Happy Tuesday, friends!

We’re kicking off Day Two of the AJ Workshop today, and are feeling so energized by this awesome group of ladies and the incredible ah-ha moments that are happening here! Yesterday was all about photography, and we all got to enjoy a KILLER styled shoot thanks to Amanda Veronee and her talented creative team! Day Two is our favorite day, because it’s all. about. business. From social media and blogging to branding and beyond, we cover it all! So we’re extra excited for all that’s ahead! If you want to see what’s happening in real time, you can follow along on Instagram using the hashtag #ajworkshop. We Periscoped for a few minutes during the styled shoot yesterday, so if you’re not on Periscope yet, jump on right now, follow amyandjordan, and when you hear your phone ding (or chirp, more like it!) you just might see another peek from Day Two!

Today, though, we wanted to share something that’s not related to photography at all, but applies to anyone who might be hosting guests in their home soon! As you know, we travel a lot for work. If we’re lucky, we get to stay with dear friends instead of hotels. And over the past year, we’ve learned A LOT about how to make guests feel welcomed and comfortable. When we’re traveling, let’s be honest, by the time we get to our destination, a lot of the time we look… not the best. We’ve usually been up late the night before packing, up early to get to the airport, gone through a security screening, flown multiple hours through a few time zones, waited at baggage claim, and taken a rental car anywhere from 1-2 hours to our final destination. And we’re toast. But, thanks to the hospitality of some of our generous hosts, we felt SO comfortable the second we walked in. It’s taught US so much about being better hosts ourselves. So hopefully it’ll help you be a better host, too!

Here are five things that have been left in our room that make us feel SO loved and comfortable that we’re going to make sure we do these things for our guests now:

1. They wrote down the WiFi password.
Whenever we get where we’re going, we usually need to check our email that night and catch up on all things Internet. We also like to watch Netflix at night (Gilmore Girls!) to help us fall asleep and even use some legit YouTube rainfall white noise since we can’t bring our fan with us! So it’s so nice to have the wifi password just sitting in out room! Also, we listen to Spotify when we’re getting ready in the morning at home or when we’re working on edits, so this way we’ve got WiFi and can’t jump on, stream music, and not waste data. This might not SEEM like a big thing, but we can’t tell you how many times we’ve stayed with someone else, gotten the WiFi password when we first walked in (for our phones) and then our hosts went to bed before we remembered to get it for our computers! NOT fun!

2. They had water and two glasses in the room.
One of our recent hosts left a jug of water and two glasses on the nightstand next to our bed, and we were so thankful because even though we could walk downstairs in the middle of the night or fill up a glass from the sink, it’s really nice to be able to get more drinking water in the middle of the night without going anywhere. Plus, we’re always dehydrated when we travel, so this is really a great one!

3. There was FOOD! 
Traveling is weird, because with all the time zones and early morning flights, it’s sometimes tough to sleep with time changes. Sometimes we get hungry at different times. Our bodies are just SO thrown off! And even though our hosts always say something like, “Help yourselves to anything in the pantry or fridge!” Sometimes it’s still a little uncomfortable to roll down to the kitchen late at night to grab something to eat. But… some of our recent hosts have left a small assortment of food for us in our room. Again, we can’t overstate the convenience/thoughtfulness factor here! They also have left a few types of food. Something a little more substantial, like a granola bar or beef jerky. Something sweet, like a chocolate bar, cookies, or some candy. Or even some fresh fruit, like a banana and an apple, just in case! It’s a nice little assortment so your guest can choose what they like to eat! Then no one is going to bed hungry (or thirsty!) waiting for breakfast the next morning! We will definitely be stealing this idea!

4. Fresh Towels and Bath Accessories 
We don’t know about you, but when we travel, we smell. Worse than normal! Can we get an amen?! It’s like a combination of airplanes, airport food courts, and rental cars. And it’s not pretty. But having some fresh towels and shower accessories, like soap, shampoo, conditioner, and a luffa, ready to go in our room is always a nice way for us to get us cleaned up and off to bed so we can be refreshed for the next day!

5. A Welcome Note
You guys, this one has just made us feel so loved. As we’ve gone from friend’s house to friend’s house as little traveling vagabonds, we’ve seen everything from a little chalkboard with a welcome note on it to an actual card letting us know our hosts are glad we’ve arrived. It’s a little thing that goes a long way to making us (and your future guests) feel like you’re glad they’re there and not an inconvenience or imposing at all.

Bonus Tip! 
One friend recently took a photo of the guest room she’d prepared for us the day of our arrival and posted it on social media before we arrived. She mentioned how excited she was to have us and the photo not only got US more excited to see her, it also made us feel more comfortable seeing our temporary home for the next few days.

More Travel Tips! 
If you’re traveling somewhere this summer, we blogged an entire series of travel tips from our time in Europe! Check them out here!

Part 1: 5 Gear Essentials for the Traveling Photographer
Part 2: 5 Tips for Photographing your Vacation
Part 3: 8 Things to Consider When Packing for Europe
Part 4: 4 Tips for Eating Well in Europe (Without Breaking the Bank)
Part 5: 5 Money Must-Knows When Traveling Abroad
Part 6: 9 Tips Before You Board a Cruise Ship

Bonus: 5 Tips for Shooting in Crowded Places

Missed our European Adventure? It’s all here!

Part 1: Ireland
Part 2: England
Part 3: France
Part 4: Spain
Part 5: Italy
Part 6: Greece & Turkey
Part 7: Our Anniversary Photos in Venice