5. Say your good-byes with grace.
Don’t leave the place a shambles when it comes time to make your exit. Wipe up your detached hairs from the bathroom floor; empty the wastebasket in your room. Strip your bedding, and ask your host where you should place the dirty linens. If s/he responds with an unhelpful "Wherever," fold sheets and pillowcases up neatly and stack them at the foot of the bed. Fold any blankets or bedspreads that you’ve used.

The little niceties …
6. Treat them to a meal
Food, really, is the best form of bribery. I’ll forgive just about any etiquette violation if my guest is so kind as to treat me to a nice dinner, whether at a restaurant or in my home. If you can’t treat your hosts to a good meal – they don’t have time to eat out, there aren’t any good restaurants nearby, you’re a terrible, terrible cook -- at the very least offer to pay for a round of groceries.

7. Remember to BYOT
Or, Bring Your Own Towel/Toiletries. Not every host subscribes to the Martha Stewart school of insane host generosity. Just because you’re super-homey and have two complete sets of guest towels ready at all times doesn’t mean that your very busy, med student host friend will be similarly prepared. And while you probably know your bud well enough to guess whether they’ll be annoyed if you steal their toothpaste, or grossed out if you use their soap, it’s always a little irksome if a guest just assumes that these things – which after all, do cost money – are theirs for the taking. If you do happen to forget your Pantene, at least have the courtesy to ask before you filch too many dollops of that fancy Aveda shampoo.

8. Offer to help out with the dishes.
You absolutely, positively should wash at least your own dishes, but it’s really nicest to do everyone else’s as well. Sure, your host may ultimately insist on doing the honors, but at the very least, it’s considered good manners to ask. If you do find that your host gets to the task before you have a chance to do so, dry the dishes, put away leftovers, wipe the table, whatever – the idea is to make your yourself useful. Everyone loves a guest who does those icky household chores for them.