10 Ways To Be An Excellent House Guest

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The holidays are coming up and millions of Americans will be traveling to visit loved ones. One of the best ways to save money on your holiday trip is to forgo staying at a hotel and stay with family and friends. However, when staying with others make sure to be the best house guest you can be. Here are 10 simple ways how you can be an excellent house guest.

1. Show up on time. If you tell your host that you’re going to come in on Wednesday morning, show up at that time. If you’re running late make sure to give a call and update your host when you’ll be arriving.
2. Bring a gift. To show your appreciation for the free room and board, bring a gift. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive. Baked goods are always appreciated.
3. Offer to pay for groceries. If your host will be paying for your food while you stay, offer to chip in for groceries. You don’t want to be a complete mooch. Even if your host turns you down, it will show that you really appreciate their generosity.
4. Keep your area neat. Before you leave each day, make sure to make the bed and straighten up your room.
5. Help with chores around the house. Always be willing to help around the house. Help prepare the big holiday meals, wash the dishes, and take out the trash. Don’t wait for you host to say no, just start helping.
6. Disclose your schedule. Let your host know your schedule everyday and do all you can to stick to it. This will help you host plan when to serve meals and how late they need to stay up.
7. Always ask. Remember, you’re a guest. Even if someone tells you to make yourself at home, still ask before you start using things. It’s just good etiquette.
8. Don’t overstay your visit. Try to keep your stay shorter than three days. Your host has things to do and they can’t put their life on hold forever.
9. Strip the bed before your leave. Your host will likely wash the bed linens after you leave. Help make their job easier by stripping your bed before you leave.
10. Leave a thank you note. A short handwritten thank you note can go a long way to show your appreciation.

What are other things you can do to be an excellent house guest? Add to the conversation! Drop a line in the comment box.

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33 Comments

1. Alec Clews on 19.11.2007 at 14:00 (Reply)

   1) If the host has younger children offer to babysit one evening if time permits

   2) Try and stay out of the way when the host family is rushing around in the morning trying to get ready for work and school

   3) Ask how things like wet towels and the washing up are handled — it’s certainly different from your own home

2. Betty B on 20.11.2007 at 04:38 (Reply)

   Great post Brett, I wish my stepkids would follow these! One addition - if you’ll be staying for several days, offer to cook a meal for your hostess. Planning and preparing several meals a day for a large group is exhausting - she’d love the break!

3. Brett McKay on 20.11.2007 at 09:49 (Reply)

   Alec-
   Excellent additions! I especially liked the tip on how to handle wet towels. You never think about those sort of things and assume everyone does it the way you do it at home.

   Betty-
   That’s a really good idea and one I haven’t thought about. That’s an easy way to become your hostess’ all time favorite house guest.

4. Teresa on 20.11.2007 at 10:15 (Reply)

   If you have children, instruct your children to not answer the telephone when it rings. I’ve had this problem before with house guest’s children.

5. Alec Clews on 20.11.2007 at 14:43 (Reply)

   How about some tips on being a good host?

   We have an information sheet we supply to our guests that lists public transport, useful websites, domestic processes and some of our expectations (you only have to write it once).

   We also provide a guest account on our family computer so that people can use the Internet.

6. 10 ways to be the perfect house guest | Do it Yourself on 04.12.2007 at 09:22

   […] Frugal Law Student has compiled a list of 10 ways to be an excellent guest that holiday season. It is a simple list to follow, the tips are common sense, and most of all, your host will be happy […]

7. 10 ways to be the perfect house guest | Home Repair Tips on 04.12.2007 at 10:25

   […] Frugal Law Student has compiled a list of 10 ways to be an excellent guest that holiday season. It is a simple list to follow, the tips are common sense, and most of all, your host will be happy […]

8. s. on 05.12.2007 at 21:17 (Reply)

   wow alec how many houseguests do you get that you have to make up a brochure? sounds more like one of those too-precious B&Bs you find: “Please note that our decorative accents are real antiques, do not touch them. Do not touch the embroidered cat pillows or the ceramic fairy collection. 10 PM is the beginning of quiet hours.”

9. Be the Perfect House Guest? [Ask The Readers] · TechBlogger on 05.12.2007 at 22:13

   […] a hall-of-famer. Think you’re the perfect house guest? Give us your secrets in the comments. 10 Ways To Be An Excellent House Guest [The Frugal Law Student via DIY […]

10. Clarissa on 05.12.2007 at 23:49 (Reply)

    I think it’s better to ask if the host would like you to strip the bed, but other than that, great list.

    1. Brett McKay on 06.12.2007 at 00:02 (Reply)

       Clarissa-
       Thanks for stopping by and commenting! That’s a good idea. I think an overall general rule when staying as a house guest is to find out the host’s preferences. Hope to see you around these parts more often!

