3 Parent Survival Tips for the Business Trip Blues

If you travel on business, you know how hard it can be on children, spouses and yourself. I dread breaking the news to my kids when I have to hit the road again. It's better now that they aren't sobbing toddlers holding onto my leg as I guiltily roll my suitcase out the door, but it's still not easy. So I developed a few coping strategies for my family - which I'll share here - and invite you to reply with your own.

1. Create a new ritual to relish: My own parents traveled very rarely when I was young, but when they did, the parent at home would always take my brother and me out to dinner for fried chicken and gravy at a local restaurant (yes, I grew up in the American South). We almost never ate out and the ceremony of this event - coupled with the decadence of the dish - made it a special occasion. When you hit the road, what new routine can you put in place with your spouse or children's caregiver that feels fun to the kids? Movie night? Breakfast for dinner night? Visit to the zoo? If there's a new routine to anticipate whenever you go away, it can help kids find something to relish in the time apart.

2. Keep one special routine: My favorite routine to preserve - time zones permitting - is reading to the kids. Back in the day, I used to make a cassette tape of myself reading a favorite bedtime story for my daughters. Thankfully, technology has since advanced. In fact, the company where I work (Cricket Media) is full of parents looking to solve the same problem so we made a Ladybug app that allows you to record your voice inside digital story books and even better, we just released an app - Story Bug - that combines video chat with an interactive digital reader so you can read bedtime stories to the little ones in a way that's almost as good as being there. (You can try it for free here.)

3. Share the trip experience: Kids tend to do better with your business travel when it's less mysterious. Use Skype to show them your hotel room or text them photos of the places you visit. Even a boring conference room is a welcome picture because it helps them imagine where you are and what you are doing. You can also record where you are and what you're doing on your kitchen calendar before leaving so they can track your progress when you're gone.

Of course time apart also has its benefits. I admit that having a quiet hotel room to myself, an uninterrupted night's sleep and cartoon-free morning coffee has had its merits over the years. Parents don't get many peaceful moments alone, and that's the guilty pleasure of business travel. I used to feel bad for looking forward to those moments. Now I enjoy them - and I enjoy the kids even more when I'm back because I had that small break.

What works for you when you travel?

Photo Credit: Cricket Media - Reading a story when on the road.