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OUR LITTLE ANGELS
Business Travelers Say the Kids Come First, According to Sheraton
Hotel Survey: 67% Plans Trips around Kids Who’s the boss? When it comes to business travel, executives
say it’s the children. In fact, 67% of parents polled say they have refused to
go on a business trip because it conflicted with their children’s activities,
according to a study just released by Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. More than one-third (41%) of those surveyed say they
would cut a trip short because of a birthday or child’s illness. Nearly a third
(31%) won’t travel because of a school function, and five percent would cancel
a trip altogether if their children were upset about their leaving. While on the road, business travelers turn into “road
worriers,” fretting about the kids’ behavior and how the other spouse will
cope. In fact, 13% expect the kids to give the other parent a hard time “all or
most of the time,” and research shows those concerns are justified:
While only one in three (29%) adults polled worry that
their spouse will let the children stay up past bedtime, 45% of the kids said
they stay up late. More than half of the children (58%) say the parent staying
home with them lets them “order out for food,” 15% watch scary movies and 11% watch
TV shows the traveling parent would not allow. And, yes, 10% say they “jump on
their beds.” More freedom isn’t the only reason for brighter smiles.
Kids say when Mom or Dad is away, they are better about brushing their teeth
(21%) and saying their prayers (20%). Kids do miss family security, though, and 17% report they are more
likely to sleep with a stuffed animal, 16% with a light on in their room, 15%
with the television on and 11% with a radio. Children aren’t the only ones feeling a somewhat “empty
nest,” according to the “Business Travelers and their Children” study. Women
miss the children (93%) and they miss them more than the men do (83%),
although wives miss their husbands (21%) less than their husbands miss them
(35%). Women also report missing their spouse less than their
children (14% vs. 32%.) And how long could travelers go before missing home?
While most parents report it is generally three days, the “comfort zone” for
children having a parent away is two days. Today, with two-income families, many executives are
packing up the kids along with the briefcase. Sixty percent of parents say
they’ve taken a child along on a business trip because “it’s a good learning
experience for them” (47%) or “we’re going on vacation after the business trip”
(40%). For executives who don’t bring the children, 75% say it’s because the
child is in school. Parents who don’t take the kids along generally take a
photo. Only 5% of the women and 11% of the men polled admit they don’t carry a
picture of their children. (Only 58% of
the women bring along a photo of their spouse, but 78% of the men tote along a
snapshot of their wife.) And, the answer to the perennial question, “What did you
bring me?” is no surprise: 27% bring home a T-shirt. Edited
by Kerry Cohen |
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TM