Hello, My husband and I stumbled upon THS several months ago when researching house sits. We are semi retired and have been traveling since July 2021 in the US and Europe using Airbnb’s. Currently we are in Portugal but heading back to Massachusetts in less than 2 weeks. While our house is being built in Massachusetts and we need a place to stay, because all of our belongs are in storage; we decided to give THS a try. So we joined last week, applied for a sit and got it!! We are beyond excited to spend time with pets. Our dog died almost 3 years ago. We also were invited to a sit and accepted so we have two sits lined up! Hoping to fill a gap between the two sits and then see where this takes us.
I’ve been reading up on many of the topics in the forum and have found invaluable information. So glad it exists.
Hello and welcome! I was supposed to go to Portugal in May of 2020… Hoping that can happen for me soon, but convincing my husband to get on a plane for that long, during a pandemic, is a lot more problematic than just booking the flight. Where did you stay and how did you like it?
Hello @Susan and welcome. I see that you are an organized person. I say that you have already added a link to your sitter profile in your username, and have your calendar current in your THS profile. Congratulations to achieving those two important steps already.
Once you get your review added to your profile after your first sit, it often increases your chances of being chosen for other sits. I hope you’re able to find a sit for the gap, but if not, perhaps you’ll take time to discover a little more of your home country. Since the pandemic, I’ve restricted myself to sits within a two-hour drive of my home and have really enjoyed learning more about locations near me.
@Snowbird Yes, very organized. I was just offered my 3rd sit! Yes it will be nice to explore and also be in familiar territory. Thank you for the warm welcome, Francine.
@MissChef Thank you! We have been in Portugal since 1/26 and stayed for 7 days in Lagos which is located in the Algarve Coast. Then we spent 2 weeks in Lisbon and another 5 days in Sintra. We absolutely love it here and hope to come back to see some of the areas we didn’t get to visit. The locals are quite welcoming. They are very cautious here with Covid, everyone wearing masks when inside and they check to see if you are vaccinated to dine indoors. I realize the plane can be an issue. My recommendation is to wear N95’s or a KN95. We flew out to Europe right when Omicron was exploding.
@Susan welcome to this wonderful community. Having joined in October, and beginning our full time petsitting journey in the next few weeks, we are excited to find similarly situated couples, embracing this lifestyle. Best of luck in your return travels, and the upcoming months between now and when your new home is completed.
Welcome @Susan! I’m actually headed to Boston for a cat sit on March 9 until March 19. If you’re in the Boston area during that time, please let me know. Enjoy your travels!
Best,
Judy
Thank you Joanne. You have a wonderful profile and I noticed you’ve already had two successful sits. Congrats! I am most excited about spending time with HO’s pets.
Hello Judy and thank you. We will be at our first sit in Amherst which is west of Boston and nearly 2 hours away. But if you are in the area again, please let me know.
@Susan thank you for the kind words. We loved the experiences petsitting thus far, and are excited about our upcoming confirmed sits in the next 7 months. MA is a place near and dear to our hearts because our daughter and her family live in Somerville. We visit often, and have an upcoming trip to babysit our granddaughter in late March.
Congratulations! You are off to a great start. It’s a wonderful privilege to give other people’s pets the most loving, and the least traumatic time out from the human parents. Plus, “dropping into neighborhoods” is an awesome way to visit a place. Best wishes.
Hello Susan! Welcome! Your profile is awesome! My husband and I are, also, based in Massachusetts. We’re pet sitting full time with no actual home, but have “stuff” in bins in a corner of my sister’s basement in Gardner, Mass. Currently we’re on a 7-month sit on Lake Champlain in Vergennes, Vermont. The people and pets up here are amazing! We have requests to sit, but are booked through September! Are you still looking to fill your gap in sits? OK to message you with a possibility?
Hello! I don’t know your name. Yes we are looking for additional sits. We are booked through 5/20 now and would love a few long term sits. Preferably 3 weeks or longer but 2 weeks are acceptable. We just don’t want to move around too often. Thank you for reaching out and replying. I love Lake Champlain. Enjoy your sits!
I see you are having a house built. We did the same here in Portland, Maine. Our camp gave us a place to stay so I know how stressful it can be. I wanted to know when your gap might be as i have an opening in late march.
