Name: How to NOT BE a BAD Traveler | Travel Do's & Dont's
Uploaded: 2025-07-19T22:24:53.000Z
Duration: 10 min 28 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

To-infinitive

We all value when friends or strangers take us under their roof, feed us, and make us feel at home.

Adverbs of frequency

That's why it's such a pleasure to host other travelers, but not always.

Some guests are oblivious to the unwritten rules of travel, making themselves a little bit too comfortable in their host's home and giving meaning to the old words of Benjamin Franklin.

So for everyone's sake, we're going to lay down the rules of how to not be a bad guest in your host's home.

Please comment below and tell us what the traditions are in your home country.

This video was brought to you by Ring, which allows you to manage the security of your home from the convenience of your cell phone anywhere in the world.

Carrie and I just moved into this new house, and we thought it would be really fun to show you how to not be a bad house guest by using Ring's security cameras to capture Marco being a bad house guest.

First and foremost, do not show up unannounced and expect to be hosted.

Do not abuse your friend's hospitality by saying you'll stay for a weekend and ending up staying for a week or more, or even worse, coming back again and again and again until you are no longer welcome.

In earlier years of couchsurfing, I made this mistake.

You're welcome to stay at my house here in LA whenever you want.

Do give plenty of notification and be clear about how long you're staying before you arrive.

Stay for two or three days maximum and leave it at that.

And what's even worse, don't show up super hungry and just start rummaging through the fridge.

I think we're out of champagne and caviar.

Actually, there's only one bottle of champagne.

Even if your hosts have a gigantic house with tons of room to spare, they're still doing you a favor.

And even the smallest gift can be a token of your appreciation, a nice bottle of wine or some artisan coffee.

It's something that might be a little bit more expensive than your normal tastes, but it's a lot cheaper than getting a hotel room.

Don't expect your hosts to cook for you like this is some kind of bed and breakfast.

Having your hosts cook for you is a great gesture, and it's very nice, but it's by no means a given.

And if you do experience it, be grateful.

If you're a picky eater, don't expect your hosts to cater to your every whim.

And if you're a vegan and your hosts aren't, offer to cook them a delicious dinner that suits your diet and serves their palate.

In fact, always offer to cook dinner at least once.

Nothing makes a host happier than coming home from work to a warm, home-cooked meal.

Do this right once, and you're good for the whole stay.

With a meal like this, you can stay as long as you want.

Okay travelers, just because you may not believe in borders doesn't mean you shouldn't respect boundaries.

So do not treat your host's home like a hostel.

That means don't show up with a pet without asking, and definitely don't drag your hookup home from the bars.

That's one of the reasons I love the Ring Home Security System because I can keep my home safe, I can check in on it when I'm out, and I can even make sure that Marco's being a good house guest when I'm out of the house.

And if he isn't, I can communicate to him through the camera to let him know of his faulty ways.

Please put some clothes on and clean up after yourself, please.

It only takes a couple of minutes to set up.

Everything is controlled through my cell phone, and I can control it from anywhere in the world.

So if you need peace of mind when you're traveling, or if you just want to check in on your house guests and make sure that they're not up to no good, this is the app for you.

Do ask your host about the house rules, what time they go to bed, when they wake up, if there's any special pet peeves that they have, like wearing shoes in the house, or special considerations about taking care of the pet or the children.

And even further, if you're in a different country, read up on social etiquette to make sure you're not crossing any cultural boundaries.

Don't forget to respect the common areas of the home.

I know that this can be difficult if you're staying on the couch, for example, but don't sleep in so that your hosts have to tiptoe around you in their own home.

But if you're staying in a guest room, there's really no excuse.

Do keep your footprint as minimal as possible, especially if you're sleeping on the couch.

Wake up early and return the living room to its normal condition.

Take your clothes and put them in a backpack or bag, out of the way or as out of the way as possible.

There's nothing worse for a host than to come home from a long day out at work and see their living room covered in your dirty socks and underwear.

Don't expect your host to be your personal tour guide.

I have couchsurf hosted a lot, and I know that I do it often because I have a kind of hands-off approach with my guests.

As long as you make yourself in and out, and I don't have to be showing you around town, you can stay for a long time.

But when you start making it an obligation for your host to show you around town, you become somewhat of a burden.

My plan today is to hike the Hollywood sign, and then I'm going to go to Disneyland, and then I have to get a selfie at Venice at sunset.

Tell me what time are you going to be able to take me there?

Have your own plans on how to get around town without them driving you from A to B.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

How to NOT BE a BAD Traveler | Travel Do's & Dont's

demonstrate

expect

foremost

obligation