People who work in hospitality should know better than to make any of their guests feel awkward, judged or such, especially at pricier hotels — you’re paying for the experience, not just lodgings.
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Good explaination.
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@Newpetlover Yes, the conversation did get back on track and we’ve now sat for them twice (and will do again)! We always think it strange - and quite funny - to reflect that the hosts who asked us quite an intrusive and personal question actually turned out to be the loveliest people, with a beautiful clean and tidy home and wonderful pets. One of our favourite sits! 
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We never contemplated that, either and it’s a fair point. It’s good to think about things from another angle, so thanks to everyone who’s replied.
@ClovesC We say in our profile that we’re recently retired, and what we did in our working lives. It definitely was the way it was worded, and out of the blue, which took us aback a bit (we’d never been asked about our financial circumstances before, or since ).
Yes, we did sit for them and they’re actually some of the nicest pet parents we’ve encountered, so we know the question wasn’t indicative of an intrusive or overbearing host. They were first-timers, so maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe they thought we’d be making off with the family silver…
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I am actually surprised when some hosts (including some that we sit for often ) haven’t asked us anything about ourselves .
They have told us all about themselves , their careers, family , hobbies etc but not shown any interest in wanting to know more about us other than what’s in our profile .
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As a sitter, I was walking the doggie in the park. Another dog walker stopped and said: “Oh are you looking after Mona? You must be Kim’s (the owner) mum”?
FYI: Kim was 38, I was 47 
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Are HOs aware that sitters don’t get paid by THS?
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Yes, this has been my experience too - and I’m quite happy not to have to talk about myself. 
. . .
Meanwhile, if a HO enquired as to how I funded house-sitting, I would tell them to mind their own business.
It’s easiest to think ahead and anticipate what hosts or sitters want or need. That way, you don’t essentially leave gaps in info or invite unnecessary questions.
Like my sitter profile has always included career info, which means I’ve never been asked how I finance my sitting / travels.
I had empathy for hosts from the start — put myself in their place and considered what trust signals they’d need and what Qs they’d have. Because I offer robust info proactively, our video chats are usually quick.
If anyone is repeatedly getting invasive Qs, it’s worth considering why, because you’re the common element. Consider if there are gaps in your profile or application. Maybe ask why someone is asking — you can do that in a friendly way. And even if it turns out someone is just being nosy, that’s usually a good way to deflect. You can say something like: I’m a curious person, too. May I know how that factors into the sit (or your choice of a sitter)?
If someone is offended or triggered by a polite inquiry like that, then you’re better off knowing that early on. In that case, it can be a red flag that helps you decide to avoid them.
BTW, if you ask a Q and get a snarky, snippy or otherwise rude answer, that’s worth noting. It usually means that the person has a low trigger point and can’t control their emotions well enough to respond in a neutral or polite way. And if that happens at the outset, imagine what can happen with them if real problems arise during a sit.
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My guess is they probably didn’t actually read the profile, and yes socially awkward which doesn’t make them terrible human beings deserving of sarcsam.
@Els - I feel your pain!
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We’ve had the odd host ask us, usually out of genuine curiosity, how we fund our lifstyle? We are always open about having rental income and living a nomadic lifestyle and we do also explain all this in our profile (but sometimes one half has not read our profile)
However there was one video call meeting with some hosts that made us very uncomfortable. They asked the money question but also many others e g how did we anticipate spending our time on the sit, what were our hobbies etc etc. The whole tone of the call was like an interview and we also felt they, especially the husband, were suspicious of us. They took an hour of our time grilling us about many things we felt were irrelevant to our ability to housesit for them. We only spoke so long because the sit had seemed attractive, and we were less experienced back then, but their seemingly untrusting attitude was a turn off. At the end of the call we all agreed (rather unenthusiasitcally!) to confirm the sit…but 2 hours later when they still had not sent the sit confirmation request we withdrew our application…
Next day, despite us having withdrawn, they finally sent the request! We declined! Too much messing around!
We like to feel consciously and enthusiasitically chosen! 
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lord. in the fall I was visiting some friends and staying in their home. their 15 year old daughter had a friend over and did a quick intro as they went upstairs to watch a movie. I hear him going up the stairs ‘is that your grandma?’. I’m 50. so I guess biologically I could be old enough to be her grandma but he’d met her mom and dad who are 2 years younger and 2 years older than me respectively and he thought I was one of their parents. LMAO. to myself I was just like ‘did that kid just ask if I was the grandma!?!?’ little brat
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Ditto!!! Us too!
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@botvot we had a similar experience on a recent, very luxurious, quite expensive, Italian coastal cruise. After telling a passenger about our house sitting adventures she said in a very snobbish condescending way “how is it that you are house sitters but you are here on THIS cruise?” My husband said in his typical Australian straightforward way “because we’ve worked bloody hard to self fund a great retirement!” We avoided that passenger for the rest of the cruise, which was a bit hard as there were only 80 passengers on board. She kept making a bee line towards us to talk more about our “very interesting life as house sitters.” 
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I saw someone earlier this year who I’ve known professionally for quite a long time. We were chatting briefly about our summer plans. I told him I was pet sitting and where. He was really shocked. YOU PET SIT??? It was definitely a negative reaction which I felt reduced his opinion of me. Some people do have a preconceived notion about those of us who sit. He knew of THS. It seemed his impression of sitters is that they can’t afford to travel otherwise.
I agree with the saying that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent, so I no longer explain more. Now, I just say I’m on holiday. The other side of this is that I’ve had three sits where the owners are very successful people, and were curious about my choice to sit. After I shared more, they said my choice to sit made them consider doing it. People are people, some open minded, some not so much.
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Many of my coworkers know I sit and are intrigued or think it’s cool. I work in the startup world and know plenty of telecommuters and heavy travelers — folks tend to be open minded and being nomadic or splitting time among homes isn’t rare.
I haven’t heard any of my friends knock my sitting. But then I wouldn’t have “friends” who judge me. With friends like those, who would need enemies?
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There may be a cost to sitting but I am very aware that people who have sat for me have partly done it to save money on rent or hotels, and I am very aware how much I save when I sit.
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First of all, English is not my first language, so sorry about that.
I really find this question a bit offensive the way it was asked, but maybe these people weren’t from England. I recently read a very interesting book about “The English” and learned a lot.
On a related note, we have been asked a few times what we do for a living and when we send them a link to our business website they are very surprised that we could easily afford to buy half of their village. Makes me giggle every time.
So no, we don’t do it to save money. We just love dogs and find it very relaxing to work and travel in their companionship. We combine business with fun.
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