Hello, we are both owners and sitters but have not had the opportunity to use the sit part yet and are planning a longish trip starting in March through April. What is the best way to find sits along a route (we plan to travel from Washington state south through California and then back on the East side through Utah).
When I look on the site for dates that we would be available I am not finding them. I know so many of you are full time travelers and must have a system to plan a trip so I am hoping to learn the best way to do so.
Thank you!
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@RavenR I set up multiple searches for the places and date ranges I have in mind. I just returned from six months of nearly continuous sitting between Florida and California. I had only 8 days where I had to pay for a hotel or Airbnb. Flexibility is key.
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It might be a bit early for some homeowners to post. We planned our Arizona to Washington trip about six months in advance, around our longest sit. The remaining time filled itself with other sits on somewhat shorter notice (still 2 months in advance though). We paid for hotels in Utah and Idaho, since those states tend to have fewer listings. Washington has a ton, Oregon and Washington seem to also. I’m sure you’ll be able to fill your dates as it gets closer. Just research where you’d like to stay if you need a hotel, and then go from there. We also signed up for a promotion from one hotel chain (think it was Choice?) that had a buy 3 get 1 free offer, to cut costs a bit.
Have fun!
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getting perfect back-to-back sits can be difficult so if you are happy to split up for a day or two, extend the dates of your search…
For example, if we are booked from the 1st till the 7th and also from the 9th till the 15th. To fill the 7th-9th gap we will be searching using a 5th-11th date filter
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Hi Raven
The more specifics we have about the sits we want/need–specific dates, states/cities,etc…–the more we potentially narrow our options. The US in general has a lot of sits, and California and Washington always seem to have a lot year round so those states probably won’t be an issue. Utah isn’t as common from what I have seen, but I do see enough listings where there’s a good chance you may find something.
Aligning your assignments perfectly may not always be possible. Like Colin suggested, splitting up a couple of days if feasible could help.
You might find another sit where it would be possible for one person to reach the next destination by public transport or it is close enough one could drive back to the first sit and pick the other up. Even the expense of a car rental for the day may be a good idea in some cases if it helps your schedule. My husband and did this once a couple of years ago ,and it was worth the cost since taking that sit covered us for a whole month of accommodation.
Owners vary in how far ahead they post their listings. 10 months out is really far and you may not find too much now.
Sitters vary in their comfort level in terms of how far ahead they want to be booked. As a full time sitter who is open with locations, sit length,etc…I am comfortable with not knowing my plans sometimes even a couple of weeks out. From experience, I am confident I will always have somewhere to go, and only book sits I really want to do.
For someone planning a trip for specific dates with a set time frame, you may feel more comfortable getting things settled earlier, but know that many opportunities that suit your schedule may not show up until much closer to that time.
If a sit that seems really good gets posted really far ahead, then definitely go for it since you know for sure you want to be in that place at that time. But if you see sits that don’t really sing to you, but you feel pressure to get your schedule sorted, I would recommend having a bit of trust and faith something better will come along. You have lots of time. Good luck!
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Hi KC1102, thank you for the detail. I will check out the calendar part to learn more on how to use availability and location specifics.
We will be driving with our truck and camper for those days it doesn’t mesh up perfectly and I have a week Airbnb rented in UT for a specific event we want to attend just to make sure. We will stay with friends in some areas but also want to do some sits along the way.
Thank you again!
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