It is not easy living in a rural area without transport - possible but difficult. Our nearest train station is 12 miles away & we could pick up a sitter from there. The sitter could take us there but to get to the airport involves 3 changes & takes over 4 hours. Due to the time of our flight we would have to leave the night before, which then is a Sunday and takes even longer! A taxi would cost us over £150 each way.
Thanks for your comments - food for thought. I can see I ought to alter my listing but, from experience, if I do this and re-list everyone I have invited sees a message that this sit is no longer available.
Yes, sitters without transport are welcome and we can transport them from & to the railway station. Of course we could stop at a shop & home deliveries from the main 3 supermarkets are possible.
The nearest taxi is from a town 8 miles away but gets very busy and has to be booked days in advance. There is a local Good Neighbours scheme that will take people to & from shops and neighbours would help.
We have 2 farmers on our list of contacts who are willing to help but some experience is needed to recognise if an animal is ill; this can’t be taught in a short space of time. We have few animals and each one is like a “house” pet to us and we feel we have to do right by the animals knowing that eg fly strike would be noticed & treated.
Our last sitter was American & the date of the sit was just after the start of Covid so was cancelled. Yes, I should note this in the listing.
Thanks again
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That’s a good point about the invites but maybe give it a little while and then edit it and repost. I hope some of the advice that people have given you helps. It’s definitely a specialised sit.
I believe that both WorkAway & WWOOF work on a different concept to THS. The host has to be “home” to provide food, interact with the visitors as much as possible and ensure learning experiences. This doesn’t work if we want to go away.
In the listing it does give expected length of time it should take a sitter. I have to disagree with you that 2 - 2 1/2 hrs in total per day is excessive and is full-time care. Past sitters have always found plenty of time to explore the area.
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Fair points.
If you’re not able to offer the use of car, you may want to consider covering the costs of a rental or alternative transportation, like Uber or taxis, during the guests stay so they’re able to explore sights etc. This isn’t unusual for rural locations.
We love sits like yours - lots of animals and beautiful scenery and walking all around. I know from experience it’s not that much work and the eggs and veg make up for it every time. Probably retired people who walk a lot would jump at the chance. Unfortunately we cannot apply this time as we are going on holiday ourselves at that time but I’ll save your listing. And good luck.
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Ubers don’t exist around here! There is one taxi 8 miles away but you have to book it well in advance.
@Margaret Yes, whichever driver is used, it’ll need pre-booking, that’s common in rural areas. A rental for the guest or taxi to the airport both involve costs…not going at all has a price too.
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Ask the sitter to drive you in exchange for them being able to use the car. I have done this. Not for such a long drive but I’d be open to it. Another time the HO paid my partner to drive them. It was 1.5 hours one way. It would have cost them $400 USD round trip. They paid us half that amount. So everybody won. Maybe keep in mind that paying for pet care will be much more money than the ride. @Margaret