Taking the Family on a Business Trip to Orlando

[kmedina]

DH has travelled many times for work, and we (me, DS4 and DS4mos) have never gone with him. He just learned that he has to travel to Orlando in November for a conference. This is a trip I would love to join him on. Anything that gives me more time at Disney sounds good. When I told him that we would like to come with him, he told me that it is not professional to bring the family along. In all of the trips he has ever taken, he claims no one has ever brought a family member. Apparently, he has never seen anyone bring their families on business trips to our city either (but we do live in Vegas, not Orlando).

I am posting this on the family boards, since it is most likely to be relevant here. Has anyone ever travelled with family or refrained from travelling with them while on business? If so, can you tell me your reasoning or how it went? While I know we would not be the first family to tag along, I may have thought it was more common than it really is. Many people have mentioned travelling with working family members, but DH makes it sound unheard of. Last trip, there was a family raving about it at the dock to WL. This thread will not likely change his mind, but it may enlighten me.

We already have a trip planned for this December, and my oldest son took his first Disney trip at 4mos (which was wonderful). The extra trip or the age of my children is not a factor. I really feel that there is never a bad time to go to Disney. Thank you in advance for any replies.

 

[MSSANDRA]

While it may not be common practice for your husbands company. It does in deed happen all the time. While nether of us travel very much at all for business, we have quite a few friends whom one or the other do travel a lot. Most do take family, some take them quite often. The family buys their own plane ticket and shares the hotel room with the spouse on business. The working spouse often has quite a bit of free time to enjoy with them. Our friend with the infants mostly hangs around the hotel, pool, etc while her DH is in meetings. Our friend whom is a physician, has a older child and he and her DH do a lot of sight seeing and have traveled almost everywhere she has gone. My DH may need to travel to Florida soon, (though not Orlando ) and I, and maybe DS4 will go along for the ride!!!!

 

[powellrj]

My company has meetings in Orlando all the time and people NEVER bring family with them. They keep us busy from morning till night and they feel that we are there for business and family would be a distraction. Its made very clear, this is a business trip and only business. Its gotten so bad we don't even go out for meals anymore, they eat in the hotel.

 

[jacksmomma]

I went with DH before we had DS and now we take DS too. We book everything for DS and I totally seperate from DH and we share the hotel room. If DH gets a rental car he is the only one that drives it. We have had no problems and several people in DH's previous company did the same thing (when the company sends you to a conference in Orlando and one of the official hotels for the conference is the Yacht Club, how can you not expect some tag alongs?! ) DH does his work during the day while DS and I enjoy the pool or sight see, then we meet up in the evenings. Sometimes we will add a day or two to the conference days and enjoy some family time, it just depends on the location.

 

[Cruz91]

...especially for Orlando. Not that I'm one to bust your husband's good time bubble, but I have taken my family on business trips both at my current company and my previous one. Naturally, I paid for all of the expenses incurred by the family.

To be fair, I've also done it "the other way around". That is - there have been times when I went to Orlando for a vacation and extended my stay to visit a company for business purposes. In that case, my company benefited from not having to pay my airfare.

 

[mom2travel]

DH has traveled with me to a few work conferences, and I know that other attendees have brought spouses/families also. This included WDW. These are educational conferences where I have my evenings free. We pay for his airfare and meals, as well as any extra nights at the hotel. DH has also had work meetings where spouses have been invited.

That said, I think it depends on the reason for the travel as to whether it not it would be appropriate to travel with family. I would never think of going with DH if he had meetings with co-workers all day and business dinners at night. And he wouldn't come with me if I was meeting with clients.

 

[NotUrsula]

...
That said, I think it depends on the reason for the travel as to whether it not it would be appropriate to travel with family. I would never think of going with DH if he had meetings with co-workers all day and business dinners at night. And he wouldn't come with me if I was meeting with clients.

Nailed it. If the trip is one of those team-building kinds of things where employees are expected to socialize with one another when not in meetings, bringing family is not particularly appropriate. If it is the sort of trip where the employee is expected to just put in the equivalent of a workday and is free to go about his own business when not working with the client or attending meetings, then bringing family is usually fine.

Understand, however, that if you travel on business with your spouse, you stay out of his business space completely. No answering the room phone, no calling him during the day, no needing to be dropped off and possibly make him/her late for a meeting, no meeting for lunch at the hotel, none of that stuff. He or she comes along when he's free, and you're completely on your own with the kids the rest of the time. That may mean a second rental car depending on what he is doing and where you are staying.

The thing is, in Orlando at most of the larger hotels other than those on Disney or Universal property, you *could* easily bring family and no one would ever know, except for the desk clerk who handed you the second room key. (I guess if the whole company was flying down together you would need to pretend not to know Dad at the airport if it was a stealth trip, but you could manage that by just taking a separate flight and paying your own way to the hotel. I've left the spare room key with the concierge in an envelope for DH many times when he and the kids follow me on a trip, and so has he.) However, unless the employee is adding on some vacation days before or after such a trip (or able to spend his free time out with you, or not having you there on meeting days) it does present the appearance of only bringing family for the benefit of getting a free hotel room for them, and that is rather unprofessional. However, I see nothing at all wrong with an employee taking advantage of an airfare that he would have been given anyway if he takes those extra days on his own time (provided, of course, that the airfare the company pays for the employee does not turn out to be higher-priced than it would have been had he only traveled on the meeting days.)

