Bring the Kids with You on a Business Trip -- You'll Miss Them Less and They'll Have a Great Time, Too

Keywords: business, family-friendly, travel

By Meryl D. Pearlstein

Torn between the dilemma of leaving your kids behind or taking them with you when you travel on business? All can stay together and gain from the experience.

Kids are like sponges that soak up every new experience, at least before they become teenagers. And schools have increasingly begun to recognize the value of a day spent traveling with mom and dad versus a day in the classroom. So, if homework is not too much of an issue, and the kids are interested, consider amending your work itinerary to include them. Make your business trip a business trip for them, too.

Involve Your Kids in the Planning

Let your kids tell you whether they’d prefer to travel by plane, car or train. For example, a trip to Canada could be arranged on the Via Railroad, with a route from Montreal to Toronto or from Toronto westbound, jam-packed with views of the Canadian plains and Rockies on a train with a glass-ceilinged observation car instead of on a plane with no views. Or, add in pit stops on your drive to make the trip a real face-to-face education, filled with learning opportunities and adventure.

Add Structure through “Assignments”

Give your children a journal to write in each day. Add your overall comments to their observations. You and your kids will all have some work to do. Since it IS a business trip, give them a specific assignment beyond just the general observations. If you’re in the Caribbean, ask them to comment on how the surroundings and weather might have influenced what they had for dinner, or how people are dressed. If they can meet with local children, have them conduct a brief interview to see what cultural differences they observe. Have your children “debrief” with you on the return trip home as a rehearsal for a presentation of their experiences to teachers or friends.

Plan Ahead

Pre-arrange babysitters who are knowledgeable about the area’s attractions and culture. Especially search out those who could add new experiences.

Build schedules for both you and your children and write them out in a somewhat formal fashion. Include your children whenever possible in scheduled meals and receptions. Conversely, arrange private meetings - meals, snacks, and activities - as your time allows to spend valuable time alone.

If there are children-specific programs at your hotel or exercise facilities that permit teenagers, research activities offered before you arrive and sign your kids up for programs that match their interests.

Together, you and your children can enjoy much of your working hours away from home, gaining memories of new places and cultures and spending time together, helping ease the separation anxiety that comes with being a road warrior.

Traveling with her two sons and husband has given Meryl Pearlstein a chance to “live” all over the world, something she’s always longed to do. Meryl has been a writer from her earliest days on her junior high school newspaper,then working in marketing and advertising, and later as a travel publicist and travel writer. Meryl also drags her clan to restaurants throughout Manhattan where she critiques the ever-changing NYC food scene for Gayot.com. A Bostonian who remains true to the Red Sox despite her NYC residence, Meryl also writes for Fodor’s Guide to New York, and has written for www.ClubMom.com, the Boston Herald, Global Traveler, Fortune Small Business online, GQ, and New York Magazine.