Ah, the sparkling lights…our favorite childhood foods…the parties and the carols, reunions with loved ones, the nostalgia of holidays past & the celebration of things to come. While it may seem way too early to be thinking about posting your end-of-year listing(s), nothing could actually be further from the truth. In fact, you’d probably be surprised how many sitters are already starting to consider where they might like to spend their holidays this year. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or New Year’s — November through January is the season of travel no matter where you’re from or what you celebrate. Savvy road warriors know it’s crucial to book early to secure their travel plans, along with the best rates for bookings.
Insofar as planning, that goes double for families with beloved pets who intend to spend some part of the season away from home. Even though you can’t take them with you, you want to know your furry family members are happy, safe & well-cared for. November - January can be some of the most competitive months to secure a sitter, as many prefer to stay home themselves for the holidays — which makes the available pool smaller right off the bat. In addition there’s a much higher number of active listings posted for the holiday weeks, leaving sitters somewhat spoiled for choice.
To make sure you’ve got the absolute best chance of finding the very best match for Fido or Minxy, here are a few tips that we hope might be helpful:
#1: Post your listing as EARLY as you know your plans!
Seriously — July/August is not too soon to list a November or December holiday sit. Many sitters travel cross-country or internationally, which means having to book flights & cars, not to mention obtaining entry visas where required; the closer to Fall it gets, the more prices go up. Wait too long & it might be prohibitively expensive for someone to get to you, narrowing your pool to sitters already in your area who are available for your dates & willing to take a local sit, vs spending the holidays at home with their own families.
#2: Put your best foot forward:
Double-check your listing content & details to ensure they’re up-to-date: is the “amenities” section accurate & complete? Have you mentioned how many (& what size) beds are available for the sitters’ use? Can the pets really only be left for 2 hours…or can they occasionally be on their own long enough for sitters to have a dinner out with family/friends in the area, or perhaps go see a production of the Nutcracker?
Also, this would be a great time to list any special or seasonal sights, attractions, dining options or holiday events happening in your area. (Of course, you may want to limit your list to those activities that sitters will have the time/flexibility to enjoy, based upon the care requirements for your specific pets.)
#3: A picture paints a thousand words:
Now’s also a good time to take stock of your listing photos. Are they recent? Do they show your home off to its best advantage? Update or add additional relevant pictures as needed: sitters like to see where they’ll be sleeping, cooking, & hanging out with the pets; they’re imagining what their holiday will feel like in your home. Feel free to include a couple photos of the pets or local area as well, of course — but make sure you’re focused on providing plenty of representative pictures of where sitters will actually be staying, both inside and outside — and include captions/descriptions where it’s relevant (Master bath vs guest bath, etc.)
Last, take a look through your carousel & choose the very best photo of your home as the first/feature photo for your listing — as that’s the one that’s going to determine whether a prospective sitter opens your listing, or decides to move on to the next one!
#4: Sell your sit! (But do be accurate, too)
This may seem counter-intuitive in a model that reinforces mutual exchange, but remember: there are more listings over the year-end holidays than at any other time of year. Sitters love to hang out with your pets, but it’s their holiday as well, & there’s lots of options for them to choose from. Is there anything you can point out that makes your home an ideal place to celebrate? Is it perfect for a family stay? Are you OK with them hosting a small family dinner or get-together one night? Will you be decorating or doing anything special to make your place homey for the season? Are kids and/or sitters’ pets welcome?
Whether you live in a perfect winter wonderland or a balmy tropical paradise, tell potential sitters the things you love about spending the season in your home & with your beloved pets, so they can imagine how much they’re going to love it, too. (And again: don’t forget the photos…Christmas trees, fairy lights, swaying palms or snow-covered firs paint a picture that’s hard to resist!)
#5: Definitely don’t wait until the last minute to post, & expect very much availability
Like you, most sitters like to know well in advance where they’re spending their holidays, & will have already made their plans and/or accepted a sit from someone who got their listing out early. At best you might find yourself with just 1 or 2 applicants to choose from; at worst you might not get any applications at all — and by then it may even be too late to find paid sitters or a kennel, who also tend to book up months in advance!
All that said: we wish you the best of luck in finding your perfect Carer for the ‘26/‘27 holidays…and we can’t wait to see all the wonderful options, & hear all the heartwarming stories about your experiences over the most festive of seasons!
(Edited by Forum team to add an image, so that we can add this post to our Featured Topics)
