8 Ways to Make Business Travel More Bearable for Parents and Kids Alike

Striking a balance between work and family can be one of the most trying aspects of daily life. Caring for your family and spending time with them is always an extremely high priority, but maintaining a career is another important responsibility that demands a lot of attention, especially in this day and age. As a result, parents are often forced to spend days or weeks at a  time away from family to travel on business. Spending that much time away from the family is hard for everyone involved, children in particular.

Although nothing can negate the family impact of business travel entirely, there are several ways to ease the pain and make it a less difficult experience.

We talked to three traveling parents and asked how they stay connected with their families while away on business. Give their advice a try the next time you have to hit the road.

Take Some of Their World With You

Bringing something of your child’s with you and leaving something special of your own with them can help mitigate feelings of separation and loneliness for you both. For example, bringing along one of your child’s stuffed toys and snapping pics of it around town, in your hotel room, and in front of the sights of the city you’re visiting can help them relate to the trip, see where you’ve been, and where you’re going.

Jim Huie, executive producer at ShootersINC, does this with his son every time he leaves home for a business trip.

“The night before I leave for a trip we have a ritual of picking out the stuffed animal that I’ll take with me. Careful consideration and waffling occurs during the course of this decision. Sometimes it’s Ducky. Sometimes it’s Woody. Sometimes it’s a first time traveler,” Jim says. “It’s a great way to connect him to my journey. Then when I get home, I give him the toy, and he holds it while we look at all of the pictures together. I’ve even caught him having conversations with the toy about the trip for several days after the toy and I return home.”

Jim’s son’s stuffed animal, Ducky, just outside Portland, OR

Explain in Their Words

Children don’t understand the adult terms in which we’re so accustomed to speaking. Dates, months, and times of day are harder for them to grasp, so when you use that type of language to tell them where you’re going, how long you’ll be gone, and when you’ll get back, it can cause confusion and uncertainty.

To reassure your little ones and help them understand your trip, explain the details in their words and use visual tools to help them understand. For example, a colorful calendar with easy-to-read dates will help them understand your departure and arrival, and telling them you’ll call after school on Wednesday will be easier to grasp than saying you’ll talk to them at four o’ clock on the 12th.

Leave Little Surprises Behind

One great way to show how much you care for your family is to leave them little surprises to find while you’re away. Leave thoughtful notes around the house for your child or spouse, rent or record their favorite shows, or tuck away an edible treat in the pantry. Small gestures like these can go a long way toward brightening your family’s day. Sarah Walton, avid traveler and founder of Better Way Moms, uses this tip each time she goes on the road.

“I leave notes for my husband to leave on my kids pillows at night (as if I were there) and in their lunch boxes every day. It really makes a big difference for them feel to my presence, even in as small a way as a note, while I’m away,” Sarah says.

Take Advantage of Snail Mail

In the age of instant communication, it’s easy to forget about the benefits of the postal service. Texting, Skype, and email are great, but they can never replace the novelty of receiving a package or handwritten note in the mail.

If you’ll be away from your family for more than a few days, consider sending a few trinkets or a postcard via priority mail. You can give your family a taste of the city you’re visiting and let them experience it from afar. The cost is relatively low, and parcels usually arrive in 2-3 days. Sarah is a big fan of this tip too.

“I send a small package of something to my husband, at the office, while I’m away. This can be his favorite cologne, tickets to the movies (so he can take a break) or a lunch on me. It helps keep us connected,” Sarah says.

Send Bite-sized Communications Frequently

Most parents try to schedule one big chunk of time every day to catch up with the family. While this approach can work, it’s even better to exchange or supplement it with smaller, more frequent forms of communication throughout the day.

Sending quick texts to check in, sharing photos, or shooting off short emails can break up the day and keep travelers connected with their families much better than simply spending an hour on the phone every night.

Bond Through Common Activities

Even if you’re hundreds of miles away, there are still plenty of ways to interact with your family remotely. For example, you could schedule time to watch your favorite TV shows together and chat via phone or IM while you watch. There are also tons of fun games that can be played remotely like Words With Friends.

If your kids are into more advanced gaming platforms like Xbox or Playstation, you can take this tip to the next level like Devin James. Devin founded his own communications firm, the Devin James Group, and he’s on the road constantly, often for weeks at a time. To interact with his kids remotely, he brings an Xbox along with him on every trip and plays with his kids each night.

“We put on our headsets, pop in NBA 2k14, Fight Night, or a racing game, and we spend quality time playing as teams or head-to-head. On the weekends we hold tournaments that really get everyone engaged, and this really helps eliminate some of the separation anxiety,” Devin says.

Look Beyond Video Chat and Instant Messaging

First off, video chat apps like Skype and FaceTime are fantastic resources for staying connected, and you should use them to their full capacity. However, there are other ways to stay connected digitally.

Try sharing photos on Instagram or recording short videos on Vine for fun and spontaneous communication. For quick personal messages that break through the barriers of separation, the Glide app is another fantastic solution. It’s a video texting app that works similarly to Vine, but there’s no restrictive time limit.

“My family and I all have accounts