I work in a very family-friendly field, and at our conferences it is actually understood that a large majority of attendees bring family. Spouses and older children are welcome at the exhibits, and the conference site provides free baby-sitting. Spouses don't attend meetings or vendor functions with us, but they are all over the place, and no one tries to pretend otherwise.

 

[ancestry]

In my previous career, my husband's current career and my current career traveling with family is quite common. Now that doesn't mean that the jobs/careers allow the spouse to spend any time with the traveling family members during the conference but no one cares if the spouse/kids tag along as long as they clearly understand that the employee may not have any free time.

I would be highly suspicious if my husband gave me the explanation that your husband gave you. It sounds as though your husband doesn't want you or the kids to come along, which is fine although he should be honest and say that.

 

[StitchFanZ]

It depends on the company. Sometimes you are in meetings or working all day and then there are organized dinners and social events/activites for after hours. If its a time to work and get to know others and team build then having family there may be a huge distraction.
He might need to be up at 6 and then coming in at 10 or 11 at night depending on the type of trip it is. Or if he gets back to the room in the evening, he may need to prepare things for the next day. I have been on multiple trips where putting in 10-12 hours with co-workers was considered the norm. We also flew together so were expected to take a cab to the hotel or rent one car and share it. If family came along, that would really confuse things.
Bottom line, if he considers it unprofessional it would be best to stay home or possibly fly in at the end of the conference for a few days together?

 

[LlamaMamaof2]

I travel all the time with my husband on his business trips and take the kids. We have been to Florida many, many times with him. I have gone to Las Vegas and Chicago, without kids, also on business trips. We will go anywhere time and money allows.

I understand that my DH has to work all day, and sometimes a banquet at night, at most events. I am on my own with the kids all the time. We meet up around dinner time. Just be prepared to think about what it will be like with you alone with kids at the parks all day!! Go for it and have fun!!

 

[sparklynails23]

I've gone with my husband to Orlando conferences many times. He hosted a large conference and was super busy every day, but I just took the kids to the parks and had fun without him.

 

[BeccaGoofy]

My girlfriends and I always tag along with our spouses when our husbands travel for work. Each one of our husbands works for different employers and in different industries. We book and pay for our family airfare and our ground transportation ourselves out of pocket. Next month my daughter and I are tagging along with the hubby to FL. We are staying in his room and will not see him except at night. We will not be charging anything to the hotel room and we will not plan on seeing him except at night when he gets back to the room and in the early morning before he heads out to his meeting. Quite frankly. I have been doing this for over 25 years without a problem. Worst case scenario pay for the hotel room out of pocket and have the hubby only submit a request for reimbursement of his airfare.

Hope that helps.

 

[kmedina]

Thanks for the responses. Strep had me out for a few days, so I know this is not the most timely thank you. Even though I have never travelled with him, I have stayed inside his hotel locally many times. DH works for a hotel/casino. He usually gets a room when he has to work all night like New Year's Eve, and at other times as well sometimes to quality assure the room. DS and I have no problems hanging out in the room, not answering the room phone (unless the call is for us when DH calls the room), using my credit card instead of the room card for purchases.

The responses seemed a little mixed, so it looks like it really does depend on the situation. DH mentioned it was for a new software or something like that for either strategy or operations (nothing dealing with the casino or gambling side). All I really heard was I'm going to Orlando and ~~~~~~~~......~~~~~~, you cannot come. I told him I would not bother him by asking again, so it is too late to get more details. He will tell me more just before he leaves, so we know what we need to know.

 

[BeccaGoofy]

I've gotten those types of replies from the hubby in the past. In my experience it is usually when he is stressed out or when he thinks traveling with his wife and child may cramp his style. My solution is to plan a fabulous trip for my daughter and myself.

 

[tanyaandallie]

When I was working we had training in Orlando every year for a few years. There were tons of us and they kept us very busy. There were a few people who chose to bring their families. Their families were on their own, did their own thing, etc. It was not a big deal. My last year I took mine but they stayed one night then took off to the grandparents then came back when I was done.

If he is super busy and you really want to go, just plan on doing your own thing and don't get mad if he is busy all the time and cannot join you.

 

[crisi]

It really depends on both the organization and the trip. My family has joined me at the end of a conference or business trip, but I've NEVER taken them with me while I'm ON the business trip. And the only business trip I've ever taken with my husband was his "bring your partner" boondoggle when he won a performance award and was asked to go (it was one of those trips with one day of meetings for the employees while the guests were loaded up on buses to go somewhere - and three days of "hang around Disneyland on the company dime).

Lots of people do take their family to conferences in Orlando. To some extent it makes a difference if he is going to the conference as his companies only representative (in which case, no one needs to know his family is there) or if a lot of people from work are going - in which case his days are filled and having your family along can - depending on the firm - look unprofessional and be career limiting - even if your family does their own thing, its still "my family is vacationing by using the corporate dime for the hotel room" which is frowned on in some companies.