Stranded with kids after last-minute sit change — need advice

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
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Hello everyone,

I’d like to share my situation and ask for advice on how to move forward.

I accepted a sit on TrustedHousesitters — caring for two lovely cats in Cyprus from July 23 or 25 to September 13. The host and I confirmed the dates and discussed all details. I made it clear from the beginning that I’m traveling with two children, aged 14 and 3. I purchased flights for all of us from Rome and arrived a bit early. I also rented a car for the entire stay. Everything was prepared for the move-in.

But the day before the sit was supposed to begin, the host messaged me to say that one of the cats had gone missing. She asked if we could delay our arrival by a couple of days in case he came back. We had a call — she was clearly very upset. I completely understood, and extended our hotel stay at my own expense for two extra nights.

After two days, the cat still hadn’t returned, and the host decided not to travel at all until he is found. She told me she’s still happy to host us once the cat comes back and she can resume her trip.

To avoid being left on the street, we found very budget-friendly accommodation together, and agreed to split the cost 50/50. However, that stay ends tomorrow, and now I’m facing a difficult situation.

I can’t apply for a new sit because these dates are already confirmed in the system. Returning to my home country or elsewhere would be incredibly expensive, and booking new accommodation is just not in my budget — especially traveling with two small children. We’re now in a foreign country, without a clear plan or solution.

Of course, I fully understand how devastating it is to lose a beloved pet. I send my heartfelt sympathy and sincerely hope Pablo comes back soon. I’m even happy to help with the search if needed. But at the same time, I’ve been left in a very vulnerable position.

Has anyone been through something similar?

How did you handle it?

Any advice would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

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Hi @Mommy

I’m so sorry to hear about this.

I can see that you’ve made contact with Membership Services, and they’ve dropped you a line to start a dialogue.

Have you managed to find a solution since posting?

Jenny

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Hi! Jenny !

What exactly I can do with this link ?

We also spoke with the original host, and she said she’s still hoping the cat will be found — and as soon as that happens, we can leave. But I’m leaning towards just finding tickets and going somewhere safe(

This has been a very unfortunate and extremely stressful experience. It turns out that we are not protected in any way when making such travel decisions.

Maybe it’s worth rethinking this part of the system?

Especially considering that we also pay membership fees… and yet, there are no guarantees for anyone.

It’s incredibly risky — being in a foreign country with children, suddenly left without a home.

And of course, I’m not a millionaire — that’s exactly why I chose this path.

I simply can’t afford to buy expensive last-minute plane tickets during high season or pay for hotels day after day. And just seat an hope for a miracle…

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I am so sorry that you find yourself in this very difficult situation.
I hope you are getting the information and help that you need from THS.
I don’t know much about the insurance for sit cancellations (I never go too far so don’t bother with it) but I hope you do have it and that you can get advice in the process of claiming it.
It sounds like you have sorted things out yourself so far but if you can get the sit cancelled then you should be able to claim.
If you don’t have insurance then whatever you decide is going by to hit your pocket hard. Either fly home of find accommodation somewhere. Can the home owner not find somewhere else for you? If she doesn’t have room for you maybe she has friends who might? It is very unreasonable to keep you hanging on and hanging on. If she cancels the sit then you might be able to find something else, or at least travel somewhere that has cheap accommodation.
It’s a nightmare for you. I hope your children are coping with it all.

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Thank you for your support.

Yes, I did reach out to the TrustedHousesitters team. They said they are truly sorry for what happened, but unfortunately, there’s nothing they can do in this case.

Of course, I have all the basic insurances — life, health, and even travel and baggage coverage. But I don’t have a super-comprehensive insurance policy that would cover this kind of situation. And let’s be honest — very few people do.

As far as I understand, the TrustedHousesitters Policy Team can only help with cancelling the sit through the system — and that’s it.

That’s actually one of the reasons I feel it’s important to raise this issue here on the forum.

When you use an app like this and pay a membership fee, you naturally expect some level of protection.

Otherwise, how is this different from simply joining a random Facebook group and ending up in an equally unprotected arrangement?

I believe the THS policy team and leadership should seriously consider this.

From what I’ve seen on the forum, many people have faced similar issues — where homeowners suddenly change plans or cancel last-minute.

In my case, I’ve already lost a significant amount of money.

At this point, the only thing left to “lose” is a bit more — just so my children can at least enjoy some sun and a bit of summer.

We live in a northern country where summer usually means rain and 13°C, so this is the only thing that warms my heart right now — seeing my children swim and smile in the sun.

