Just wondering… as a sitter, would you be willing to come in a day early to get acquainted on a human and pet level, see the “ins and out” of our pets care and have dinner the night before we depart on a trip, enhance all of our comfort levels…???
needless to say, you would have your own room, bath, etc… while we share the house for one night…
and… Go…
Of course. Almost always do that, if invited. We approve of that muchly 
Yes. As long as it was discussed at the initial stage. It might put us in a predicament if it was talked about later. Our sits are usually back to back with no leeway.
In fact it is a very good idea if the pet patent has the space and time to accommodate this. It’s usually a far more relaxed and friendly sit.
Sure, no problem, we do it from time to time. It’s good to address it already in the listing and before confirming the sitter. But I’m highly introverted and even for me it’s a good opportunity to meet the host + learn more about the pet (and see how the HO interacts).
As a sitter, absolutely! On my next sit, the owner’s leaving the morning after I arrive and I’m really looking forward to meeting her.
As a host, a longer handover is great for us. We’re always happy to have sitters arrive the night before we leave.
Yes, absolutely. We prefer a longer handover time, in case there are questions. It’s easier to observe a pet’s routine that way. Not to mention that the pet tends to be more relaxed when it sees us interact with the owners. And of course, we just think it’s fun to meet new people. 
Absolutely, we always arrive a day early on any sits that require us to fly and we normally stay at a hotel. So, staying with you is fine too.
Of course. On a very practical level it means that any unexpected travel delays don’t create a big problem and it is much easier to get to know the pet(s) whilst the owners are still there for a period of time - the handover seems much more seamless for them. You also get to meet HO’s properly and develop that all important trust between you (as well as often becoming firm friends). Depending on the trip HO’s are taking we also offer to stay the night of their return in case they are delayed for any reason as air travel especially can be unpredictable.
That happens a lot; in fact, I’d say it’s typical when sitters have traveled a distance or the handover is a bit complex. I always enjoy getting to know the homeowners before sits begin.
Hi @joegrushkin and welcome! As a previous homeowner/pet parent, we usually invited our sitters in the evening prior to the start date of the sit so they could meet our little girl, us and learn the ins and outs of our home…somewhat large, with LOTS of light switches, etc. We always either prepared food for a nice dinner or took them out to one of the local restaurants so they could get a feel for the area. It really helped our little one feel more comfortable when we left as she didn’t feel abandoned with a perfect stranger. Now, if we had the same sitter come back again, we may or may not have had them in the night before based on their logistics and what time we were planning on leaving that next day.
Now that we are sitters only, it really depends on when/where we are doing the sit. We have been asked to stay the night before as well as just come in about two hours prior to their departure. All really depends on the situation.
I see you have not joined TrustedHousesitters yet and if there is anything we can do to assist you with joining, please feel free to reach out and we will be happy to help. TrustedHousesitters is an amazing organization filled with both sitters and pet parents who want to join forces and help make all our furry friends happy, safe and content in the own homes.
We certainly hope you decide to join, but once again, thanks for joining the forum….it’s a great start to becoming a member of our family of pet lovers!
Have a wonderful day!
Debbie
Agreed thank you all for you candor and insights… its all very helpful in moving forward.
I always book my sitters from the day before I leave, show them around a bit, leave them with Max for a couple of hours to get acquainted and take them out for a meal that eve.
For me it would be a deal breaker if they only wanted to arrive once I had left.
We have done that on almost every sit. Nice to spend time with the “parents” before they leave. They’re more relaxed as are the animals, it’s a smoother handover & creates a better connection between everyone.
As a moderator, naybe yiu can answer this question…
The premium plan offers access to airport lounges… is there a list of which airlines privide access? ( i assume there is an ID card of some kind to present)…
Please lmk the details…thanks
Joe
We like to whatsapp and at least have a video call to ‘meet’ the hosts. As we are retired we can be flexible about arrival and leaving times. This reassures hosts who are travelling by air or taking long journeys in these particularly unpredictable times. Meeting and spending time with the hosts before and on their return have been especially gratifying.
Only once have I left without physically seeing the host. He had been travelling late the previous day, arriving well after midnight. I had been instructed to unbolt the yard lock and he had keys to let himself in. I had agreed by whatsapp to feed and walk the dog early the next morning beforehand. I had an early start and knew he would be shattered so once up, I saw his luggage (and toothbrush in the bathroom ) I knew he was safely back…
it still felt odd but I thought it was more considerate not to wake him… He had travelled by motorbike and it had fallen on him while stationary and he thought he had cracked or broken a rib! His girlfriend was with him on the trip so I knew she would help him as she hadn’t been injured. I thought the best would be to let him sleep on and I managed to get my case to the nearby bus stop myself.
Normally I think the hand over is just as important to have time to review the sit period and any matters arising but whatsapp is also very helpful too.
Yes, if I am available. This would be handy when I eventually travel overseas. It’s nice to meet the owners beforehand where possible.
We always put the dates on our listing as the day before we are due to leave, so any potential sitters know what day we’d like them to arrive, as this is often essential especially for full time sitters. We always discuss this in the video chat so that potential sitters are aware which day we are leaving.
We are a family of 4, so it isn’t always possible for us to stay the night before - there may not be enough beds. However we have been able to do this twice. Both times the home owners cooked us a meal and we were all able to get to know each other and found we had much in common. The youngest child of one host family was heard to announce that he didn’t want to go away, he wanted to stay with his new friends!
We always offer for sitters to stay the night before a departure especially if it’s an early departure and we have room in our home. We once had sitters cancel on us (thankfully it wasn’t super last minute) because they couldn’t stay the night before with us before our very early departure because all our rooms were occupied. I felt horrible but c’est la vie I think we got better sitters anyhow. When we do sit we very much appreciate the offer of staying the night before so we can get to know the pets in their own environment with their family members as well as get to know all the details about their care, home and routine. I very much enjoy the human connection that we get to make as a Homeowner with our sitters and as a sitter with homeowners. I find more often than not in this community we have a lot in common and conversation has always been easy and fun.
Yes of course. Physical handovers are great.
It’s about what the HO wants. I’ve found the dates listed aren’t always the dates sitters are needed.
Of the 6 sits I’ve done this year so far, 5 have involved a physical handover and intro from the HO.