What many people do not understand is that traveling for work as a single parent is not the relaxing get-away that they might imagine. People will say things to me like: “It must be great to get away” and “You must feel lucky your children are older now and you can travel more.” The reality is that not only am I working the entire time I’m gone; but there is often a great deal of work leading up to the trip AND a ton of preparation I have to do on the home front in order to feel half-way at peace about leaving my brood.
My kids are older, but that means they can get into more creative trouble, and we have all learned by my infrequent travels that they really do miss me and need me while I am gone. I had hoped with my first long (2 weeks) international trip last year that their other parent would step up and fill in but that didn’t really happen so I am more stressed and nervous now than I was before! Preparation for me means everything from making sure that the kids are going to be some place safe to accepting that as 16, 17 and 18-year-olds they are going to find their way to our house regardless. Cleaning the house and stocking the cupboards, leaving copious amounts of lists and emergency numbers, and plenty of conversations over schedules and what to expect. Additionally, I have to look at the time that I’m gone and make sure everyone has enough money, all the school stuff is taken care of and other details.
I also provide a whole packet of information about my travel plans for my kids. It is not just a matter of leaving a copy of my flight itinerary–I leave them a typed copy of my schedule so they will know where to find me at any moment, including information about how to dial international (if I am out of the country), time zone differences, where they can fax me, when I’ll be on e-mail, etc. The preparation that goes into getting my home world ready for me to be gone on a 2-week business trip is incredible–and it still does not put this single parent’s mind at ease.
When Our Kids Feel Jealous or Hate our Jobs
The TRAVEL Blog