Good afternoon all. We have just booked a holiday - woo-hoo - for late March early April 2022. Is it too early to post the sit?
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Too early for me, I don’t feel confident making sitter plans that far ahead, but it’s up to you. There are probably many nomadic sitters or international travelers who like a lot of advance notice.
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I am one of the full-time nomadic sitters @Shafofo is talking about and I always look for sits far ahead. If it’s a long sit (1-6 months) then I’d say go for it, publish it now, a lot of full-time sitters like to plan ahead. (even if that’s difficult nowadays) However if it’s for a few weeks, I’d wait a while.
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Well done 
for thinking ahead.
We have already accepted a sit for Christmas.
Hope all gos well.
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That’s something to look forward to @CambridgeAnnie! If it’s only for a couple of weeks I’d be inclined not to advertise it yet but as other sitters have mentioned, if it’s for a much longer period of time, then full-time sitters could well be interested. It’s still a long way away and as we know, circumstances can change very quickly with covid and international travel especially.
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I am happy to apply for sittings months ahead but only if I have the full details of the timings.
Within hours of applying for a recent listing for October I received the “HO has chosen you” message before I even had the opportunity to ask any questions. Once we started communicating It became apparent that the HO has not yet booked the holiday abroad and therefore did not know what time she would want us to arrive and depart. As we had a long journey this was important to us and could have led us to staying an extra day either side. I have had to withdraw my application.
List early but ensure you have full details to avoid any surprises.
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Go for it. Full time sitters like to plan ahead and it’s good to have something to build round. We are desperately looking for sits for the winter in warmer climes but everyone is waiting to see what is going to happen with travel restrictions. It’s very frustrating.
Elsie
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Thanks to everyone for their comments it’s been very helpful.
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I work full time and have to book vacation four months in advance so the more notice the better for me
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We went to visit a sit yesterday .
It isn’t till July.
It was amazing there was alpacas .
They were brillant got to feed them and let them come to us really interesting .
Can’t wait to spend time with them and the chickens dogs and
cat.
Been doing my homework on the alpacas .
Very interesting and so cute.
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Yes, I am a part-time sitter but I love to plan ahead and appreciate knowing sits in dates far off! Well done for being so organized!
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My sits for November 2021 to January 2022 were advertised in the summer of 2020 and I was inundated with applications. Like some of the other contributors have said, it does depend on the length of the sit, but if you like to plan ahead, go for it.
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I sit in the UK during the winter months, and look well in advance for suitable sits. This might include short sits that will provide a bridge between other longer sits. I don’t think there’s any hard and fast rule. If you know for certain your travel plans, then advertise!
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I don’t understand homeowners that wait till the very last minute or place a listing a year in advance - so much can change. As a full time sitter I can’t wait till the last minute, I need to be able to plan where I am going and how I am going to get there. In general, it is a tad early in my mind. If it was during a major holiday then maybe yes, but I would wait a couple of months, when more people start thinking about next year. One caveat to also remember is your location - are you in a popular area, remote, must have a car, unusual country - those would be other reasons to post earlier than not - if you have something unusual like a monkey or snakes (smile) or something that takes a lot of care, again positing sooner than later again may be a good idea. In any case, from my point of view, I would wait till the end of summer - plus more people will start looking for later dates around then. That’s my two cents. Good luck!
Agree with you totally.
Although we our part time we still have to book ferries
Flight car hire etc.
We have Christmas 
flights already booked 2 months ago
Its not so bad if travelling by car.
If we go in Southern Ireland we have to notify insurance
Price gos up
Also toll charges to be paid there and back.
The earliest for us the better.
Hi,
We are booked to travel to New Zealand in January 2022 returning in March 2022 and need a sitter for our dog. However, at the moment New Zealand’s borders remain closed to tourists so we don’t know whether or not we will actually be able to go.
Should I advertise our sit now but run the risk of having to cancel or should I wait? If I do book a sit now and then we don’t go is it fair to the sitter to cancel as it might potentially be at short notice?
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We are in the same situation as you, but from a sitter’s point of view. We agreed on doing a 2-month sit with the owners going to NZ January-March.
They were upfront & said they might possibly have to cancel.
These are still difficult times and I think most sitters realize that, so as long as you’re upfront, I’d say go and advertise the sit.
You can maybe look for sitters not too far away, so it’ll make you feel less “guilty” if you have to cancel?
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Good morning @choisya408 and welcome to our forum… we hope you enjoy connecting with other members and contributing to the discussions. It’s a very valid question that you ask, and I think all that you can do is to be very honest and upfront as @Els mentions. It’s an inevitable side effect of the pandemic that not all travel is set in stone and most sitters understand this now. It could appeal to someone who is flexible and probably in your home country with a base. I will tag @Therese in case she has more advice, but I would suggest posting with a very clear statement in the listing that it’s a sit dependent on NZ travel restrictions. I really hope you get to go!
I am also moving this to a more general thread on how far in advance to list sits, as it adds another very relevant perspective.
Look forward to seeing some pix of New Zealand in your future 
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We personally only apply for sits 1-3 months ahead, but sometimes get offers for repeat sits up to 6 months ahead. Sometimes we need to tell them that we’d love to do the sit but haven’t planned ahead that far. We’re nomadic and prefer not to travel too far or have to cross borders when it’s unclear if that will be allowed. Also, we try not to have too big of an overlap. It’s difficult to find a sit in the right area that fits between two sits.
@choisya408 @Els @Vanessa_A Unfortunately, we are not living in normal times, but I would agree with @Els … be very upfront about everything and I would advertise now, and see who applies. Depending on your response, we can also boost your listing again later.
Once you have confirmed a sitter, do exchange personal contact details and keep in close touch so you are always able to contact them and keep them informed as to how things are unfolding regarding restrictions.
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