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Post by darkangel090260 on Jul 8, 2017 3:22:09 GMT
Dh just got a really good job. At their intake they told him he may travel outside the US for work. I need to know what he will need to take beside his clothing and other basics and what it is like to have him gone up to 2 weeks at a time.
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Deleted
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May 2, 2024 21:15:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2017 3:36:09 GMT
Didn't he take a job where you are now to be near his mother?
Buy enough socks and underwear to last a week plus two for his carry on.
Put everything in the washer as soon as he gets home and get it ready for the next trip.
3 oz toothpaste / brush, comb, and small razor in his carryon. They never leave it. More razors in his suitcase, they never leave it. Tylenol, a big bottle in his suitcase that never leaves it.
At least $30 in his wallet. I say $100 in 20s, but peas don't like cash.
Coins for the laundry.
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Post by darkangel090260 on Jul 8, 2017 3:58:13 GMT
his mom moved about a year ago. so we are open to do as we like now.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691 
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jul 8, 2017 4:05:02 GMT
If he'll be traveling internationally, outlet adapters are needed. My husband says most European hotels lack enough outlets, so he brings a power strip for his phone, tablet, and laptop. He often does a load of laundry on long trips, so tide pods reinforced in a Tupperware are good.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,017
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Jul 8, 2017 5:34:06 GMT
My DH travels about every other week for work, though he is usually gone for 4-5 days, rarely 2 weeks at a time. He has a separate wetpack that lives in his carry-on with bathroom necessities. He also carries a 3 outlet powerboard with him. He has a 'universal adaptor' for power - EU goes in and it has adjustable pins so you can configure it for any type of plug. Any good electrical or travel store will have something similar.
One thing my DH never travels without is his Kindle - he reads a lot at airports and on flights, and the Kindle means he is never without something to read - it is also smaller than most books, even paperbacks.
As to what it is like having him gone - DH has been travelling for work since we were married, and will probably do so until he retires. I found the most difficult period was when we had 2 small children, as I had to do everything for that time. I made sure we kept to routines, and on weekends he was away we would always plan a small outing - I knew all the Museums that were child-friendly and that had free Sundays! Now it is just the two of us, I actually enjoy the times he is away, as I have complete freedom over my time.
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Deleted
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May 2, 2024 21:15:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2017 5:54:36 GMT
his mom moved about a year ago. so we are open to do as we like now. OMG you must feel so free!!!!!!! Can you now use a lawn chair in the house? Who is feeding her? |
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Post by darkangel090260 on Jul 8, 2017 6:34:18 GMT
yes we did that for morgans party we ran out of chairs.
Her newest daughter in law is stuck dealing with the food crap she is now living with them
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Post by julieinsweden on Jul 8, 2017 7:34:28 GMT
I'm too busy wondering when he became 5 again and you became his mother. He can figure this out for himself!
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courtney
Shy Member
Posts: 36
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Post by courtney on Jul 8, 2017 7:42:52 GMT
I'm too busy wondering when he became 5 again and you became his mother. He can figure this out for himself! Yes! And when only husbands were the only ones to travel on these boards! |
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 8, 2017 13:17:14 GMT
If he's never traveled internationally before I would suggest he ask his colleagues for travel tips. Also google "business travel international" or something like that. My dh works for the State Department and travels a LOT. It was harder when the kids were younger. Not only did I have to deal with them alone but of COURSE something else would happen....roof leak or blizzard or hurricane or ER visit for someone...seriously, every.single.time. he traveled something would happen. It gave me a real appreciation for military wives/husbands whose spouses are deployed. Now that they're both grown naturally nothing goes on while dh is gone.  I enjoy the time alone. Although, dd has graduated from college now and will be home for a year I'll have her here when dh travels again in the fall. But otherwise I have no advice because dh takes care of himself. |
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Post by pondrunner on Jul 8, 2017 13:34:09 GMT
My husband used to travel internationally for work often. I often helped him prep so this is my advice
A toiletry kit that won't leak and can go in cargo makes life easy
Pack travel sizes and refill as needed to save weight
Invest in a small wardrobe of wrinkle free garments and a pair of shoes that go with all of it, shoes are a waste of space and weight in a suitcase
Take an adapter kit, you can get it at Best Buy
Weigh it before you go to the airport
Leave essentials in the suitcase so all you need to do is pack clothes each time
Take one change of clothes in your carry on in case your stuff gets lost by the airline
Keep it simple, have a routine, don't try to take all the comforts of home, don't try to reinvent the wheel over and over. We learned to pack for two weeks abroad in one overhead friendly bag. Our local luggage store taught us how to pack in layers to maximize what we could fit in a small bag.
