Recognizing that it’s not always possible (or desirable) to tag along on your spouse’s business travel, there are several good reasons to make it happen.
Relationship maintenance
If your spouse travels for business often, this is your number one reason. It’s easy to become disconnected when your daily contact is solely through a Skype call. It’s true that I’ve tagged along on a few of Steve’s trips and saw more of the hotel housekeeping staff than him. Business travel is often hectic and over scheduled with commitments. Still, there is something about proximity that no amount of video chatting can replicate. You’re at least sleeping in the same bed, for one thing.
It makes business trips better
Work travel is not all parties and lavish business dinners. Well, okay, depending on your spouse’s job, business trips may be all about those things, but that can get tedious. Really. More likely, your spouse is working longer hours than usual and is eating take out in the hotel room most nights while answering emails from the home office. If we could swing it, Steve would have me travel with him all the time. It makes travel less lonely and if there is some extra time to go out for a meal together or see the sights, it’s more fun.
Parties and business dinners
From time to time, Steve’s business associates have welcomed me to attend dinners and receptions. Generally, I love going along because it gives me a chance to see Steve in his work environment and to meet the people with whom he does business. It’s also wonderful when you get the chance to meet locals in an unfamiliar location who can talk about their lifestyle, culture, and favourite places to hang out.
It cuts travel costs in half
If you’re tagging along on business travel you’re at least halving the costs of a trip. The hotel room is paid for, you’re only paying for one flight, and every meal out is half price because your spouse expenses meals. If it’s a place the two of you have always wanted to visit, tack on a couple of extra days of free time and you’ve saved big on the destination.
Great way to jump-start a holiday
We’ve tacked on vacation travel to business travel several times. Sometimes, we’ve just extended the time in the business travel location and other times we’ve taken advantage of the work travel to save time and money getting to our vacation destination. As a money-saving tactic, this is a big bonus if you live somewhere without a lot of direct flights. It always amazes me how inexpensive flights can be when flying from a major hub. This also saves money, of course, because part of the flight cost is a business expense.
See places you normally wouldn’t
Steve’s business travel has taken him to places like the Bulgarian capital Sofia and Beirut, Lebanon. Not places high on the average travel bucket list. Chances are low that I would have visited the absolutely charming city of Delft in the Netherlands if it had not been for Steve’s travel. Staying for extended periods of time in the Boston bedroom community of Burlington is another example. No, it’s not Paris, but it’s an opportunity to experience a different lifestyle and surroundings. There is always value in that.
Act as a tourist scout for your spouse
Steve often travels to the same location two or three times, sometimes more than that. If I go along on one of the early trips, I can usually swing a couple half days away from my work to explore the location on my own. Whether it’s a shopping district, museum or simply a great running route, I can evaluate if Steve would enjoy it. The next time he’s back at the same location, he knows if it’s worth taking some time to play tourist.
Do you travel with your spouse on business? What’s your experience?
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[…] the other challenges that come with business travel too. As the tag-along spouse, I have a long list of benefits on my side of the equation as […]
Hi Deb, I love this post and agree wholeheartedly, I love tagging along on my husband’s business trips.
I can be selfish and do exactly as I please during the day and keep him company at night… and get to see some amazing places along the way (and lets not forget the 4/5* hotels rooms the company pay for) We often tag on a weekend so we can both enjoy somewhere too. We have done this all over the US, Australia, S Korea, Beijing, Mumbai and more recently Johannesburg to name a few….
Yes! The perks outweigh the downside. If you’re an independent traveller, it’s a pretty good gig.