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Hi, there. We traveled a lot previously and have been host successfully for a while now, with guests coming to our place from all over the world.
When we traveled we enjoyed some local food from different countries and now we definitely miss those experiences. And now, as a host, I have some moral choice: can I actually ask my guest to buy for me something special (like fuet from Spain or may be some crackers from Korea) and of course I will assure that I will pay back for it.
Can this kind of request have any negative consequences or even ruin a host-guest relationships?
What do you think?
This is an interesting issue because on the one hand, your guests bringing you something from their hometown could be a really nice extension of the sharing community but, on the other, you don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable or turn them off in any way.
My advice to you is to take some time to draft some sort of template that you’re really comfortable with and that you can include in messages to your soon-to-be-guests.
In my opinion, a perfect template would include (1) a little bit about you and what you love/miss about traveling so often, (2) how you feel that you’re somewhat tapping into your old travel routines by sharing your home with foreigners, and (3) how you hope your guests can share their home with you the same way, by bringing one of their local treats in exchange for one of yours, that you’ll present to them upon arrival.
