Sticky infants?

Nothing stops the road warrior, right?

We know how to maneuver around all the barriers and get to where we're going when everybody is stopped in their tracks. Even having young kids at home (and all that entails) can't keep us off the road.

Well it turns out that maybe there's one thing can make mighty warrior stick around: A new born. Our recent poll indicated that over 80% of us stopped traveling for a full 3 months after the birth of a child. For everybody else, travel paused for a month.

I don't think I've gone 3 months without traveling someplace even right after the kids were born. (I'm in that group that waited a month...or at least I think I am!)

Turns out all that spitting up and messy mess is sticky in more ways than one.

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Traveling Parents give less than two weeks notice

Despite the huge increases in the cost of air travel and opportunity to manage those costs by booking two weeks in advance, only 1 reader taking our poll was able to give their family more than two weeks notice about an upcoming business trip. Most readers could give 1-2 weeks notice with 40% giving less than 1 week.

I think this is pretty significant given the impact "sudden" changes in routines can have on younger kids. Not only that, but short notice adds stress to the spouse staying home because in impacts their ability to plan around your travel schedule. Things become more reactive than proactive. That could mean car pools, play dates, and other appointments fall apart, which amplifies that fact that your travel is interrupting routines.

All that carries a risk of creating a situation where nobody wins: stressed kids + stressed spouse = stressed business traveling parent!

What can be done about it? I suppose the general rules of talking the child and finding some way for them to become a part of the process (packing, checking weather, discussing their plans while you're gone, etc...) should help the kids cope. I'm not how that helps with spouse who is also left with interrupted routines.

Maybe with increases in airfares and cuts in the numbers of flights, all of us might be traveling a bit less. Or maybe we'll be forced to plan a bit further ahead in order to get the best fares.

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Tips for the traveling parent

These tips were developed by Dr. Sherryl Goodman of Emory University. Dr. Goodman was the expert I consulted with to write my books. Each tip provides succinct, practical, actionable advice for before, during and after your business trip. Even the most seasoned business traveling parent will find something useful.

I've shared some of these tips one at a time or another, but I haven't shared all of them in one place before. Until now. Feel free to share this link or the actual pdf (be patient: it's a little heavy at about 1mb) which is posted at the Google discussion group called Business Traveling Parents.

As I mentioned in an earlier post announcing the discussion group, I hope readers will use either tool -- this blog or the group -- to share their experiences.

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Survey Results: Most travel 2-3 nights

OK...it wasn't a scientific study, but the results of our recent poll showed that most of this blog's readers took busines trips that were 2 or 3 nights.

Oddly, that's not my experience. In my business travling experience, it's been either 1 night or 5+ nights. Unlike the survey participants, I don't recall taking many trips in the middle.

Another odd thing is that for my family, the short trips are more disruptive than the longer trips. I think I know why. With a longer trip, there is more planning and preparation, which means the kids are more aware of the fact that I'm leaving. The shorter trips get treated more casually and consequently, the kids are less aware. So when I finally announce I am not going to be home, it came across more abrupt to the kids. And that's not good for them.

Which creates an interesting topic for the next poll: How many days do you normally have between realizing you'll have to travel and actually leaving? Take the poll on the right and we'll compare notes.

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Group Therapy for Business Traveling Parents

I've just created a Google Discussion Group to help expand the discussion of issues facing families with a business traveling parent.

While I've hoped this blog would seed a community, the truth is it's me talking to you. And since I'm no more credible than the next person on being a parent or a business traveler, I've finally gotten around to taking this next step of creating a group. Importantly, this new group discussion has the potential to be far more valuable to the person staying home with the kids. (For starters, I've posted some new great tips from Dr. Sherryl Goodman of Emory University to help make the site helpful right out of the blocks.)

Take a spin to the link above and tell what you think. If you think I'm right (right that I've opened the discussion more wider and right that it's more helpful to the person minding the kids), please spread the word to spouses or other caregivers who mind the kids while you travel.

Let's all help the children of business travelers benefit from the great experience we gathered as a group...experience as parents and business travelers!

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Traveling parents are mobile by definition

Traveling parents are mobile in more ways than one: We are by definition on the move and we're also almost sure to be carrying a mobile phone.

