The chance to spend time in new, exciting places through travel is a gift – but if travel is a frequent part of your job, there are times when it will feel more like an obligation than anything else.
This is even more likely if you’ve got a family that you have to leave behind each time. Children, especially young children, don’t always understand that Mom or Dad isn’t leaving because they want to, but because they have to. This can lead to feelings of guilt on the parents’ part, in addition to the feeling that they’re missing out on part of their family’s lives.
While there’s not always much you can do about your business travel schedule, there are some fun ways that you can reach out to your family while you’re gone. Here are 4 ways to stay connected to family during business trips.
Take a special object with you and snap pictures of it in different spots.
You might feel silly sitting your daughter’s stuffed bear on a bench in Central Park to take its picture, but what’s that compared to the joy she’ll feel when she sees the image you send home?
Taking a child’s favorite toy or an item with sentimental value along on your trip can be a fun and easy way to stay connected to your family back home. You can take selfies with the object during layovers at the airport or on the plane trip, sit it at the table at a restaurant, or snap a photo of it in front of tourist attractions.
Send the pictures home when you take them. If you have a WiFi cloud frame like the Nixplay Iris, send them straight to the frame – your family will enjoy them even more in the stylish setting.
Send postcards home.
That’s right – we’re talking about old-fashioned, written postcards that you send through the mail.
Getting real, personal mail instead of junk mail is exciting no matter how old you are. Pick up postcards from each stop on your trip, and send them to your spouse, kids, or loved ones. You don’t need to write much – a sentence or two will suffice. Your kids might even start a collection with the special postcards you’ve sent them over the years.
Create a photo playlist of images of you and your children or spouse for your WiFi cloud frame.
The great thing about digital frames is that you can make multiple playlists to showcase different topics or themes. Let your family know you’ll be thinking about them by making a special “While I’m Away” playlist with your favorite pictures of the two (or more) of you together.
You can do this easily with the Nixplay app whether you’re home or hundreds of miles away. If the playlist is for your kids, put the frame next to their bed so they can see your pictures as soon as they wake and right before they go to sleep.
Set up a scavenger hunt for your kids to do while you’re away.
A long-distance scavenger hunt can be a great way to have fun with your kids, even when you’re not with them. Set up the items for them to find throughout your house before you leave. Then you can either leave notes with clues to lead them to the next item, or text them clues as they go along.
If you really want to be creative, send picture clues instead of texts. And make sure they get a picture of themselves with the grand prize once they finish!
Traveling for business can be hard on families, but there are ways to lessen the burden of being away from the ones you love. If you think a digital WiFi cloud frame might help you stay closer to your family, take a look at the new Nixplay Iris.
Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.