I’ve seen some sits which I would deem very unreasonable exceptions for an unpaid service. I often wonder how the owners have much of a life themselves if their pets have to have company 22 hours a day.
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I don’t take high maintenance pet sits. I only take ones where the owners are ok with me being gone 5-6 hours on 2 days for a week long sit.
I feel this is a reciprocal agreement. If they are getting free pet sitting, I should get time to explain re the area.
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That is a very modest requirement.
I am now on a sit in the countryside, where there is not much else to do than walking with the dog, taking her to the pub, etc. But on Tuesday I took the bus into the city and I was away for eight hours. That was no problem, the active springer spaniel got her three walks that day anyway.
Before this I was in Cambridge for three weeks, with two really easy pugs. Location was close to the centre, so I was not normally away for long periods. Easy to go out for lunch, return late in the afternoon, and then go out again. But also here, it was no problem to leave them for a whole day for trips to Ely etc.
Or easy cat sits, of course.
I am/was a local paid pet sitter before joining THS I use this site for my traveling and am still very new. I wish THS would allow for some non cash incentives. Example paying for flight/travel on a last min sit or one that is difficult to get to. As we know if using planes or trains in the US the costs go up closer to the dates, so booking less than a month can not make it worth it due to high cost of travel. I have wanted to apply for several but the costs fo travel there were not worth it.
I have had amazing responses and success so far. I found Ads differ greatly also from just make sure our pet has their needs meet and don’t burn down the place to others, that basically look like your there to work/sit entire time with no down time to enjoy the travel.
I do have to say all my interactions with pet parents I applied with have been amazing!
Everyone great open communication.
Ps I am more at this time a short stay sitter 3-5 days is my preference
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There is no chance of THS or any company paying the travel costs.
If so, everyone would be applying for sits on the far side of the world.
If you want it then you pay basically.
I think you misunderstood, @PrincessPetProtector is saying that they think home hosts should have the option to offer to pay for sitter flights/transportation if they want to.
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The THS-rules do not prohibit the owners from offering incentives. It is just not allowed for a sitter to ask for money.
But a sitter can of course decline invitations with a reason like “Sorry, but this is not worth it for me” or “this would be too expensive for me”. And then it is up to the HO to deal with that.
In practice, sitters only get invited to locations nearby, so if one wants a sit in say Seattle one would need to set one’s location to that place. And then the HO may feel a bit tricked when you were really in Florida.
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There’s nothing to stop that from happening, all they have to do is ask.
I know what the answer would still be, in the vast majority of cases.
If you want to sit, you pay the travel costs
And a trusted housesitter is then merely a housesitter
@Hallt64 , it’s not a question of sitters asking, it’s a question of home hosts having the option to offer.
If I saw a listing that I was interested in doing but the transportation costs put me off applying, I may apply to that same listing if it included an offer to contribute towards my travel costs. This would make perfect sense for a home host to be allowed to do should they either generally think it appropriate or as a sweetener if they were finding it difficult seuring a sitter
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No reason why HO can’t include words to that effect in their listing though is there?
And they could still ask, nothing stopping them at all
That is not correct, we regularly get privately invited to locations all over the UK and occasionally from other countries.
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Well, but you are famous!
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@Hallt64 THS doesn’t allow it. The only payment allowed is that of sitters paying home hosts for utilities
Would buying travel tickets be classed as payment, if no money is given to the sitter?
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The standard incentive is to offer the sitters the use of a car. It does not need to be the HO’s own car, it could be a rental car I suppose.
Or to pick up the sitter at the airport/train station. It does not say that the HO must do that themselves, that could be an Uber driver.
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I think PrincessPetProtector is thinking of longer distances by air or rail though (could you lend your bike? 
)
My ethic is - if i want to sit somewhere, I’m happy to pay the travel costs, otherwise i would not have applied. Life can be made so much more simple really.
Yes, me too. I will get there. Last week, I was in steep hilly English countryside!
But I also see quite a few HOs struggling with getting any applicants, although the home is nice and the pets are easy. It is usually about location: not so easy to get to without a car, not so easy to get around, and not really a tourist spot.
So in order to get a sitter, if they have the means, such HOs might be quite willing to add incentives.
[quote=“pietkuip, post:78, topic:48048, full:true”]
Yes, me too. I will get there. Last week, I was in steep hilly English countryside!
Come to North England, that will get your calves burning 
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That is what I got on the footpaths! All the nettles, brambles and other thorny and itchy stuff!
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