I average about one trip a month for my job and explaining these "work trips" to my two toddlers is not fun. Three days of preparation is my standard protocol and since this has always been a way of life for them, it isn't too shocking for them every month. What is fun is searching out toddler treats within the comfort of business hotels and not paying for these small delights.
Yes, I take the hotel amenities and toiletries offered to guests on a regular basis. Cheap is probably what you are thinking, but I have two defenses for these actions. First, when I am on the road for work, I have less time to myself then most people think. If it is a convention there are several other co-works traveling where every meal is planned and attendance is mandatory. After working a trade show or convention all day long, you have about 30 minutes to check email and return phone calls before you are expected to meet for dinner. This does not allow much time for shopping and certainly no energy when you finally return to your hotel room at 9:30 pm and are expected to meet for breakfast early the next morning. Second, I don't want to spoil my children with expensive airport trinkets, which they will lose interest in very quickly. I am taking advantage of my children's toddler ages and know that simple hotel gifts will go just as far, if not farther then an overpriced souvenir.
The Gifts
My regular arsenal of work trip gifts include paper, and lots of it. The kids are very into projects that require tree loads of pulp. Drawing, folding, crumpling, pasting, taping - you get the idea. I grab the traditional pad of paper on the nightstand and desks but I also grab the stationery set which includes envelopes. My daughter loves envelopes and it is amazing the joy in her eyes when she is given a simple envelope. Hiltons provide a nice stack of square sheets of papers for notes that the kids turn into games handing them out like tickets and Westins provide post-it-notes with colorful graphics in each page. Pulling these post-it-notes off provides instant gratification for my son even though it does not last long. I also grab pens since I never have any at home when I need it and again, the kids love experimenting with pens.
The Jackpot of Gifts
The best trip for toddler treats was my trade show in Las Vegas, NV. I literally hit the jackpot for gifts since we stayed at the plush Wynn Resort and Casino. The best item was the loofah sponge I snagged for each child. This item has given them hours of fun in the bath and certainly something different than the traditional paper I usually bring home. Of course I did bring home paper from this trip which was a very high end card stock and much more colorful then the white stationery from other trips. Another fun item was the shoe polish container. It was a silver round tin where I took out the shoe polish components. The kids flipped over this since they love to put coins and small items in it, shake it around and then distribute the contents to all the family members.
Other Venues for Gifts
I don't always ransack my hotel room for freebies for my kids. Sometimes I pick up stuff from the airplane or even the airport parking shuttle. There was a great article in one of the airline magazines featuring a photographer with three spreads of his animal pictures. These pages delighted the kids to see fun animals and to be able to write on them and "enhance" the pictures. I also snagged some free airport booties on the Park N Fly shuttle bus. My kids love to put on my slippers and shoes at home, so they enjoyed getting their own adult sized slippers for fun.
The Presentation
When I get home from a trip simple hugs and kisses are what my kids get immediately. I do not go straight for my luggage and make a big deal about presenting treats to the kids. After they go to bed, I carefully place my work trip treasures throughout the house where they will find them in their every day activities. We have a designated craft table where I will lay out the paper, and pens. And for the unusual Las Vegas items, I placed the loofah sponges in the bath tub and the shoe polish tins on the kitchen table for a breakfast discovery. When the kids find their treats I reinforce that they were from my work trip and we discuss where I traveled. Sometimes we pull out a map or use their globe and pinpoint the location. The discussions that stem from these small "freebies" are so much fun and I feel good that I don't buy their love while I am gone.
My children certainly have caught on that I always have things for them from my trip, and if they ask I tell them it is a surprise and they will find them in the morning. I like my kids associating plenty of hugs and kisses immediately when I get home rather than objects. And when it is all said and done, I do have fun finding new ways to express that they are always on my mind when I travel.
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