If you ever want to be invited back to someone else’s home, houseguest etiquette matters. No host wants to welcome back a guest who criticized them or left their house a mess. So it’s important to be respectful of one’s space to maintain amicable relationships and score another invite.
Unfortunately, this guy completely ignored basic courtesy when coming to a friend’s home. Not only did he make fun of the buddy’s humble abode, but he also expected to let him crash there after a few days, for which he got a big fat rejection.
To get invited back to someone's home, guests have to be respectful
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
So it's no surprise that this guy didn't let his couchsurfer friend crash after he critiqued his humble abode
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Round-Choice287
People put a lot of effort into curating their home, so they might feel hurt when hearing critiques about it
Image credits: Generated Image (not the actual photo)
Whether you’re popping over to a friend’s house for a game night and a couple of drinks or spending a few nights while visiting town (or when in a pinch), there are certain guest faux pas that should be avoided to prevent any bad blood from forming. If you appreciate conversations over a glass of wine or crashing onto your friend’s couch when traveling or having a hard time, these should always be in the back of your mind when visiting people you’re close to.
First and foremost, a big ‘no’ while visiting other people’s homes is providing unsolicited critiques about their space, just like the person in this story did. People put a lot of effort into curating their home, so they might feel hurt when hearing negative and unprovoked comments about it, which, as a result, can put their relationship with guests in jeopardy.
Another guest faux pas is treating their home like a hotel. People visiting other people’s homes should always offer to help and pick up after themselves, especially if they’re staying for a longer period of time. "Houseguests sometimes overplay their hand as guests and underplay the fact that they’re in someone’s house," says relationship expert April Masini to Bustle. "So offer to do the dishes, walk the dog, or babysit the kids."
"Place your dirty towels and sheets in a hamper in the laundry room, so they’re easy to wash, but fold the coverlet and duvet at the end of the bed as they were when you found them,” adds entertaining expert Carla McDonald. These things are little, but they help to avoid accidental rudeness and ensure you get invited back again.
Do your best to be grateful for everything hosts have provided
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
Something else that is important to do when having an extended stay with trusted people is to be clear about how long you’ll be staying and what your plans are during it. The latter ensures that there are no scheduling conflicts.
"If you keep your schedule secret from them ... you may show up with a packed calendar of meetings and get-togethers outside their home, and they’ve planned a dinner party, bought tickets to a concert, [or] scheduled other events because they thought you were coming to stay with a blank calendar for your visit," Masina says.
When it comes to the duration of the stay, try to keep the stay brief so you don’t take advantage of the host and keep the visit exciting instead of exhausting. And if it wasn’t obvious yet, don’t show up unannounced, or even worse, with children, a partner, or a pet. Many people find this inconvenient and not spontaneous or fun.
Other additional guest faux pas include overpacking and ignoring any house rules. Avoiding these minimizes the number of things that will inevitably be scattered around and helps to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings. Lastly, do your best to be grateful for everything—thank them when you arrive (bonus points if you bear a little gift, nothing too fancy) and leave. You can even invite them to your home as a thank you for their hosting efforts.
Some commenters thought the original poster did the right thing by refusing to let the friend crash
Others thought he was being too sensitive
Later, the original poster shared an update:
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Round-Choice287
Commenters were pretty satisfied with the update
