Great question!
As a sitter, educational trainer, and teacher I am already planning my trips through the end of March next year. During the next 9 months I will be going back to the States, down through Mexico, over to Australia, and then back to Africa to work with different schools. I have to plan far in advance, so that I can obtain the best airfair and ensure that the teachers are available for training. Plus it takes time to obtain different vias and the cost for each country can vary.
As a professional sitter, I can assure you, that by posting 2-3 months in advance works to both parties benefit.
The owner has time to sift through the applications. The sitter has time to arrange their job list.
Robin
OOH! PLEASE take Snowbirds advice and post your link! I’m so homesick for Los Angeles!! I’m not sure I can do the dates, but I’d love to mark your listing as a favorite for future opportunities!
Due to the dread lurgie it’s been difficult for anyone to make plans over the past 2 years but as full-time house-sitters we’d like to plan for long sits a year in advance. We’re booked almost solidly till January.
I usually sit internationally so I like to plan in advance. For example, I’m starting a sit in mid-August that I booked at the beginning of May. I think for sits longer than a week or so it’s best to provide as much notice as possible.
Snowbird,
Thanks so much for helpful (I hope/haven’t followed your instructions yet😌). I’m feeling bit overwhelmed right now, so will wait til tomorrow am when have more motivation to hunker down & do…Were HomeExchange.com members for 20 yrs., & spent hours upon hours writing/revising our Bethesda, MD listing (outside Washington, DC), then same for Santa Monica, where now live.
We’re leaving HE & TrustedHousesitters seems like (in theory) ideal for us since we’ll be in Europe for 6 weeks & Maarten & I frankly nervous about leaving our rescue Chelsie who we’ve only had for 5 mos./she’s a yr. old @ a pet hotel/boarding place.
Anyhow—will get on it tomorrow, sorry for long-winded email & thanks for your reply,
Barbara
I have already listed Christmas, as I have such trouble finding sitters at that time of year!
thanks, if you were messaging us :-). Our intention is to be a bit further south for those months so we would sadly have to say no for now. But very much appreciate the timely head’s up to a sit in the future. those are the sit notices we welcome 
There are sits I would love to do in October. I don’t sign up. That is way too far in advance. Who knows what will happen between now and then. Even if a HO and Sitter come to agreement, both sides may face unknown situations. I think two months is more realistic.
I asked the same question here about my long sit for December, got the very good advice not to wait, and had a much easier time finding someone than I did when I posted 6 weeks before my travel dates. Go fot it!
Hello,
We are full time sitters (5 years of solid bookings) and can give you our opinion. For a lengthy sit such as yours, posting a listing far in advance is a good thing. We personally have bookings in place as far as two years ahead (but only lengthy sits). If it were a shorter sit (one week and under)… posting far in advance may not be a benefit as we use shorter sits to fill the gaps between the longer sits. But that’s just us. Really no harm in booking far in advance as sitters will most often search for dates (so worrying about being at the top of new listings is not an absolute must).
I am with the consensus voice: Posting early is best, especially for longer sitting assignments. As a sitter I was booked from July thru September several months ago and I am already looking for 2023.
Autumn in Lancaster County should be a big draw with fall leaves. However, there is great competition for pet sitters right now. Some ideas that might help:
A big barrier for people flying in or who don’t own one is the need to rent a car for 6 weeks. Would you consider making use of a car available? I have had hosts in England do that for me. They take a copy of my license and add me to the insurance policy.
Pet care is always the top priority, but some flexibility can increase opportunities. Currently you require that your cats are fed at very precise times–5-7 a.m. and 5-6 p.m. That second feeding time would eliminate the ability of a sitter to see a show in Manhattan or some other activity that kept them out late. I know my cats like to be fed on the clock too, but they manage when I am a little late now and then. Is that a hard-and-fast requirement?
Good luck and happy travels!
@liz only just seen your post so sorry for the delayed response but everyone’s situation is different. We would be more than happy to do a sit for 6 weeks or more that is posted with just a month before needed. We are both retired and unless we are already booked or have other commitments then we would happily travel to any corner of this beautiful earth and we are also more than happy to travel very last minute to literally anywhere too and for any length of sit, be it for a few days or over a month. 
I would post it now. I’m nearly booked now until the end of January and am looking for longer sits after that so it’s never too early!
How much time are you giving yourself in between sits. I have had a day from Kenya to Egypt and a day from Egypt to Dubai. From Dubai to France it might be 2 days but honestly it is more like one once I am out of the air.