Has COVID slowed down your travel/Housesitting plans?

Sitters
#1

Hi everyone! I’ve been a housesitter on this app since 2013 and I’ve had so many wonderful Sits and experiences! I haven’t done any Sits this year because gestures at everything 2020 has been a dumpster-fire, especially with COVID, and it’s still not safe to travel!

I used to get emails from THS every day with dozens of new Sit opportunities, but now because of COVID and less opportunities, I only get it once a week.

I want to do some major housesitting in 2021 and 2022, and would like to ask homeowners and sitters alike - owners, are you reticent to look for housesitters because of COVID concerns? Sitters, are you worried about accepting Sits because of COVID concerns?

Would you be more open to housesitting in 2021 or 2022, when things have died down a bit?

Just trying to get a consensus going!

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#2

Hi Cestima,

I joined TH last year and it has really been a fantastic thing. After a strict lockdown in Spain, I have focused on sits where I can rent a car and drive to so that I am in minimal contact with people on the way there, and the sits have been in the countryside (mostly in France) so I’ve felt comfortable about the Covid situation with the couples I’ve met at the sits. That’s been my way of getting round the Covid situation. It has been amazing being able to be out of the city and enjoy country life and pretend everything is normal.

I’ll venture further afield and on planes when things improve but, in the meantime, this is my solution to the problem.

Gillian

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#3

Welcome to the Forum @cestima & @Gillian thank you for joining and for being part of our community. It’s so exciting to have you as some our very first members. We have a small group of members who helped test the platform and who have already contributed wonderful content to the conversation.

Enjoy the conversations and making new connections.

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#4

@cestima Hi, we haven’t any issues with owners being reluctant to offer sits due to covid. The only problem here appears to be trips being cancelled and the difficulties that throws up.

We have just started a sit today which we travelled to via public transport and it’s absolutely no different to any pre-pandemic sits. Unfortunately not so many available currently though.

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#5

We are full-time sitters. We were housesitting in NYC when covid became an issue. The owner was not able to return because all flights were canceled where he was, so we did end up staying longer than planned. After NYC we spent a month at our son’s home in California. Around the end of May, we started seeing many new, and “real” sits again. We have completed six sits in the last few months and about three weeks ago started a six-month housesit, with no issues - knock on wood.

The sits since NYC have been more local, which seems to be the current norm. We too are hoping by maybe summer we will be able to travel internationally again. But for the time being, sits that you can drive to seem to work best.

Bottom line covid did make it impossible to find sits for a month or two (because no one could travel), but now we see new listings every day and if you keep it local, for now, there are real sits available again.

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#6

For sûre Covid changes plans.
Tonight France has again FORBIDDEN trips between régions.
It begins next friday (30/10) so many sits for Xmas will be cancelled…

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#7

@Provence these are such difficult times, please stay safe and well.

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#8

Hi @cestima, wonderful to meet you!

We are nomadic and fulltime house sitters and have been very fortunate to continue house sitting this year despite COVID and … well yes, as you said everything 2020.

The dynamics of house sitting have obviously changed and what each person is comfortable with is different. We’ve been very upfront and transparent with every house sit about how serious we take COVID, our personal health, and the health of them and their pets. We’ve been grateful that every homeowner we’ve sat for this year has taken similar precautions with protecting themselves, their home and therefore us. Essentially, as it is with any other important detail of a house sit, it’s important that everyone be on the same page. :relaxed:

As for travel, we’re incredibly cautious and are trying to do as little as possible. We were actually just discussing how we’ve been in the same city (but different sits) for 7 months, which is the longest we’ve been in the same place in 4 years! Needless to say, we’re ready to see the world again, but only time will tell when it will be safe (relatively) to do so. :crossed_fingers:

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#9

@ScrewTheAverage like many of our community I’m in the same position as you, as a full time sitter, @cestima in the same place for 7 months, it’s the longest my feet have been firmly fixed for years. I too am missing pets and human connections. Where it’s safe to do so local and domestic sits are taking place with owners and sitters adopting safe and best practices, using common sense, consulting the advice and guidance we have on the site and following official Gov directives. We will get through this … together.

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#10

As a mother of a critical nurse in charge.
I sometimes think of myself being selfish :confused:.
As we can’t see her the grandkids etc.
Not so many sits

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#11

Hi, cestima,

I just joined the Forum today and was reading the various posts. Your ability to find sits may have changed since last fall, so not sure… I actually found that last summer it was a bit challenging to find sits in the UK, where I always want to go. As a dual citizen of the US and UK, I usually split my time between the two countries. However, I was able to find at least four sits last summer/fall, none of which I had any trouble getting to. The last sit, which was in Scotland in early October, was cancelled by the HO two days ahead of the date, which was understandable.

This year I am finding it really frustrating, as many of the sits I apply to on the UK the HO just either fail to reply at all, something I am alas used to with Americans, or say that they would be happy to have me, but so not believe I would arrive for them. Again, understandable, but the UK is open and I have let each HO know that I am spending the quarantine period in my home in London, coming weeks ahead of time, and am fully vaccinated. Perhaps things may improve if the UK is opened more for those there to travel out for holidays…

Good luck and all best wishes.

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#12

Thank you @sydney we are seeing the UK recover albeit it slowly, once the Gov make concrete announcements about travel we know owners will have the travel confidence they are looking for.

#13

Hi, Angela. Thanks so much for the kind reply. It has been so nice to read all of the newsletters and information that you have posted to the TH site since the moment I joined in December 2019!

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#14

Thank you @sydney … enjoy being here!

#15

:wave:welcome syndey

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#16

Hi, windtalker. Thank you for the note. It is nice to be part of this community and I have enjoyed reading your comments on various threads.

Kind regards.

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#17

Welcome.
Yes Sydney, it’s very nice to feel part of a community . we are, my husband and I, very isolated in a village as the Covid situation in France is worse than ever. We have not seen friends for months . I faced a few cancellations these last months near by and in Paris.
I became addicted to this forum. It’s obvious! Because talks are nice, never hostile, even when we don’t share the same points of view.
I’m a member of 2 swapping homes organisations which did not create forums. So although we made 43 swaps since 1988 and only 8 sits since 2018, we never shared experiences with people we never met we did only with the foreigners with whom we exchanged . The sitters who came to look after our pets, the owners i spent time with.
You get somehow recipes and useful testimonies for life.

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#18

Hi, Provence,
So interesting reading about your house swaps and sits. I never managed the swaps, but so enjoy house and pet sitting. For many years, as long as my 17-year-old cat was alive (sydney), it was harder, as he did not being left and I always organized for him to stay at home. Before that I lived and worked in France for many years, and Provence is such a beautiful place! Best wishes for a good weekend.

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