are full-time sitters. If our home hosts are leaving late in the day then we usually arrive early that day - If our home hosts are leaving early in the morning then we usually arrive the previous evening. That way we get a chance to meet the pets and be given a quick tour of the home.
Occasionally we just get left the keys in a hidden place to let ourselves in - That works fine with cats but with dogs, we always prefer to be introduced whilst the owner is present.
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Welcome to the fold!
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Thank you so much! And when you travel to that location, where do you stay during the overlap? (is that a dumb question?) 
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Sometimes a hotel or airbnb. This time I have a friend who lives in the same state who’ll I’ll be visiting in-between. Occasionally i can find a short term sit to fill in the gap. I wish you well on this new adventure.
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Greg,
Welcome! As sitters, we’ve frequently stayed a night(or 2) ahead and some times after. I don’t think you’ll have any problem finding someone willing to do so, especially with such an early departure.
As others have mentioned, we also ask the homeowner when they will be departing and returning and assure them of our flexibility. Some HO will specifically ask us to come early. If not, I’ll mention that I will be in the area at least 1 day in advance staying in a hotel or Airbnb. Often they will tell us we can stay with them. One wanted to meet with us the day before to go over details but even though they were leaving very early, only had one bedroom so we stayed at a nearby hotel and arrived in the morning.
I’m sure you’ll find great sitters on here.
Dan and Nan
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Wow… this community is THE BEST!!
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Hi @GregS
Do you mean you want the sitter to just pop in and have an intro in the evening and then come back next day to start the sit?
Or do you mean you would like the sitter to arrive the night before to stay with you ahead of the sit?
We have, on a number of occasions, arrived the night before when the host has an early departure. Then we usually have a little ‘get to know you’ dinner together and go through the sit details. If you have a spare room this is a practical solution.
If you have no spare room to offer then a pre sit visit is going to depend on the sitters location at the time. E g if we are in the neighbourhood already- either on another sit, or passing through, we’re always open to a pre sit visit- especially if we won’t meet the host on the day.
But if the sitter is not in the area and it would mean extra overnight costs , and/or a separate trip, for the sitter to meet your requirements you may wish to help contribute to those costs.
Its very individual and any/all arrangements are possible! Just make sure you state your requirements clearly on your listing, including adding the date before to include overnight/pre-sit visits so you attract interested sitters.
Its all about clear communication.
Good luck!
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We always welcomed our sitters the night before and either went out to dinner or prepared dinner and enjoyed at home while they were given the opportunity to “meet and greet” our little girl. We always felt it was better that way and they were always welcome to stay the night we arrived home. This was twofold appreciated as they did not need to worry about traveling late in the day and we also didn’t have to worry if our return was delayedl
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We have used THS twice so far and both times we preferred the sitters to come a day or two in advance as one of our dogs is very anxious, and also need them to take us to the airport if they want use of the car. Often our flight back is late so staying over again. W e have also experienced flights being cancelled .Both our sitters have fitted in perfectly with this arrangement. Each to his own!
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Overlapping… to me, this really depends on the dogs. I’ve generally had a lovely time meeting new people and sharing stories and learning about how other people live with their dogs.
I normally suggest an overnight before they leave, as I’ve find it interesting how many little details of their dog’s routine they forget unless you do a full 12/24 cycle.
I used to always leave before the humans return, so they can relax and be excited about seeing their pets again. But then I had a situation last year where I had already left to catch an island ferry when the dog’s owner contacted me to say that her short flight was delayed for a few hours :S
She came back to a distressed dog, and she was very unhappy about me leaving, even though we had communicated about the timings beforehand. Now I will insist there is a proper handover at the end.
Again this has been mostly wonderful too, as it’s actually quite sweet to see how grateful they are to see their own pets snuggling up to someone else who’s spent the time with them.
Yes it can be awkward but for the sake of the dogs, it’s much easier to manage.
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@melandmackenzie I can understand your worry about leaving before the PP returns home, but our way we always feel more secure is to have the PP text or call us as they are boarding their flight so we know they are on their way, and if something happens and the end up sitting on the runway, they can advise us as well. We always then would plan or departure to be about 1-2 hours prior to their landing so as to give the pets one last chance for a walk or potty break. This also allows the PP to relax when they arrive home instead of immediately needing to get the pets leashed up and out the door.
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I often arrive the evening/night before. Never have the issue of ‘twiddling thumbs’: either we have a very entertaining evening, or at some point the owners just go packing etc and I just go about my own business. Doesn’t bother me. I’ve never been there yet when the owner returns but then I’ve nearly all sat cats only
It is a very good idea. I just spent a wonderful day with the owners for my current sit in Paris, and we all were happy to meet each other in person, as I will take care of their home and lovely cat for one month. I also spent a day with the owner before my week long sit in London, and we both appreciated getting to know each other.
If you have any questions, it is so much easier just to ask personally!
My suggestion is to highlight and be clear about where the HS will be sleeping, bathroom, lounge area and kitchen. The THS app allows for photos to have captions to clarify/explain. HS like to be able to “know” via photos how they will be living in your space during their stay. Photos are best to represent the actual current space.
I think I did this well in our HO listing…feel free to check out the listing.
Welcome!
Bonnie
Have been both Home Owners providing an overlap & Sitters doing an overlap.
As Home Owner: we were left in the lurch by a sitter one week before leaving. Contacted another sitter we’d interviewed: thankfully they were willing but needed a bridge of a night before we left & two when we got back.
We had a big house with guest rooms on the opposite side from our master bedroom: living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, in between our bedroom and theirs.
That made it a VERY easy decision. And it worked out fine.
As Sitters we’ve been asked to come early (in one instance a homeowner didn’t want to book a trip until they’d met us!) and stay after.
This has become MORE common recently when people are concerned about flights being delayed or cancelled!
And that HAS happened on three occasions where the HO couldn’t get back on time because of (1) a strike (2) a cancelled flight (3) a storm.
We’ve also had HO return early!
One HO asked us to leave a day early because they were coming back since plans got disrupted by a bad storm. We made those arrangements and then, after we’d cleaned up, packed up, when they actually arrived (in the midst of that bad storm!) they felt badly & insisted we stay. We left anyway - NEVER want to feel we’re encroaching.
The second time was really inconsiderate, what was supposed to be a 10 night sit turned into a 6 night sit.
AND the 3rd time? Homeowners had to come back early because of an emergency, insisted we could stay. They were really lovely people and since we like sits as a break from long trips? No big deal, we just added a night to our next hotel res.
LONG post but what I’m saying is that you should take into consideration (1) YOUR travel plans (2) What works for both parties (3) Expect to be a little flexible if you can because we are all subject to the unexpected!
Hope that helps.
Admin Notice: Post edited to comply with posting guidelines
The real thing to remember is that we are living in different times now and things have truly changed…from illnesses that are concerning (must look at everything differently now…maybe just a head cold, but who knows for sure), travel disruptions (flight cancellations, strikes, etc) and other factors playing a role that were not even considered in the past.
Flexibility is key when at all possible…it might be the HO this time who had to change plans on the sitter, and next time it could be the sitter who couldn’t get there when planned. We must all remember to take these things into account and always, always, always have a back up plan…just in case!
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2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Do you host sitters who are coming from a distance?