I have posted a sit for mid September 2024 which is 2.5 weeks long . I have a number if people saving to favourites but no applications yet . Is it too early for people to be committing to sits?
Definitely not too early for those of us who plan travel months in advance and who are trying to stitch together back to back trips. Iād say folks have just been busy doing Christmas and that their thoughts will turn to next trips soon. Prior to Christmas, there were 7500 sits available; now. Itās only 3100 so yours will be easier to find. Good luck!
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@Cleahy I will just add that you may want to somehow choose a THsitter that wonāt cancelā¦if booked so early.
Have a very blunt chat about that aspect of booking early.
For me personally, this would be too early. Too many things can come up on both sides and I would worry about planning the rest of my year around it. However, weāre just two sitters and it sounds like thereās plenty of folks who would have no problem booking that far in advance.
My advice is, if you donāt get enough apps in the first week or so, go in and make some kind of edit to your profile so that it relists as ānewā instead of falling into the ālow applicationsā slush pile.
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Weāve got sits confirmed for September 24 and November 24 - we confirmed them in October 23 -so itās not too early .
Hello @Cleahy and a warm welcome to the Forum 
There are plenty of sitters who like to plan in advance so itās certainly not too early to post a sit now for September 2024. Of course you will always have other sitters who prefer to secure their sits nearer to the dates. Sitters have many different reasons for how far in advance they book their sits, some would consider this too far in advance.
I have posted another thread you might like to take a look at by clicking here
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a bit too early for me. It would have to be a sit I am extremely excited about, if I was asked to commit so early on.
Different sitters do things differently. Itās not too early for full time sitters who may plan sits months in advance. Itās probably too early for casual sitters who arenāt full time travelers. I post sits anywhere from 3 monts to 2 weeks in advance. I live in an area people want to travel to. I always get applicants. Most applicants I get are not full time sitters.
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Agreed. As a solo, casual sitter who telecommutes ā even with lots of flexibility and control over my calendar ā I wouldnāt book so early. Many full-time nomads prefer to commit way ahead, though. It makes it easier for them to plan and connect sits.
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@Cleahy - We are trying to hold back this year as there are always so many great sits that we are not able to apply for as we are booked - but already we have very limited availability now until August!
To answer your question I would say rather too early than too late
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@Colin
I know exactly what to mean. I try my best to hold back from applying for too many sitsā¦ but it is not easy. This is addictive! However, sometimes I get asked for repeat sits, or I see something that looks absolutely perfect, but I canāt do it because I am booked.
This year (OK, 2024) I havenāt got as many sits booked yet, so thatās something.
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Not too early. I just accepted a sit for early October.
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We are (almost) full time sitters and world travellers who are already planning for next Christmas. I browse the sits listed to give me inspiration. Itās never to early.
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Yes it is.
Unless you get lucky and someone is planning a trip at the same time that youāve advertised. Today I saw a sit in my city for December next year and didnāt even bother reading it, too far in the future for me to know what Iāll be doing.
Not too early @Cleahy, we have sits booked until end of Sept next year and we have been invited to two for Xmas 2024 already which we are considering 
Weill caveat that with the fact we are full time sitters who sit internationally 70/80% of the time so that means more future planning needed. Depends if your sit appeals to locals or overseas visitors. As @Colin says, better too early than too late. You can always post again if you donāt find someone that works this time around.
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Thatās a difficult question to answer. If there is a sitter who KNOWS they want to be in your area for that time period, it might be good.
But most sitters donāt plan that far in advance because they like flexibility.
You didnāt put in the post why youāre posting so early.
Is your sit in a place were it is very difficult to find sitters (Alaska or Death Valley come to mind.)
Do you have horses, reptiles or other pets who need a person(s) with a special skill set?
If not, I think you might want to consider posting closer to the time frame when people have a clearer idea of where they can or want to be.
We had several invitations for Christmas sits 3-4 months i advance from HO weāve sat for in the past & we have been asked about our availability for several time periods in 2024, but sounds as though youāre looking for a sitter who has never sat for you beforeā¦?
If you donāt have especially unusual requirements then 90 days in advance would probably be a good time to post for a sit.
Weāve got sits booked up until Oct 2024. There are plenty of sitters that like to plan ahead, and other that donāt. So post whenever you are ready to.
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Thanks for all the responses it gives me a lot more insight and reassured me not to panic too early. The sit is straight forward in a fairly desirable are (England near Stratford on Avon ) so if I donāt get a sit confirmed soon will wait and catch those who prefer not to plan too far ahead
I love Stratford-upon-Avon. Did a sit there in September with the sweetest dog and welcoming hosts, and Iāll be doing a repeat sit in 2024. The host and I exchanged holiday greetings and they asked whether Iād want to come again and it was an easy āyes,ā even though Iām not big on repeats, since there are so many places in the world to visit.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a beautiful area, with so much history and plenty of amenities. Iād highly recommend it to other sitters.
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Hi, Iām new to THS. How can you see who is looking at your posts? Just had a sitter cancel on me and donāt even know how to see if the sit has gone live again. Feeling very confused!