Hi Friends,
I just retired as a college professor and am looking to house and/or dog sit since I have more time on my hands. I joined this site but it seems to be lacking in a “how to get started” video/handout, etc. Any help from you veterans would be greatly appreciated. Also any “must knows”. I know I pay for my own transportation but will the home owner or pet owner pick you up at the airport? Do you use Lyft? Uber? What about food in the home?
Thanks so much
Jim Chapple
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Being picked up at the airport is not compulsory, discuss this with the HO. Generally you are supposed to feed yourselves, but some HO will leave you food. Dont assume you can help yourself to the HO food.
Welcome Jim! You said you joined this site-the forum-but perhaps you haven’t paid the membership fee and officially joined the platform. When I joined, it was all rather straightforward, creating your profile will be the first step. You can also search this forum for many threads that answer the common “newbie” questions. Good luck and happy travels!
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Welcome to forum @VermilionJim !
Good you found the forum - much to learn here and many members willing to help!
In general, this is just a matching platform. There are some expectations and duties which you will find in the THS terms and the Code of Conduct.
Many sitters (as myself) use THS for travelling also long distance, and rely on public transport. Personally I avoid sits that require a car, while others travel in car or campervan or are willing to rent one.
This is up to you. It is all about a good match. But it is important IMO to have some criterias on what you are looking for to get that good match. Some of my criterias are accessible by public transport, 6+ hours that the pet can be left alone and good sleeping facilities (I avoid sleeping with pets). Others might have other criterias, so most sits would have interested sitters.
If you read the website, blogs and forum you should have all the help you need to get started. Any questions unanswered then ask away!
Good luck. It’s a great world!
I’ve seen a few listings where the host states they will pick you up from the airport but most don’t. I don’t think hosts really think about how the sitters get to their homes. Out of 26 sits, only two have picked us up from airport and train station. I guess you could ask during application process but I generally don’t
I’ve been offered rides (unasked) from airports, train stations or other meeting points for about half of my 24 sits. Most of the rest, I was renting a car or driving my own.
In one case, the host volunteered to pay my round trip airport shuttle fare, though I didn’t take the $100 USD bill they’d included for me with a folder of sightseeing pamphlets and such. They also left me a car, golf cart and bicycle to use.
I think I’ve received a lot of generosity along those lines, because I intentionally look for kind, generous, appreciative hosts, starting from listings, onward. You can tell from how and what they include in wording, even if they don’t mention offering rides. Plus, review specifics from sitters.
Also, it’s easy to pick me up — I sit solo, so it’s not as if they have to pick up a family. Like one of my repeat-sit host couples drives a convertible that doesn’t have much room for people or luggage. Of all the hosts who’ve picked me up, only one has had a minivan, big enough to pick up a family of five, but even then, might not fit, depending on their baggage. And cars in some parts of the world run small, compared with those for example in the U.S. Some hosts don’t own cars at all.
We don’t say in our listing that we will pick a sitter up from the airport but do discuss those arrangements during the video call. A couple we were really keen to have were arriving separately on different days. She was coming earlier at an airport 2 hours away and he was arriving at a closer one after our departure and renting a car. We offered to pick her up, making a day out of it.
Our last sitters drove from northern Germany to sw France to reach us. When we realised during our trip that they would have to drive 16 hours to return home and then work the next day, we asked a friend to stay the last night so they could leave a day early. I don’t know what marketing techniques THS uses to attract members, but constantly emphasising the “free” aspect of it is bound to create frustration. Why can’t they make “connection” a selling point? Isn’t that what people are craving now?
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That was very nice of you to be so considerate. Yes, I agree. It’s definitely not “free” especially when you have to factor in transportation and sometimes hotels on the front or backend. I guess it’s up to each sitter what is worth it for them. I’ve had a couple of sits where I have asked myself, “why did I apply to this sit?” It would have made more sense to either not go to the city or just pay for a short term hotel. But once confirmed, I don’t cancel so we try to find some positives.
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Welcome, @VermilionJim!
A great way to get started might be to do a couple short-term sits locally, just to get a feel for the whole process and experience. (This will also help you collect some 5* reviews on your profile, which make it easier to land your more desired sits later.)
