To the Husbands Who Travel for Work: How to Connect with Your Wives

husbands who travel for work: Traveling by plane for work

Let’s face it: husbands who travel for work can be a strain on a marriage. Being away from each other can cause a lot of difficulties in a marriage. Whether you travel once a week, once a month, or once a year.

The good news is that there are a lot of things you can do to stay connected with your spouse while you are out of town. The tips below for husbands (and wives!) will give you helpful advice. You’ll find it useful, regardless of your situation: dual income family, single income family, kids, no kids.

Let me preface this post with the fact that Josh and I have first-hand experience with this topic. Most of what is listed below are ideas that we have implemented ourselves. They have helped us get through any work travel he’s had to do and we hope they’ll help you too!

Effects of traveling for work on a marriage: the traveling spouse divorce rate

ABC News wrote an article on the traveling spouse divorce rate. They found that “spouses of travelers filed 16 percent more claims than did spouses of non-travelers.” Frequent travel can cause stress and disconnection in one or both spouses. That’s why it’s so important to connect while husbands travel for work. It can put a lot of strain on a marriage.

Husbands who travel for work

Husbands, I want to talk to you first. There seem to be so many resources online for wives, mothers, and women in general. So I wanted to focus on your needs and advice first. I’ll address the wives later in the post.

*Note: To avoid repetition, anything marked with an asterisk can be directly applied to wives. Therefore, these items will only be mentioned in the husbands’ section.

Ways to connect before you leave

Here are some important things you can do before your work trip to make the whole thing easier on both of you:

  1. Write your wife a note – It can be sweet, funny, thoughtful, etc. Just make sure it’s from the heart! *
  2. Schedule some alone time with your wife – It can help recharge you and get you ready for the craziness ahead. Need something easy? Try a box from DateBox Club or Crated with Love.
  3. Practice self-care – Taking care of yourself is important to fostering a deep connection with your wife. If you’re not doing well, you won’t be fully present in your marriage. *

Note: #2 and #3 can also be used after the work trip is over. If you have a date planned or something relaxing scheduled for yourself, it will give you the encouragement you might need to get through the trip.

Stay in touch throughout the day *

I know, you’re busy. Trust me, your wife is too. But it takes 5 seconds to send a text to say “I love you.”

If that’s all that you have time for, great. If you have a few more minutes, catch your wife up on what you’re doing.

Even a simple, “That meeting went way too long. Going to lunch now.” text might just mean the world to your wife. It will make her feel like she’s there with you and it will let her know that you’re thinking of her.

Dealing with loneliness when your spouse travels can be difficult

If you get another minute, take the time to write down 1 or 2 unique things about your day to tell your wife later that night. *

Begin each day with “good morning” and end each night with “good night”

And while you’re at it, add in an “I love you”. Even if you are rushing in the morning for that big meeting, you can still send a quick text.

Ways to connect when you’re done with work and back at the hotel

Husband who travels for work at his hotel room

If you have kids, I’m assuming they’ve gone to bed by this time and your wife has a moment to breathe and give you a call. If so, here are some awesome ideas:

  1. Do some conversation starters
  2. Have a drink together
  3. Listen to music together
  4. Watch a show/movie together – You can talk on the phone or text while you watch from your laptop and she watches at home. Make sure you tell your wife when you’re about to hit “play” so she knows when to start it. That way, you get to experience it at the same time.
  5. Play a music game where you each play the beginning of a song and see if the other can guess which one it is
  6. Play a game on your phone together
  7. Reminisce – Think of some fond memories of your past together
  8. Talk about your goals
  9. Talk about your future – Where do you see your family in 5 years?
  10. Start (or add to) a bucket list
  11. Ask about your wife’s day
  12. Vent about your day
  13. Ask your wife if she needs to vent – Be supportive and listen if she does.
  14. Acknowledge each other’s strengths: Husbands: “You’re doing a great job keeping your cool through all of the kids’ tantrums.” Wives: “You’re working really hard on this new project, despite all the stress it’s put on you. I’m impressed.”

Be supportive

Remember that just because your wife isn’t traveling doesn’t mean she’s not working hard. Especially if you have kids, she’s going to have her hands full while you’re gone.

Try to find one small thing you can do to help her before you leave. Maybe you notice the trash is overflowing: take it out before you leave. That one small gesture might mean the world to her.

Be honest and give yourself a break if you need it *

If you don't take care of yourself, you'll find it more difficult to connect with your spouse

Traveling for work takes a lot of effort (planning, packing, driving/flying, etc.). Be honest with yourself and your wife. It’s great to connect while you’re traveling but if you need a night to yourself to decompress after a particularly grueling day, please speak up.

Your wife loves you and chances are, she needs to unwind too and doesn’t mind the breather. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll find it all the more difficult to connect with your spouse.

Wives with husbands who travel for work

How to deal with husband traveling for work

Ok, wives: I’m talking to you now. Most of the advice above can be applied directly to you so I won’t repeat it. (See all the asterisks – that means you can do it too!) I’ll devote this section to dealing with your specific needs and how you can help your marriage thrive while your husband travels.

