How to Balance Business Travel and Family
Talk openly with your children about your business travels., Make regular contact by video or telephone when away., Play online games with your kids or partner., Use your time away as "you" time., Limit business travel to shorter trips when possible.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Talk openly with your children about your business travels.
Help to prepare them for your absence.
Provide them with reassurance and answer any concerns they have.Discuss about when you'll be away, where you're going, for how long, and when you'll be returning.
Show them that you care and will miss them, using your words or hugs.
For example, say, "I care about you so much.
Even though I'll be away, you'll be in my thoughts.
I will be sending hugs and kisses even from afar." Make them feel safe, and provide them with reassurance about who will take care of them while you're away.
Answer their questions if they have specific concerns while you're gone.
Consider saying, "I will miss you very much.
Remember that I will be away only a short time.
Trust that your dad will take good care of you while I'm away, and make sure that you have everything you need." -
Step 2: Make regular contact by video or telephone when away.
Modern technology makes it easier to stay connected while you're out of town.
Make "face time" a priority while you're gone by scheduling phone calls in the evenings after work.If the business trip is for multiple days or weeks, regular phone calls can help you to stay connected.
If you're only gone for one night, the phone call may be more of a "check in" with your family than a long conversation.
Depending on the age of your kids, and your comfort level with various technology, try video chatting on your phone or laptop.
This real-time, face-to-face interaction can help to reduce the distance you're feeling from your kids.
Make video chatting and telephone calls feel more like regular conversations.
Focus on topics that you and your family enjoy talking about.
Avoid dwelling on feeling sad that you're away, or trying to discipline your kids from a distance.
When you’re video chatting, take your family on a virtual tour of the place where you’re staying.
This will help them feel as if they’re there with you. , You can play social games with your family on your phone or tablet wherever you are.
Find a game app that you can play together as a family or one-on-one.
Set aside 15-20 minutes to play together before bedtime.
You can find free games on social gaming sites like cafe.com or omgpop.com. , Being away from your family and traveling on business can be stressful.
Use this time away from your normal routine to focus on your needs.When you're on a business trip, you will likely have "down time" in the evenings or mornings.
Use this time wisely by focusing on you.
Consider doing activities that help you feel refreshed.
Use the hotel's fitness center.
Get a massage.
Explore the city.
Have a relaxing dinner.
By making your business trips less stressful for yourself, you'll likely feel more prepared to handle family responsibilities when back home.
If things are stressing you out at home, being on a trip can also be a good way to get a little healthy space and regain some perspective on your family life. , If you've been traveling for work for years, you may have enjoyed the luxuries of extending your trips to include visits with friends and family, or taking extra time at the end of a trip for yourself.
When you have responsibilities back home, consider ways to shorten trips so that family time takes equal priority.Find out if there are ways to reduce the length of your business trips to just overnights, or during the week.
Find out if you can arrange your travels so that you're home for more Saturdays and Sundays.
Shorter trips may be less disruptive to your family routine.
Think about doing trips that are a few days rather than a whole week.
Try packing more meetings in each day, so that you maximize your work time while away.
For example, have meetings at 5pm and 7am, in addition to normal business hours as way to utilize time more efficiently.
Consider whether a trip is necessary at all.
In some cases, you may be able to conduct your business remotely via video calls or other digital meeting technology. -
Step 3: Play online games with your kids or partner.
-
Step 4: Use your time away as "you" time.
-
Step 5: Limit business travel to shorter trips when possible.
Detailed Guide
Help to prepare them for your absence.
Provide them with reassurance and answer any concerns they have.Discuss about when you'll be away, where you're going, for how long, and when you'll be returning.
Show them that you care and will miss them, using your words or hugs.
For example, say, "I care about you so much.
Even though I'll be away, you'll be in my thoughts.
I will be sending hugs and kisses even from afar." Make them feel safe, and provide them with reassurance about who will take care of them while you're away.
Answer their questions if they have specific concerns while you're gone.
Consider saying, "I will miss you very much.
Remember that I will be away only a short time.
Trust that your dad will take good care of you while I'm away, and make sure that you have everything you need."
Modern technology makes it easier to stay connected while you're out of town.
Make "face time" a priority while you're gone by scheduling phone calls in the evenings after work.If the business trip is for multiple days or weeks, regular phone calls can help you to stay connected.
If you're only gone for one night, the phone call may be more of a "check in" with your family than a long conversation.
Depending on the age of your kids, and your comfort level with various technology, try video chatting on your phone or laptop.
This real-time, face-to-face interaction can help to reduce the distance you're feeling from your kids.
Make video chatting and telephone calls feel more like regular conversations.
Focus on topics that you and your family enjoy talking about.
Avoid dwelling on feeling sad that you're away, or trying to discipline your kids from a distance.
When you’re video chatting, take your family on a virtual tour of the place where you’re staying.
This will help them feel as if they’re there with you. , You can play social games with your family on your phone or tablet wherever you are.
Find a game app that you can play together as a family or one-on-one.
Set aside 15-20 minutes to play together before bedtime.
You can find free games on social gaming sites like cafe.com or omgpop.com. , Being away from your family and traveling on business can be stressful.
Use this time away from your normal routine to focus on your needs.When you're on a business trip, you will likely have "down time" in the evenings or mornings.
Use this time wisely by focusing on you.
Consider doing activities that help you feel refreshed.
Use the hotel's fitness center.
Get a massage.
Explore the city.
Have a relaxing dinner.
By making your business trips less stressful for yourself, you'll likely feel more prepared to handle family responsibilities when back home.
If things are stressing you out at home, being on a trip can also be a good way to get a little healthy space and regain some perspective on your family life. , If you've been traveling for work for years, you may have enjoyed the luxuries of extending your trips to include visits with friends and family, or taking extra time at the end of a trip for yourself.
When you have responsibilities back home, consider ways to shorten trips so that family time takes equal priority.Find out if there are ways to reduce the length of your business trips to just overnights, or during the week.
Find out if you can arrange your travels so that you're home for more Saturdays and Sundays.
Shorter trips may be less disruptive to your family routine.
Think about doing trips that are a few days rather than a whole week.
Try packing more meetings in each day, so that you maximize your work time while away.
For example, have meetings at 5pm and 7am, in addition to normal business hours as way to utilize time more efficiently.
Consider whether a trip is necessary at all.
In some cases, you may be able to conduct your business remotely via video calls or other digital meeting technology.
About the Author
Amanda Hart
Enthusiastic about teaching crafts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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