I’m curious what happens when applying for sits if your child is 18 or over as the only option are sits that are open to families with children aged 13-17. We joined about 4 years ago when my son was 12 and since then we have completed around 10 sits, nearly half abroad, with 5 star reviews. We only do sits during the school holidays and have been fortunate chosen for some really great sits, usually families hosting us. However lately this year it is very tough, there seems to be fewer sits abroad open to families and we have had our application rejected one after another over 3 times. We always write long cover letters and we have good reviews. I’m wondering if it’s because my son turned 17. Perhaps people consider this more as 3 adults and are put off by older teens? It feels a shame because he is a quiet, kind, gentle person who loves animals and the dogs we sit always bond with him the most. He’s just got a natural gift with them. Any families here who housesit with grown up children or 18+ teens and have you found getting a sit difficult?
Hello @Metropolis I only discovered THS when my ‘child’ had just turned 18. We have had some amazing sits. Your son sounds like my kid…quiet, kind, gentle and a lover of animals. I think you should persist with quiet confidence and promote your applications with his qualities in mind. Hoping that you have many more happy travels ahead…it’s such a lovely way to explore new places
Hi, I’ve done many sits with my son (now 16), who like yours is gentle, responsible and a real animal lover. Although we do get rejected, we do also get offered a lot of wonderful sits. These are mostly in the UK / France. Of course, it is a numbers game, just keep applying!
When you say ‘abroad’ I’m not sure where you mean, as we don’t know where you are from/based!
Thanks @Rhe I forgot to mention we’re in the UK! We’ve done sits both in the UK and Europe inc Spain, France, Switzerland. The UK ones we always get offed to sit again but we prefer seeing new places and travelling abroad in the summer. Will persevere!
Hi @Metropolis Sorry to hear you’re struggling to find a sit, and hope you’re not feeling too disheartened by it all.
For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t consider three rejections to be all that many, especially if the sits that you’re applying for are in popular locations, and during school holidays. If they appeal to you, they’re likely to attract other families too for the same reasons.
I also think that it’s unlikely that a year’s difference in your son’s age would matter all that much to home owners that have stated that they’re happy to accept families, unless they’re not reading your application message/profile properly and are seeing it as three adults plus kids, which could look like some sort of extended family holiday at first glance. Presumably you introduce yourselves early on in your covering letter, even though your family set-up should be clear from your profile?
It’s definitely a numbers game, so do keep applying, although with the current temperatures here in the UK I’d be tempted to ditch the hassle and expense of travelling elsewhere, and apply for some really good sits closer to home.
Hi @Metropolis I sit with my 2 sons who are now 17 and 15 and we have been doing so since 2019 and have done well over 50 sits.
I don’t think that your son turning 17 would be an issue for hosts who are genuinely open to hosting a family. I would have thought the older the teen the more helpful and responsible. As my boys have got older I have seen it as an asset.
There is a practical issue with adult sized children though. My 15 year old is over 6 feet tall and my 17 year old is almost as tall. They no longer fit in child sized beds. Some family homes may not have enough adult sized beds. Some hosts will ask for clarification of whether the beds they have would be suitable - one of my boys will be sleeping in a single bunk bed this summer. Other hosts may just decline in favour of a single / couple if they are unsure.
We have experienced a few declined applications this year, but we have heard other sitters, report the same thing, including solo sitters. It might be the changing times, the current THS advertising causing certain expectations. We have always taken the view that if we are declined for being a trio, we simply aren’t match. We want hosts to be comfortable choosing us, and if they are not, for whatever reason, that is OK.
@Metropolis, our adult child has joined us on a modest subset of our housesits. When this is a possibility, we apply for housesits with sufficient bedrooms and state the possibility in the application. We also mention brief details about the child’s age, work and context. We have never faced a ‘no’ decision - though if a pet parent found this idea unattractive then they would simply not invite us to a video call.
By way of timely example, we are currently housesitting in Scandinavia . Our adult child will join us, with pet parent consent, for a portion of the housesit. All good.
We encourage transparency towards a win-win outcome.
Thanks guys. I think it’s because we wrote a long personalised cover letter as we normally do and got a rejection without a reply from all of them. I know that’s automatic when the HO chooses someone else, but often the HO will follow up with a reply to say they’ve chosen another sitter or even to keep in touch for the future. Maybe no replies are becoming more common, it just feels a bit blunt.
@Becca Yes our profile is quite clear and we mention in the cover letter too. I think this summer feels v competitive. I think anywhere cold is attractive at the moment
@Debbie That’s true, we always check the beds in the listing if it looks like a toddler bed etc Usually it works well when the HO also has teens so my son takes their room.
Sounds amazing @GotYourBack That’s good to know. So you apply for applications open to couples and your adult child joins as a guest?
As my son is 18 next year, I wasn’t sure if we would still apply for applications for 13-17, or as a couple and say that he will join us. Technically we could apply for both I guess, but didn’t want to think we’re trying to get around applying for couple only sits when we’re a family.
We have applied for and completed sits that did not have the family friendly tag.
Not every host has updated their profile to indicate what ages of children they accept, so a family friendly sit may be unsuitable for tall adult sized kids! As we are not a couple or solo sitter we would not be able to see if they had ticked "suitable for couples: or “suitable for solo sitters”.
What we will not do is apply for sits where the text of the profile states that they want solo sitters or couples, or that they don’t accept children.
@Debbie Oh, thanks for this! We presumed families should only apply for sits that state open to applications from families. I mean we have applied to the odd one that doesn’t state families where it looks like they have enough bedrooms, but usually get declined. I got the impression on other threads it annoys the HO when families apply if they haven’t made it open to families.
I’m a bit confused… so if I select we are travelling with children, then I won’t be able to see if the HO has ticked solo or couple sits in their listing? And vice versa, solo or couples won’t see if it’s open to families?
I often apply for sits that are not actually marked as ‘family friendly’. As others have mentioned, perhaps the owners haven’t updated the listing/forgot/are desperate!
I do, of course, make sure the house looks big enough, and read the details to see if they mention how many rooms the house has. There are many ‘empty nesters’ with large country properties (in the UK and beyond) that have accepted us many times.
Sadly not, my daughter grew up and out. I love the support and advice that you have received here from other members. I hope that you find some amazing sits with your family!
The section at the top of the listing where it says things like “open to applications from families with children aged 13 - 17” and “matches your experience with cats” is simply matching fields in your sitter profile with fields in the listing. So because on my profile I have identified that I sit with children aged 13 - 17, it will show if the host has ticked the corresponding box. So I may see different “highlights” in that section than another sitter depending on what “matches”.
. Our adult child will join us, with pet parent consent, for a portion of the housesit. All good.