How to deal with a spouse that travels for work

It’s important to note that if your wife is the one traveling (and you as the husband are staying home), everything below still applies to you. Do your best to take care of yourself and be open and honest to your wife about how you are feeling.

Stay connected throughout the day when your spouse travels for work

When your spouse travels for work, stay in touch throughout the day

When your husband travels for work, you can apply the advice given to the husbands above. However, remember to be flexible. Your husband might have an after-work dinner or need to catch up on some paperwork from the hotel room.

Some days, all you’ll get is a quick “I love you” phone call or text. Hopefully, you’ll have days/nights where there will be more connecting. If you do, allow those times to help get you through the days when communication is sparse.

Lonely when your husband travels

lonely when your husband travels

Dealing with loneliness when your spouse travels can be difficult. I’ve personally dealt with loneliness during Josh’s work travel before we had kids and since.

Obviously, before kids, I truly was alone. But the surprising thing is that I still experience loneliness even now that we have kids. The fact of the matter is that talking to a 4-year-old is not comparable to talking to an adult, let alone your spouse.

My point is that you can become lonely very quickly and easily.

So what do you do to combat loneliness when your husband travels for work? The answer is simple: surround yourself with people. Call your mom (she’ll appreciate it!) or a friend, schedule a playdate (this helps both you and your kids!), or just get out of your house.

I’ve even found that simply going to a store and walking around helps me feel less lonely. Just being around other people can help combat loneliness.

Exercise is another great way to help with this. You can do yoga to help you meditate or go on a walk to get some fresh air. Regardless, move your body and get those endorphins running! If you have kids, include them in your workout. Make it fun for everyone.

And remember, your husband comes back so your loneliness won’t last forever!

Anxiety when your husband travels

anxiety when your husband travels

You hold down the fort when your husband travels for work and that can come with a lot of anxiety. If you have kids, you are solely responsible (unless you have family help) for their well-being.

And if anything goes wrong, you have to take care of it: Your husband can’t watch the kids while you clean up your cat’s vomit because he’s sick…again. You can’t tag team bedtime routines. You can’t go rest if you’re sick. The list goes on and on.

I completely understand because I’ve been through a lot of different scenarios while Josh has been gone for work. His #1 advice for when he is gone is simple: all that matters is that everyone is safe. If you focus on that being your biggest (and let’s face it, sometimes only) priority, then you’ll have a much easier time with your anxiety.

Be supportive when your husband travels for work

Remember to support your husband through his travels. What does he need help with the most?

Think of something small you can do to help him. Maybe you could pack his bathroom items or wash his laundry before he packs so he has clean clothes to choose from. He’ll feel like you’re a part of the trip.

Be your husband’s rock. Traveling for work is tough. Ask your husband what the travel is like. Does he like it? What parts are good/bad? Does he wish he could travel less?

Go deep but don’t stop there. When he’s having a bad day, remind him of things he likes about traveling for work. (Maybe he loves hotel breakfasts!)

If he hates to travel but there’s no way around it right now, support him by reminding him that his travel is helping to support your family. And you are beyond grateful for that!

Don’t be afraid to ask for his support when you need it. Chances are he’ll appreciate that you spoke up and allowed him to help.

Give yourself a break and practice self-care

Ok, so maybe the kids watch a little extra TV or the laundry doesn’t get done. When your husband is traveling for work, don’t try to go above and beyond. This is not the time. It’s absolutely ok to give yourself a break in any way you need it.

Make sure you take care of yourself. What is something that would make you feel better?

I usually order from a favorite restaurant. It’s nice to enjoy some delicious food that I didn’t have to cook. Pick something, even if it’s small, and let yourself enjoy it.

When our daughter was born and I was overwhelmed with taking care of a newborn and a 4-year-old, I booked a babysitter for when Josh traveled.

And you know what? I wouldn’t even leave the house! My daughter was still so young and I felt more comfortable being close by. I just wanted to lay in bed and relax. So that’s what I did. It helped me feel recharged and motivated to get through the rest of the days Josh was away.

Trusting a traveling husband

If your husband travels for work, you might worried about what he is doing while he travels.

Trust in a marriage is so important to have. If you can’t trust your husband when he travels for work, you need to consider why. What steps can you take to increase your trust in him? Would more communication help? Would knowing his schedule make you feel better?

Other considerations

“My husband travels a lot for work”

Have you talked to your husband about how much he travels? Is there any way he can cut back on some traveling?

It might do your marriage some good to establish some marriage boundaries around your husband’s work travel. Here are some ideas of boundaries you can have that might help:

  • Discuss work travel as soon as it is scheduled
  • Speak up if work travel is becoming a burden on either spouse
  • Discuss how you will stay connected during work travel
  • Discuss how the stay at home spouse will cope when they are lonely

“My husband travels for work and I hate it”

Do you hate it when your husband travels for work? Why? The first step is to understand how you are feeling. Get to the root of your emotions.

Next, talk to your husband. Tell him how you feel.