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Post by Goldynn on Jul 8, 2017 13:36:24 GMT
Bose cancelling headphones! Trust me on that. 😃
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Post by pondrunner on Jul 8, 2017 13:43:00 GMT
Bose cancelling headphones! Trust me on that. 😃 Yes, I almost forgot about this. Good noise cancelling headphones are so useful for flying. You can get decent ones on Amazon for $40-50, but my dh is partial to his Bose quiet comfort earbuds around $200 |
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,864
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Jul 8, 2017 13:54:52 GMT
My husband travels for work quite a bit. He has been traveling on business for years so he has his system down. He has small toiletries, cash that he can exchange in currency when he lands, calls the credit card ahead of time so they know he will be traveling. He packs his suitcase. He takes care of everything. Occasionally I get involved. One time he needed the credit card PIN number for his business card and I had to find it for him. He's organized, so that was easy to do. A couple times he had a day off during a 2 week trip so I helped him find a good tourist attraction so he can take pictures for me and buy souvenirs for the kids. If it's a long trip, I try to cook him a nice home cooked meal the day after he gets home. He's usually jet lagged and tired from working, so I just want him to have a good meal at home.
So in a nutshell, he does it all. One big piece of advice I have is that the traveling spouse needs to adjust to the schedule that you have at home. Just because he is still on Spain time doesn't mean that the kids and I are. We go to bed and get up on our schedule and I expect him to transition to our time zone when he is home. Dh is good about that. He comes home and resumes our normal routine.
Having a traveling spouse means you are on your own to deal with stuff. Something will break, kids will get sick. You will get sick. People will die My dad died when my husband was coming home from a trip. He landed and went straight to the hospital to be with me. He walked in the door just as my mom was fainting and he managed to catch her. God bless him. The worst was when I had to call him in China to tell him that his dad had just died. That was terrible.
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Jul 8, 2017 13:57:46 GMT
At the risk of stating the obvious, he will need a passport if he doesn't have one already. One of the things SO likes to do when we go on vacation is to load up some TV episodes onto a memory card that he can put in his phone or the laptop so he can watch TV or a movie on the airplane. I'm sure it's pretty easy if you have the right tech, but don't ask me the steps because I don't know them.  He has some Sony noise cancelling headphones that he likes more than the Bose pair he has. |
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Post by txdancermom on Jul 8, 2017 14:01:32 GMT
My dh used to travel for work a lot - usually a week at a time, home only on weekends....
at first it was hard, especially with young children, no one to help with day to day stuff, then we got a routine and it was ok.
these days he travels infrequently and there are times when he is gone that I really enjoy the break. find things that you like to do, tv or movies that he doesn't like to watch while he is gone.
and now communication from overseas is easier with email, when dh would go overseas we would only hear from him once or twice the whole time he was gone.
And if he is going to be traveling frequently, have him keep a duplicate set of essentials that are always packed - I have my cosmetic bag packed with travel sizes of all my essentials (shampoo, toothpaste, etc), an extra toothbrush, hairbrush, etc. when I get home I restock it and put it back on the shelf. the only thing I pack when I am ready to leave is my makeup. this came in handy when my dad was ill, I could be packed in no time and ready to go.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,682
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jul 8, 2017 14:34:37 GMT
In addition to what's already been said make sure you have a support network at home. If you have to run a kid to the hospital who can you call to watch the other kid. Who will come rescue you from a critter in the house. If you have a sick kid who can take the other to school/practice. Do you have the numbers for plumbers, etc. If you get a flat who can you call to change it or at least get the kids so they don't have to wait on roadside assistance for hours.
Also, prepare for re-entry issues. You get used to handling it all, your way, and he gets used to being waited on. You have the kids on a routine and then dad walks in having missed them and bedtimes go out the window in record speed. It takes some getting used to and you don't want to spend your short days between trips arguing.
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
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Post by Rhondito on Jul 8, 2017 15:02:17 GMT
Dh just got a really good job. At their intake they told him he may travel outside the US for work. I need to know what he will need to take beside his clothing and other basics and what it is like to have him gone up to 2 weeks at a time. What kind of job did he get? |
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Post by shamrock on Jul 8, 2017 15:28:16 GMT
Bose cancelling headphones! Trust me on that. 😃 DH does a couple international trips a year. He swears by Bose headphones. |
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jul 8, 2017 16:37:56 GMT
I'm too busy wondering when he became 5 again and you became his mother. He can figure this out for himself! I took her post as more of a "what to expect" rather than how should I prepare my husband? Hence the reason why she asked specifically about husbands travelling. |
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jul 8, 2017 16:54:39 GMT
As for what it's like, sometimes hard. Like others have said, you suddenly find yourself in charge of everything. Something will break, a crisis will happen, someone will get sick. This is a good time to get a power of attorney drafted. I almost had to buy our house alone and had papers drawn in case. It's weird signing two signatures.