In response to your questions about what to expect: My approach has always been to look at the situation as though I’m traveling (as normal) while being graciously given a free and comfortable accommodations to stay in (in exchange, of course, for excellent care of that home and its pet/s). I don’t expect anything more than that… even though many HOs (i.e., home owners) will generously go above and beyond by offering to pick me up from airport/train station or by allowing me to use anything in their kitchen, etc. I always wait to be offered these things, am careful not to overdo it, and have never asked for it.
Similarly, some HOs will offer for you to arrive a day early or leave a day late, which can be super helpful. But again, I wait until they offer this and do not ask for it.
re: kitchen etiquette… you’ll find a variety of approaches, but here’s a pretty good set of fundamentals:
- don’t get into items that the HO hasn’t offered you
- perishables that will go bad during your stay are generally fair game
- spices and basics like olive oil, honey, etc are also generally fine to use to a reasonable extent (but if I’m going to be using a lot of any item, I’ll generally just buy one)
- if you use a lot of something, or if you get into any specialty items, replace it (with the same brand if at all possible) before you leave
Many hosts are very lovely and generous and have absolutely no problem with sitters using as much from the kitchen as you might like, but – at least personally – I see it as just good etiquette not to push the boundaries in this (or any other) area. Meanwhile, some HOs will respectfully ask you not to use certain items or to replace whatever you use.
For transportation, I do not drive and rely completely on public transit, walking, and the occasional car (lyft/uber/bolt [in europe]/taxi). When searching for sits, I always select the “accessible by public transit” box to ensure my results won’t be too remote, but there’s an important caveat here: Sometimes a home might technically be accessible via transit, but all it has is a bus that passes through three times per day. Always verify the transit specifics of a particular home (some quick research should get this done, and a confirmation with the HO). Make sure it will work for you before confirming the sit. It’s very doable to use THS without a car, if that’s what you’re going for.
Some HOs will also offer use of their bicycle or car or other mode of transport . This is generally indicated somewhere in their listing. Always discuss in detail before committing the sit. (Note also that insurance works differently in different countries - so even if a car has been made available to you, there may still be a hefty insurance cost involved.)
In case of emergency (which has never happened, thankfully!), I generally rely on ordering a car (lyft, etc) and then would ask for reimbursement later from the HO. (Pet care expenses are covered by the HO.) But this is another thing to confirm with the HO.
A few tips when it comes to finding & applying to sits:
- Acting fast when you see a listing you like is important. Sits can go fast, especially when they’re in a competitive location. Having a strong profile and a strong boiler plate application message (which you’ll customize for each application) will really help you act quickly to get the sits you want. You’ll continue to refine your message after the first few applications.
- It’s all about the saved search. Depending on how specific your criteria are, you probably won’t find a lot of listings in-the-moment when you’re searching for a sit. Be sure to save that search and set up notifications so you’ll be alerted when a new listing is posted that matches your criteria.
- Everyone is different! Not every sit will be a right-fit for you. Each HO approaches the arrangement with their own personality and expectations, and so does each sitter. The key is in finding the right-fit arrangements for you.
- Communication is key. Since this is such an individual experience for everyone involved, continuous and thorough communication between HO and sitter is important. Most people will request a video call before confirming a sit.
- Getting a few short local sits under your belt is the best way to get started!
THS is a wonderful thing… as long as no one party ever takes the other party for granted, and I think that’s perhaps the most important key to having a successful experience here.
I’ll end by just sharing a few pleasant surprises I’ve found from using THS… some aspects that I hadn’t expected but really love about sitting!
- Some HOs will bring a very relational approach. They’ll be friendly and take time to get to know you, maybe make dinner for you on your first night, and/or introduce you to neighbors/friends/family, which really plugs you into the community and enriches the overall local experience. (Other HOs don’t do this at all – this is one of those personal differences mentioned above!)
- Because you’re sitting in a real person’s home (not just an airbnb), the home is often very well stocked with kitchen equipment or other items like exercise equipment, which is a huge perk. I even began learning piano (via youtube) in one home, simply because they had a piano there.
Welcome to the adventure!
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here’s another post with some great tips, in case you haven’t come across it already!