I’m going to follow up with Angela’s advice through DM and I will reach out again to the host with a cheery message. I do hate to be a pesty nervous nelly. Next time I will ask for an email address and a video call before committing to an invitation. Thanks!!
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Don’t put yourself through lots of stress and anxiety just because you don’t want to annoy them. It’s their responsibility to stay in touch with you. If you don’t hear from them you can ask THS for assistance too.
I had a sit once where the owners were out of contact and offline for 4 days and I had no idea what was happening and no other contact details either. Since then I always insist on alternative phone numbers before the owners go away.
Sitting needs to be enjoyable, not a cause for panic attacks! Communication is impossible and if owners can’t maintain a conversation with me, in future I won’t accept a sit.
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When time neared enough for me to buy airfare for a sit and the HO hadn’t replied, I sent a friendly note that said:
“Hi, XX and XX. Haven’t heard back from you, so I’m wondering whether I should consider that you’ve changed your minds about your XX plans. No worries, if so. In that case, I’ll pursue other stays during that time. I just didn’t want to assume and leave you hanging.”
They replied immediately and I’ve since done the sit. If they hadn’t, I would’ve moved on within 24 hours.
What works for me: I know what my boundaries are. If a HO can’t meet those, shrug. There are plenty of other opportunities. I sit on THS if it’s a reasonable exchange, not to deal with unnecessary drama or stress, and not to be jerked around.
THS is supposed to connect HOs and sitters for mutually beneficial trades. That means each of us as individuals gets to decide what’s reasonable or not. And we can stop interacting with people who aren’t.
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My newest message* received a reply and we are now connected by WhatsApp/phone. Homeowner is on a boat.
Thanks for helping me through my uncertainty. I think the increased competition for sits has affected me emotionally. 
*Message was warm and cheery but asked if plans are changing to please give me notice.
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