11. Clarissa on 06.12.2007 at 00:47 (Reply)

    It’s a great post and I’m planning to link to it in my blog for EFL/ESL learners–tomorrow, when I’m awake! I also plan to check out the rest of your blog then.

12. ciji on 06.12.2007 at 00:55 (Reply)

    Great tips! I’d like to add a few:

    I’d also stay out of the way when folks are rushing around in the evening, like cooking dinner and getting the kids ready for bed.

    Don’t come in town expecting your hosts to entertain you 24/7. Bring a book to read or something else to occupy your spare time, especially if you are left in the house all day while your hosts are at work. Which brings me to my next suggestion…

    Don’t expect your hosts to be your chauffeur either. Rent a car and explore the city yourself. You can drive yourself to the mall to grab that sweater you forgot to bring. Better yet, learn the public transportation system if it’s safe and convenient to you.

    Also, if your hosts have to work the next day, don’t keep them up all night fraternizing. There is nothing worse for your host than missing a good nights sleep because they feel obligated to entertain you. Know when to go to bed.

    1. Brett McKay on 06.12.2007 at 06:30 (Reply)

       Ciji-
       Great tips! I especially liked the tip about not expecting your hosts to entertain you 24/7. When I’ve been a host, making sure people are entertained all the time is one of the most stressful parts of having guests over.

13. Karen on 06.12.2007 at 01:54 (Reply)

    Please don’t strip the bed without asking first when you stay at my house. On the bed, they’re out of the way until I’m ready to wash them. Strip them and they’re clutter immediately.

    1. Brett McKay on 06.12.2007 at 06:32 (Reply)

       Karen-
       I’ll make sure I’ll ask for permission before I strip the bed next time you invite me to your house. You make a good point about the sheets becoming clutter.

14. cat on 06.12.2007 at 10:28 (Reply)

    I agree with Clarissa about asking if the host would like the linens stripped from the bed. I wash the used linens closer to the next house guest’s arrival so that they smell even fresher.

15. titanium on 06.12.2007 at 16:01 (Reply)

    Re stripping the bed, I either fold back the top cover/sheet nicely to let the bed air, or strip the bed and fold and stack the sheets nicely- stripping and making a big pile of sheets on the floor is a no-no.

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    […] As we all start to countdown the hours before our holiday that is fast approaching,  it seems that a lot of us will be leaving our Shanghai home and bunking down with family and friends all over the world. Being a good house guest while you stay with family and friends can sometimes be forgotten in all the festivities. Life hacker found 10 ways to be an excellent house guest. […]

18. kimbra power on 06.12.2007 at 19:39 (Reply)

    There is always a fine balance between getting in the way at people’s places and making yourself at home. I guess the main thing to maintain is an open dialogue and always remember YOU are the guest and at some point, you are an inconvenience. Do whatever you can to alleviate the pressure on your hosts and always be over generous rather than stingy. There is nothing worse than a guest who never puts their hands in their own pockets.

19. links for 2007-12-07 « Bob’s Weblog on 07.12.2007 at 04:22

    […] 10 Ways To Be An Excellent House Guest One of the best ways to save money on your holiday trip is to forgo staying at a hotel and stay with family and friends. Make sure to be the best house guest you can be. Here are 10 simple ways how you can be an excellent house guest. (tags: personal money) […]

20. Doug Smith on 07.12.2007 at 19:24 (Reply)

    Wash the bathroom, that in addition to stripping the bed reduces your footprint on their house when you leave

    1. Brett McKay on 07.12.2007 at 22:13 (Reply)

       Great addition, Doug. I think the bathroom gets the most mucked up during a stay. Leaving it as spic and span as you will definitely earn you “best house guest ever” points.

21. links for 2007-12-08 | The Frugal Law Student on 08.12.2007 at 00:20

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22. Carolyn on 09.12.2007 at 20:35 (Reply)

    Good stuff - the only thing I have a problem with is doing some chores around the house. My mother-in-law always tries to start doing things, and while I recognize that it’s a nice gesture and that she really just wants to keep being a mom and being needed in that way, it’s a tiny bit annoying to go find the dishes she’s stored in random places, or to have her take out the trash right before we make a dinner with waste that’ll start smelling bad soon. I agree with the post above about keeping an open dialogue going, and actually listening if your host sincerely doesn’t want you doing that chore.

    1. Brett McKay on 09.12.2007 at 20:53 (Reply)

       Carolyn,
       I agree with you that it can get annoying when people try to help around the house because everybody does things differently in their own home. Great tip on keeping a dialogue open on how the chore should be done.

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