But if you come home one day and then discover unexpected house guests on your doorstep, should you allow them to stay?
Showing genuine hospitality to house guests is the hallmark of a good host, but it is only fair to inform your hosts that you will be arriving so that they do not receive an unpleasant shock when they get home and discover that their friends or family members have dropped by unexpectedly for the weekend to stay, along with their children and pets in tow. Some house guests interpret the remark "visit anytime you like" to mean that they can stop by whenever they would like to stay for the weekend or even longer without having to give any advance warning or seek permission to stay. But that is not what this invitation really means. It is a friendly invitation to make a future visit, but it does not mean that house guests have been given full rein over when and for how long they will be visiting and staying for.
House guests need to think of more than just their own comfort and relaxation whenever they plan on dropping by to stay with hosts unannounced. What if the hosts have made alternative plans for the weekend and they will be gone during that time? The hosts may also have other guests staying with them at that particular time and it would be embarrassing for all concerned to then have to turn away unexpected house guests who have not sought permission to stay.
It is rude to turn up on someone's doorstep and to then expect to be shown the same level of hospitality that you would expect when you are formally invited to stay. Of course, certain situations render this necessary, such as when a family have been evicted from their home and they have nowhere else to go or if a family member has died and the unexpected house guests simply needed some support and did not know where else to turn to in their hour of need. But if all is well and you just want to get away for weekend without having to foot the bill for a hotel room, seek your hosts' permission before you turn up on their doorstep unannounced. Forewarning will help hosts to prepare their home and a guest bedroom rather than have to frantically re-arrange their lives around unexpected house guests.
