I’ll be the first to admit it’s not easy being a mom. Being a working mom is even harder, and working and traveling more difficult yet. A good support system (and the occasional glass or two of wine) definitely helps me get through it – my husband being at the forefront. He often travels with me and the kids, many times staying behind with them in the hotel room while I’m out on a zipline adventure tour or even staying at home when I’m on a media preview cruise to the Bahamas.
Work-only trips are a little easier in some ways now that the kids aren’t babies anymore; they’re not easier to leave, but they do understand what I do and that I have to go and do it – and that I will be back as soon as I can be.
Balancing working and traveling and being a mom is a job in itself, and is one that I sometimes don’t want to do. But it can all be worth it when I get to take my family on a trip we might not otherwise take, stay in a hotel that’s beyond our budget, or visit a sight or attraction through their eyes. It’s worth it to stay up late or get up super early to get that article in on deadline, or to plan out a trip that will be a combination business trip and vacation. Or to cook a few meals ahead of time so that the family doesn’t have to resort to takeout food while I’m traveling.
Do you combine business and vacation travel? How do you cope?
About Teresa
I’m a married working mom of two in Michigan trying to find the balance between being a working mom, traveling mom and just plain mom. I travel for business and pleasure, and both with and without the kids. I’m also a professional writer and editor, as well as a travel writer and mom blogger.
[...] birthdays, with another series of births in the spring. While I’m constantly trying to find the balance between work and being a mom, one thing I’ve decided that’s important to me is to make my kids’ (and sometimes [...]