I am travelling in the UK with my lovely daughter for 3 months from the end of September through mid January and we are hoping to do several house-sits. We have one booked already which is very exciting! If anyone had a moment I would be really grateful if you could have a look at my profile. Is there anything I could add so that home owners are not be put off by us being travellers and by me travelling with my lovely girl, who is genuinely, the most gorgeous, gentle soul
Thank you so much
Edited to remove link from topic & added it to forum profile.
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You guys look super sweet @RubyTuesday and am sure you’ll have a ball. I would change your title to include the phrase mother & daughter and then you’re candid and up front about who you are. “Adventurous, kind & responsible mother & daughter animal lovers” if that will fit in the character limit. Maybe a pic of both of you as the cover shot? Or no 6 with you holding the pup is a gorgeous photo. You can have 13 images I think so maximise on these. Profile looks fab in general, warm, friendly, open, experienced, honest. See if you can add some character references for both of you on there, they help when you have no reviews. Also, could be worth trying to do some short, local sits at home before you leave to build up a few reviews on THS too if that’s a possibility? Excited for you both! #enjoytheadventure
I hope you have a fabulous time. I suggest you decide where in the UK you want to visit then look for sits in the area. We’ve recently had wonderful Australian sitters who travelled from Devon to East Yorkshire (us) and back for another sit. It’s quite a trek so have your approx destinations arranged in a sort of order before you book sits. And remember, public transport in the UK can be patchy. But most of all, what a wonderful time you’ll have making unforgettable memories with your teenager. Enjoy!
I would second @Cuttlefish, a pic of you and Willow together would be great. I would also remove the pic, where you’re holding a dog (pic 5). The dog doesn’t look very happy in this pic (he might well be, but I wouldn’t know it from the picture). As a HO I’m looking for pics, where the animals seem happy and relaxed (or excited!) with the sitter.
It might also be good to mention Willow’s experience with different pets in the My experience-sector. Try to give some examples, like what does she love doing with the animals etc.
thank you so much! We are really excited! That’s a great tip, I am working on our rough itinerary now! it’s almost overwhelming having so much time and narrowing down where to go!
I am doing something similar. It was a bit more difficult than I had expected, but it has worked out very well once I was here.
The first sit that I got was three weeks in Cambridge. They were a bit worried about me cancelling so I sent them a copy of my ticket to England. It was a great stay.
Then I applied for a week in Bath in the beginning of June, and I got that too (took some time).
Then I had a bunch of application that were declined, or cancelled, or withdrawn. A bit discouraging.
But once I actually was in Cambridge, things went very well. I am now a week in the fields north of Nottingham, with a wonderful spaniel. On Sunday a week in Gloucester. Then a few days in the Cotswolds, then Bath.
Our Aussi sitters bought a car for their 6 months here. You won’t need to do that but look on www.thetrainline.com at the different railcards…although, I’ve just looked and you can get a friends and family card where you get 60% off a child fare. Then if you book approx 6 weeks prior to travel the tickets are generally cheaper. But I think local buses currently are £2 pp for a journey. This is capped until December this year. So, if you find a place to stay and can travel by train, you’ll be able to get around by bus should you need to. We can go to York (2hrs away) by bus for £2 each way. (We’ve got oap passes so don’t pay but you get what I’m saying).
oh that’s fabulous! I’m so happy to hear it’s working out so well! Are you just adjusting your itinerary according to the sits you confirm or picking places first…?
Yes, I am adjusting my itinerary, but that is not difficult. When petsitting, one can travel without that much luggage, as everything is in the homes. (But a 14-year-old girl may need a bit more than me…) And by the time that you are here, you will need winter clothes of course.
I am getting around by bicycle and by train, so that is very flexible, I can easily take sits in the coutryside. And locally by bus sometimes.
@Elsa1 are you able to enlighten me on how your Aussie sitters bought a car in the UK? I wanted to do that but was told I needed to be a resident, pay tax, high insurance, have a residential address and many other requirements. Are you aware of how they did it at all? Or does anyone know how and what’s involved? Thanks
And hi @RubyTuesday from a fellow Aussie, I’ve done the UK numerous times and everything is super easy. I’m sure you will get sits, I’m finding it very easy at present and am staying six months from August. The Brits are very welcoming and I’m sure your daughter and yourself will have no trouble getting sits and be welcomed also. Good luck
I think they used a U.K. friends address here but what with road tax, petrol prices insurance I’m not sure it’s always worth it. It’d probably cost with a cheap runaround +£2k and insurance around £750 then road tax of £200. But then they can sell it again I guess.
They wouldn’t have been able to stay here unless I collected them and took them back to the station unless they didn’t mind a walk the 3 miles to Withernsea to get a bus to the city. Alternatively, there is another bus 3 x a day going to a smaller town and from there, onward travel.
You won’t need to hire a car unless for a week or so. Just use trains, bus, bike if the house has any. And for goodness sake, not much luggage. Everywhere you go will have a washing machine. If you need a thicker coat, get a cheap one here. That’s what Primarks for! We go away for a couple of months usually (pre cats ) and only ever take hand luggage and a small backpack/day bag.
We usually petsit as a family of 5 but I did one sit with just my daughter when we first started last year. She was 14 at the time and we had no problem getting accepted. 14 is really like a mini adult and fully capable of so many responsibilities. As long as you do a good writeup, I don’t think pet parents will have a problem with the fact that you travel with your daughter. By the way, even when we petsit as a family, my daughter is actually my petsitting co-coordinator, not my husband. I normally do the video and phone calls on my own but if they want to meet the family, then my daughter is on the line with me instead of the boys.
I’m sure you’ll love it. I’m on my third petsitting trip to the UK and spent 11 weeks in Australia and New Zealand last year. In Australia, because of the distance, I tried to plan a reasonable itinerary and applied to petsits accordingly but here in the UK, transport is easier and distances are much shorter so, unless you’re really interested in remote areas, you will probably do well without a car. You can always hire a car for a particular area. That’s what I did in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. In fact, I flew to Dublin and hired the car there.
Someone has mentioned that it would be a good idea to do some local sittings first. I agree. When you’re traveling such a long distance HO may worry you don’t actually get to the sit on time. For Australia, I already had some experience on this site and I was once asked to send proof of flight, which was no problem. It got easier once I had some sittings planned in the country, so when you apply, I would suggest mentioning your travel plans and booked sittings to improve the chances of being chosen. It also helps to start with low application listings.
Regarding transport, you can always use the search filter “accessible by public transport” or even “use of car included” there are not many of these but you may be lucky.
Enjoy your adventure and best luck to you .
) and only ever take hand luggage and a small backpack/day bag.
Have always used public transport so shall continue to do so.