Making Your House a Home for Out-of-Town Guests

I am so lucky to have friends and family who travel to stay with us periodically throughout the year. It helps that we live in the Metro DC area, so there's lots to do and a lot of it is free. We are all known to be very frugal. This summer I am expecting a couple rounds of visitors. Up first, a family reunion bringing in 6 house guests for a week. We will already have 5 living here, as my active duty son-in-law and daughter are being sent temporarily stateside for medical treatment. Then a month later a friend and her two daughters will be staying with us for a long weekend. 

What I love to do is create a sense of home and welcome for them. I want them to feel as if my home is their home, at least temporarily. Here are two of my suggestions to help your guests feel well cared for. These are the things they may need along the way and are too shy to ask for. (Of course, my friends and family just rifle through the cabinets and fridge and that's an awesome option.) 

The bathroom container is filled with sunscreen, toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotions, soaps, nail files, razor (make sure it's in the protective packaging if there are kids around), lip balm, make-up wipes, cotton swabs, discreetly wrapped feminine care products and even a first aid kit. 

In the bedroom, I try to tailor the baskets or trays according to my guests. I may have car magazines for my brother and a Real Simple magazine and a romance novel for my best friend, along with a water bottle or two, a tentative itinerary, the wifi password, the garage door code, a channel listing for the television, and a few snacks, of course.

These little touches don't take the place of lingering over dessert and coffee reminiscing about years gone by, but they do help make your guests feel a little less self-conscious if they need something. Plus, you'll get the reputation as the hostess who thinks of everything.