What gets your goat/goad?

[Gordon0]

Simples?

I love what Airbnb has done for me, and one of the beautiful 'bi-products' is that you get to meet people from all over the world, learn a little about how they live and, in particular, their nuances. Some of these make me smile, some rattle me, a little.

This isn’t about knocking any one country or their people, because we all have idiosyncratic, particular, even peculiar nuances. It’s simply a friendly, tongue-in-cheek look at who does what (and perhaps an answer as to 'why').

Americans. Love em. Funny, warm, bubbly (some, not all), spick and span, easy to host. Friendly.

But what is it with Americans and UK lights switches?

In the UK, our switches flick down for ‘on’ and back up for ‘off’. It’s that simple. But our lovely American guests (and I’ve had many) struggle with this set-up.

The bathroom has two light switches (outside, as in the norm here) and you’d have thought it was a Boeing 747 pre-flight check if you were to hear the commotion that goes on to operate the lights (it's actually happening as I type).

Switch # 1 up, switch # 2 down.# 1 down and up again, rapidly. # 2 up, down, up, down and up again. # 2 down, # 1 down.

The above sequence is repeated at least a dozen times before an audible sigh is omitted. And (at least) one of the lights is left on…normally the one with the extractor spur. 

What does it for you?

[Victoria567]

@Gord3on

I just love hosting our Commonwealth cousins, as they are so friendly and unpretentious, not an entitled bone in their body.....no wonder everyone loves them as guests.

Germans are fabulous, I came across my first German guests last year with some trepidation but I was pleasantly surprised.

Yes, they are true to form, good communicators regards their ETA.

They are very considerate.

I did not realise how much they appreciate quality homemade food, particularly organic produce, but the most surprising thing of all....... they have a fabulous sense of humour, which I did not expect, and really appreciate.

The Dutch guests I have hosted so far, are similar to the Germans with an equally good,  sense of humour.

The Italians just love it if you speak Italian and they do appreciate this and they love all things traditionally Scottish, including Och aye the Noo😉

Ive had 2 sets of entitled guests in 3 seasons, but then entitlement spans all ages, cultures and educational background.

What does it for me, are the guests who like an entitled bargain.

One set doing trunks of industrial amounts of laundry under a constant running shower.

Finally drying it all into the wee hours, with the hairdrier provided, in the guest welcome toiletries basket, and trying to haggle before pressing the IB button......that should have been a red flag then......it deffo is, a red flag now!

The other set, who declined to pay for the use of my clearly listed laundry facilities.....decided that fee meant free!

[Clara116]

@Gordon0 As a host I try to not get too excited about the lack of common sense shown by some of the younger crowd. And that has proved quite hilarious. Like the A/C is on 73 and too cold - now, they can adjust (and I've shown them) but when too cold - leave it set and JUST CLOSE the VENTS. Climb up to the ceiling and almost break your neck. DUH???

BUT the thing that truly underneath it all and I am so glad the guests are in a cottage in the backyard - cause if I could hear the shower running for 20-30mins per guests I would NOT be able to tolerate such absolute waste.

Having been a missionary in Africa for over a decade and before that in Mexico for many years. And seeing the dearest of folks struggle, without clean water, or running water - having to train their very young to start carrying pails of heavy not so clean water on top of their heads - and you get a message that the water is NO LONGER HOT AFTER MY 20 minute shower.  IS IT BROKEN? And my boyfriend hasn't showered yet -  as if someone is near death. 

I will never understand that we- Americans feel so entitled as to do everything in the world in the shower - turn it on - let it run even before getting in. Shave legs, armpits, shampoo, condition, scrub and truthfully - ARE we such NASTY folks that we have to scrub our bodies like this every day and for some 2-3 times a day. REALLY? And with scalding - well, very hot water - 

So THIS is the button that I know is getting pushed and the ONE thing about hosting that I can not control and am grateful that I can not hear or see it happening. 

I could NEVER have folks in my home - not one night!  All that to say - I love hosting and it actually helped save my world from PTSD TO AIRBNB......there's a short story about it published. I'm a happy host!

