Oh my, I am very heat intelorent. I have committed to several sits where it is now 16 to 18 degrees celsius above average.
Many places are’t airconditioed and it seems unfair to rent AC for them to pay for,
I hate backing out but I truly can’t handle the heat.
back to Scotland maybe back to Shetland!
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I feel you, I don’t like the heat either. Good news: it won’t last forever, it’s just a heat wave. But if you booked sits, for example, in Spain or other hot south European destinations over summer, that’s on you! It’s bound to be hotter over summer than Shetland 
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I very carefully book in places where the average summer temp is below 23 Celsius. Unfortunately Europe is extremely hot at the moment Voorburg Netherlands is 36 Celcious and the normal average temp is 18 Celsius . 18 is fine I can handle 22 but 36 is just too hot. I promised myself to avoid the heat but average temps seem pretty meaningless. The last site was in England where the average temp this time of year is 19 degrees and today it was 31 !
I have always told people I’ll take your winters and you can have my summers!
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This doesn’t seem like a legit reason to cancel. If the hosts report you to THS, you might run into problems.
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Unfortunately it’s your short term discomfort v what could possibly be significant disruption to your HOs plans. Personally we would never cancel a sit for these reasons. Hopefully the heat wave will be over soon.
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@Nikaa I did a sit in the Netherlands a couple summers ago and it was very hot while I was there. I spent much of last summer in Germany and it was also very hot there. Even if average temps are lower, it definitely can get very hot sometimes in Europe, even in the UK. I would never expect it to stay under 22 for the entire summer.
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@nikka some suggestions to think about before cancelling on your confirmed sits.
The homes may not have A/C - however homes in Southern Europe have been built for temperature control and natural cooling for centuries before A/c .
Thick walls, porches and awnings for shade, dark rooms ( shutters on windows to keep the sun and hot air out , tiled floors rather than carpet , cross breezes and trees planted for shade.
Hosts will want their pets kept cool during extreme weather conditions. So likely will have something in place to keep their home cool.
You could touch base with the hosts and say “ I see that you have temps of xx in xx( location ) how is xx( pet name ) coping in the heat ? How do you keep them cool ?
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A few years ago I had a sit in Montpellier in August. The temperature was 37 degrees with no air con. I had to take cold showers on a regular basis throughout the day to stay cool. I was so hot and sweaty my clothes would stick to my skin. The sit was 2 weeks long and I was counting down the days until it was over. My advice - find a coffee shop with air con and become a regular customer. Good luck.
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I grew up in New Orleans where summer temps were above 90 F every day and humidity was 75-76%. This was in the 1950s and although there was air conditioning, it wasn’t common - we had 2 window units, one in the living room one in parent’s bedroom.
We didn’t move into a house with central air until I was 14. And schools were not air conditioned.
And then I spent 25 years living in Chicago, Minnesota and Massachusetts where summers could be as hot but not as long and winters were frequently much below freezing.
So, I do think about weather when applying for sits - I’d not apply for a summertime sit in Singapore, Thailand, or even Japan.
But weather is definitely getting stranger and stranger.
Still, I don’t think that is a reason to withdraw from a sit once started unless there was ac promised and not delivered on.
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Absolutely yes, average temparatures are indeed meaningless, if you’re trying to find a place, where it’s not too hot.
E.g. Helsinki in Finland. The av. temperature in July, the hottest month of the year, is 17°C. It’s fairly common to have over 25 and even 30 degrees on the daytime for at least a week if not more, but the nights are typically way cooler.
And the same goes for colder months, too. Average temp for February is -6°C, but -10 or -20 degrees would be totally normal.
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The hottest months in Thailand are March, April and May. For that time we do not accept any sitters, who do not have at least some previous experience of what it’s like. We do have air conditioning that sitters are free to use, but still.
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Idea : How about doing a bit of research into weather patterns in the areas you’re interested in before applying ?
Yes, things are out of control right now and likely to get worse but trends can give you a general idea.
I suspect that THS and HO’s will not look favourably upon a cancellation with this as a reason.
Not discomfort I get quite ill.
Not as much as needing to be hospitalized
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that healthy adults should not experience indoor temperatures above 24-25°C (75-77°F) to avoid health risks. For vulnerable populations like the elderly, young children, or those with pre-existing health conditions, temperatures above 24°C may pose greater risks
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I live in Southern Spain, where we’re getting more and more heat waves, more and more often and breaking high temperature records every year.
Right now I am in England, where I will spend the summer sitting in different locations. I am a bit worried that the houses where I will be sitting may be unprepared for the heat, as some Airbnbs I have been staying at but I am considering possible ways of coping if it’s too hot for me, I would not consider canceling.
I am on a sit in Wales currently. I am from Brisbane, no stranger to heat. However we have fans! And pools and aircon at home. It has been warm in the house the last couple of days and no breeze. Prior to this we were in Albania were temps reached 41° in full sun. In the shade and with a breeze it was still hot but didn’t feel like 41°. There is normally a cool and hot side to houses. Seek out that cool spot. Cold showers. Average temperature are useless I’m finding, unprecedented weather is becoming the normal all over the world. I am a chronically warm person who is frequently minimally dressed.
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Maybe start a thread “Need tips for keeping house cool”. We live in a part of France that is getting hotter and staying hot well into autumn. We have our techniques for keeping cool or at least making it bearable and we include them in the welcome guide. Ask the HOs you’ve committed to how they are coping with the temperatures and to give you some tips that you can prepare for.
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If you want to rent A/C , that would be for you to pay for, not the home host?
..or do you mean the cost of running it?
If the latter, you should have a conversation with the home host, I’m guessing many would have no problem with you plugging a rented A/C in for a few hours
If you’re vulnerable to such, have you discussed this with hosts when applying for summer sits? That’s because heat waves have happened before and will happen again. Hosts should know if you’d withdraw if so.
In your place, I’d just not sit during summers, because it’s not possible to guarantee that heat waves won’t happen.
Personally, I grew up in the tropics and avoid snow as much as possible. Like I don’t even take connecting flights that go through places where there’s normally snow in the winter. And I avoid all sits where I’d have to drive through snow and ice. If there are no groceries or other food within walking distance, I don’t sit in such places during winter. That’s because I know that my personal limitations shouldn’t put hosts’ travel plans at risk. It’s simply not fair to them and it’s avoidable.
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