Thank you for your tips and video 
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@Amparo your video is fabulous. 
A huge thank you!! 
You truly are an 
Very professional and informative. Iāve added to my travel 
now. Keep them coming!! 
to you
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What are sitters & HOās thought on current fuel crises, im not sitting āfor a holiday freebyā persay, just for my mental health & love of animals. Being retired on limited income, IS IT RIGHT / FEASIBLE to change policy to ask for some assistance on travel costs on longer sits. As a general rule HO kennal savings are now Ā£270 Ć 1 animal x 7 days, 2x animal x 1 month is now over Ā£1000.
Please answer me with respect, genuine enquiry.
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I understand what youāre saying but this is not the way THS is set up. Travel costs are the sitterās responsibility. Iām sure there are exceptional circumstances where certain HO have offered to defray the travel costs of certain sitters but this is not the norm.
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Whatever the circumstances, as a homeowner, Iād be mortified if someone brought up the topic of payment. The whole ethos of THS is a free exchange, entered into willingly, so if youāre trying to figure out your worth based on kennel costs, youāre only likely to wind yourself up.
If you find yourself in a position where you need to charge, there are other sites that are set up for that, but perhaps cutting your own costs is the answer? It sounds as if the travel part isnāt quite so important for you as it may be for others, so maybe more local assignments would be a good solution?
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Hi @Pearllesley,
I agree with @mars and @Pips that it is not within the ethos of THS for sitters to charge for their services, and this is unlikely to change. However, I have seen some profiles where sitters have specified that a contribution is expected. This was a long time ago when I started house sitting, so I canāt remember if it was on THS or another site (I canāt imagine THS would allow it now). I specifically remember one member stating they were unemployed and so asked for travel costs to be paid and a full fridge upon arrival. I thought this was particularly cheeky but they were well-regarded by home owners. Iād suggest possibly looking into other sites where asking for a contribution may be allowed. However, there are so many sitters these days, so HOs are more likely to opt for someone who doesnāt have this requirement.
Everyoneās circumstances are different and I fully appreciate the concern that rising fuel costs is causing. For some people, they have cut costs as much as possible and are still in a bind. It is a bit of a predicament. I am wondering how far you are travelling though? I sit fairly locally as I have no inclination to travel further afield, nor to pay for increasing train or air fares. Is this an option for you?
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I think if sitters start asking for travel costs to be partly paid, owners will just look for sitters that live close-byā¦
THS would simply not be ābeneficialā anymore for owners if they had to reimburse travel costs. They might as well hire a local sitter that charges in that case.
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We are full time sitters/travellers so itās always a combination of pet sitting and using short term rental sites.
An average night stay in a self catering flat usually coasts about Ā£80 (per night not per person). A week costs, on average Ā£560. Throw in the joy of having a few animal companions,
Whoās getting the better deal?
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Thankyou one and all, I respect your opinions and advice, I will definately look v close to home & check out other sitesā¦ just trying to keep animals in my life on a restricted budget, thanks again. X
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Thanks for this! Very informativeā¦and inspiring!
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Remember the UK government put a hefty passenger duty on all fares from the UK as a percentage of your airfare (upto Ā£180 per ticket!). Many other countries charge much less or no fees so taking a short european flight to a major airline hub line Berlin, Paris etc and then flying from these can be cheaper even paying for a return shorthaul flight and sometimes cheap hotel for the night.
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If you donāt have the budget to travel and want to spend time with pets, you may also consider volunteering and/or fostering for your local animal shelter or rescue organization. Most organizations pay all pet care expenses for fosters, including vet care and food. You just supply the love and care. Good luck!
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I completely agree with Els. If a homeowner is going to incur costs for a sit, then why not just use someone local that knows the area, has local references and is able to be more reliable (due to travel issues, not personal).
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