Hello everyone!
I just joined and am looking forward to cat/dog sitting. I have a question re: travel. Do I need to Uber to the house I am sitting from the airport or does the owner of the pets pick us up at airport? Thanks!
That’s something you will have to discuss with the owner, no rules either way.
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There are no rules with things like that. We would uber unless the HO’s have offered to help. Some owners will help, but a lot will expect you to get there yourself, because it’s not their fault you are choosing to fly to a different place, as they could have choose a sitter who wasn’t flying in at all and save them any hassle. So play it by ear, on a case by case scenario, and don’t expect anything, and if you feel you have a strong enough connection with the owners then maybe mention it then.
Welcome @Tangerine
You are best asking the HO the best way from the airport to the sit at a pre sit call. Some HO will kindly meet you at the airport, some may not.
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I’ve never had a HO offer to collect me from the airport but that doesn’t mean to say there aren’t those who would be perfectly happy to do so if you were to bring the matter up with them.
In almost all cases, I’d say that we are expected to be responsible for getting ourselves to and from the property.
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Most of my hosts have offered to pick me up at the airport or train station. I wouldn’t ask.
One of my hosts even offered to pick me up about an hour away, because they knew I was sightseeing ahead of their sit. Instead, I got myself to their town and they picked me up at my hotel.
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I only fly to locations when sitting internationally, so I almost always get to the area at least a day before the HO asks us to arrive. So in that case, there is zero expectation they would offer to pick us up since we aren’t actually meeting that day, and it isn’t even something we discuss.
In most of the cases where we did go right to the house the day we arrived, the HO did offer to pick us up since we were in areas where getting there on our own would not have really been possible.
Ultimately the sitter is responsible for all travel arrangements, and that would include getting to the house from airports,etc.
If the house is easily reachable by public transportation or inexpensive taxis–like in lower cost of living areas-a HO may not think to offer, and I wouldn’t ask if they didn’t.
In cases where the house is not as easily reachable, and/or it would be very expensive to get there with a taxi, I think a lot of HOs would probably offer. And if they didn’t, you are free to ask if they could.
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I appreciate all of your responses! Thanks again!
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I’d say 8 of my last 10 international sits I’ve been picked up at the airport. Which is always nice.
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You’ve been very fortunate then!
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That’s awesome!
@Tangerine My method of approaching this is to ask the owners if they can suggest a local shuttle service or other transit I can use to reach their home. When I don’t have my vehicle, my owner locations have all been within an hour’s journey from airport to home, and some far less time. Most have immediately offered to pick me up and return me, which I accept and thank them for their kind offer.
Only one gave me directly what I asked for - two reliable shuttle bus services that do airport-to-door for a very low cost in super clean vehicles and she suggested one over the other and gave me the website links to each of them. I booked the service and was grateful for her help.
It’s all about communication, asking the questions, and then finding a solution that works for everyone. For those who are not comfortable asking this question, then they will find their own way to the location and feel comfortable with that too. Whatever works. 
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When I first joined THS 5 years ago, every HO offered to pick me up. I would also drop them off at the airport because they added me to the car insurance.
The same would happen in reverse at the end of the stay.
These days, HOs don’t offer - total culture change on THS in so many ways!
There’s no harm in asking — or ask how to get to the house during the phone call and maybe they will offer. If you’d like to be more independent, get a taxi , Bolt or Uber. You will decide on a case by case basis depending on location, accessibility and length of journey.
In London it’s so much easier to get a train, so it depends on your location! If the journey is long, you could get a bus/ train to the local stop, and ask to be collected from there. This is not a big ask and I would expect any HO to be happy to do this.
I’m sure there are people who disagree with everything I’ve just said.
Follow your intuition and communicate with HOs in a way that feels natural to create a situation that works for you 
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I would approach this with caution. I don’t know what people do when they live in less popular destinations, but in cities where mass transit is available and most people take mass transit to the airport, I think asking if a homeowner would pay your Uber would be a turnoff. It would also make me wonder how self-reliant the sitter is and what other expectations they might have.
I can tell you the price difference for Uber/Taxi versus public transportation in my city: Public transportation depending on how is $11. 15 per person if you take the subway. To save about fifteen minutes you can take the commuter rail for an additional $6. A taxi or Uber is now about $100 including tip. I know this because we just came back from vacation. We took mass transportation to get to the airport, but we were both clearly coming down with something by the time we got off the plane and took a taxi home. (Updated as I forgot the price raise in the Airtrain.)
I don’t think @Tangerine was considering asking the HO to pay for Uber
Uber and Lyft prices vary according to availability and location. I check the price before booking a ride. Sometimes they are the cheapest sometimes not.
In NYC, a taxi is often cheaper than Uber or Lyft.
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All location and time dependent. I often choose a cab at the airport even though it’s more expensive than Uber or Lyft because of the waits.
I might have misread that. COVID brain. Or it was edited. Wear a mask.