For lots of people, the idea of being able to travel the world for work seems like the absolute dream job. You’re able to go to different locations and conduct business and still have the ability to take in the sights and attractions of your destination… anyone would love that, right? You would think so but if you’re someone with a family at home but your job requires you to travel more than you prefer, there are some ways that you can have the best of both worlds.
Maintaining a successful career that requires traveling while keeping a happy home isn’t an impossible feat by any means but it does take time, communication, and preparation. Oftentimes, the spouse who stays at home with the children takes on all the responsibilities of being at home and sometimes grows resentment towards their spouse. CNN states that feelings of resentment are one of the very emotions that can really take a huge toll on family life. The spouse who travels oftentimes feels stress and guilt for being away so often. This not only causes tension between the two parents but it also brings about confusion for the children.
For your own sanity, there are certain things you must do to ease the pain of work travel on your children, yourself, and your partner. For example, if you know that your spouse is taking on the brunt of the home responsibilities, consider hiring a household assistant to help manage your home. It would lessen the tension between you and your spouse and make life at home a little easier. This may not be the solution for every family but it’s at least some ideas that you can try to bring a little more harmony and happiness to maintain a healthy balance between traveling for work and life at home.
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Maintaining the Balance For Your Children
Keep Constant Contact in Every Possible Way That You Can
When your job requires you to travel more often than you’d like, you have to do whatever it takes to let them know and show them that they are always on your mind. Luckily, with the advancements in technology today, staying in touch with your children has become easier than ever. Things like Skype, FaceTime, Google Duo, and Snap Chat have all made it possible to stay connected with your kids regardless of how many miles apart you may be from each other.
Be Honest With Your Kids and Let Them Know What Exactly is Keeping You Away From Home
For younger children, sitting down with them and having an honest conversation with them about what you do for a living and why it requires you to travel so often can really benefit them and put their minds at ease. We oftentimes forget how smart children are and how smart they become at very young ages so having this conversation will actually be very beneficial and calming for them.
Be Sure to Prioritize Time to Spend With Them When You Get Back
You can always bring them home a gift or souvenir from wherever you traveled to with every trip you make but making memories once you arrive home is what’s most important of all. The gifts will show them that you were thinking about them while you were away but your return back home will show them that you couldn’t stand to be away from them a minute longer! So be sure to set aside time to do things with them whether it be going to the movies or simply playing games with them at home.
Maintaining the Balance For Your Spouse
Check-In With Your Spouse Every Day
Whether it be through Facetime, Skype, or Google Duo, making the time to communicate with your spouse is what’s going to keep the connection strong. Of course, talking on the phone is great but to actually be able to see your spouse and talk to them is even better. You can even make your conversations a little romantic as well to keep the romance going (just make sure the kids are not nearby or are in bed!).
Bring Your Spouse With You
If you’re going on a business trip where you know you’re going to be gone for an extended amount of time, bring your spouse with you for a few days or few weeks at a time. If you have children, you can see about bringing them too but if they’re in school, see if a friend or relative can watch them or look into hiring a nanny to take care of them while you’re gone.
It will allow you and your spouse to spend time together and mend any damages that might have occurred while you were gone. This is also a great way to rekindle the flame in your marriage if your business travel has made it fizzle out.
Maintaining the Balance For Yourself
When constantly traveling for work, you have to be realistic with yourself about a few things. For one, when you get back, you will probably be exhausted and simply just want to go to bed but because you’ve been gone, you have to put your family first. Put on that big smile and spend time with your family. Secondly, you may want to look into other work options to cut back on how often you have to travel. Look into any possibilities of doing things via web conferences… you never know until you ask and see.
