There's all sorts of standard advice telling people what to do in order to be a great host for weekend guests (leave freshly washed towels on their beds, share your WiFi password, feed your guests, etc.), but I have one thing that you shouldn't do!

Whatever you do, do not feel like you need to entertain your guests the entire time!

For starters, your guests may be able to get out of work early on Friday or take off on Monday, but you might not be. If you can't be there when they arrive, make sure they know how to get into the house or have somewhere else to go until you can meet them. If they want to hang at the house on Monday while you're at work, sure! Just show them how to lock up and say your goodbyes. Do what you can, but know that you do not have to rearrange your entire schedule just because people are coming into town.

Come the weekend, feel free to make some plans. Take your visitors to the farmers market (seriously, here's why), head out on a hike, or show them the sights. The key word here is some. Some plans. You do not have to fill every minute (or hour) of every day. People can go sit in the sun and read a magazine. People can sit outside on the porch and enjoy a cocktail. People can help you make dinner! You don't have to plan anything too involved. After all, your guests are there to spend time with you — not a tap-dancing monkey. However, if there is a tap-dancing monkey in your town, you should take your guests to see it.

Oh, and one last thing: If it's late and people are still hanging out, you are allowed to go to bed! You're the host, but this isn't a staying-awake competition! Politely excuse yourself and hit the sack. Or, if you're not an early riser and you know your guests are, prep the coffee maker and show them how to start the brew. You can get up when you're ready (do keep it at a respectable hour, though!).

My point? You do not have to be there, playing host, every second of a weekend visitation. Trust me — you'll all appreciate the down time.

Do you agree? How much do you plan when you have visitors coming to town?