Yeah, I will admit to trying all sorts of ways to figure out whether or not wine is appropriate, as there are so many reasons it might not be! I also straight out ask about gluten, etc.
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As sitters, we’ve been made to feel welcome on so many sits. We did one at Easter this year and received a lovely gift basket full of Easter goodies and gifts. Our last house sit was during Canada Day and we received a bottle of wine with all sorts of Canada Day decorations to decorate their golf cart and join in the festivities in their neighborhood. One of the most welcoming sits we did was in the Caribbean where we arrived at the airport to being picked up by a private transfer, transferred to a speedboat to get to their island and taken out for a lovely dinner by the homeowners who then left their car for us to enjoy. We’ve been very lucky!
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That’s really amazing!
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Not a Host, but have done lots of sits and experienced some great welcomes.
On average I’ve received bottle of wine, flowers or offered a meal. If a meal, I use it as an opportunity to ask them about what are the “must do” things to experience in their hometown. I’m only there a short while so it is a nice timesaver to know what is the must dos and the “don’t waste your time”… a little local guidance is always great! Not everyone fills out the “Welcome Guide” with tourist guidance info. Personally I like knowing about those hidden diamond experiences that are not advertised that only a local knows about.
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Yes I think that’s a great idea @Val .
If a host said I bake bread I’d like to leave you a loaf just checking that you don’t have any allergies, we would really appreciate it and if we did have allergies , we would still appreciate the sentiment.
Would love to sit for you
#greathost
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Hi @Val
We have been left a variety of welcome items ranging from milk to wine. Bread usually goes in the freezer for the hosts to have when they arrive home as we now eat sourdough most of the time. Milk now has so many varieties that this may not suit.
How about leaving a small gift token for a local farm shop or deli so they can choose their own?
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Except when you can’t operate the corkscrew @Couple_travels_fulltime 
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… or even find the corkscrew…
…. 
does it look a bit desperate to text the HO to ask where the corkscrew is ? … might they deduct a star for self- sufficiency?
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First thing packed is the corkscrew
We have a regular sit (not THS) where we are paid in wine 
should say we are not alchies and don’t drink them all on the sit 
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It’s funny and slightly OT, but I think people don’t always know the “must do’s” in their hometown. For example, in one sit, the hosts did mention an architechtural walking tour that they’d never been on.
Also thinking about my new favorite “gift” to receive: When the host says, “Feel free to pick any berries or vegetables that are ready in the garden and enjoy.”
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I’ve received various kindnesses from hosts. Two stand out, because I couldn’t have accessed them myself:
On one sit, the host arranged for me to tour a historic site with a friend who was a volunteer guide there. I didn’t even know that there were guided tours and I wouldn’t have gotten a private tour otherwise.
On another sit, my hosts introduced me to neighbors / friends before leaving. Those folks invited me to afternoon tea and a lecture, giving me a chance to get to know locals and experience part of British village life, which was my daydream as an American. I’m sure that that happened, because my hosts wanted me to feel welcomed.
Otherwise, the more commonly kind things that hosts have done for me have included offering to pick me up at the airport, train station or a village an hour+ away, where I’d been sightseeing before the sit; welcoming me with tea and scones or a cocktail; treating me to a welcome meal; offering me bottles of wine as a welcome; buying treats or leaving me a voucher; taking me grocery shopping or offering to buy me food ahead of a sit; leaving sightseeing info; buying me thank-you gifts. Some have also made sure to ask whether I was enjoying myself during the sit. Some have left me a car, golf cart or bicycle, or all three.
All the above are nice, but I don’t expect or need any of them. I love a robust welcome guide well ahead of the sit, so I can ask Qs if needed, as well as a clean, tidy home. Space in a clean fridge and freezer. Vacuums that actually work well.
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I would say the words “thank you” are underrated. Thank you for choosing to apply, to look after our pet, thank you for spending time at our place when we were away. Hope you too had a lovely stay.
i always say “thank you”. Not because I undervalue myself - I’m picky choosing if and what to apply for and a video call or whatever is not proving myself “worthy” but an assessment also on my part on whether this is “a good match”. I can do that and also say thank you - for the conversation, for the opportunity or whatever, if I’m declined or accepted. I say thank you not always because it is a whole lot to thank for, but because it is nice to be nice, nice is contagious and it is a reflection on who I’d like to be.
So - thank you for reading this. 
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Yes, always nice to be appreciated by hosts as well. Some have included thanks in their reviews, too.
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Thanks for posting, this is a great string!
Like most full-time sitters, we’ve experienced hosts across the spectrum from poor to amazingly generous/thoughtful.
We very much appreciate special gestures (meals, introductions, gifts, services etc) and they certainly make us feel appreciated. However, the gestures we value most are as follows:
A clean home (particularly kitchen, bath & bed)
A thorough welcome guide, no matter the format.
Enough food, treats, litter etc for the beasties to last the sit.
A lamp & extension cord or power bar beside the bed.
Space for our essentials in the bathroom, fridge & freezer.
Availability of a fan for sleeping.
At least 1 saute pan that’s in good condition(no damaged non-stick coating)
Contact details for your cleaner. If you don’t have one then contact for one in your area that you’d be comfortable with in your home. We have a rule that we always leave our sits better than we find them. However, sometimes timing etc makes it difficult to clean to our standards on the last day. In this case we prefer to bring in a cleaner to help out (at our expense of course). Sometimes sourcing a service can be more work than doing the cleaning ourselves.
And, finally my peculiarity, cotton sheets. Evidently most people don’t care but, for me, it’s the difference between being able to sleep or not. I don’t need new or even matched but they HAVE to be 100% cotton. This one has been a challenge so we travel domestically with our own now. So many homes now have microfiber sheets that I have to think people have never experienced cotton ones that breathe & feel smooth?? I understand that new, top-quality sheets are very pricey but I see them regularly at thrift shops for $4-10 per piece (sometimes these turn out to be vintage & feel amazing). We’re planning to go overseas soon & won’t be able to cart sheets with us. I foresee many a sweaty, restless night in my future 
Any sit with the above in place is a treat in & of itself
Oh, I just have to comment on the experience of having homeowners eat/drink in front of you without offering to share… Wow, just, wow 
!! Very happy to report that we have never experienced this level of rudeness. I have to say though, it has good story value . We keep threatening to write a “memoirs of a pet sitter” someday. Should we get around to it, that is definitely going in under “other sitters’ experiences” - damn!!
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I’d love to read that
Maybe it has to be cotton, @Jliz , but I would nevertheless mention that many find a silk sleeper a great travel companion. It doesn’t take much place (or weight) and can be an alternative in many cases where one would prefer ones own bedlinen.
Just an example as there are many:
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Garfield, that’s a great idea, thx much! The info sharing and support is one of the countless things that I love so much about this wonderful community!
I can see silk being a fab option for breathability, smooth feel, and packability but I’m wondering how it would interact with my dry heels.
Ok, gird your loins because I’m about to go deep on the overshare/TMI. Having dry skin and a pedi game that’s sometimes less than on-point 
(think crocodile) I frequently have tiny (or gaping) cracks around the edges of my heels that snag slightly on many fabrics. Cotton percale is a blissful exception, I can rub my little dino feet around to my heart’s content and nary a snag 
.
Of course a pair of socks would alleviate the issue but I’m just wondering how you think silk would perform on the tootsie front?
Yes, I’m seriously asking & not being facetious…
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Not to be too personal or anything…. But I’m a strong believer in night socks… 
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Jeez i’d love to find out who these homeowners are …