One of the hardest parts of traveling for work is staying connected with your family. Whether you’re away for one night or weeks at a time, it can take a toll on the entire household. According to the U.S. Travel Association, Americans logged more than 460 million trips for business purposes in 2017. That’s a lot of meals, bedtimes, and extracurricular activities the business traveler is missing! It’s also hard for the kids who don’t get their goodnight hug, morning snuggles, or good luck kiss before a big test. There are some ways to make the traveling transition more bearable. Here are five ways to stay connected with your family when someone is away on business.
1. Schedule a remote family dinner
Kids love routines, and even if someone in the family is traveling, you should try to stick to the schedule as close as possible. Remote family dinners can be a fun tradition to start. Have your kids choose their favorite pizza and order one for the family and one for the person traveling. Make it game and order at the same time and see whose pizza shows up first! Your kids will appreciate that you’re eating dinner with them even if you’re hundreds of miles away. If you’re on a longer trip, pick a theme for each night, like tacos, pasta or burgers. This can take some additional planning (especially if you’re in a different time zone), but it’s well worth it for your entire family to have a fun memory of your work trip!
2. Give your child a Selfie doll to hug while you’re gone
Bedtime can be the hardest time of the day for kids when a parent is traveling. Budsies Selfie dolls can bring relief to a child’s separation anxiety. The custom doll is made to look like mom or dad so a child can hug and squeeze it whenever they miss their loved one. They are a great way for a kid to stay connected with their parent when they can’t give them a physical hug or kiss. The Seflie doll is there for kids to squeeze and talk to when they’re missing mom or dad. They also have an optional voice recorder inside so your child can play your voice saying “I love you”, or “miss you”, or any special phrase you may say to them. It’s the perfect gift to give your child right before leaving on your trip.
3. Video chat will become your best friend when traveling
Thanks to technology, it’s easier now than ever before to stay connected with your family when you’re away for business. Video chat is the best way to communicate so you can see your loved ones. Try to make a schedule so you know what time the person who’s on the road is available to chat when everyone is at home. It’s best to carve out some family time around breakfast and dinner to check in with each family member. Taking a five-minute break to talk about the day can really make your child and spouse feel connected. Thanks to video chat, you’ll never miss out on any big events either. If your child has a sports game, recital, or other fun activity while you’re away set up a calendar reminder so you can call in and watch some of the action.
4. Send your family a postcard
Even when you’re traveling for business, you may have the opportunity to visit some amazing places. Share those experiences with your family by sending them a postcard. You may think postcards are outdated, however, there are some really cool apps that let you upload your travel photos and create your own custom postcard. After you include a short message, the company will send the postcard directly to your loved ones. Your family will love getting mail from you while you’re gone and see all of your adventures and landmarks that you’re enjoying.
5. Keep the countdown going
One of the most important things to do before you leave on a trip is to remind your kids that you won’t be away forever and that you’re coming home! It’s hard, especially for young children to understand the concept of time. So it’s better to talk to them in a way they’ll understand. For example, you’re going to be gone for six bedtimes, or you’ll see them after soccer practice. Making a countdown marker before you leave can also help your kids visually see how much longer you’ll be away. It can be a simple construction paper chain, where each morning your kids get to take one-off, or you can cross off the boxes on a calendar until they get to the day you come home which has a big circle on it. This gives your kids something fun to do each day and a reminder that they’re one day closer to seeing you!