On the other hand, it's nice to have breaks from each other. The whole, distance makes the heart grow fonder thing. I plan activities or shows he doesn't care for when he's gone. I cook the foods he hates. Sometimes I work on surprises, like the time I made over our bedroom from wall paint to new furniture. We have "see ya soon" sex before he leaves. Tmi I'm sure, but you asked and it's typical according to my friends. As well as "missed you" sex after they sleep off the jetlag coma.
Also according to me as well as my friends, they're usually a little grumpy when they get back. The combo of jetlag, leaving a cushy hotel with maid, order what they want, etc, then back to reality, oh and here, take out the trash and change this diaper...
Good luck. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
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Post by Zee on Jul 8, 2017 17:15:49 GMT
It's a giant pain in the ass if you have small kids. It almost ruined our marriage because I spent so much time doing things on my own I felt I really didn't need to be married. I tell you that only to warn you that being alone all the time and fixing everything yourself only to have him roll back in and disrupt your routine can be hard to adjust to. But we worked it out, my kids are older and I don't have to stress over child care anymore, and I'm totally fine with him being gone but love when he's here. He's gone right now for a week and I'm going to lie around the house eating junk food and watching chick flicks and no one will complain about it  As for travel tips, he should get himself on the TSA precheck list. My DH did and says it's worth every penny. He also has a "shaving kit" full of necessary stuff that's always ready to go. Most of his travel now is domestic. Try to stay at the same hotel chain so he can accumulate points for free rooms. Ditto airlines and frequent flyer miles. |
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Post by kamper on Jul 8, 2017 17:18:14 GMT
My DH current job requires him to go to Antarctica at least once a year. He is gone at least four weeks at a time. My only suggestion would be to make sure you both are clear on the time (and date) difference. DH and I set up a time and he calls me every day when he's at McMurdo (I get only emails from the pole station). When he's in transit he calls me from his work cell phone. If your DH won't have or can't use a company phone then download WhatsApp to both your phones and he can use Wifi to call you.
I also bought a new RoadID (I run) and added my sister's phone number. Obviously, he wouldn't be able to help me if I got hit by a car or something.
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Jul 8, 2017 17:24:38 GMT
It's a giant pain in the ass if you have small kids. It almost ruined our marriage because I spent so much time doing things on my own I felt I really didn't need to be married. I tell you that only to warn you that being alone all the time and fixing everything yourself only to have him roll back in and disrupt your routine can be hard to adjust to. But we worked it out, my kids are older and I don't have to stress over child care anymore, and I'm totally fine with him being gone but love when he's here. He's gone right now for a week and I'm going to lie around the house eating junk food and watching chick flicks and no one will complain about it As for travel tips, he should get himself on the TSA precheck list. My DH did and says it's worth every penny. He also has a "shaving kit" full of necessary stuff that's always ready to go. Most of his travel now is domestic. Try to stay at the same hotel chain so he can accumulate points for free rooms. Ditto airlines and frequent flyer miles. This is a big part of what I contributed to my divorce from XH. What pushed me over the edge was his unwillingness to jump into real life when he returned. He'd come home and still take time for all his hobbies and activities and never step in to take back some of the family obligations that made things so unbalanced between us. |
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Post by Zee on Jul 8, 2017 17:30:34 GMT
It's a giant pain in the ass if you have small kids. It almost ruined our marriage because I spent so much time doing things on my own I felt I really didn't need to be married. I tell you that only to warn you that being alone all the time and fixing everything yourself only to have him roll back in and disrupt your routine can be hard to adjust to. But we worked it out, my kids are older and I don't have to stress over child care anymore, and I'm totally fine with him being gone but love when he's here. He's gone right now for a week and I'm going to lie around the house eating junk food and watching chick flicks and no one will complain about it As for travel tips, he should get himself on the TSA precheck list. My DH did and says it's worth every penny. He also has a "shaving kit" full of necessary stuff that's always ready to go. Most of his travel now is domestic. Try to stay at the same hotel chain so he can accumulate points for free rooms. Ditto airlines and frequent flyer miles. This is a big part of what I contributed to my divorce from XH. What pushed me over the edge was his unwillingness to jump into real life when he returned. He'd come home and still take time for all his hobbies and activities and never step in to take back some of the family obligations that made things so unbalanced between us. Yes, he'd come home and want to be Fun Dad who wanted nothing to do with discipline or unpleasant topics. That didn't help at all. We actually separated for a year which lead to other problems...but I'm very grateful for him now.  I had no idea how resentful it would make me. Now, without the stress of small children, plus years of getting used to it, I'm fine with it. |
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Post by Jessica on Jul 8, 2017 17:36:13 GMT
I second the TSA Precheck, but go ahead and have him add the global entry piece on top. It's a total of $100 instead of $85 and you breeze through customs. For example, I flew back into San Francisco about a week ago and customs took me 5 minutes.
