Conferences and work trips require a certain kind of planning, especially for working moms traveling. Attending a conference will boost your industry knowledge, sharpen your career focus, and can open the door to career advancement. So, how are moms doing it? We definitely need to start sharing our stories to help each other. I found these 5 helpful tips! Can you add more?
In my career, certified medical coders must earn Continuing Education Units (CEU) in order to renew their certification. In my case, it is a job requirement. I’m able to earn CEUs through our monthly coding meetings, webinars, and conferences. I regularly attend American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) annual conference, Healthcon, when they are in Las Vegas, Nevada. Five days of education, networking and sharpening my skills are planned. Sounds exciting, right? Instead, there are often conflicting feelings of commitment to both work and home. Days before the conference, I usually create long must-do lists that I pressure myself to complete before leaving.
Recognizing my own panic, I searched for help through articles, tips, and recommendations for working moms traveling. Literally searching online with those terms, “working moms traveling” and “mothers who attend work conferences”, led me to only a handful articles. Moms, we have got to share this important, chaotic story more often! Although very helpful, the articles I found were several years old.
- Preparing kids for when a parent travels
- 5 Ways to Survive the Guilt of Business Travel
- When Mom Travels for Work
- Keeping Mom’s Business Trip from Being Mom’s Guilt Trip
On one hand, we know conferences are career boosters but on the other hand, we know our families are like spinning wheels and if one spoke is out of place the whole flow comes to a stand still. How do we over come the fear? How do we find balance?
After reading these articles, I found 5 common tips
- Plan with trust. We may create lists of meals, chores, practices, etc. but no one is going to manage our family’s routine like we do so we shouldn’t expect someone else to do it perfectly. This is commonly when the guilt trip starts. So don’t let it! Plan for a simple routine then trust it will be done.
- Be confident. A positive vibe will be accepted easier than a doubtful frown. You’re going away to learn which will benefit your career. You’ll want to show your enthusiasm to reinforce to your children that going away to learn (hello, college life) shouldn’t be feared.
- Leave a reminder. Depending on your child’s age, it could be a storybook that is set out, a favorite snack in the fridge, or a short written note. It’s a way of showing that you thought of them while you were preparing to leave.
- Connect. In any way that is most convenient for you and your children, set aside a time to connect.
- Celebrate. Everyone survived, including the babysitter, right? When you return home, take a moment to celebrate with your family by sharing what you all have accomplished while away.
What does it look like to be a working moms traveling? Here are a few photos from my own travels
An important conference to attend for my career is the annual AAPC Healthcon. I learn updates and network with professionals in my industry.
Attending the We All Grow Latina Summit in 2017 was a wonderful experience to learn how to focus on my writing, blog, and building community.
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