How far in advance of the start date does an HO confirm a sitting?

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
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Hello, good afternoon! My name is Hipolito, I’m from Argentina! :argentina:

I’ve known the community for a long time, but recently I decided that I want to travel around the world doing housesitting, and now is where all the doubts begin haha.

Since I live in Argentina, and here the offer is not very wide, my idea is to travel to the United States (where I already worked some winter seasons) and to be able to do housesitting there!
But my question is, how much time in advance does a HO confirm with a sitter? I understand that each case is specific, but for those who do housesitting from abroad, what do you think? Is it feasible to get some bookings with at least 1 month in advance?

On the other hand, how possible do you think it is to be a FULL TIME housesitter, touring the United States? I could see sitting for 2 months or more, which makes me think that it is something totally possible, but as I haven’t paid the subscription yet I can’t see if for those sittings, there are so many people applying and it is very difficult to be chosen.

Thank you all very much for reading! :blush:

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Hola Hipolito! Tira sin miedo! :smile:
There are lots of sits in the US! Some are more seasonal, Spring-summer and holidays like Christmas is where you will see many more sits. Some are short and some are for longer periods. The US being such a large country will offer lots of choices. Since you already travel to the US it will benefit you to look ok in that specific area.
You will also have to build a good profile that will highlight your experience with home and pet care and commitment as a responsible trustworthy person.
Personally I am thrilled to see more people from countries that are a less represented because that is opportunity for experience and growth.
What part of the US do you currently travel to?
How quickly will HOs respond varies greatly but many do book much far in advance than just a month.

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I can answer one question. We usually book most of our sits more than a month in advance, sometimes 3-4 months. I’ve heard of people booking 6+ months in advance although that might be less likely right now with the travel uncertainties.

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Hello Hipolito and welcome!
As others say, it depends, but one month is probably a bit short for international sits to get booked.
Two months ago I had a sit confirmed in Australia (I’m from the UK) for August next year!! But that is extreme. By looking at the sits advertised in the US you’ll get an idea how far in advance people like to book.
Good luck!

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I am a Homeowner and never know how far in advance to post a sitter request. I know that I have one confirmed trip coming up in February of 2023 and two trips in March and April that are not yet. confirmed. I’ll probably post the trips sometime this fall, as soon as the two unconfirmed have been confirmed.

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For international sits we generally like to book them about 3-6 months in advance. Although we are currently booked up till mid-July next year :grinning:

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We have 6 sits confirmed in the UK between Nov 2022 & Feb 2023. All of these were booked more than 6 months in advance. I love that home owners are so organised.

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We try to get a couple of main (about 14 days) in for the next three months then work round them.
There are more and more last minute sits being listed where we want to be at the moment and it can be frustrating, sope5 owners, better sooner than later.

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Is @pipo there? We’ve given all these suggestions but no response from her……

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Hello!!! Sorry for not answering! I just checked my email and I saw that in the SPAM folder I had many mails with messages, I don’t know why the email was sent as “unwanted”. Thank you all for your replies! What an incredible community!

@Amparo Thank you for your response! Yes, you are right, I found many sits available for the holidays, it will certainly be a great time to take advantage!
I don’t have any particular plans on where to travel, the idea is that I will be surprised by any housesitting available on the dates I can travel (I still have to finish some business here before I leave for that long), but for two seasons I worked in Aspen, CO. and it was an amazing experience, so Colorado would definitely be a great option!

@Kelownagurl
Thank you for your information, it is very important for me! Without a doubt these are times that serve me, so I am more and more motivated every day to start!

Thank you for your reply @Smiley. Excellent, I had thought that one month is the minimum I would need to be able to organize myself properly, so I will certainly have many opportunities!

@ShirleyE Yes, sometimes it can be complicated to make sure so far in advance, but from what I’ve seen, one or two months is more than enough time to organize the travel plans, so I don’t think I’ll have any problems. I wish you all the best for the future trips!! Thanks for the answer!

@PawsomePetsitters Wow, that’s amazing! It’s good to know that there is time available so I can organize everything before I leave my country. Thanks!!

Crookie That’s exactly what I need! Thanks for sharing!

ElsieDownie Yes, my idea is to try to get them all at least 2 weeks, at least for the first few times… Thanks for your reply!

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Me feels you’re going to be fine.

Nos avisa si tienes preguntas.

Ciao

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He’s probably got a life :smile: