While work-related travel can be an exciting adventure, it means spending time away from your family. But with a little planning and some creativity, you can turn these trips into fun family memories. Let’s explore a few tips on how to successfully plan for your family to join in on a work trip!

• Assess the Feasibility: Before making any arrangements, consider the nature of your work trip. Will your schedule be completely jammed? Is the trip filled with high-stress meetings? If yes to either, don’t bring the fam along—it’s not worth it! And an obvious one—is the destination family-friendly?
• Extension of Trip: When traveling for work with your family, it’s extremely helpful if you can either travel a few days earlier or stay a few days extra, so that you can use the weekend or PTO days to spend time with your family. If this option exists, then that makes the effort much more worthwhile!
• Discuss with Your Family: This isn’t the time to surprise your significant other with fully booked travel accommodations. Talk as a group, taking into account their preferences and commitments.
• Plan Your Itinerary Carefully: When traveling for work with your family, it’s essential to strike a balance between your professional commitments and quality family time. Create a loose itinerary that accommodates both—with a focus on making time to do fun things!
• Consider Time Zone Changes: Time zone travel can be tough with kids. There’s no easy way to make this less painful. No matter what you do, you’re bound to have your kid either wake you up at 4 am to play or stay up until midnight watching TV in the new time zone. The longer you can stay in one time zone, the better though, so err on the side of a longer trip. Keep an eye out for when your kid starts to get tired—which could be at 4 or 5 pm!
• Book the Same Flights BOTH Ways: We traveled to LA with my wife, but my son and I flew back east without momma. I have never sweat so much on a flight in my life. It had nothing to do with the temperature on the plane and everything to do with it being the most anxiety-riddled flight of my life. He started to fall asleep on the drive to the airport and I did everything I could to keep him awake (singing annoyingly loud, clapping/snapping my fingers in his face at stop lights, etc.)! He ended up getting an hour of shut eye on the flight, then was totally fine the rest of the way aside from being a little fidgety.
• Pack Snacks: Just a general ‘traveling with kids’ tip, but absolutely applicable to this type of trip—make sure you have a lot of snacks. Like an insane amount of snacks—focusing primarily on things they really love (puffs, fruit, smoothie, pretzels, etc.).
• Choose Family-Friendly Accommodations: Select accommodations that cater to families. Consider options like suite-style hotels, vacation rentals, or resorts with family-friendly amenities such as swimming pools, playgrounds, and childcare services. Check if the hotel provides extra beds or cribs if needed. Based on the nature of travel, you might not have a choice where you stay. If you don’t have options, then make sure this is a part of your family discussion.
• Ensure Educational Continuity: If your children are of school age, make arrangements for their education during the trip. Coordinate with their school and teachers to keep up with coursework.
• Pack Smart and Together: When packing for a work trip with your family, ensure you pack essentials for everyone. Encourage your family members to participate in the packing process to ensure everyone has what they need.
• Maintain Work-Life Boundaries: It’s crucial to maintain boundaries between work and family time. Clearly communicate your work hours to your family, so they know when you’ll be busy and when you’re available for activities or meals.
• Enjoy the Experience Together: Work-related travel with your family is a unique opportunity to explore new places and create lasting memories. Embrace the adventure, try local cuisine, and engage in activities that everyone enjoys. Capture moments through photos and journaling to document your shared experiences.

Planning work-related travel with your family can be a great way to make you feel less guilty about having to be away from, but also super fun! By carefully considering the logistics, maintaining a balance between work and family, and enjoying the experience as a unit, you can turn business trips into unforgettable family adventures.