Once you answer where you’re from, the next question is, what do you know about where you’re from?
When you live somewhere, it’s easy to take for granted the interesting places. It’s easy to let life happen, not explore or pay attention to what you’ve explored and enjoyed in the past.
But then someone asks, then someone visits, and it’s up to you to give recommendations or host. Or maybe, like me, you move somewhere else and find yourself trying to explain what your home is like.
The more I’m away and the more hospitality I receive, the more I realize how important it can be to plan out how to host visitors.
- Where will you take them? What will you show them?
- Where’s the best place to stay, nicest overall and best bang for the buck? (Could they stay with you?)
- Where’s the best place to get WiFi and a cup of coffee?
- What are the best restaurants to try?
- What are the coolest tourist sites to see? (And what’s overrated?)
- What’s worth paying for? And where are the deals?
- What are some sweet souvenirs native to the area?
- What are the awesome places only the locals know about?
- What’s some interesting trivia you could share?
I also think it’s important to consider maybe two or three different types of visitors.
- Some want to see the sites in the city/town. Others want to get off the beaten path.
- Some want to eat what the locals eat and drink what the locals drink. Others want to sample the expensive cuisine reserved for vacations.
- Some like events, concerts, and shows. Others prefer a stroll in a park or a hike in the woods or just an afternoon in a hammock with a good book.
Think like a visitor. What would you want from a host? Not what would you expect, but what would totally blow all your expectations and make for an awesome stay?
Think like a visitor, and then act like that host. Know where you’re from.
