Listing too soon?

Wow,I just noticed a sit advertised for 24th Dec - 31st December 2022!

Would any sitter book so far in advance ?

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I noticed it too @Colin and thought that was way too soon for both parties!!

Me :paw_prints:
I have an agreement 3 years running where I currently am. I block 3 months for them.
I adore the animals and they are exceptional people.
I found that when you find that match it can and will, if you choose, lead to very unexpected wonderful friendships.
I would not however book that far ahead unless it was something really outstanding or I already knew them.

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Hi @Amparo I can understand you having that agreement with those owners for 3 years where it is for 3 months as it’s one that you just love and the owners are now good friends. This one is just a week from 24 - 31 Dec 2022 looking after 2 rabbits. It is in London though so it may well attract sitters, but will the owner make a decision promptly if that is the case??

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Yes completely agreed. I was just going to edit my post but I will just add it here.
I would not accept a sit that far out in advance unless it was an absolute dream sit or people I already knew and wanted to see again.
A sit during the holidays is prime time and the choice should be very carefully made. For me it has to knock my socks off :rofl:

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As others already said : no we wouldn’t apply so far in advanced.

We do organise 2 to 3 month in advance. And even though we had lots of changes / cancellation / early returns with Covid !
We always keep an option to add a last minute sit on our way back : like a cherry on the cake ! What we are going to do this month, on our way back home (2 cherries on the cake ; one to very nice OH we met last autumn and that we are very happy to help on a last minute situation).

Totally agree with @Amparo : we would ONLY IF if it would be a highly desirable destination / length AND special friend / people.

But, it may interest some people to fill in gaps on a special place, or on a special tour : who knows ? There is always a right fit for the right person.

Most of all, I wouldn’t want these OH to feel sad not receiving any application ! Maybe if they read this forum they would understand : if not I hope THS can contact them and help them.

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I can understand a Holiday early booking. This past year was a nightmare as sitters were finally able to visit friends/family, so there were not as many available.

Holidays are stressful and many people want to get their trips planned far in advance. The problem is the uncertainty with the World and the problems we are now facing. All parties need to understand that even if you have a confirmed sit, changes can occur that are out of control by either the sitter or the homeowner.

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We have a sit booked in Ecadour for October 2022 which was booked July 1st 2021. And we are watching flight prices to get the best deal. I don’t think I would have done it for a more “popular” place but it was a chance we couldn’t miss.
However, in this climate I think it’s better for us to just look ahead a couple of months at a time unless the ultimate sit comes up.

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If it’s a long sit in a location I’d really love to go to, yes!

Otherwise not.

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I do think someone will grab it up because that is somebody’s dream.

Ecuador :heart_eyes: :parrot: :palm_tree: :dolphin: ! <= this is how I imagine Ecuador !

What a great place to visit ! Looking forward to hearing from it next autumn then !
Now keep fingers crossed everything go on as expected !

And we have to do the ultimate touristy thing - one foot in the northern hemisphere, one in the southern.

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I would book that far in advance, but not for a 6 day sit. It would need to be a much longer sit in a dreamy location for me to agree to it this early.

Soooo just putting out into the universe that if someone would like to invite me to sit in Granada, Spain for 3 months next spring, get in touch! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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Last year in October we applied for a sit over the Christmas period, it was not until I heard back from home owners that I realized the sit was for Christmas 2022, now that is early.

I would book that early if it was an ideal location, or something overseas that I would want to really plan ahead for.

Yes, I would book that far in advance, if it was for a location and with conditions that I’m attracted by. Then I would plan other things around those dates.

Before 2020 we frequently booked a year out in advance, sometimes longer, especially when positioning ourselves on a different continent for house sitting and travel adventures. We probably would again if / when travel goes back to normal. These would always be month long+ sits though. But for now we look much more “in the moment” and close to “home”.

I think travel planning has changed somewhat and it’s interesting to see the effects that is having on how we factor house sits into a nomadic lifestyle as full-timers.

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Just noticed a 3 week sit (12 Dec - 2 Jan) advertised for Brisbane, Australia if anyone is interested. They’re heading overseas so are obviously planning ahead.

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Ha, I joined the forum to ask why there weren’t many far-in-the-future sits available.

Your question has two factors. 1 is it’s over a pretty big Christian holiday period with family obligations, etc., so perhaps not a “normal” week. And 2 is it’s something 6 or 7 months in the future.

For 1., I’d assume why not list as soon as you know you have that need? From a sitters perspective, why not accept as soon as you know you want/can sit over Xmas.

For 2., again, if you know your dates, why not. If you want “locals”, maybe you don’t have to list so far out, if your open to overseas sitters, it helps to have a long lead-time.

For us (central Texas, flexible dates), … we might look for sits in a week or two or month away locally (Houston, Santa Fe, New Orleans, …), … but if we wanted something for three weeks in Australia (for instance) – whether at Christmas or not – I’d definitely appreciate an opportunity to see things 6, 9 12 or 18 months in the future. To plan, and plot and scheme., etc.

To answer your question succinctly, yes, we’d book so far in advance.

~Mark

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