The Good Houseguest

Having a house guest can be such a pleasure and can create an atmosphere of happiness...so it is important that the house guests know what they should try to do and what they should avoid doing. Here are some "do's and don'ts" for house guests.

• Bring your own toiletries. Try not to expect that your host will provide these things.
• Offer to help anytime you see the opportunity arise; in fact you can look for opportunities to help and serve your host.
• Be flexible- try and be ready for whatever may come your way or what may not come your way. Don't expect to be entertained by your host.
• Always clean up after yourself unless you are specifically instructed not to by your host.
• Ensure that your host has some time alone (like I mentioned yesterday).
• Return the favor-if your host needs a place to stay while visiting your hometown, make sure you extend the same courtesy to your host that they extended to you.
• Be prepared with snacks and juice, etc. especially for children. If your host does not have children, he/she should not be expected to have their favorite snacks in the house.
• Don't make other plans without letting your host know. If you have been invited to do something while staying at your host's home, make sure you check with your host first before accepting that invitation.
• Your pets can be an imposition on your host, so don't invite your pets to come along with you.
• If you have borrowed something from your host, don't delay returning it.
• When the telephone rings at your host's home, don't answer it unless you have permission to do so.
• Make sure you have everything you need before leaving to go home. Check everywhere and if possible, make a packing list. This will ensure that your host doesn't have to ship anything back to you
  
• Be aware of hot water situations. If there could be a shortage, make sure your showers are brief.
  
• Try and conform to the host's sleeping habits when possible. There is an exception when the guests are family or close friends where the host wouldn't mind if they retired early, but let your host guide your sleeping schedule, as hard as that may be sometimes.

I will probably say this over and over again. Think carefully about how you would want to be treated, and make sure you treat your host accordingly. Oh, and don't forget to look up my top 10 host gifts, so when you leave, you can send them something to thank them for all their efforts; a thank you note is in order at the very least. Have a fantastic day!