We are desperately trying to find a house/pet sit covering a 6 wk period, in an area close to family. Nothing seems to be coming up… is there any way to reach out to home owners to ask if they have anything coming up? I dont know how long to wait before i will have to pay for accomodation instead.
In some countries, there are other agencies with many more members. For example in France I would suggest Nomador.
(But I have found excellent sits in France on THS.)
You might consider asking your family in that location to spread word among friends, neighbors, fellow worshippers, etc., that you’re coming to town and are available to pet- and house-sit for free. They also could spread word on the app Nextdoor, which would reach a bunch of neighborhoods in their area. In their shares, maybe they could include a link to your THS profile.
Doing the above might benefit you, THS and HOs who could potentially join. Or you could arrange a sit off platform.
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@janew108 There is no way to contact hosts who do not have a current listing posted, unless you have applied to their sits previously. But if you edit your posting here to specify the specific area and dates you are seeking, there is an outside chance that someone on this forum may be able to help you. Aside from the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years Holidays, when so many people are traveling during the same time period, I find it really difficult to find sits in a specific area during specific dates. Good luck!
I did suggest having a thread on the forum for situations like this. Sitters who want a sit in a specific place and dates and pet owners who have the flexibility to do go away when there are sitters definitely available. The reason my idea was rejected is that people on the forum do not need to be members of THS therefore they are getting all the benefits but paying nothing. A good and valid reason I thought
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Frustration abounds! I know this feeling well.
I agree to have family and friends ask around for you. I sometimes have luck on social media as well, but this will likely depend on the area and your own personal networks.
My thoughts:
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Set your location to the general area you’re trying to get to, with a big note at the top saying you’re looking for anything (particularly longer sits) in that area for family obligations. You might be able to sync up with someone who hasn’t posted dates yet, or whose dates are fairly flexible.
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Go ahead and get a [FREE AND FULL CANCELLATION ONLY] AirBNB for the full month. Many places will offer a discount for a monthlong stay. If a sit materializes, cool. If not, at least you will have a place to go to.
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When you get to where you’re going, network like crazy. If this time doesn’t work out, you may at least make some future connections.
Good luck!
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I didn’t know that people on this forum didn’t have to be members of THS. Hopefully THS member services can answer the question - why this is allowed?
It’s to give would be members a taste of the ethos of the site and to answer any questions they have before they join.
ok - thanks for your reply Elsie!
@janew108 I don’t know where you are, but I have a friend in the States that takes a creative approach to finding pet sits in the areas she favors.
She has a few areas she focuses on, and, when she’s in one of those areas, she contacts the community pickleball league, so she can play with them. She has made lots of local friends that way, gets the word out that she’s looking for pet sits in the area, and gets lots of exercise to boot.
I’d never thought of doing something like that, but pickleball is hugely popular in the US, easy to learn and a very social game. Maybe you could find something similar where your family lives if you’re hoping to pet sit in the area time and again.
Or if no one has suggested this already @janew108 there are usually local FB house sitting or community groups that you can post your request on. Def include dates, some pics with animals and at least one reference. That’s worked for us very effectively in both Thailand & Turkey 
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Hi Pitcherplant, thank you for your thoughts. I have looked at updating my profile to change my location, but cant see where to do this? Have you tried lately and perhaps can point out where it is?
Thanks, i have posted on a community FB group but have no luck so far.
I notice you have sitted in Turkey, which is where we live. We have a very active pet sitting site for our area here if youre interested?
Thanks @janew108 we live there too! (When we’re not travelling the world pet sitting 
) My husband is Turkish, I’m a Brit. Where do you live? We were in Kalkan before we left two years ago. Maybe message me so the forum don’t have to listen to us waffle together 
@janew108 I would be interested in that site. We love Turkey and will be looking for options out of the Schengen zone next year.
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Hi, thats an amazing coincidence. Sorry i dont know how to contact you directly through TH. We are in Fethiye, so not too far from you though. Im on FB though if you are?
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- In your profile, change your current location to the area of your interest so that local hosts looking for “locals” can contact you directly.
- Join local Facebook groups; with a bit of luck, you may even find local petsitting groups.
- Check other platforms that compete with THS.
- Have your family place an ad on notice boards in local supermarkets.
- Have your family attend Sunday activities at the local church; it’s the best place to socialize and spread the word
- sign up for a local volunteer program, it often comes with an accommodation
- volunteer at the local hostel, 2-3 h work in exchange for free accommodation
- contact local pet day centers, most people come first to them asking for whatever they need
Hi @janew108 just for reference, if you would like to send a direct message to someone on here you can click on the little picture circle beside the name and when you click on this you will see a big green message box and if you click on this you can then send a message. Hope this helps. 