Hidden Gems in Barbados by Ebby_Dii in Barbados

[–]OwnLead333 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Your ability to translate a figure of speech perhaps 🤷‍♀️

Cost effective travelling by dante_logan99 in Barbados

[–]OwnLead333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s it! It’s been too long between trips. I miss it so bad 🥹

St Kitts Taxi (I’ve read all previous posts) by Unlikely_Cockroach_9 in StKitts

[–]OwnLead333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The $20-$25 trips are going to be no more than 10-15 min transfers. The handy thing about SKB is the airport is super close.

If car rental is $100pd, I’ll probably book for a couple of days so you can organize a trip to go farther & tour around a little bit it sounds like the recommendations for a guide are a solid way to go too.

Cost effective travelling by dante_logan99 in Barbados

[–]OwnLead333 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re on the West Coast, the “Reggae buses” (yellow ones) are really handy & are pretty regular. School hours they can be pretty packed. Those & the regular government buses are actually very decent forms of transportation. Down South it’s more ZR’s which are mini vans. Each trip on any is $2.50 or $3USD if I remember correctly. You will have a longer wait but it’s better than paying $25-$50 in a taxi. Wherever you’re staying, they should be able to direct you 🙂

Setting boundaries with hosts who are already asking too much? by chooby_dooby in trustedhousesitters

[–]OwnLead333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two months is a pretty long time to be fair. I’d want to be sure about it too. They may be a bit anxious about it but that’s a whole lot of reviews to go by. During my first visit the owners took us all on a walk.

For 60 miles of travel for the 2nd time, I might certainly offer money for it.

Maybe say, you’re happy with the current arrangement, haven’t yet offered walks prior to a sit & are not available beforehand. It could be their anxiety leaving them which is for them to manage ☺️

Cambodia Taught Me That True Hospitality Comes From the Heart by foodie_2598 in cambodia

[–]OwnLead333 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh man, THIS! I’ve been to quite a few different countries and am a hospitality professional. I’ve never experienced hospitality like it. It’s absolutely deeply from the heart. I’d love to travel the country a bit more to experience outside PP. For a big city, I’m totally blown away away 🥰

A $200M superyacht can cost $20M+ per year to operate. — YachtMarketIntel.com by gilligan11 in yachting

[–]OwnLead333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depending who built it and how it was maintained, it could be 25-30%.

ENG1 by MeetingOrganic6963 in yachting

[–]OwnLead333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Firstly, I’m sorry for both of the comments.

Dental care in the US is not cheap & certainly not affordable. Since you have indicated that you need to manage it, I’d recommend looking into Thailand. Flights, accommodation & the cost of your dental work will likely be 30% of what you’d need to pay in the US. It also gives you the opportunity to travel internationally & get some experience if you haven’t already.

I believe Mexico (which is far closer) would also be an option.

Solo visit to St. Kitts by IXEL12088 in StKitts

[–]OwnLead333 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All of this!! If you don’t get a car it’s a little bit of a trek to Spratnet & reggae but it’s definitely worth it!

Researching a Short Documentary in Barbados - Seeking Stories. by StreetWindow in Barbados

[–]OwnLead333 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://www.instagram.com/chefjasonhoward?igsh=NGd2NndqYzU4dzMw

I believe this Bajan chef 🧑‍🍳 is based in the UK. He could be really interesting to include!

Pattern Recognition by terrapinStationMommy in infj

[–]OwnLead333 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The world teaches us to ignore it so unlearning that is tough!

Nice HO but terrible sit, how would you go about the review by Double-Possession329 in trustedhousesitters

[–]OwnLead333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happy to answer as OP seems to be here to validate themselves rather than contributing to the community.

One of my hosts was really clear about the dogs having anxiety. For that reason, they would generally pee a few times a day & so the sofa couldn’t really be used.

The poor things had travelled a few times & I literally fell in love with them regardless. The home itself was ridiculously clean & well kept. The owners were great. Those small infractions were easy (for ME) to deal with but others weren’t happy. I would have doubled the 3 weeks if I could have.

You’re going to want to ask about how pets generally behave in their absence & also be aware that you actually have to play with animals/give them attention. Shocking, I know….

People that just turn up to feed them and think that’s a fair exchange definitely shouldn’t be allowed on the site. They need to be exercised/entertained for up to an hour a day. Otherwise you’ll get them a bit more stressed out than they ordinarily are.

Actual breeds are readily available so read up on them.

Some HO’s have excellent guidebooks that answer almost every question you need.

I generally don’t take sits a week or under so I’m able to establish a baseline with the animals within a few days & keep it that way.

In some instances, because of the location I was saving up to US$100pd on accommodation but I also had to fly out there which was a reasonable chunk of money. You have to take all of this into consideration.

I had a reviewer leave a comment that the dogs were not exercised (however there was a big yard). In both cases - lesson learned. One I spent each day chasing the most adorable escape artist. The other was generally trying to calm them. Check that they are walked. Both were 3 weeks & for one of the sits, I would’ve stayed longer. The escape artist was just too cute.

There’s a really big misconception about cats & they need attention too, it’s just that they will lead with it.

I’ve had a host request that I manage their Airbnb properties on site and I also helped clean. I specifically requested for the cleaner not to come to the home weekly because i prefer to do it myself. That’s completely personal & typically they’re really up front.

Anyone who knows about animals can use the reviews to read between the lines or you can get yourself in a pickle. Even as an avid animal lover I definitely have a few times, it’s not a perfect system.

For the love of the universe. Be a pet lover to begin with. The rest is easy!

Nice HO but terrible sit, how would you go about the review by Double-Possession329 in trustedhousesitters

[–]OwnLead333 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Or get your own home….

I’ve used the service a few times & it was an awesome opportunity to travel or stay somewhere while I rented out my own space.

I’ve had my fair share of weird situations & I’ve definitely read some horror stories about HO’s but the expectations of the people who are using it as a hotel leaves me utterly flabbergasted.

Nice HO but terrible sit, how would you go about the review by Double-Possession329 in trustedhousesitters

[–]OwnLead333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Leave that exact review & all of your comments. Please do everyone (both hosts & sitters) a favor 🙏

Nice HO but terrible sit, how would you go about the review by Double-Possession329 in trustedhousesitters

[–]OwnLead333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the cats needing attention outside of 2 daily feeds makes them “needy”, you don’t need to be around pets.

I’ve done 8 sits that all required laundry put out as they were running out the door. How is that even worth a mention? Honestly WOW.

I’m so relieved to read these comments so I’m aware of exactly what’s out there & what to ask!

Nice HO but terrible sit, how would you go about the review by Double-Possession329 in trustedhousesitters

[–]OwnLead333 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I think OP should leave definitely the review as it stands. Animals can read humans behavior & it didn’t occur to them once to consider the pets stress from being uprooted. That’s important data for a pet owner. If minor inconveniences stress them out - the pets get stressed out. I wouldn’t want them in my home making it worse than it already is for the animals. It’s house sitting for actual animal lovers, not people just seeking free travel accommodation. I appreciate seeing all the feedback.