You have a fantastic summer vacation planned for the whole family. Everything is set—flight, hotel, rental car, daily tour itinerary. The only thing missing from your vacation is some actual vacation time. A vacation without a little time for you to unwind without the kids is just a trip—not a vacation. Here’s how to find a destination sitter that’ll give you a much-needed break on your trip.
Finding a Vacation Babysitter Ahead of Time
If you’re planning to be away from your kids at any time during your vacation, finding a top-notch sitter should be your number one priority before you pack your suitcases.
- As soon as you know when and where you’ll be going, start your sitter search. A great way is to post a job on Sittercity. That way you can specify exactly what you need—including location, timeframe, and other specifics—and let the sitters come to you. Sittercity makes running background checks much easier, too, since you can do them online quickly.
- Ask friends and family. Send email blasts, or post to your Facebook friends and in any local moms groups you’re in. You never know who might have a friend of a friend whose college-age daughter is in town for the summer and looking to babysit right when you’d need her. (For safety reasons, avoid posting on Twitter or more public forms of social media.)
- If you’re staying at a resort, it may come with child care services included. You’ll just want to check them out. If you’re staying at a hotel, call ahead of time to ask the concierge at the front desk what some recommended agencies or services are. There’s a great family-friendly Lodging Guide by Families Go! that lets you search by state and even country.
- Don’t forget about local colleges and universities! Most college babysitting programs require you to fill out and submit paperwork and they tend to fill up, so plan accordingly.
- A great option is to invite your nanny or sitter from home along on your trip. This is more expensive (since it’ll include their lodging, airfare, food, and hourly/daily rate), but depending on your needs it may be worth it.
Finding a Sitter When You’re Already on Vacation
Maybe you already had care lined up, but your trusted nanny couldn’t come along at the last minute, or your mom (who had agreed to babysitting duties) gets sick. What now?
- Checking out the local resources will be one of your best options for finding a last-minute sitter. If you go to the same place every year, chances are you already have an idea of where to go. If not, a few good places to start are the local community, recreation, or vacation information centers.
- If you’re staying at a hotel, ask the front desk for recommendations as to a reputable babysitting agency. Staying on a vacation or rental property? Call the property manager and inquire that way.
As always, posting a job on Sittercity can connect you to a great sitter. Just make your job post really stand out and include in the description that you need a sitter ASAP.