As for the host — yes, she replies, she says: “Please wait, I can’t sleep, I’m in deep depression, I’m crying, this is a nightmare for me too.”

And I do understand that.

But there is a difference between a nightmare where you’re crying in your own bed, at home, and a nightmare where you’re alone in a foreign country, with two children, and every day is a question mark.

That’s a completely different level of emotional and physical stress.

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@Mommy That is a really tough situation. Where would the owners have gone? Can you not take over their holiday accommodation that they are not using?

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Hi @Mommy

I can see that we’ve reached out to the HO and we’ve also let you know that you should contact us again if they cancel the sit. I’ll also share the support ticket with the team just to check we’ve done everything we can while you wait for confirmation from the HO.

EDIT: The team are looking at this again, to see how we can be more proactive, and we are going to reach out to the HO.

Jenny

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I’m really sorry you find yourself in this tricky situation.

What the previous member meant with 'insurance’is the THS insurance that is included in the highest membership-level. In cases like cancellations, THS helps you with accommodation costs for up to something like 1300 euro. There are conditions of course, but it might be worth looking into going forward.

You said you were willing to help searching for the cat. Any way the owner would then maybe allow you to stay at her place while doing that?
I truly hope you get sorted quickly. Sending positive vibes! X

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@Mommy , I see someone else has clarified the insurance point, it was the THS cancellation insurance that I meant.
I see that THS are looking at your situation again so I hope you at least get some guidance.

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The sit was due to start on 23 July , so it’s already been cancelled . Member Services need to cancel it for the sitter so that they can apply for other sits .

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The team are on the case @Silversitters - they are reaching out to the HO for clarification/confirmation of cancellation so that the dates can be freed up for OP to be able to look for alternative sits.

I’m keeping my eye on things just to make sure it’s all sorted by the team :slight_smile:

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As I understood she supposed to go an a business trip to Germany and canceled it ( so no way to use it and also what is it for kids business hotel plus I will have to buy 3 extra tickets

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I am very sympathetic and I feel sorry you’re finding yourself in this situation, especially with two children. Having said that, pet and house sitting can only work if you can also afford a Plan B.
Sometimes people get lulled in a false sense of security thinking that this is the perfect way of going on a holiday without many expenses, and then life happens and it throws us a curveball.

On a more practical level, I hope you can soon be released from this sit that never was, so that you might be able to find something last minute. Also, check out FB pages like Workaway and HelpX.

Best of luck. :purple_heart:

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At this point it sounds like the answer is to get the sit officially cancelled as quickly as possible, which is when THS’ premium coverage kicks in and you’ll be able to search for alternative sits. Then, if your current HO finds the cat and decides to leave, and if you’re still around and available, she can send you a new invite to a new sit beginning on whatever day she leaves.

I’m sorry for this headache and stress and hope it gets resolved quickly and you’re able to enjoy the rest of your time away!!

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It doesn’t sound like the original poster has premium. They’re stranded, because they didn’t have a fallback plan, unfortunately.

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Thank you for your support and your message.

I’ve already taken on significant expenses — all on my own.

Right now, I want to use this experience not only to protect myself and my children, but also to help improve this community and raise awareness for others who might go through the same thing.

I believe it’s important to draw serious attention to the platform owners.

Because otherwise — what is the real difference between this and just some random agreement made through a Facebook group? There are plenty of those — and we all know they can be chaotic and unreliable.

But when you go through a paid app like this, when you invest your money into a membership, you expect a certain level of protection.

Let’s make sure that’s not overlooked.

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Yes, you’re right — that was my mistake.

I still paid for access to this platform, and in the end, I could’ve found similar sits for free in Facebook groups.

At least then, I wouldn’t have expected any guarantees or protection.

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At this point, I don’t feel like someone who wants to find another sit.

Honestly, after this experience, it feels much easier — and safer — to treat Plan B as my actual Plan A and just live my life.

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Hello Olga,

Sorry to hear of your situation. Very challenging. It made me think of our Home Exchange membership, a community of people who like to share their homes with others.

There are many members of Home Exchange on Cyprus.

Perhaps someone can help you? For example, there is a member who allows people to stay in his apartment or just his extra bedroom, and he has a dream of visiting Sweden and Norway someday. Where do you live? Maybe you could make a deal with him?

I would be happy to make a contact with him to explain your situation. He lives near Lanarca.

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Hi!
Thank you so much for this advice! In my situation everything can help! And save us! We are from Tallinn Estonia !

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