Could sitters post their availability for a specific location?
Would it be possible to introduce a feature that allows pet sitters to post when and where they are available?
I know sitters can already save a search for a particular location and receive notifications when a matching sit is posted. However, this would work the other way around. Homeowners could see that an experienced sitter is available in their area, even if they have not yet decided to travel or posted a sit.
For example, someone might be considering a trip but feel unsure because their pets require specialist care. If they saw that a sitter with experience caring for snakes was available nearby, they might think: “We weren’t planning to go away, but this could be a great opportunity. Let’s see whether we might be a good match.”
This could also be useful when homeowners have flexible dates. A saved search and its notifications may not find the right match if the dates do not line up exactly. In some cases, the homeowner may be willing to plan their trip around the availability of a particularly suitable sitter.
The sitter’s post could include:
The location or area where they would like to sit
Their available or flexible dates
The types of pets they have experience with
Any specialist skills or preferences
The approximate length of stay they are looking for
Homeowners could then view the sitter’s profile and reviews and contact them if they think there might be a good match.
I realise that members who already know each other can stay in touch privately. This feature would be particularly valuable for homeowners and sitters who have not met before. It could create matches that would otherwise never happen and might even inspire homeowners to take a trip they had not previously thought possible.
Thank you. There is an enormous number of Facebook pages! Not only on this subject, but also ‘unofficial’ TrustedHousesitters pages. Very helpful indeed.
At the same time, it would still be great to have a feature for this on the official website. But what I’ve learned is that the main goal right now is to get the regular ‘stuff’ working properly.
I completely agree that this would be useful and should be easy to implement. They have a feature like this on Home Exchange, so that members can find each other. Members create a “wish list” with locations, dates, and even some notes, for example, someone who lives in New York City might list Venice, Italy, and write “attending a wedding in Venice on 7 July, 2027.” Members in Venice can find this member by doing a “Reverse search.” They are able to find this member in NYC who is looking for an exchange in/near Venice, and so they begin communicating to see if it is a good match.
Likewise, sitters can make a wish list, and owners who live in Timbuktu can find sitters who want to go to Timbuktu. Owners would review sitter profile and reach out with an invitation to apply if they desire.
This might not be as helpful for people living in very popular destinations (too many matches), but for owners who live in less popular places, it could make a big difference.
Totally understandable! I’m pretty active on social media, and I’ve become quite street-smart. I enjoy checking profiles - some are so lazy and just copy pasting that I am wondering ‘how???’ - , and don’t hesitate to block people when something feels off, and I’m pretty trigger-happy with that block button. Now my algorithm is basically a little slice of heaven
But in reality, I suspect that the bulk of the locations for which sitters would be listing their availability would be more popular locales where hosts can easily plan their trip first and then post a listing where they would receive plenty of interested, suitable applicants from which to choose. And even if someone in such an area was interested in checking out the available sitters, if there was a very large number of them listed, having to sift through them all would limit the usefulness of this feature.
Of course, not every sitter strictly limits themselves to these types of locations, and they travel for all sorts of reasons. I do plenty of sits in non-touristic areas all the time. But again, I imagine that much of the time, such a feature would probably be used to hopefully connect with hosts who would have the least need for it.
True, but essentially, it would be most helpful to owners who may otherwise have a difficult time finding a sitter. And use of this would not be mandatory. The main way to find sitters would remain: write an awesome listing and post the dates!
I have seen the way “Reverse Search” plays out on Home Exchange. People wind up staying in “out of the way” places simply because they want to experience the culture of another country. For example, we stayed in Portici, Italy (outside of Naples) for 2 weeks since we wanted to visit Sorrento and Capri. We did lots of day trips by train and boat. Has anyone even heard of Portici? I certainly had not. The Portici people wanted to visit Oregon (where I live), and we wanted to visit Italy. A reverse search connected us. The same thing happened with a family in Mariazell, Austria. I had Austria on my wish list, and the Austrian family wanted to visit Oregon. Voila!
There is already a site like that created by THS sitters. Good idea and excellent design, but the site never really got good traction. Dm me if you want the link.
