Have an out-of-state conference that your business requires you to attend? Or perhaps there’s a business opportunity on the other side of the country that you can’t afford to pass up?
Having a family and traveling for business can be one of the most difficult things for working parents to manage. The good news? There are strategies that can help keep business travel from hurting your health and family while you are away.
Read on for some tips to implement the next time your business calls for you to hit the road.
Don’t drive distracted or stressed.
According to West Coast Trial Lawyers, “When a truck hits a car, the occupants of the car are often killed or suffer very serious injuries, such as brain and spinal cord injuries, while the truck driver walks away from the accident unharmed.”(For more info, see https://westcoasttriallawyers.com/practices/truck-accidents/.)
These types of accidents on the road happen more often than we think. And if you are driving in an unfamiliar area, the chances increase even further.
Make it a firm rule to not drive if you are feeling stressed or distracted. This might mean opting for a plane ticket instead of the car if youknow you won’t be able to give the traffic your full attention.
The time spent on the plane can be used to dive deep into prep for your business meeting. In fact, many people appreciate being fully free from social media distractions during the flight. Consider that time up in the air as prime focus hours and embrace it gratefully!
On the home front, stick to routines
If your business trip means you will be away from your kids for a day or two, make sure everyone sticks to routines. Following routines as much as possible can help your children feel secure.
Leading up to the day you leave, make sure that you do everything as you would usually. And that your partner or babysitter knows what to do to keep the children on a regular schedule.
Don’t play up the separation.
Yes, you will miss your kids. What parent wouldn’t? But avoid putting your emotional distress onto your children.
This means avoiding questions like, “Will you miss me?” or “How will you manage without me?” Instead, when you do talk about your trip, keep it to the practical details of who will take over your duties while you are gone.
If you see your child needs extra assurance, tell them exactly when you will call to check in. But avoid a long and protracted goodbye. The longer you make it, the harder it will be for them to get up and over it.
Rest assured, most children’s tears are dried and gone as soon as their parent is no longer in sight. Dry your tears, too. Say “I love you and will miss you, but I know you’re going to have fun.” And then go. The sooner you go, the sooner you can get home.
Feel good by fueling up.
Travel of any kind can often throw a wrench into our fitness and diet routine. The health routine that we work so hard to maintain at home flies out the window in the face of long travel hours and exhaustion. We want quick energy, so we reach for a candy bar. We feel stressed out, so we reach for a bag of potato chips. Sound familiar?
But these food choices will only have you feeling worse, not better. After the initial sugar rush, you will crash hard. Not only could it hinder your energy levels on your trip, preventing you from operating at your peak when you really need to be on your A game. But also, when you return home, you will have food bloat along with travel weariness to combat.
Have a food plan and stick to it. Bring some healthy snacks in your bag to tide you over between meals. Nuts, dried fruit, veggie sticks. Peanut butter in a little container with a pack of whole wheat crackers. You’ll be saving money and snacking healthy.
As for meals while you are traveling, research healthy dining options in your travel destination. Go so far as to pick out the meal you will eat so that you don’t have to make those types of choices once you hit the ground. The more decisions you take care of in advance, the easier it will be for you to eat healthy on your trip.
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