Vegans/Vegetarians, How Do You Look Find Accommodating Sits?

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

I’m wondering if/how you find sits that accommodate your lifestyle. I think my sit would be great for a vegan/vegetarian and tried writing at the top of my listing that the kitchen is vegan and my ingredients & snacks are available to use, but I received no applications this way. Even though I specified sitters don’t have to be vegan, I think putting this at the top of the listing scared away omnivores and that vegans/vegetarians aren’t seeing the listing since it’s in a sea of thousands of others. I’d like to open a discussion with sitters to share what their process is for finding compatible sits so I can adjust my own process accordingly. Do you search manually? Do you have a browsing process?

Thanks!

2

I am a vegetarian but this doesn’t factor into my selection process in any way.

I am not someone who wouldnt stay in a home where meat is present or has made contact with the cookware for example.

The host making vegetarian food available is very generous and stuff like that can make listings more attractive but it wouldnt be a major draw for me personally because I always expect to buy my own food.

Your being vegan can certainly make your listing more attractive to vegans/vegetarians for sure as people often like connecting with hosts with similar interests, values, etc… And yes with so many listings it can make it more difficult to land a sitter.

But as for that being a major criteria in selecting a sit, I am not too sure that would be the case for large numbers of us.

So while it is definitely helpful to mention, stressing it as some core feature of the sit probably wouldnt be particularly beneficial in attracting people.

3

@Nik it’s great you’re asking these types of questions. I think you’re right about the vegan thing being so high up on your listing, it would potentially put some off.

The problem is when a sitters’ eyes scans your wording, the word vegan leaps out, if they are meat eater, their eyes don’t pick up that you accept anyone, they’ve already clicked away by then. Because a lot of vegan owners, ideally want a vegan sitter, you can tell by the way their profile is written, so a sitter may click away to look at other ads before reading on to realise you accept anyone. So it’s a tricky one.

The fact you’ve put that in this forum is great though, because over time, there could be sitters who pop vegan into the search box on here, and your post will show up, and they may save your listing in the hope that your future dates may match up with one another.

However, on the normal THS platform sitters can’t search for vegan. All we can put in the search box is place names, nothing else at the moment.

Your sit is 3 weeks, and usually 2 weeks is a fantastic duration when it’s a few months ahead of time. So try to post a little earlier next time if you can. It means a sitter knows they can relax and unwind for longer.

We sit as a couple and we typically pop in a place name, and filter for 2 weeks +, then our eyes scan the sits that show up. You can do it yourself and see how your place looks in comparison to others.

It’s not just about the best picture in comparison to others, it’s also about the first 6-7 words that show up in your title/headline (the rest gets cut off), you need to capture us in those words, so we want to click to read more.

Most pet owners don’t realise the importance of the title/headline though, so it will put you one step ahead of them. They end up repeating what we already know, like the place name, or the pet type… but we see that in the big list, so there’s no point in putting those things.

On the plus side, you’ve got a cat, which is hugely desirable for those who want to get out and explore, as they can be left longer than dogs typically.

4

To be honest, if i saw vegan at the top of a sit, i wouldn’t bother reading any further. If you aren’t bothered about your sitters being vegan, i wouldn’t make a big deal about it. Maybe just mention it at the bottom of your post.

5

If you’re not concerned about non-vegans cooking animals in your kitchen then I wouldn’t put ‘Vegan’ in the heading, but maybe part of your introduction. Me and my husband are vegan and don’t specifically look for vegan sits. If it’s mentioned in your listing though it does pique our interest. In fact, in the last 8 months in the UK we have only booked one sit for a vegan house, coming up next month.
Most of our HO’s have been kind to leave vegan goodies or cook us a vegan meal on arrival, which is greatly appreciated. But then leave feather duvets and pillows on our bed :woman_facepalming: But that’s another issue, for another forum topic!

6

If you are happy for non vegan/vegetarian sitters to apply, then I would not mention it. Doing so will be alienating many sitters who chose to eat differently.

I have been vegetarian for 50 years , it’s my choice and I have no objection staying in the homes of non-vegan/vegetarians.

Which is lucky, as my husband will eat anything that moves!

7

Keep on the move @Colin :joy:

8

Welcome to forum @Nik !

Thank you for asking the question. When I see diet mentioned by hosts, it is usually because they prefer or want a sitter with same diet. That means that I would automatically assume that when I see veg./vegan in listings, and assume that my application would not be a priority.

If you don’t mind other diets in your home, I wouldn’t mention it. Rather offer if you get a veg./vegan sitter of a confirmed sit.

If it is a criteria, definitely mention so you get the right applications and we don’t waste the time of host or sitters. If diet in home is imperative we need to know (could also be a celiac or similar where it could be unhealthy for host to have traces of gluten in home on return). I might choose to use that diet in home if required if the right sit. But criterias will ofc make the pool of sitters smaller. Use criterias, definitely, but choose criterias that are deal-breakers and not «what I’d prefer in an ideal world».

