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Here’s the second part of our hospitality posts and this one is on how to be a nice guest!  If you missed how to be a good hostess you can read that here.  I love to travel and many times that includes staying in someone’s home.  I want to have people invite me back so I try to follow these tips my momma taught me!  Keep in mind most hosts don’t expect these things (although some tips are just common courtesy) but I know from experience as a host that it’s always an added gift to have awesome guests.  (And we’ve been blessed with some of the world’s best guests so a lot of the ideas here I’m just borrowing from them!)

Don’t leave a mess
My parents have always taught me that I’m supposed to “leave things better than when I found them.”  While sometimes I struggle with this at home (I’m thinking of some dirty clothes left in the bathroom at the moment…) it’s nice to leave your space looking clean if at all possible.  If you have your own room and bathroom where you’re staying then this isn’t as important but when you leave make sure it doesn’t look like a tornado went through.  If you can’t leave it looking as clean as you found it at least leave it tidy.

Offer to help
I know, I know…you’re on vacation or on a tight schedule but if you are spending a long time at your host’s house then offer to pitch in and help with dishes if you eat meals there.  Assist with food prep or anything else you see your host needing assistance with if you’re able too.  If you’re out but coming back for a meal it’s always nice to offer to pick items up at the store for dinner (granted you have a car and such).  Helping out can be as simple as asking the hosts if they would like you to take the sheets off the bed before you leave on the last day.

Offer to pay for things
Did your host drive you around?  Offer to pay for gas or metered parking if possible.  Maybe treat them to coffee if you’re out.  This isn’t necessary but if you have the money it can be a nice thing to do for your host/hostess.  A lot of times when I’ve been traveling I’ve been broke and haven’t been able to do these things so this one is more just a trip by trip basis.  If you’re there more than a few days offer to pay for some groceries.

Bring things you’ll need
We one time had strangers come to stay at our house.  They were here for a speech and debate competition and just needed a place to crash for the nights.  I’ve never seen someone come so prepared.  They brought sleeping bags and towels and pretty much everything.  They were some of the easiest guest we’ve ever had because they came so prepared and there wasn’t even any clean up after they left!  They drove so this was possible.  Those strangers turned into sweet friends who we always want to have come back.  We’ve told them they really don’t need to bring their sleeping bags anymore…

Be flexible
Remember those guys that came last minute and spent the night?  One of the things that made that possible is that they were flexible with the time and where we could put them.  Since there were more people than we usually host we had to put some on couches in the basement and they were 100% cool with that.  We’ve had other strangers come stay who understood that our schedule was busy and they were super flexible with it.  They were awesome guests!  When I’ve traveled I try make sure that my hosts know that they should just go about their lives as normal.  I try to make sure that my hosts know that I don’t need to be entertained.  By all means go do things if you’re in a new place but don’t make your hosts feel like they need to plan it all or do it all with you.

Communicate
If you roughly know your itinerary keep your hosts informed of when you’ll be there and when you won’t.  If you’re visiting friends let them know if you have any preferences.  Let them know if you need anything.  Most hosts would rather know what you need than feel like you were too shy to say!

Be thankful
It always amazes me how welcoming people are and so kind to open up their homes to me.  It’s always a gift when someone lets you into their homes and lives even if it’s a short amount of time so express your gratitude to them.  One lost art that is that of a thank you note.  Write the thank you note people!  Just leave a note on your pillow or their counter or send one in the mail when you get home.  Verbally thank your hosts as well but that letter writing is always thoughtful.

Bonus points for bringing a gift!
Like I mentioned earlier some of the time when you’re staying in people’s homes it’s because of a lack of funds so bringing a gift may just be out of the question but if you can it’s always nice to bring flowers or a little gift.  I’ve made a list of quick of hostess gifts here if you need some easy ideas!

What are your favorite things to bring as a gift?  Have you had any funny stories from staying with people?  Please let me know in the comments below so I can laugh with you. 😉

And don’t forget here’s a list of items to bring for your hosts!

Recently my mom and I were discussing what makes a good hostess and what makes a good guest and so we thought we’d share a few tips with you in this two part series.  Today we are going to share a few points on how to be a good hostess when you’re having people stay at your home.  And let me just reassure you that I need to work on both of these areas!  I certainly don’t have it all figured out but we’ve been blessed to host a lot of people as well as be guests in strangers/friend’s homes.  We also realize that people have different styles of hosting and that’s totally awesome.  Think of these as “guidelines” 😉

Be calm
This one speaks for itself.  Someone who is rushing around like a chicken with their head cut off will not put their guests at ease.  Instead it makes them feel like they are imposing.

Be welcoming
I know this probably seems like a given but have you ever been at someone’s home who wasn’t warm and welcoming?  It’s not fun.  Your countenance will set the tone.  People can tell if you’re not thrilled to have them.  So be excited when they arrive!  I think this also goes to say that if you just don’t feel like you’re up for the task of hosting people it’s okay to ask people to come at another date or even just say no.  We’ve had times when we’ve let people come at the drop of a hat though.  Which leads me to my next point.

Be flexible
I can’t stress this one enough probably because if you aren’t flexible you will end up being stressed!  Remember how I said that we’ve had people come at a moments notice?

Well last summer my cousin showed up in town with four other guys and they ended up crashing at our place for the night.  I literally found out a few hours before they came.  Thankfully they were awesome guests (that’s the next part of the series) and we wished they could have stayed a little longer.  Because we were able to just run with it we ended up having a great time but if you’re stressed about feeding people or where they will sleep it makes for a bummer of a deal for you and for them.

Part of being flexible also means letting go of expectations for how you want things done.  This may mean ditching your idea of a beautiful dinner and instead ordering take out when guests come to town.  If you want to be a good hostess be flexible.  One time my brother brought some friends home for Christmas and it was a last minute deal.  We didn’t know them at all and weren’t sure how it would all work out but in the end we had one of the best Christmases we’ve ever had.  While it’s okay to say no to having people in your home you may be pleasantly surprised when you’re flexible enough to let people stay.

Be prepared
Yes, be flexible but if you know guests are going to be arriving take some time to be prepared.  Is your guest joining you for dinner?  Prepare ahead of time something you can just pull together quickly that way if you’re out all day sight seeing or having adventures or even just coming from work things will flow smoothly.  Buy extra toilet paper.  Always have fresh linens and towels ready.  These are the sorts of things that help make for an enjoyable time being a hostess.  If you want a more detailed list on how to create a guest basket and help people feel at home in your house then you can check out the list HERE that I’ve made of practical ways to do so. Plus there is a sweet FREE welcome printout (like the one above) and a wifi printout too!

If you have a stranger coming through town that just needs a place to stay:
You can still use the tips above but also feel free to go about your life.  Tell them to make themselves at home.

If you’re having a friend for the weekend:
Let them know your schedule beforehand so that they can know what to expect from you time wise.  If you have the entire time blocked off to hang out with them then have a blast!

If you’re having a long term guest (more than 2-3 nights):
Don’t feel like you have to entertain people the whole time.  Hopefully they’ve come with a plan and if not feel free to suggest things and explain the public transportation.

Psst. Here’s those freebies to help make life a little easier and prettier next time you host guests! Enjoy, friends!

I hope that this topic on how to be a good hostess was helpful! What are your best hostess tips? Anything you’d add to this list? Do you have a beautiful or horrible tale to share with us about a time you hosted guests? I’d love to hear you stories in the comments below!