While it's true that guests will always cause a certain amount of disturbance to a family's routine there are steps you can take to help ensure that your visit is a pleasant experience for all concerned.

Follow the tips below and you'll be well on your way to an enjoyable and successful visit with a host family that will happily invite you to stay as a house guest in their home again.

Take A Gift

Although this isn't something that will make a difference as to how well you adapt to the family's routines, it will show your gratitude at being invited into their home.

However, buying a personal gift is rarely easy but when the gift is for an entire family, the task becomes even trickier. Flowers are always the safest bet. Take a shop bought bouquet if you prefer but flowers picked from your own garden make a beautiful, personal gift and can be displayed in any room of the house. Houseplants make nice gifts, too, but please remember to buy an attractive pot cover to go with it.

Avoid ornaments and other objects that will need to be displayed. Unless you know the family's taste very, very well, anything along these lines could be disastrous. What's worse than having to display an ornament that you would otherwise have donated to your local charity sale or hidden in the attic in a box that'll probably never be opened?

The only exception to the above would be if the family collect a specific type of item and you know for certain that they don't mind others choosing pieces to add to the collection.We, for instance, collect fridge magnets but only those from places we've visited. Fridge magnets given as gifts wouldn't necessarily be welcomed. On the other hand, we also collect blue and white crockery and would be over the moon if somebody gave us a piece as a gift.

Whatever you do, don't go overboard. There's no need to buy a gift for each family member -- that'll just give the impression that you're trying to hard. However, having said that, a small toy or similar for each of the children wouldn't hurt but don't buy anything too expensive.

Learn Their Routines

Every family has its own routines for day-to-day life including what time they generally rise in the morning, when they eat lunch, when they expect the house to be quiet by in the evening, which TV programs they always watch and which days they do the grocery shopping.

Try to get acquainted with the family's routines as soon after your arrival as possible. Nobody will mind you asking questions although it isn't a good idea to bombard the hostess with too many questions at once. Ask the most obvious ones first. Perhaps the children can tell you what TV programs they'll be watching and whether everybody will be going to the ball game tomorrow evening?

Do make sure you know what time the family members are likely to rise. No doubt there will be a rush for the bathroom so try to hang back a while -- you don't want to make a longer queue than necessary. If you can't wait, get up a little earlier than the others and head for the bathroom first. Just make sure you leave it tidy and that you don't occupy it for longer than necessary.

If you're an early riser it's worth informing your host family. Unless you want to become intimately acquainted with a baseball bat, don't let your host think there's an intruder in the house when he hears you wandering about at five-thirty.

If you're not going to be around for a meal, let your hostess know in good time. It's terribly disrespectful to allow your hostess to prepare something special only to have her guest call at the last minute to say they won't be back for the meal.

Explain Any Special Needs

If there's anything unusual about your routine, let your hostess know as soon as possible, preferably before your arrival in case she feels she needs to make special provisions for you.

You may well be wondering what exactly a special need is, in which case I suggest you think through your own routine and compare it with those of your closest friends and family members. Is there anything that's particularly different?

Obviously, the need to take medication at specific times is a special need although not one you'd necessarily have to mention to your hostess. However, if you're on a special diet, either due to a medical condition or your choice of lifestyle, your hostess should have been informed beforehand so that she has the chance to plan meals accordingly.

Maybe you have a medical condition that causes you to feel the cold more than others do, meaning that you'll need to heat the bedroom on days when most people perhaps wouldn't bother. Maybe you need access to the bathroom at night or are allergic to cat's hair. Show respect for your host family by informing the hostess and giving her the chance to adjust the family's routines to fit in with your special needs.

Don't Clutter the House

There's nothing worse than having house guests who fill every available space with their personal belongings.

Respect that you are not in your own home even if you're told to "make yourself at home" and regardless of whether you leave magazines on the coffee table, cups in the sink or your purse on the hall dresser at home, don't do it in somebody else's home. Not even if they do it themselves!

If you've been given a room, use that to keep your belongings in. If not, use your suitcase or overnight bag. If you managed to fit your things in it to travel, you can fit them in during your stay, too.

Leave Your Room as You Found It

Obviously, if fresh flowers were placed in your room on arrival, nobody will be expecting you to replace them before leaving but on the whole, make sure the room is in the same condition as you found it.You won't be expected to vacuum and dust but you should always make time to tidy. Anything you took into the room should either be taken home with you or disposed of.

If it was untidy and cluttered when you arrived it's ok to leave it in the same state. Just don't add to the clutter by leaving your own belongings behind.

Send A Thank You Note

A couple of days after leaving, send a note thanking your host family for their hospitality and telling them what an enjoyable time you had. Make a point of mentioning specific events such as:

• I especially enjoyed the ballgame on Tuesday evening even though I usually avoid them like the plague. Johnny certainly has his father's talent!
• Your homemade apple pie was the best I've ever tasted. If you don't mind giving away the recipe, I'd love to know how you get the crust so flaky.
• Being able to relax in such a beautiful garden was great after spending all year in this city apartment. Ed really knows what he's doing with those roses.

You get the picture? Let them know it was the time you spent with them that was important.

By following these tips you'll not only be making life easier for your host family, you'll find yourself enjoying being a house guest far more than you would ever have expected. Don't dread your weekend away -- see it as a way of getting to know friends and family on a more personal basis, instead.