5 MINUTES.
If my company wouldn't have paid for it, it would have been the easiest decision I'd ever made.
All the other advice has been good as far as travel tips. I can't comment on remaining at home as I'm the traveler (and am single).
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Post by ntsf on Jul 8, 2017 18:50:07 GMT
my dh used to travel to asia all the time, pre cell phones and internet. he would be gone weeks and months. just remember, that international business travel or any business travel is not like being a tourist. they mostly see meeting rooms, hotel rooms and long to put their feet up have a beer and watch something that is a fav. when we watched "lost in translation". with bill murray, it struck us as showing the reality.. he is stuck in a hotel room in tokyo.. and his wife is on the phone yakking about curtains.
it is not glamorous and can be extremely tiring.. as you are always "on".. watching body language, foreign customs, foreign food, stress from the business part....so have some pity when he gets home. I rarely talked to him when he was gone.. it was just too hard. he was even overseas during the last big SF earthquake.. and he had to hear about it from my sister in law, since I had no phone service.. and three kids under three at home. it was tough.
but he also appreciated the opportunity.. I mean, how often do you get to party with Miss Vietnam? or be in a karoke bar and the only american.. (and he can't sing).. so he stuck with "Let it Be".. and then there was the trip where he was coming up with excuses not to hang out in the brothels of jakarta with his workmates....
I envied his trips at times. but it was tough going at times.
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Post by catmom on Jul 8, 2017 18:52:35 GMT
Well my DH only travels occasionally for work but I travel regularly. Hopefully my input still counts lol. The key in packing is to have a standard list (paper or packing app) that you can always refer to and have some things always packed. For example, I have a spot with all my travel items including a TSA sized bag with all the liquids so I can grab it and go. I also have a universal adapter and power bar with iPhone and kindle charger always packed. Have a pill box with some key meds - stomach, headache, cold, antacid, sleeping pill. This may not be realistic for 2 weeks but it is very worth it to travel with carry-on only. If you have easy access to dry cleaning service while traveling definitely go with carry on. Research and buy the best (for you) luggage you can afford. Some swear by Tumi but I have a small Briggs & Riley I adore. Also, use a taxi or car service to take you to the airport so you don't have to deal with airport parking. TSA Pre-check or Nexus etc is invaluable. Pick a favourite airline and hotel line with a good points program and upgrade privileges and stick with them. Get upgraded in both flights and hotels to whatever the highest level you are allowed by your company (i.e. fly first class if and when you can). I asked dh what its like to have me gone when I travel and he said 'fine' lol. Then he said he cooks what he wants, eats take out and watches baseball. He seems to cope okay.  And, wait - some of you pack for your spouse when you travel?! Wow I am missing out. |
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Post by darkangel090260 on Jul 8, 2017 19:08:09 GMT
my question was kinda both how would it be and what would he need. The last time i let him pack a bag he forgot sock and shirts. I love the guy with all my hart but packing and organizing is not his strong points.
He is doing almost the same thing as his last job, This one just pays better in the long run and has better benefits and room to grow.
The travel is something we found out about after he started and he is just in training now. I told him next spring i think it would be a good thing if he could. I think it would help him on promotion and look good on his resume.
Since I pretty much handle all repairs and the kids stuff a lot would not change beside on the weekend and i would have to remember to take the trash out and do the cat box
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Deleted
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May 2, 2024 21:15:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2017 19:53:41 GMT
Make sure that he as a credit card that racks up airline miles. And pay it off every month. Use it for everything. In 2 years you will have enough miles to fly the family.
And the big perk? A frequent flyer will get to board faster and get free upgrades.
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I enjoy the time alone. Although, dd has graduated from college now and will be home for a year I'll have her here when dh travels again in the fall. 
