For various reasons we are going to be overseas for 6 months within the next 12 months. I would like to make this 2 x 3 month trips.
Looking for advice as to the best way to break this up in order to find sitters. The house is near Moab so a great location.
Many thanks!
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@aburtell first of all, welcome to the forum where you will find so much help from seasoned members.
I took a look at your profile and want to let you know you have a beautiful home in a very desirable part of the country with awesome views from your patio. I don’t think you will have any issues finding someone wanting to stay for three months at a time, or even if you decided to take all six months at one time. There are many members here who love the idea of “settling in” for a while and not have to travel for a bit.
I would suggest that summer and fall will be the most favorable because of the weather and how it can really snow in the winter, but many people love snuggling in during the snow as well. That’s the great thing…folks are very diversified in what they are looking for.
I would suggest you go ahead and link your member profile to your forum profile here at How to add a listing or profile link to your FORUM profile - Owner & Sitter Exchange - TrustedHousesitters Community Forum. This will give our members easy access to your profile, which will give you added exposure to sitters who may find this to be the perfect sit for you and can save your listing for when the time comes for you to post.
I wish you luck and once again, welcome to the forum!
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Here’s just a few things that cross my mind.
If it ends up being a few different sitters during the time frame with a hand off from sitter to sitter that may need some coordination between the sitters and you.
One sitter that takes over from another may find a concern about the home/pets…will the second sitter know if it was an existing issue or one that was a result from the sitter that just left?
So that puts you in a position to have to figure out how you would handle anything that might come up sitter to sitter.
Would your pets be ok being handed off sitter to sitter?
Would a sitter be responsible for cleaning for the next sitter.
Just some things to consider with multiple sitters, if you are not directly involved with each new sitter.
I edited my post, as I thought you wanted a 6mo duration also…
Good luck!
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Many Thanks!! Some great thoughts and things to consider .
many thanks! some great tips
I would love to know more about your sit! 
Hi , I haven’t yet linked this post to my profile but if you look for my listing … Moab … Desert House and Super Dog you can see the house.
Still trying to understand how to reply to posts!
@aburtell If you need help doing that just let me know as I can do that on your behalf 
That would be super! I am hopeless at anything technical 
If you click on your name @aburtell then you will see the link to your TrustedHousesitters listing there. 
I hope that you find an amazing sitter, 3 or 6-month sits can be quite sought after, my longest sit so far was 8 weeks but I would definitely consider longer sits.
We work remotely so it is great to be settled and thoroughly experience the area, plus the pets really settle and get to know us which is so rewarding. We do need good Wifi due to working remotely so that might be something to consider for longer sits if people are not local and need to work from home. But then there might be other sitters that are writing a book or doing other things and that is not so important.
Bottom right hand gray arrow on individual posts goes to you to the person.
The green reply button at the bottom of a thread just gets your post placed at the bottom of the entire thread chat.
You can also use the green reply button if you want to just make a general post in the thread to show at the bottom but mention someone in your post like this
@Debbie-L
I’ve had a quick look at your sit and it looks fabulous.
One thing to think about. Overseas sitters can only spend six months at a time in the US. If they want to see the area they may want to move around.
I love solitude, mountains, countryside and active dogs. Exploring new places is second nature. I would love to stay in the right place for six months but my husband maybe got differ. He gets itchy feet.
Good luck and do what’s right for you.
Thanks, all that makes sense. Thank you for taking the time to explain that!
Thanks! Good luck in your travels
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Welcome, @aburtell!
From what I’ve read on the forums, longer sits are at a premium. So if your goal is to find sitters, I’d keep it as two 3-month sits. The only exception might be if the sit is coming up very soon, but even then … hmm.
Also, if you can provide a car, then it should really make your sit desirable. For example, you could pick up a sitter in Moab, then have them drive you to the airport when you leave (and pick you up). If you’re worried about insurance, etc., you can search the forums for similar discussions.
Best of luck! If more questions, just write back.
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Generally, long sits get lots of applicants!
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Hi @aburtell sitters are as different as the sits on the site, no one size fits all … one of my favorites sits was 8 months in Spain. An adorable senior Dobbie, beautiful ocean view villa, car provided and a very kind and generous invite from the pet parent/owner to have guests stay.
I had the opportunity to really live like a local, make lifelong friends, discover Southern Spain in a way traditional travel cannot, volunteer with a horse rescue charity and adopt two rescued Welsh Mountain ponies … long story, long sit, even longer memories. 
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I currently live in the U.S. in Metro-Atlanta. I host international tours. I need someone to sit for several months a year. My first extended leave will be November 2023 to April 2024. Is this too long? And has anyone had any issues with individuals not wanting to leave after a sit.
Note: I’m usually back in the U.S 4 to 5 months a year.
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Hi @tarsharichardson01. Welcome to our friendly community. We’re glad you’ve joined us and introduced yourself. You host international tours? I’d love to hear more about that. Where do you go? Do you do all the organizing, or are you the tour guide/director?
There are lots of sitters who love longer sits. 4-5 months is not too long, especially over the winter when it can be more difficult to find sits.
Are you a TrustedHousesitters member? If so, you might want to put a link to your TrustedHousesitters listing in your forum profile. That way our members here could get to know you better and, potentially, provide suggestions on ways to tweak your listing.
Again, welcome to the forum. I’m looking forward to getting to know you in the days to come.
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I did 3+ months. It was over the winter (in WA) and just prior to the release of the COVID vaccines, so I wasn’t keen to go anywhere anyway. The host would have been fine getting coverage for me for a few days here and there, though. I think that’s key. I would probably be reluctant to take a long sit like that again if the host/s were not open to (and offered) to allow me for the possibility that I might need breaks (not to mention the possibility of an emergency).
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