9

Myself also being vegan I don’t limit who stays at my house however I do prefer people not cook meat in any of my cookware so I just put it away and have an extra set that I can leave for sitters that I don’t worry so much about. I personally don’t like the smell of meat in my house especially bacon, or things that leave a strong odor and I do mention that to Folks when they’re staying and simply ask, they be mindful of that, but I don’t restrict them in anyway. Unless it’s a dealbreaker, I would probably take it out of your advertisement or place it somewhere further down such as under the home section, as it might entice certain sitters. I personally love sitting for other vegetarians because I otherwise carry my own pots and pans with my sits.

10

I don’t cook at all. If I have meat at a sit home, it’s delivery or takeout, which never has to touch the hosts’ cookware or such. And I went vegan for six months once and could again if I chose to. But if I saw a listing like yours (including the vegan/vegetarian element), which sounds job-like, I’d skip it. It gives off signals of a demanding host, with a sit that could easily turn out with a bad review.

11

As a vegetarian, I’m attracted to sits where the homeowners are vegetarian or vegan, but it doesn’t restrict my choice of sits. I am more concerned about sits where the animals eat a raw food diet and have really appreciated homeowners who prepare the food in individual sachets so I don’t have to touch the raw meat (it’s a compromise as I hate using so much plastic).

12

If vegan/vegetarian is not an issue for you in sitter selection, what does it add to mention it in your listing? Not much that I can think of. Even mentioning that sitters can use your vegan supplies doesn’t add anything; most basic ingredients in every kitchen are vegan.

I think this is a case where something can’t help but might hurt attracting sitters.

13

I’m vegetarian, and have been most of my life, but it would never occur to me to seek a sit in a vegan or vegetarian home. I already feel part of a minority, so looking for a vegan/vegetarian home would severely limit me. I don’t think sitters expect food to be provided, so it doesn’t make sense to me to mention. It’s not like maintaining a kosher, or halal, kitchen. I don’t cook much, relying instead on frozen meals such as the Amy’s brand. If I did cook, I wouldn’t use someone else’s cast iron pans, or Teflon, because those seem to retain smells and tastes. When I do find myself in a vegetarian or vegan home, it’s a happy coincidence, something to have in common.
I agree with others who have said it seems not a good idea to mention in your listing; you’ll lose more than you gain. Just put away anything you wouldn’t want someone else to use, worrying about lingering tastes.

14

This will be my first time having a sitter and I assumed food would be more relevant. I had planned to leave meals and groceries for the sitter but I’m realizing that’s not supposed to be part of the arrangement. Thanks for the input!

15

It’s not part of the formal arrangement but we always offer to stock a few starter grocery items so that they’re not forced to go shopping immediately. It’s a bigger issue for us because your location seems ideally convenient. Still, we’d offer as a matter of courtesy. We do insist now that sitters specify exactly what type of items to stock; cheese, fruits and vegetables is too open-ended and has led to us stocking the “wrong” types of cheese, fruit, …

Though we always offer, only about 50% of sitters take us up on it. The other 50% mostly prefer we leave food stocking to them and ask that we clear out all perishables before their arrival.

16

I mention that I am vegetarian in my homeowner listing, and add that, consequently, sitters wont find meat prep utensils. It is pretty far down my listing. I don’t mind people cooking meat in my house, but I do leave a specific cutting board for them to use.

I dont seek vegetarian-only households as a sitter. That would be very restrictive and doesnt really make sense when the animals usually need meat anyway.

17

@Nik That’s right, providing food is not part of the deal. As sitters, we’ve never had food provided for us.

However, as homeowners, we do inquire with our sitters (in advance of the sit) about coffee and breakfast items for that first morning at our home. That way, they can relax getting settled in and don’t have to rush out to prevent starvation. LOL :laughing:

18

Most sitters aren’t expecting to eat the homeowners food, so your being vegan won’t matter much even if they are. I agree with others, stressing “vegan household” too much could be off-putting to others who might feel it means you are restricting what they can eat and cook in your home. There is no meat eating host who cares whether or not a sitter in their house is vegan unless that sitter is demanding different cookware and plates.

Sitters who dietary restrictions are so strict that they would demand a vegan household to avoid using cookware or plates that have touched meat are probably a very, very, very, tiny minority of sitters on Trusted Housesitters.

19

That’s really generous. You don’t “have” to. But it’s often appreciated.
I think that would be something to discuss with potential sitters when you have a video call. While you’re discussing other responsibilities and deciding if you’re a match, you could ask if they’d like anything. And there you could mention the vegan thing. But do make it clear that you don’t require a vegan sitter, either in your introduction about yourself, or when you talk to applicants. I agree with some previous commenters that it might put some off if you state it prominently in the listing. I’ve seen some sits advertised where they state they’re vegan and do not allow any non-vegan food or cooking in the house. So, yeah, not for me.
You’ve got plenty of information in your listing and it sounds like you are making an effort to make your sitter comfortable. Good luck; hope you find a great sitter.