After a delightfully successful sit for all parties, the happy homeowners recommended me to friends of theirs, a little further out from where they live. I picked the original sit in order to be near my adult children for an extended period, while also exploring the area. It required airfare and a brief car rental in between being able to use our children’s vehicles on occasion. The expense was worth it for the reward!! The friends they referred me to live further away from my children and I would definitely flights to get there and a car while there. Though I would like to be able to help their friends, I’m not sure the expense makes it worthwhile. Is this something you would address with the homeowner? If so, how is that done sensitively? EDIT - their friends joined THS but have not posted a sit. They are nervous and want to work with me! 
State exactly what you have done here - you sit to be near your children .
Thank them for the recommendation/ invitation and explain that unfortunately this sit won’t work for you this time as it’s not near enough to your children and will cost too much to get there .
By sayingthis time it leaves open the opportunity for you to sit for them in the future, if your circumstances change and making it more suitable for you.
Tell them that whilst the location does suit you, it likely would probably suit another THS sitter and give them your referral code for a discount if they want to join up with THS .
Nice to hear you had a great experience 
I think only you can be the judge of wether it’s worthwhile, as it’s really up to you and what your motivation is for being there. Why don’t you try making a pro / con list (expense vs what you would be getting out of it)?
You should be aware that if it’s not a THS sit, then none of the same T’c & C’s, policies & guidelines will apply, (plus you won’t be able to review eachother) and if the friends aren’t aware of what your sit expectations are and haven’t had sitters before/don’t know how sitting works, you could end up with any kind of situation, so it’s really up to you. If you’re thinking that you don’t want to take the sit, you could simply explain the expense and that it wouldn’t be a THS sit.
Just tell them that.
If they want free sitters, they can join THS and put up a listing.
Do the HO’s friends have a membership with THS?
I have sat for HO’s who also have recommended me to their friends. One had 3 cats—I am allergic to cats. One had a roommate, a traveling nurse…having a 3rd party is a ‘no no’. I am not sure if they were THS members and had I agreed to sit, I would have had to book a flight / rent a car.
And I also had a HO’s friend contact me and wanted to know if I would sit her 2 dogs. She was not a THS member; I suppose she was just hoping that I would drive 9 hours and do her a favor.
In each case, I politely said “no thank you, although I appreciated the opportunity to sit for them.”
You could say something similar… “thank you for the opportunity…”, but if location is not close to your children and the travel is not in your financial budget, you should not feel pressure to say “Yes, I’ll do it.”
Thank you. They joined THS because of their friends’ rave reviews.
I was on a sit when two different sets of their neighbours told me they’d ’use me’ …. hmm not the right choice of words to put me in the right frame of mind. Also they didn’t really want to join THS, and didn’t understand why I’d insist on them doing this….odd. Or that I wouldn’t commit to applying even if they did join, or that I’d not necessarily want to repeat that location….I do wonder sometimes if people are burdened with a depleted empathy or imagination gene…
Hopefully you can reassure the people that there are so many other wonderful sitters out there, for them to chose from.
@BonnyinBrighton
I had a near neighbour of a three dog sit I was on recently, say she would like to use me for her one little dog. That was when I said that on THS we don’t charge. She said it would be a nice little holiday for me 
I did actually tell her that where I lived was beautiful and I only had done that sit she saw me on due to having the three working dogs to hang out with.
I can imagine they are nervous, I certainly was when I had my first sit, and my first couple of sitters weren’t great to be honest. I have now had three fabulous sitters and have learnt a lot about the sitter’s side of the deal, and recommend THS far and wide.
I would politely decline, but encourage them to dip their toe in and post their sit - what’s the worst that can happen?
By going through the site, they can review potential sitters’ reviews, focus on someone with experience to begin with, and go from there.
Good luck
Wording matters!!
Hi @NCSitterPD
I think just be as honest and open as you’ve posted. I declined a great repeat sit as it was last minute and while I was free to sit the airfare was going to be £900 return. I advised the HO that while I’d love to sit again, the last minute request made airfares very expensive and outside my budget.
You can say to people who want to ‘use’ you that you only take sits through THS because home owners and sitters review each other on X categories after the sit and that accountability ensures (to some extent) that both parties treat each other respectfully.
We have had this exact situation happen several times, and it always worked out well.
The best situation is a couple who has a nice dog and chickens (eggs!) that allowed us to use both of their cars during 3 separate month long Sits!!! Win, win, win!!!
We were able to meet them and get a home tour ahead of time, but if the first Owners are telling you that “they are clean and tidy, their home is gorgeous, they are reliable,” then it is really up to your judgment.
You could ask to have a video chat, be able to read a Welcome Guide of sorts, and get a video home tour and meet the pets.
For me, it would depend on so many factors, whether to take the Sit or not. Since the new people already joined THS, you could ask them to make it an “official” THS Sit. AND ask for use of their car!!!
Right, if I can use their car and save on the expense of a rental that’s a big plus.
You could say what you have said here, you would like to help but, due to the distance, you would need to hire a car and can’t afford it. They may then offer theirs, or you could suggest it more directly, that depends on how you feel about it.
We used to have a regular sit in North Wales, the HO’s brother rang up to talk to him, got chatting to us, and we ended up sitting for him about 4 times. Nice home, nice cats, nice location, he wasn’t a member of THS. If it works for you, do it, otherwise don’t.
If they’re inviting you to sit then I’d certainly request use of their car (if they haven’t been considerate enough to offer this).
I’m not sure what the Ts and Cs are regarding invitations and travel expenses to and from the sit but they’re clearly aware you don’t live locally and would need to fly in so it would be nice if their invitation also offered to help you out with this expense.
Otherwise it’s just an invitation for you to shell out hundreds possibly thousands of dollars for the privilege of caring for their home and pets.
I’ve had several invitations from HOs that would require both inter-continental air travel and for me to hire a vehicle for the duration (all were over a month) of the sit as the locations have all been very remote. I don’t even respond… I just laugh and shake my head at the expectations some people have of others.
I don’t mind footing the travel expenses to get to/from a sit (or the nearest location served by public transport anyway)…. But I think it’s outrageous for a sitter to be expected to cover the expense of a lengthy car rental during a sit in a remote location.
If this doesn’t work for you - for whatever reason - it doesn’t work. I would NOT bring up financial concerns/worthiness with potential HO’s. It is inappropriate as it is not their concern; and, to be honest, because THS is a non-renumerative plaform, it is a bit dicey.
Can you give them any referrals ?
A polite “Thank you so much. Unfortunately, I’m not available” is sufficient. Responsibilty and appreciation will get you far !
@LiamSits It really depends on the situation! I would consider renting a car if I were offered a 6 week long Sit near Assisi, Italy, during a “nice weather” time of year with pets who could be left alone for 8 hours so that we could tour around.
Yes, the car rental would cost a bit, but we would have a place to sleep, cook, wash clothes, and cuddle pets! I love the “live like a local” part which THS offers.