Today’s Guest Tipster is Gray Cargill, the author of SoloFriendly.com, a blog for solo travelers. A lifelong resident of Vermont, Gray has expertise in the areas of solo travel, with a special passion for Las Vegas.

Company’s coming! Are you prepared? Here are Gray’s top tips on how to be a good host:

• Ask In Advance - Ask your guests in advance about: pet, food and other allergies; any dietary restrictions they may have (Kosher? Diabetic? Vegetarian?); mobility/accessibility issues; their sleep habits; what they hope or plan to do during their visit with you; and, most importantly: exactly how long they plan to stay.
• Anticipate Needs - Anticipate your guests’ basic needs. Provide fresh linens and towels in an obvious and easily accessible place, including extra blankets and pillows. Stock essential items in their sleeping space -a clean glass and pitcher of water, a box of tissues, unused travel sized toiletries (in case they’ve forgotten something) in a bathroom tote, ear plugs, a fan. In case they can’t sleep, they would probably appreciate having some reading materials (choice of books, magazines, newspapers), pen and paper, and a reading lamp. Make sure they have an alarm clock if their schedule will be different from yours, or just so they know what time it is if they awaken during the night. Plug in a nightlight so they can find the bathroom in the middle of the night (or you might be sorry in the morning!).
• Give Of Your Time - Chances are, unless they’re just trying to save money by using your home as a free place to crash (not that there’s anything wrong with that, as long as everyone is on the same page), your house guests are there to spend time with you. Clear your schedule as much as possible so you can spend quality time with them, instead of having them just them tag along as you run your errands, watch you do the housework, or wave hello as you come and go from work. Be respectful of the time they have taken to come visit you.
• Provide Private Space - You don’t want to find out the hard way that your house guest sleeps in the buff. Even if you don’t have a guest room, try to provide your guests with some private space to call their own, even if you have to create a makeshift bedroom out of an office, sun porch, or finished basement. My aunt’s sister-in-law once hung beautiful fabrics around a futon in their basement to create a private (and romantic) “bedroom” when my aunt and uncle visited; my aunt gushes about the space to this day. If you have more than one bathroom, give them full use of one as “theirs.” Don’t forget to provide a space for their clothes-closet and hangers, drawers, etc.
• Inform Your Guests Of The House Rules - (Before they have a chance to break them.) This will make the visit far less stressful on all of you. For instance, if you don’t allow smoking in the house, swearing in front of the children, unmarried couples sleeping in the same bed, or feeding the dog table scraps, be sure to share this information up front. Also be sure to inform them of your schedule for their stay (if you can’t spend the entire time with them) and how to reach you when you are not together.
• Help Them To Help Themselves - For your own sanity, you don’t want to become your guests’ unpaid servant during their stay. Show them how things work (the TV, the shower, the stove, and microwave), and where things like dishes and glasses are kept so they can do things for themselves. Create a guest account on your computer to allow guests to use the Internet - to check email, find local information, etc. (And make sure your own account is password-protected - they don’t need to see what you do on the computer, do they? Wink.)
• Be A Local Guide - Show your guests your favorite spots in your home town and provide ideas and information for a variety of activities they can do on their own. If they will rely on public transportation, provide them with routes, schedules and other information
• Remove Any Items You Don’t Want A Guest Seeing, Touching Or Breaking - (This is especially important if they are bringing their children or a pet). Remove anything from your guests’ proximity that might negatively impact their stay. If you have pets that have the run of the area, try to remove hair and dander ahead of time - especially if a guest is allergic. If they are afraid of animals (or just don’t like them), try to keep your pets away from them during their stay. Ditto with your kids. (Just kidding.)
• Try To Be Tolerant Of Your Guests’ Habits That Drive You Up A Wall - There is no more miserable feeling than being a house guest and knowing that your host is irritated with you, and you still have another day and a half before you go home. Look, we all have different lifestyles and habits and sometimes they don’t mesh. If your guest hasn’t offered to help you with dishes and you think they should, ask them nicely to please give you a hand. It’s possible they aren’t accustomed to doing that at home. If they snore, put some earplugs in and turn on a fan to drown out the sound. Do whatever it takes to get through their stay with the relationship still intact. If they’ve turned out to truly be the Guest from Hell, you don’t have to allow them back again.
• Be Gracious - Make your guests feel welcome in your home. Greet them with a smile and a hug. Do something special to let them know you are glad to have them here. Cook their favorite meal one night. Stock up on their favorite breakfast foods (especially if they have a special diet). If your guests offer to buy you a meal to thank you, don’t pick the most expensive restaurant in town. If they could afford that, they’d be staying at a hotel and not with you. If you really want to go overboard and show off what a great host you are, provide fresh flowers in their room, or chocolates on the pillow (just like a hotel!).

If you’re ever a guest, make sure to check out Top Ten Tips - Being A Considerate House Guest.

• Top Ten Tips - Being A Considerate House Guest (10)
• Top Ten Tips - Traveling In A Group (1)
• Top Ten Tips - Taking A Staycation (8)
• Top Ten Tips - Keeping Bored Children Amused (2)
• Top Ten Tips - Holding A Backyard Party (0)