As an all-female corporate travel management team, the TravelManor crew truly knows and understands what it means to navigate the world as working moms who often have to leave the comforts of home behind to rustle up the bacon. We’ve also assisted countless working moms in tailoring travel schedules that take their families into account, and along the way, we’ve learned a few valuable lessons. Here are our top tips for road warriors who also happen to be in charge of small humans:
Leaving your kids behind is never going to be easy. There will be tears and clinging and bargaining. Guaranteed. However, if you’ve been feeling guilty for pursuing a career that takes you away from home every now and again, we’re here to tell you that you can relax. A study by Kathleen McGinn and her colleagues for Harvard Business School has shown that the children of working mothers are high achievers at work and report a satisfying work/life balance. Naturally, these statistics can be viewed from all different angles, but the point is that you don’t have to feel bad for leaving your kids in the care of capable adults now and again. As long as you are truly present when you’re present, your children are going to be just fine.
Although it’s painful to admit it, we still live in a world where women need to take different precautions when they travel for work. Your flight should be scheduled for a time that will allow you to arrive at your destination in daylight, or otherwise, you should be met by a trusted transfer company who can accompany you to your hotel. The hotel in question should have a 24/7 reception area and be situated in a safe area; while your room should be higher than the first floor. There are quite a few boxes to tick in this regard, so it helps if you collaborate with a travel management company who know these guidelines inside out.
Get your family as organised as possible before you leave. If you know they have a plan to follow in your absence, it will reduce your stress levels quite a bit. Map out every child’s school hours, extracurriculars, aftercare information, etc. If you are normally in charge of lunches and school outfits, you could even go as far as pre-assembling outfits that can be stashed for grab-and-go on chaotic mornings and making sure that everything you usually pack in those lunch boxes is purchased and ready for assembly. It may seem like overkill, but when you’re off on business, it helps if you know you did everything you could to keep everything ticking over while you’re not there to orchestrate the madness.
The easiest way to turn a frown upside down when it comes to traveling for business as a working mom is to add a family holiday element to the lineup (when possible, of course). Have a look at your spouse’s schedule and tack on a few days of bleisure at the end of your corporate journey so your family can come over and join you once all the business meetings are taken care of.
There you have it - a few top tips to smooth the way for less stressful corporate trips for working moms. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks and months for more expert advice on planning corporate journeys that make your life easier and yield an exceptional return on investment to boot. In the meantime, contact our team of dedicated corporate travel planners if you would like to learn more about our services.
