You’re right there was actually too much information.. also at the start of communications people are naturally a bit jittery.. I can see why the misunderstanding arose.
I’ve had Home Owners return early and actually it’s been the best! More time together and shared responsibilities ! But sometimes the less time in handovers the better! It all depends on how the vibes are! Some Home Owners I feel I could go on holidays with.. others not so much! Time with the pets is what it’s all about for me. If that feels comfortable I can manage the rest!
I do enjoy meeting people as well as the pet time. Here I’ve been on a sit for two weeks with very little interaction socially.. the 8 storms so far this year! Yes, in Costa del Sol, it’s meant isolation for safety reasons! Golf Club House shut, golf course saturated, roads closed, rivers breaking their banks and landslides etc.. A challenging time! I’ve been chatting to the lesser spotted neighbours, the receptionist at the estate gate control, the gardeners, builders ! Yep it’s been a bit different. For me it’s never just the pets. The Home Owners did a good hand over but are in Barbados and I will be leaving once I know they’ve safely landed in Spain.
This sit , for no one’s fault or poor planning has been like solitary confinement with pets thrown in for good measure! The Truman Show with very few actors lol!
Every sit I learn from. These are the kindest hosts and the loveliest pets and I’ve had a very safe, warm 2 weeks here. Sunny days are ahead, for sure!
Would I do this again? Mmm.. Yes these are great humans and animals! See you next Christmas lol!
It was clear, but also too much information. The sitter really doesn’t need to know about your passport because in either case you will be gone. So, not relevant information necessary to share, as it’s really irrelevant to the sitter whether you are in the US or Greece, as long as you aren’t in the house.
The sit would have been affected if there was a passport delay, until I came up with the idea that I’d join my wife on her trip and just go to the US later. Originally I planned to wait for the passport to go anywhere which meant the sit would possibly be moved back a bit.
Ah ok, in that case I would have mentioned it to. The sitter probably was reading on the go and reacted to the uncertainty, probably had a bad experience in the past. I would let it go now that it’s been clarified.
I think she may have jumped to a conclusion. This isn’t a big deal and a simple clarification: “No worries. I understand the 3rd party rules and won’t be home during any part of March” would suffice. From the sitter’s point of view, your change in where you are traveling to is irrelevant. The sitter also may have had some prior bad experience with a third party.
FYI, my first sit, the homeowners were combined sitters. The sit they were going to was cancelled so they changed plans and went camping a couple of days followed by a last minute sit they found. I didn’t know about the change in plans until after I got there. This was a relief to me because I’d gotten the cheapest non-refundable plane ticket I could and would have worried!
You didn’t need to tell her anything at all. Whether you were going to the US or traveling with your wife was irrelevant. You needlessly gave her too much information which muddied the waters.
Consider that your sitter could be traveling at this time, tired from long flights and jet lag and all your message did was confuse her. There was no reason at all for her to know of your passport woes.
When we arranged the sit I explained that if there was a problem with my passport renewal the sit could be delayed or even canceled. The sitter has the right to know this.
At a later date I cane up with the alternate plan to join my wife rather than debate or cancel if there was an issue and I told her as much, given that she had inquired a few times as to the status of my passport.
It was Estepona Golf. Luckily I was able to travel by car to Madrid on Monday and got back in 7 hours. The rain seems to have followed me! There is snow on the mountains here but none now in my village 50 km north of Madrid centre.
