Sometime the slavers find out too late ! Late or non existent Welcome Guides, Much more detail in the pre visit briefing once it’s all accepted and agreed on.
People can be lumbered with some very restricting conditions last minute in my experience.. like he needs feeding every two hours, little but often. Great! So not much time for an excursion that appeared reasonably likely at the start of the process.
I don’t go back but there are bait and switch experiences that show goal post changing mid game!
After reading through this thread and seeing many recurring themes on the Forum about the “good ol’ days” when Trusted Housesitters lived up to its moniker, I just want to chime in to say I am very disappointed in the booking fees and especially the disingenuous way the company informed us cheerily of this exciting change in order to “improve” the entire experience. However, the point I’d like to make is this: at the risk of sounding like I’m minimizing other sitters’ negative experiences (believe me, I’m not), I have had nothing but warm, hospitable, welcoming homeowners for all my sits (I think about 17 to date). They have all treated this as a mutual exchange and the only time that wavered a tiny bit was when one repeat HO (who otherwise had always been extremely hospitable) asked me not to turn up the heat in the middle of winter. We ended up having an unexpectedly severe cold snap, and while she was in the tropics on the other side of the globe, as soon as I told her I was actually pretty uncomfortable at the temp set on her thermostat, she cheerfully agreed to turn it up.
I wanted to share that my overall experiences thus far so that any newbie sitters reading so many reports of homeowners asking outrageous duties of sitters and how the general attitude has appeared to have changed among too many HOs won’t be discouraged from pursuing this amazing opportunity. I know it’s just a matter of time until I have a disappointing sit, but fortunately all of mine to date have left me feeling like a pampered guest. And it’s infectious: I want to help them feel totally comfortable with their home and pets in my hands.
I will definitely chime in with this too. The fact I’m still here says a great deal. I have had amazing hosts’ places, pets and experiences. I do still evangelise about THS and how life enhancing it has been for me too.
It’s been just the odd experience where I’ve felt trapped and abused. I’ve learnt through the good , the bad and the ugly, as I’m sure others have too. The fact I’m coming back for more and I’ve been doing this for many years speaks volumes.
My favourite sits aren’t always the new location ones. I love going on repeats where you know the hosts appreciate you and are kind and thoughtful and the pets look forward to being with you too.
My present one is in a retirement village. Everyone except staff are over 65. I was here last year for two months so I know the residents and many social events and trips are organized for us all. We share coffee mornings, happy hours and film nights. We go on day trips and shopping trips too. They are a very interesting bunch of people; an architect for the National Trust, a famous jockey, a man who sold Rolls Royces in Paris, a lady who worked in London helping international shoppers in Harrods as well as more ordinary employments. All of them friendly and pleased to have me on board. There are six resident dogs-( no cats interestingly) two Mollies, one Meg, one Daisy , one Holly and one Sable( my charge)
Some residents are in rented flats others have bought their bungalow homes with gardens. This month they are promoting physical exercise. Everyone is recording their steps each day, swimming trips are in the week. There is a gym room here and a spa centre.
The weather is amazingly warm at present
( record breaking) we are able to sit outside for many of the events, which is very pleasant indeed.
Sable and I are averaging 14,000 steps daily. I meet up with two couples who are showing me some great new walks with a bus ride back. It’s very busy here with a medieval market this weekend and fund raising initiatives put on by the local church.
What’s not to like?
I feel the same way. My current sit is only about 1/2 hour from my home. However it’s a beautiful change of scenery with lots of wildlife I might not see elsewhere. This morning there was a gorgeous red fox on the property. I appreciate it all!
This is a great example of when having expectations they can lead to disappointment. If an HO is asking for more than taking care of their pets after the initial interview then for me a simple “no” is the way I respond. If the HO doesn’t like that then I ask if they’d like to reach out to the company for another sitter. Boundaries are important to me and I’m comfortable setting them. That being said I am one of those that goes the extra mile-vacuum, dust, make everything clean and tidy, water plants, etc. and I do that more for myself than anything else.
If only there was a category for spotting wildlife like that on THS. Did you spot wildlife during your sit… Yes… that’s 6 star sit for sure.
Why not make that the headline on your profile so prospective hosts know that’s what you expect.
Don’t ASS/U/ME that every sitter has the same experience, wisdom and common sense that you presume.
I have taught some extraordinarily bright people at the university level who would not have the foggiest idea about all the implied understandings and assumptions that some here might take for granted.
You take care of your own profile, and I will take care of mine, thanks. I am perfectly happy with my profile title.
What is “ASS/U/ME” exactly? I clearly skipped that part of the curriculum 
To assume is to make an ASS out of U and ME
@GaryP Pure Shakespeare, love it! 
Yes, high-five, it’s the truth that our unpaid services are valuable…but, in the end, I like the trade feeling. I just finished a month in Maui at a great place with wonderful low maintenance dog and cat, near my favorite pool (they’re free in Hawaii!) and beaches. My friend who lives down the street told me her house is $6k a month to rent, and it has no pool like my HO’s had. But, then again, she was putting her dog into a kennel for two weeks at $2K! So there’s that! I was feeling like I earned my “free” vacay, cuz even low maintenance animals must be paid attention to, not to mention the house upkeep…
Very true and you are watching over the place and if post arrives or there’s an unexpected problem like power outage, natural disaster you are there to hold the fort. Lots of responsibility! Glad you had a lovely relaxing time. It’s never a given!
I’m just finishing my last sit in UK before flying back to Madrid. The sit has been my favourite as I’m at a retirement village so lots of friendly folk to socialize with. The dog is well balanced; loves people and other dogs( it is possible!) we had a lovely minibus trip to Stratford Upon Avon and Sable and I walked along the river banks and around the town. Great fun. Great exercise and I met some lovely people to chat to along the way.
Two girls went swimming in the River Avon but luckily no problems so I stayed dry!