Those two facts create another neat opportunity to stay connected to the kids while traveling. Did you know that many blogging sites (like Blogger) have tools that allow you to post to a blog from a mobile phone?

There's a good reason to blog from your phone instead of using it to call. We all make that promise to call home, but sometimes things come up that make that promise impossible to keep. That causes a big problem at home because it can add to the anxiety of disrupted routines and rituals. In a way, not calling is better than saying you will and then being unable.

So if you're not confident about being abe to connect via phone call, use your smart phone to connect via blog while you're waiting to take off, sitting in the back of a cab, or waiting for a meal. It's easy, fun and it may help the kids.

By the way, this post was created, sent, and posted from my phone, so please excuse any typos :-).

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Amazon wishes they thought of this: Get two books

While talking to my friend David Vanderpoel about staying connected with the kids while traveling, David shared a great idea.

When he travels, he sometimes goes to the local library and checks out two copies of the same book: one to travel with and one to stay home with his family. I thought that was a great idea. (David has a lot of great ideas.)

As I learned while writting the books, for kids 4-8 years old "rituals and routines" are really important in establishing a sense of security. Unfortunately, business travel disrupts both. But that's the beauty of his idea. Reading the story, seeing the same pages, even the both hearing the sound of turning pages helps keep the experince connected. All that helps preserve an important ritual and routine.

Amazon if you're reading, think about a special offer for business traveling parents.

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Wrap that bag

At OR Tambo (Johannesburg's airport), one in 5 bags will be opened AFTER you check them.

I don't have an offical source for that statistic, but a quick look around the airport confirms that travelers take the risk seriously.

I followed the advice I was given and wrapped my luggage in plastic (some call it "shrink wrapped", but it's really just a large sheet of plastic wrap like Saran). It took a only a few minutes and it cost R25 (less than $5.00).

If you don't wrap, at least remove valuables (including any gifts for the kids!) and carry them on board. If you do wrap, plan ahead because once the suitcase is wrapped up, it's going to be impossible to get anything in or out without starting the process again.

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Gift ideas for business traveling parents to Johannesburg

Since I don't have a "Sometimes I Work in Johannesburg" book, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the things I brought home for the kids.

Everything in the list below was bought at the Rosebank African Craft Market.

1. Beaded headbands (Rosebank lots of brightly colored, hand made beaded crafts)
2. Tribal masks (small, hand carved)
3. Finger Piano (traditional African instrument)
4. Leather book marks of the "Big 5" (Lion, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Leopard)
5. Cotton dress (this actual was made in Thailand, but it was nice!)

All these items are small and easy to pack and carry (key criteria for business traveling parents). They are also unique to the country and help to tell a story about the culture of the country. I'm not saying that you couldn't find these things someplace else, but more of the crafts in the Rosebank market were hand made and seemed "genuine".

If you've visited Jo'burg and have other ideas, please leave a comment. I'm sure other traveling parents will find it useful!

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What was wrong with the drive to the office?

Getting to work when you're traveling is usually a simple thing. Today, however, I found myself driving on the "wrong" side of the car, the "wrong" side of the road, and on the wrong roads to the office.

SA drives like the Brits: steering wheel on the right, on-coming traffic to your right. That was the first (and second) challenge. After that was the small issue of directions. Jo'burg is NOT a place you want to wander around. We had a map, but....

Eventually, we got to the office (only 5 mins behind schedule!) and lived to blog about it.

Why not take a taxi? Like many African cities, Johannesburg has a chaotic informal public transport system in the form of minibus "taxis". These are not taxis in the typical Western sense of the term – they won't give you a lift to your doorstep. Rather, they are small-scale bus services, often unmarked, operating with neither timetables nor formal stops. You can read more here.

There are taxis your hotel can call (I'm at the InterContinental Sandton Towers) that are more familiar to most travelers. But unlike many things in Jo'Burg, these taxis are relatively expensive. If you're here for a long time, you'll run up a big tab, which makes renting cheaper, and easier once you get the hang of it. (Tomorrow will be better!)

I guess the upside of today's commute is that if the kids ask "how do you get to work in Johannesburg?", the answer will be more adventurous than they expected.

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