Good afternoon. I’m an experienced owner and sitter. I’m just starting a 3 week sit in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The owners I’m sitting for (their first time using the site) have gone so far above and beyond I wanted to share some of the things they did to help me feel welcomed, appreciated, and orientated. I’ve been a homeowner and sitter on the site since 2016 and they did things I’ve never thought of.
Some sample actions: a garmin preprogrammed with about 25-30 things to do in the local area plus the car to borrow to see them. A prepaid bus card to get into Hobart. Gluten free groceries upon my arrival. Fruits, vegetables and herbs for my use in their beautiful garden. A well thought out instruction manual with a filled in calendar for when plants need to be watered. A very thorough driving and walking tour of the local area so I already know my way around a bit. A chance to go grocery shopping on my first day and he even carried my grocery bags. A cute dog who has slept with me and sat on my lap, twice. And the cute dog also gave me two mugs with indigenous birds on them plus a large package of Lindt chocolates. A dinner catered to my dietary needs the night before
They left. I was picked up at the airport and given a room to rest after my 29 hour travel extravaganza. The house is clean, comfortable and very well stocked. I have a beautiful yard, garden, view of the ocean.
I’m grateful for their thoughtfulness. And as an owner, I wonder what other ideas you have used to help your sitter settle in.
Hi @barbara.wood777
That’s amazing. Thanks for posting as we tend to see when things go wrong on this forum but not the amazing owners some of us are lucky to sit for.
That certainly is nice! I tried to be very kind at my first experience as a HO and offered food/drinks, a very clean house, etc. He stayed the night before we left so he and our dog could get accustomed to each other a bit (that was a win win). I also found a great app called FootPath that I asked the sitter to download on his phone, that showed different walking paths for my dog’s favorite walks. Easier than trying to map it all out on paper!
A ride to and from the airpot is always exceptionally helpful, especially after a long day of travel, or the offer to stay in a guest bedroom the night before/after depending on timing of departures and arrivals.
A few kind gestures that I have encountered:
a grocery store gift card to use while they are away
a list of gyms and yoga studios in the area
a map of hiking trails nearby
a really, really detailed home calendar. not just like the THS welcome guide, but like when to expect the home cleaners, lawn service, when the groomers come, when to take out the trash, etc.
sharing dinner together when they return to hear about their trip!
Picking people up at airports is a pain. Especially when they need to go through customs. Even at our tiny local airport in Växjö the combined time of baggage claim + border control is totally unpredictable. I would never ask for that.
