As a new sitter I have been surprised at the number of late sits being advertised i.e. within the next 3-4 weeks. I wonder if this is due to Covid uncertainties or whether this is just normal. I understand of course that there are inevitably last minute unexpected plans that crop up. As a UK citizen living in Barcelona and hoping to sit in the UK and other countries outside Spain it can be difficult (and more expensive) making plans for travel etc to be able to apply for sits. Perhaps I’m just an inveterate planner but would be interested to know others experience.
I’ve been full-time house sitting for 2 years now and have noticed the same thing. I think Covid might be one of the reasons.
I agree that it means higher travel costs, but on the other hand it means many more opportunities for sitters.
We had a 1 month sit booked for August, which fell through a few days ago and we are happy to say that we already applied for 2 replacement sits.
I’m a planner too, but if there’s one thing I learnt in these 2 years, it’s that plans fall through & it’s important to have plan B, and probably C or D 
Best option is to set up notifications for the period/country you’re looking to sit in. Like that you can get your application in quickly.
Good luck!
Thanks, good idea! We already have our first sit confirmed and that was booked with more than 2 months notice. I was just looking to extend our stay beyond that for a couple of weeks and was finding lots of ads were looking for people within the next 2 - 3 weeks rather than for late July / August.
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Definitely a sitters market out there at the moment whether it’s long or short term. I think there has always been last minute sits but as you pointed out not as many. It could be people are being more spontaneous because of the restrictions for the past two years.
I’m loving the choice. To have a couple of sits where and when you want them is great but half a dozen is out of this world. This summers travel arrangements are filling in nicely with lots of energetic dogs, cats and chickens but no alpacas…… yet.
It’s all very last minute at the moment but a lot of sits are getting re-posted several times because owners are not getting applications. They may actually have been looking for a sitter for months.
I hope HOs realise that when they intentionally post ‘at the last minute’, then flight prices, for the European travelling within Europe, and car hire, and airport parking etc etc are all substantially more expensive.
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It is difficult to know what is the best way - We are fully booked until mid October but I keep seeing lots of great last minute sits advertised that we would have loved to have been able to apply for.
On the other hand, we have a booking mid December and we want to tag something on before but when I look all the sits advertised are June/July '/August !!
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I think it’s a sign of the times. My last 3 sits were all arranged within 72 hours of me arriving onsite. There are advantages and disadvantages to last minute sits.
@LizBCN I agree, I have seen quite a few last minute sits as well lately. Maybe we are just seeing more and more new members who are posting right away. I agree, it also could be COVID related as well, as many owners and sitters are waiting to see if there is an upswing in cases again. I know it is on our minds with EVERYTHING we plan, including our usual vacations.
Just keep looking though as you will find many members who will post out their dates making it much easier for applying and planning.
Also, I don’t see that you have linked your membership to the forum. Doing so will give you so much more exposure to what is out there as owners can read your forum post, then click on your sitter profile to possibly invite your for a sit. To do so, please follow the link below:
Welcome to the forum and we are looking forward to seeing posts of your adventures! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out and one of our team will be happy to assist.
Debbie and the Forum Team
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