Since we’ve lived in Lexington we’ve had people visit 8 different weekends! (I think, just did a quick count)
Some months we’ve had multiple weekends of visitors, and then we go months with no visitors, so it’s not like we have people here all the time. But one part of living in a different place is that people come visit – which is so fun. Having visitors has really prompted us to explore Lexington because we’re always playing “tourist”.
Having a house makes hosting much easier, but it can still be stressful and tiring. It’s fun to have people but I still try to prepare as much as possible so I have to do less work when people are actually here. So here are all my tips and tricks for hosting guests – from the simple (or obvious!) to more specific!
plan an activity each day
It’s fun to catch up but it can be hard to sit around the house all day (unless you want to do that!). So we try to have one activity each day we have visitors. Visiting a distillery like Buffalo Trace is a great thing to do with visitors!
make your guests comfortable
I put towels in the bedrooms – not the bathroom – so people have their own towels. I try to have extra blankets and pillows, and I put fans in each room. I have lots of toiletries in our guest bathroom that anyone can use and make sure that there’s extra toilet paper – no one wants to go searching for that in an unfamiliar house at night.
buy food your guests like
Some people request certain food before they visit – which I do appreciate! – but frequently we know our guests well enough to stock up on things they like. From cheese and crackers, specific bourbon/vodka/wine, to hummus, it’s hospitable to have items you know your guests enjoy.
clean
Do a deep cleaning everywhere – all your bathrooms and all your common areas! For real, no one wants to stay in a dirty house. I deep clean a few days ahead of time (usually the weekend before) and then vacuum and do a light cleaning right before people appear.
have an “end” date
I know plenty of people who have horror stories of people coming to visit and staying for a month – I’m not kidding. They thought the visit was a weekend and their visitors didn’t feel that way, no one talked about it, and it ended up being a disaster. My husband and I don’t roll like that and we have asked people “when are you heading home?” before they arrive – for the very few people who don’t offer up their timing right away! But I think this applies to when you’re a guest also – be upfront about your arrival and departure dates. It’s totally acceptable to ask when people are coming and going and I don’t think it should be an awkward conversation!
So there you have it – some tips for hosting guests. Nothing too insane but it’s a pretty comprehensive list, at least if you ask me! I hope it’s helpful next time you have someone visiting – and let me know if I missed anything!
