It is not so difficult to be a good house guest, especially in this ever-changing world where boundaries are not considered. By paying particular attention to details, you make your host feel that you are mature and considerate.
Below are some tips to help you be a good house guest.
1. Ask about household practices
Your goal is to cause as little disruption as possible. Ask your host about things like when they usually go to bed, when the children go to bed, and other household routines. If you’re an extremely early riser or a nightcrawler, you need to have a plan for how you can best enjoy your daily routine without imposing upon the good sleep and patience of your host.
2. Keep your host current on your schedule
As soon as you know information about your projected schedule, you should share it with your host. Keep your host posted on when you will and will not be present. This helps your host plan for meals, arrange their personal business, and schedule time to spend with you.
If you’re going to be staying for an extended period of time and doing some other traveling and sightseeing in the process, let them know also.
3. Share any allergies or dietary issues in advance
If you’re allergic to any food, tell your host long before you arrive. Food issues can be a tricky area to tackle, and it’s up to you to judge how much of an inconvenience it would be for your host to follow your eating guidelines.
4. Clean up after yourself
Every morning, make the guest bed or put the guest bed and bedding away. Always wash your dishes immediately after you are done eating. Don’t leave your toiletries littered across the counter of the bathroom. Take the trash out when it is getting full, and wipe down the counters when you notice it needs to be cleaned.
When it’s time for you to leave, strip the bed, gather up your dirty towels, and neatly roll the whole thing up in the top sheet and put it out of the way in a laundry basket. The last thing you want to be is a lazy, dirty guest.
5. Reward your host with a gift
If you’re sure your host would be very opposed to accepting any money from you, your best option is a nice gift or a nice dinner. A great way to put it is to think about how much money you’d have spent on hotel expenses and take a fraction of that money and put it towards a gift for your host or a nice night on the town.
