Hello
I’m fairly new to THS and doing my 3rd sit in Oz through THS(where I’m from).
I was very brave and applied for several sits in the UK this July and September and to my surprise I got quite a few.
Being new, naive (and stupid) I agreed to sits that don’t seem to be near to each other and hence have to check out public transport and will be traipsing cross country (albeit a small country😜).
I find that all the HOs give me the postcode instead of their actual street addresses ie number of the house, street name. If I wanted anything posted to them (like a sim card/rail card) I’m at a loss.
Also there’s lack of communication from the HO once the sit is agreed. Even though I’ve requested a welcome pack or more details I don’t hear from them. Makes it difficult to plan transport/accommodation between sits. Can I arrive a day early /leave a day later/time that I can leave after the sit etc
Have any others encountered similar issues?
Cheers
Be firm about needing the full addresses now you’re confirmed @Karen65 - you’re travelling a long way and need to plan! Useful public transport apps are Trainline.com and also Flix Bus and National Express. Book your tickets in advance and don’t travel at peak times and you’ll keep the costs down significantly. Split journey/split tickets are also useful if they are longer distances. Nowhere is that far in the UK and the public transport system is really good for an Aussie. If it isn’t already in the welcome guide then ask your HOs for nearest train and bus stations. Some of them may even offer you use of bikes or a car. Enjoy the planning bit. #uktravelfun
@Karen65 Well done on getting some sits overseas.
We have done lots of sits in U.K. and owners have been good communicators, provided a welcome guide and been responsive to any questions.
This maybe down to how we communicate with HOS before we agree to sit for them .
We insist on a phone call or video chat before agreeing to sit- so we then have their phone number and they have ours . We usually contact them through WhatsApp as in our experience owners are quick to respond via WhatsApp but may not frequently log onto THS platform.
I know also from experience that some HOs assume that THS gives sitters their address and don’t realise that we don’t get it unless they share it .
In our chat with homeowner (before agreeing to sit) we also say that we will need to see a Welcome Guide in advance of our stay and ask when they will be sending it . We have always received it within a week of confirming the sit .
If you have their phone number from your video calls, try using that to contact them .
Explain why you need their address now and also ask for permission to get items (SIM card etc) sent to their address .
Depending on how long it’s been with no response from HO ( weeks / months ? ) THS Member services do have alternate contact information for all members so they maybe able to contact them on your behalf.
Hi @Karen65
You’ve got some great advice already. May I suggest in future you clarify sits dates and times you are needed. I will usually say that I am happy to arrive the night before if they feel that works better. Some HO’s prefer this, others not.
If your phone works with that, you can get an eSim.
I got mine for the UK from maya mobile (a prepaid one for 3 GB for 30 days, at 6 £).
Maybe similar things work for rail, in some app.
Hi @Karen65
If you want a sim card for the UK, you could try giffgaff. They’ve won many awards and will post a sim card to your home country.
https://www.giffgaff.com/freesim-international
Hi @Karen65, in some non urban areas of the UK a post code represents just a small group of houses, and there are no house numbers, just house names.
In the past I have asked for a Google Maps pin, or for their “what3words” location (a very specific 3 meter square area used by delivery companies, emergency services, etc when your house is hard to find using a regular address).
Enjoy your time in the UK!
@Karen65 I always request the welcome guide as soon as the sit is confirmed. If they are sending me the guide later for some reason or it does not have the address, I ask that they send me the address right away. I’m not making any travel plans until I have the address.
I agree with others about getting an esim. I’m in Luxembourg now (from the US) and I’m using the same esim I installed last summer and used in Europe/UK. Worked great last summer and all I had to do for this trip was add a few euros to top it up.