Traveling for business may not be quite as prevalent as it once was, thanks to the age of video conferencing and instant messages, but business travellers are finding it does still take place. In some professions, the work simply cannot be done over the phone or through a screen.
Plus, many business travellers simply enjoy traveling, and if they can do it through their work, that’s all the better – they can see many new places and experience new cultures all while getting paid. The problem with comes when business travellers have loved ones that they necessarily have to leave behind when they are on a trip.
Tips for business travellers to balance home life
This can take its toll on everyone, but it is possible to have a happy home life even when you travel for business a lot. Read on for some tips for business travellers to maintain the home life balance.
Business travellers should keep in touch with home
No matter whether you’re away for one night or a few months, it’s always a good idea to keep in touch with the people you’ve left at home. It can be so easy not to make a phone call or send an email when you’re busy, but this can make the person at home feel worried and even as though there is something wrong in your relationship.
There are so many different ways for people to get in touch these days that there really is no excuse not to check in from time to time. Ideally, because you’re away working, you’ll have a set time each day when you get in touch. That way, everyone knows to be around so they can talk to you, and you won’t keep missing one another. It will even become something to look forward to after a long day of work.
Business travellers should be focused
When you’re away for work, the best thing you can do is to be focused. You can use specialist corporate travel solutions to ensure you have everything you need for your trip and that you can get everything done that needs to be done. So, focus on your work, be organized, and plan.
Within that plan, you should set aside time to keep in touch with your family and friends, as mentioned above. It might seem strange to have to schedule this in when it’s something you know you need to do, but when you are ‘in the zone’ for work, and you have dinners to attend and meetings to arrange, it’s easy to forget, no matter how much you might need or want to do it. So, schedule it in and focus on your schedule, so you do not get distracted.
Business travellers should share their itineraries
When you’re traveling for work, it’s not fair to leave your partner, spouse, children, or any loved ones without at least an idea of where you are or when you’ll be back. Of course, an exact date isn’t always possible, but if you do know, let everyone else know too. If you don’t know, make sure you update them as soon as you find out.
Not only will giving people information about your trip help to keep things harmonious and less stressful at home and between you, but it could also help to keep you safe. If someone always knows what you are meant to be doing and where you are meant to be, they can make sure you are safe at all times.
Technical helpers for greater family closeness despite distance
Frequent business trips pose a challenge to the work-life balance for. Any business travellers who spend many nights in the hotel away from home instead of being with their children and partners knows the dilemma. Regardless of how long your trip takes, there are many ways to bridge the distance to your partner and children on a business trip. Turn every hotel into your family hotel thanks to WiFi: You can “join” your family via WhatsApp, FaceTime and Skype. Make time face-to-face for an evening chat. Tell your family about your encounters and let each child tell you about their experiences. So you stay very close.
Younger children in particular find it difficult when parents are away for a while. Instead of dining alone in the restaurant, business travellers can bring their children ‘to the table’ via WiFi and Facetime – and vice versa. As I said, the evening rituals also work digitally from the hotel. Instead of turning on the TV, read a bedtime story. Or you can compete with or against your teenager as a partner or opponent via a game app.
The business trip as inspiration for the next family vacation
Business trips often lead to attractive destinations: Vienna, Hamburg, London or Munich. If you like the city or landscape in which you are currently working, you can find out in the same evening what offers are available for a family holiday and book a hotel for your family.
Or you can combine business and private matters directly: Business hotel and family hotel may appear to be opposing worlds at first glance. However, if business travellers find the right hotel, they can combine your business trip with researching for a family weekend. Is your business trip going to a popular travel destination? Let your family join you in spirit by searching for and finding the right hotel for all needs in advance.
Online you always have current discounts for family-friendly hotels and family hotels in view. So you can secure the most popular hotels and spend an eventful holiday with the whole family. For example, if you want to visit Chicago and take your kids to see a Bulls game, you can find many affordable hotels near United Center Chicago with all the amenities needed for a family stay. Find a cheap hotel where the whole family will feel comfortable: with a spa, swimming pool, child-friendly restaurants and close to sights where the little ones can also have fun. Parents on business trips can plan family time and even explore the best local activities for young and old during an evening stroll.
If there is no time to plan your next trip straight away, send an old-fashioned postcard from scenic areas or exotic cities. Report on the encounters on your travels and arouse your family’s curiosity about exploring this destination at some point in the future.