[Sarah977]

@Clara116  I'm also a very concious water and energy conserver, and luckily, most of my guests have been as well. I actually ask my guests, (most stay for 10 days-2 weeks) what their shower habits are- morning shower, afternoon, before bed, 1 a day, 2 a day? This enables me to turn the water heater down for the 6 hours or so when I am in my shop working and my guests are in town or at the beach. It seems a big waste to have the water heating up all that time when no one is using it. None of my guests have found it odd that I ask when I explain my reasoning. Then I make sure that there is a full tank of hot water when they need it.

I had a Canadian guest who was actually Filipino but had lived in Canada since she was a child. When I inquired about her showering routine, she laughed and said "Oh, Filipinos don't shower every day unless we've gotten dirty or sweaty. We think North Americans' obsession with bathing is absurd."

@Gordon0  I've never had an American who could figure out how my clothesline works. It's the type with a wire on pulleys, with a connector piece that you run out with the line when you have about half the clothes on it, which prevents the line from sagging. Very common in Canada. Even when I show them how it works, they still get confused about the connector or where to start hanging the clothes to get the maximum amount of line before it hits the spot where the ends of the wire are attached.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Gordon0

fortunatelly we are off site hosts ... but as @Clara116 said, I'm also irritated by the lack of common sense and everything that comes from it.

Never in a history of man kind, people were not so incapable to do and resolve the simple life tasks as they are today.

[Sarah977]

The only thing that keeps me from getting more frustrated with the incapable is the rather morbid thought that if there's ever a world-wide disaster that wipes out a good percentage of the population, leaving the ones who survive it to get creative on a back to basics planet (no mass communications, no oil, no more cars or public transport, scarce water and food), we know who the survivors and innovators will be and who will be the ones who will be begging for help with everything and stealing your food and water. 

[Rachel0]

I have the same problem with the light switches and yes, it is always the one that also powers the extractor fan that gets left on.  People don't realise that the fan runs on for about 5 minutes after it is switched off so they panic and switch it back on again.  On, off, on, off and then they shout for help.  

I did have a guest who arrived here from the US a year or so ago who had not realised that the UK was sufficiently developed to have its own currency.  She took a black cab from Heathrow and was stunned when the cab driver told her, in no uncertain terms, what she could do with her dollars when she tried to pay him.  She was the same one who had not realised that we drive on the correct side of the road either, but she learned pdq.  Hey ho, I think she enjoyed herself here eventually.

[Sandra126]

I am on my third extractor fan in 5 years, they burn them out by leaving on. The one I just installed (and I have to call an electrician for this job) is guaranteed for 3 years. In a domestic setting 😞

I will never have the three-in-ones again, but this bathroom is set up for it so I can't easily change now. Light/heat/fan, all one switchboard with three switches.

[Sarah977]

@Sandra126  Maybe try painting each switch with a different color nail polish and have a color-coded cheat sheet next it? 

[Sandra126]

@Sarah977, I have written next to the switches all through the house. But they leave the fan on... I think so anyway, or why would it burn out? But I am not there to see what happens. Hopefully my new fan is of better quality. Bad products!

[Sandra126]

But at least the bathroom is not humid 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Sandra126  Even though I've never had an extractor fan anywhere I've lived, I never have a problem remembering to turn it off when staying places where there is one, because the sound of the fan really irritates me.

[Sandra126]

I think it could be a case of leaving it on to clear after a shower, then getting dressed and dashing out the door. Fan on. It is not a huge deal, could be worse!

As for me, I can't stand any mechanical noise either. The off-button is the best!

[Rachel177]

Leaving lights & the bathroom fan on is a bugbear of mine as well, I'm in the process of updating my house manual to add in some common sense reminders...

The most irritating thing is guests who do multiple loads of washing during their stay with only a couple of pieces of clothing in each load. I've just had a guest who managed to do 4 loads of washing over her 6 night stay. Such a waste of water & electricity!

[Clara116]

@Rachel177 That is why I couldn't allow washing and cooking in my little cottage - sorry but so many folks just don't have much common sense and are so totally wasteful. Laundry waste would make me alittle looney for sure. That's why there are so many different hosts with different styles and Yall can pick up the slack and allow stuff that some of us just can't do. Thanks for that! and Happy Hosting, too.