To book a pet sitter for holiday travel, start as soon as your dates are firm, because the holidays are when many people need one at once. Choose the kind of care your pet needs, meet the sitter before you go, and leave a written care sheet, a key plan and an emergency contact. This checklist covers each step.
Which kind of pet care do you need over the holidays?
| Option | How it works | Suits |
|---|
| Drop-in visits | A sitter comes to your home to feed, play, clean the litter box and let the dog out | Pets that are fine alone between visits, and short trips |
| Overnight stays | A sitter stays in your home, including the nights | Pets that don't like being alone at night, homes with several pets, longer trips |
| Dog walks | A walker takes your dog out while you're busy nearby | Long days at a family gathering in town |
| Boarding | Your pet stays with the sitter, away from home | Pets that settle easily in a new place |
For care in your own home, book pet sitting. For walks only, book dog walking. If your pet will stay away from home, book pet boarding.
When should you book a holiday pet sitter?
As soon as your travel dates are set. Then confirm the details in writing:
- The first and last visit, with dates and times.
- How many visits a day, and roughly when.
- What happens if your flight home is delayed, and whether the sitter can stay on.
What should you ask a pet sitter before you book?
- Experience with pets like yours: the same species, size and age, and any special needs, such as medication, a senior pet or a nervous one.
- What a visit includes: feeding, walks, play, litter, and how long each visit lasts.
- For overnight stays: what time they arrive in the evening and leave in the morning.
- Updates: whether they'll send a message or photo after each visit.
- A backup plan: who covers if they're ill, or if snow or ice keeps them from reaching your home.
- Holiday dates: whether they're priced differently from ordinary days.
- Deposit and cancellation terms, in writing.
- Insurance: whether they carry insurance for pet-care work, and what it covers.
- For boarding: where your pet will sleep, which other animals will be there, and which records they need from you.
Should you have a meet-and-greet first?
Yes. Before the trip, invite the sitter to meet your pet at home. Walk them through the routine, show them where everything is kept, and have them try the key, lockbox or door code while you're there. For a dog, a short walk together shows how they get on. If there's time, book one short visit before you leave, so your pet already knows the sitter.
What goes on your pet's care sheet?
Write it down, even if you've explained it all in person. One page is enough:
- Food: what, how much and when, where it's kept, and which treats are allowed.
- Medications: each one's name, dose, time and how to give it, written exactly as your vet prescribed. Leave enough for the whole trip, plus a few extra days in case you come home late.
- Routine: walk times, litter, bedtime, where your pet sleeps, and any rooms that are off-limits.
- Behavior to know about: slipping out of doors, pulling on the leash, reacting to other dogs, or hiding spots a cat likes to use.
- Your vet: name, address and phone number, plus the nearest emergency animal hospital.
- An emergency contact: someone nearby who has a key and can make decisions if you can't be reached.
- How to reach you, with your travel dates and any time difference.
- The house: the alarm code, the thermostat setting, Wi-Fi, and which lights to leave on.
Call your vet before you leave, tell them who is caring for your pet, and ask what they need from you to treat your pet while you're away.
How do you get your home ready before you leave?
- Stock up on food, litter, waste bags and cleaning supplies, with some to spare.
- Set out the gear: leash, harness, any coat or boots your dog wears in winter, and a towel by the door for wet paws.
- Sort out access: a spare key, a lockbox or a temporary smart-lock code, tested before you go.
- Keep the heat on at the setting your pet is used to, and tell the sitter not to change it.
- Put holiday hazards out of reach: gifts of food, candy and anything your pet likes to chew. Tell the sitter which decorations, plants and foods your pet must not get into.
- Plan for snow: decide who clears the walk and driveway if it snows while you're away, so the sitter can reach the door. You can book snow removal ahead of time.
- For boarding, pack your pet's own food, medications, leash and something that smells of home.
What should happen while you're away?
- Read the sitter's updates, and reply when they ask a question.
- If your plans change, tell the sitter straight away.
- In an emergency, the sitter calls you and your vet. If you can't be reached, your emergency contact decides.
When you get home, check the supplies, collect or change the key and code, and settle anything left to pay.
Book your holiday pet sitter now
Holiday dates go quickly. As soon as your travel plans are firm, book pet sitting with an independent local Pro, and set up the meet-and-greet before you pack.
Last updated September 2026.
