A Woman’s Solo Work Trip
No guilt, No responsibilities, Just solitude
Solo Work Trips are often garnished with excitement as much as it is with guilt and uneasiness for some of us. I have been going on work trips for the past fifteen years and enjoy them far more today, than I did years ago.
It’s funny how some of us have the tendency to make it sound like we have left our precious children with a stranger. Or even better, dropped them in the middle of an ocean on just a plank of wood, with Voldemort.
My initial work trips were difficult too. They were a mix of emotions, filled with self-inflicted guilt about enjoying the time away and worry about the family’s well-being. Though it is a work trip, the self-inflicted guilt may not allow women to make the most of it by doing the comforting activities that they would otherwise do.
My inspiration for traveling and making the most of it has been my husband. I have seen my husband travel too. He doesn’t feel guilty and the simple Matra is, ‘Enjoy while you are there’.
Why do women feel this sense of guilt?
It is important to acknowledge that we can be only in one place at a time. I know what every woman thinks when she has to pack and leave for a few days away from her kids. There is a sense of subtle discomfort thinking about what may go on while she is away. After all, in many households, the husband has not yet volunteered or has never had the opportunity to show the skills of running a home (“Helping” is not counted as running a home, I mean, running it in its entirety, with responsibility and accountability).
Leaving aside worrying about kids, some of us also may wonder if our husbands will know how to look after the kids well enough, will he know how to feed them, what if they don’t eat, what if they can’t go to school or park, what if they fail their tests? The list can go on.
From my experience, if you have a caring husband, it all gets managed by itself. You just need to focus on managing what is going on in your head.
Remember, You are still a good mom!
My last trip was a trip to Malaysia. All I did was eat alone, book a spa, write my journal, watch loads of movies, walk thousands of steps around the mall nearby, visit the Twin tower like a tourist, read a book, and eat lots of junk. It is nothing out of the ordinary but I am sure it sounds enticing for a woman who is leading a scurried life juggling between work, home chores, children, and self-care.
I know I could have been with my children instead. But I need this as much too!
Aside from it being therapeutic, a solo trip may be a good thing for my family too. I noticed that my family dynamics changing for the better.
My husband gets some alone time with the children to bond. He worked his way with them. He keeps learning a thing or two about managing the home each time. It is a great opportunity for husbands to hold the reign of the home, now and then. Every time I have been away, I have seen my husband get more and more creative about keeping the children engaged and entertained.
My trust in my husband elevates each time I am away and he has handled everything better than before. During these days I rely on him to help but it is as much his home as mine. He ought to know his way around the home. As they say, there can only be one king ( or queen!) in the house. So, for him to take reign, I need to step aside occasionally. This time around, my husband and kids figured out how to cook some rice.
It is an opportunity to spend time pampering myself. It is blissful to think about nothing but yourself, once in a while. In our busy lives, it’s usually only practical to put your own needs at the tail end of your priorities list. Solo Work trips are definitely a great time for me. I can eat whatever I have been craving, go to a spa, go sightseeing, read a book, and Shop. Mainer times, I have gone to theaters to watch movies alone too. But my all-time favorite thing to do is walk all over the malls aimlessly do some impromptu shopping and go to tourist attractions. My bad selfies are a testament to all the best times.
I embrace the alone time to reset. When I am in the hotel after the day’s work, all by myself there is plenty of me time. I use this time to reset my schedule rethink my priorities and plan life ahead in general. Small and big decisions in life need time to be thought through and in your hurried life, you barely get the time. It is best to make the most of these days when you are by yourself with no distractions.
There are plenty of reasons to love your work and the work trips that come along with it. The only change that needs to be made often is in what you think and make of it.
