Making Business Travel Work for Women with Families

Business travel can be exciting when you're travelling for new business and opportunities. Frequent business travel, however, can be tiring and especially difficult for women who have families at home. For mothers (and fathers too) regular business travel can leave you feeling anxious and guilty about missing out at home while trying to stay present on your business trip.

In this article, we've listed some ways to help make your business travel run smoothly so you can stay focused on business while balancing your family life at home. The key to making business travel work for you is making things convenient and easy for your individual situation.

Keep reading below for our tips on making business travel work for women with families.

Bring your family with you

When your family is at home while you are travelling, it's natural that you'll them. When everyone's schedules align, why not consider taking your family with you on your business travels? By identifying your business travel destinations that may also work for family travel, you could extend your trip by a day or two to spend quality time with your family in a new destination.

Embrace networking opportunities and a chance to relax

For most mothers, a night out with business associates or spending a relaxing night alone can be difficult to fit into a busy schedule. When you're travelling on your own for business, embrace the opportunity to network with business associates. If you don't have any plans to meet with anyone, you could also take advantage of the chance to relax on your own in the quiet of your hotel room. This alone time spent with new people or by yourself can provide time and space for you to find a new perspective and think creatively.

Travel with carry-on luggage

To minimize waiting time for your bags at your destination, try travelling with carry-on luggage only. By purchasing a bag that doesn't need to be checked along with conveniently sized toiletries, airport time and packing for business travels will become quicker and easier.

A good carry-on bag will ideally have wheels for ease of movement and a few compartments to keep all of your things organized.

Make a packing list

Before your trip, write a packing list so you know exactly what you need to bring for a productive trip. Your list will naturally include things like your chargers, your laptop, and phone but also everything you need to feel and look well-groomed. To save time and space packing a big collection of your regular toiletries, stock up on a collection of travel-sized toiletries.

Create your schedule and stick to it

Creating a schedule for your business trip including all your meetings, social outings, and time alone, will help you maintain productivity while you are away. Even if your trip is short notice, take some time before you leave to plan out everything you need to do on your trip. 

Business travel provides an excellent opportunity to meet new business contacts, progress business projects, and propel you towards your career goals. With a family at home, however, it can be difficult to balance your competing priorities. Remembering the steps above as you plan for and go on your next business trip will help you make the most of your business travel while balancing the other priorities in your life.