Guest Room Idea Essential

When out-of-town houseguests come to visit, make their stay enjoyable for them… AND FOR YOU!!!

​Whether you have a designated guest room, an office or living room that converts into an overnight guest space, this one item  helps make their visit more enjoyable and less stressful for all.

And you can have fun creating this in under 1 hour. 

A visitors’ guide… similar to what you find in a high-end hotel or air BNB … suggests activities and points of interest you enjoy that you would like to share with your guests during their visit.

Unlike popping your zip code into Google or Yelp for a too-long list (much including things you may not want to do), this personalized visitors’ guide is curated list of places and activities relevant to your likes… that you would enjoy sharing in with your guests within your for spending fun quality time together and creating fun memories.

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A visitor’s guide also reduces the stress and hassle of activity and meal planning for you AND your guests.

Estimated Time to Complete

Allow for up to 1 hour… which you can do while relaxing and watching tv.

Level of Difficulty

Easy

Estimated Cost

FREE to $20

Items Needed

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• three-ring binder (1 inch)
• clear page protectors (for binders) 
• binder dividers with tabs & pocket
• paper
• computer & printer

Optional Items

• printed (or old school foldable) map of your area
• comprehensive brochure of point-of-interest in local big city

Instructions

• Define the geographic area and boundaries for how far you are willing to comfortably drive. Boundaries may vary depending on points-of-interest or for an all-day experience and adventure.

• Create pages by category by activities. I use scrapbook style with a sized screenshot of each place-of-interest including its name  and city… like I did in the example below.

People become overwhelmed when given too many choices. Limit suggestions to up to 5 per category (with the exception of franchise food establishment with multiple locations in the area).

Page ideas I recommend include
malls & movie theaters
goofy activities like bowling & golf
charming small towns
nature parks & forest preserves such as local arboretums, botanical gardens, and forest preserves
places of interest like zoos, aquariums, and small farms open to the public
live comedy and college & community theater
nearby galleries & museums
​community playgrounds, pools, & parks

We can’t forget food & restaurants… from fast food and snack stops...

... to restaurants from casual to fine dining.

For “Big City” activities… which for me is Chicago… I provide logos of the local sports teams I enjoy…

... along with other downtown points-of-interest many times available in a printable brochure from the Big City's website.

• Include a foldable or printed map with neighboring towns for points-of interest providing guest with locations and distances relative to your home. And I also provide driving times. For example, although Chicago is closer mileage-wise than say another city…. because of traffic… travel time is twice as long.

Don't forget to indicate your home's location on the map.

You can include an optional page with your (home) wifi password.

• Create a quick page with seasonal happenings in your area during your guests' visits... updating based on the time of year.

• Label your visitors' guide so your guests know what it is and can browse it as needed.

Again, regardless of your guest room and accommodation circumstances, give your home guests that classy hotel or BNB feel by bringing function to functional stylist living... all in under 1 hour.

Having Trouble Getting Started

I used to feel the same way too. After all, who wants to put time into a project that may not work in their specific home? That's why I created this Quick DIY Check Prep (List) for getting you started on those projects that actually enhance your home. I use this when starting any home DIY endeavor... big or small. 

​Knowing the "whys" of your home projects not only helps you with the "hows" but keeps you focused on the DIY endeavors that will matter for you... saving you time and money.