Continuing the discussion from Do you host sitters who are coming from a distance?: Yes I would host sitters coming from a distance.
I have been hosted quite a few times and have had the most enjoyable conversations over dinner. For me this just adds up to the joy of petsitting and really enhances the culture experience.
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Weāre in California and most of our sitters have been western US based, but our last sitters lived in Rwanda. They were wonderful! I do get nervous about travel complications but they arrived and stayed with family nearby a few days before our sit started, which eased any anxiety. In the end it was our flight that was canceled and they kindly stayed with family an extra day to accommodate us. So I like local-ish sitters because a car is needed here, but Iām open.
@DianeS Out of interest -with the sit that was 6 hours from home -was it your personal preference to stay in a hotel and just pop in for handover? Or was it because the host did not invite you to stay overnight? If it was your choice, or the host had no spare bed, Iād understand. However I would not take a sit where a host expected us to pay an overnight because they didnāt want to host us. But if they offered to pay for it- because they prefer their own space- that would OK.
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It was my preference. It was a sit i wanted to do, and although they had a spare bedroom, they didnāt offer it, but i knew they would be in chaos before they left & i didnt want to distract them. The cost of one night elsewhere was far less than Iād have paid for a 2 week stay. Each to their own.
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Do you pay for the hotel for you sitters?
I prefer to spend one night before the owners leave and do the same at my own home too. Like some others here, I also use the Couchsurfing app regularly so I donāt find meeting strangers as daunting as others might. The sits where I havenāt met the owners at all beforehand have felt a little off to me, so I add in my application that I am willing and able to be there the day before to get acquainted with pets and quirks of the house but at the very least, be there before they leave. I think itās important to build that relationship of trust. But I can totally empathise with those that are too socially anxious to meet strangers in addition to someones home being too small to accommodate guests.
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I live in an area that appeals to sitters. I have cats, and good videos and a guide, so in a pinch sitters can arrive after weāre gone and get the keys from a neighbor, but my preference is sitters who can pick up the keys in advance and go over any questions.
My apartment is a one bedroom and while someone could sleep on the pullout, the general chaos around leaving would make it difficult for us to have someone stay over the night before. Several āout of townā sitters have either come directly from other sits, been staying at friends, or spent the first evening at a hotel (which we havenāt paid for). It also seems like most of the time, our flights or drives require us to leave super early in the morning.
As a host, you can ask what youād like, but depending on how attractive your sit is, and your flexibility, you might not find the best applicants.
I also sit ā mostly cats. Usually, Iāve been able to meet with hosts as theyāve been leaving, but Iāve also done a few sits without meeting in an advance, and one where I spent the night as it made sense since they were leaving super early in the morning and one of the cats had a health issue and I wanted to make sure to see exactly how they handled the meds.
IMO with a dog sit where you strongly feel the sitter should arrive with enough time to meet the dog with you present, maybe to walk with you and the dog etc, you probably should be having them stay over the night before or pay for a nearby hotel.
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I have now done 8 sits, all in my own country. The furthest 150 miles away, the others 1-2 hours drive.
I have been invited to stay the previous night 4 times, and have always done so. All were with dogs. I wouldnāt feel it was so important with cats as it is with meeting dogs, but would imagine it lets the Home Owners go to sleep safe in the knowledge that their sitter has arrived.
normally, in the other cases, I have been asked to arrive 1 hour before they are due to leave for the handover.
I have 7 more lined up this year, (one of them is a repeat sit), and most of the others, all bar one in fact, I have been able to meet the Home Owners already when I have been in their area. The one I havenāt met yet, I have done a video call with.
I enjoy meeting strangers, nothing to be nervous of.
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We always host the sitters the night before and share a meal with them, often with a few glasses of wine! It suits us and lets everyone get to know each other and hopefully relax in each otherās company. Itās been great to meet and get to know other people and everyone has been really interesting and had an amazing variety of life experience. For us itās part of the adventure of using THS.
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