House owners only consider sitters from their counry?

Hey people! I applied for a few sits recently (mostly in Dubai) - and almost every application got rejected with the reason that they have found someone based in Dubai. Sometimes the house owners even write on their profile that they will only consider someone living in Dubai.

I don’t know, but this really annoys me. For me, this contradicts the purpose of Trustedhousesitters.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

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Hello, @lalalein94 I would like to wish you a very warm welcome to the forum community. Here you can connect with members who have a wealth of housesitting knowledge and also use the spyglass to search previous topics.

In fact, there is a post about owners inviting local sitters that may be of interest to you:

If you would like to add your TrustedHousesitters sitters profile to your forum profile then other members can give you tips and advice. Here is how:

Would you like to sit anywhere other than Dubai?

Best wishes Carla

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@lalalein94 I can understand your frustration but given our World is a little different now, I would assume much of this has to do with worry over travel restrictions/cancellations/etc. as well as all the medical issues going around now. They may just be wanting to make sure a cancellation wouldn’t happen because a sitter was stuck and couldn’t arrive in time.

Just keep plugging along, expand your horizons on where you want to travel (if that is feasible) and let us know how you are fairing.

Lots of luck!

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I think that’s just an ongoing reaction to Covid related issues. Some countries still have restrictions on entry and flights are still getting cancelled. I think those wanting in-country based sitters is purely a practical measure at the moment- to avoud cancellations- and it will change again soon as things are returning to normal… Just keep on applying and maybe spread your wings a bit wider for now. Good luck!

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Yes, same with Mexico. Applied to more than 10 ans same response. Also European countries.

Hm sorry but Covid is basically over - even the strictest countries have no entry restrictions anymore… Flights might get cancelled but for sure not due to Covid…

Yes. I have occasionally experienced this. Shrugged my shoulders and moved on. It’s the pet parents choice and nothing we can do about it. Would a sitter feel comfortable if a pet parent demanded you sleep with their dogs when it clearly states on your profile that you won’t?
There is something for everyone on this site and I’m loving the variety.

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It may be over in your mind but in others it is very much still here. I just need to look around at the people still wearing masks and keeping safe distances from others. And we all have to respect each others choices in this and many other matters in our new world.

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Yes that’s mostly true but many people seem to still be overly cautious. It may the first time they are travelling post Covid. My hubby & I travelled continuously throughout that time but most people did not and they lived in fear for so long that it will take more time for things to return fully to normal.
Meanwhile there are plenty more options for you to choose from! In the last 12 months we have sat (for over 300 days) in Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, UK and Singapore! And we don’t live in any of those places! So there are plenty of hosts out there accepting out of country sitters!

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Don’t give up. We have just returned from a 3 weeks sit in Cyprus. Our first foreign one since covid. You will find something eventually.

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Covid may be basically over but there is still so much fear by people who are afraid of contracting it or giving it to loved ones. We still see so much care taken by most in making sure they don’t go out if they are feeling ill and not being around anyone who is ill.

It may not be in the forefront, but it is definitely still lurking behind the scenes…and now the flu bug is so bad.

We have not encountered this problem and spend 6-8 months pet sitting outside of our home country. I appreciate when a home owner posts they only want local applicants so I don’t waste my time.

I would try to get one international pet sit and then build a trip around it. Once you have booked one, it is much easier to get more because you will be in the country for multiple pet sits. We spend 3-4 months doing back to back pet sits in Europe. The U.K. is a great place to start because there is an abundance of posts.

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Keep plugging away the perfect sit will manifest. I also believe that some places experiencing winter weather extremes are likely causing airline delays as well. I for the most past have been sticking to regional and somewhat local sits because current it’s been my preference. And even though Covid is not in the forefront it still continues to rear its head in the background, everyone handles things differently and airing on the side of caution snd respect is something I feel we all need to adhere to.

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