If you can’t talk to your husband about his work travel, you might need to first take a look at the emotional intimacy in your marriage. Here are some signs that your marriage is lacking in emotional intimacy.

If this is turning to be a heated topic, you might need to consider working on your conflict resolution skills.

Husbands who travel for work: how to connect with your wives

How much travel is too much?

There is no right answer to this question. For some couples, the answer might be that traveling once a month is too much. For others, it might be once a week.

The point here is to figure out what works for you and your spouse in your marriage. How can you strengthen your marriage despite all of the travel?

If you find that your marriage is suffering, implement the advice above. It might be time to admit that your spouse is traveling too much.

Remember to be honest with each other and work through this. Great marriages didn’t start out great. They became great because they worked together through the rough patches.

22 thoughts on “To the Husbands Who Travel for Work: How to Connect with Your Wives”

  1. How do you deal with a husband who tells you he’s taking a work trip but then find out that it’s not actual work it’s just meeting co workers and going out to bars each night but also find out that he’s also drinking when he dousing drink when he’s home?!

    1. That’s a great question, Marie! It’s sometimes not financially feasible for wives to accompany their husbands. Or work schedules don’t allow it. Or they have kids who can’t tag along. But yes, I speak from experience that whenever you can accompany your husband, it helps the overall situation a lot! I would highly recommend it whenever possible. It’s definitely a great thing to think about. Thanks so much for your input! 🙂

  2. Like Ani in her post I am struggling with my husbands work travelling. It has started late in his career and he is loving it. I am finding it especially hard as I am semi retired and have only my son and his partner nearby who both work full time. My close friends live far away also and as I work part-time from home it gets very lonely. All our pets have passed on and I miss them so much too, as they were company for me. But as my husband keeps saying we shouldn’t get any more pets so that I might be able to join him on the occasional work trip in the future. I do walk everyday and have joined a yoga group but the days I do work limits the days I can do other activities. I find weekends the hardest time being alone. My husband thinks I am being selfish when I tell him how I feel. I am glad I found this website as I realise I am not alone.

    1. Oh my goodness, my heart goes out to you! I’m incredibly grateful to know that this post has helped you feel less alone! Have you tried joining some other groups to make friends and regularly meet? Or volunteer? Let me know if you’d like other suggestions 🙂 You can always email me at: melissa@connect-again.com
      Thank you so much for reading and for sharing your story!

  3. My husband too travels every month. Whenever I am alone at home I feel very lonely also. I told him my feelings but I guess not all men understand how women feel.

    1. I’m so sorry you’re feeling lonely and your husband isn’t quite getting it! I hope this post helped give you some ideas to combat your loneliness. I’ve been there. I know how hard it is!
      Here are a couple other posts I’ve written that might help you communicate your feelings:
      19 Lasting Ways to Build Emotional Intimacy in Your Marriage
      Toxic Marriage Communication Problems and How to Fix Them
      Conflict Resolution in Marriage: Everything You Need to Know

  4. My husband travels for a month and comes back for a week. This has been going on for almost a year and it is so hard for me. I feel so lonely especially with no family or friends in the area I live in. My family is four hours away. I don’t know what to do.

    1. Travel can be so hard on a marriage. I’m so sorry you are struggling! Find a way to connect with your husband, even if it’s small. This will help your marriage a lot. Also focus on yourself. In what ways do you need to take care of yourself better? Go out and make some new friends or take a class! Learn a new hobby! There are so many things you can do to ward off the loneliness. You just have to get creative sometimes. Feel free to keep coming back here for more marriage tips! 🙂 Good luck!

    2. I’m in the same boat. But my family is 2500 miles away. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here if you’re interested. I don’t know if I should post anything here though maybe author can email connect us if we’d both like to.
      We can be each other support and vent and talk. ☺️
      I get so depressed and this traveling doesn’t help much.

      1. Hi Julie! I can’t give away a user’s email unless she expressly gives me permission to do so. In the meantime, feel free to subscribe to my emails and get updates on new posts that will help you strengthen your marriage! You can sign up here: https://connect-again.com/subscribe

        I hope my post helped you. Feel free to email me and let me know if there’s more I could add to this post and help others in similar situations!

  5. Loneliness is such a big one for me as we don’t have kids, but exercise has helped immensely with that! These are all fantastic tips, thanks for sharing!

    1. I’m so glad you’ve found something that helps you. Trust me, even after you have kids, you can still get lonely when your husband travels for work. Knowing what works for you now is only going to help in the future!

  6. This is such a valuable post. I have seen so many marriages and relationships suffer when the husband has to travel for work, like working in camps here in Canada. It’s so sad to see! This will help a lot of relationships for sure 🙂

    1. Thank you so much! Traveling is so tough on a marriage. But if both partners put in the work and are there for each other, they can make it through!

  7. This is such a helpful post for either husbands or wives that travel for work! Both my partner and I travel a lot for work and we make sure to check-in with each other via text in the morning just to say good morning and then we facetime at night. We also plan a date night when we’re back in the same space to ensure the love and connection!

    1. I love that you plan a date night for when you’re back from traveling! You’re recognizing that you’ll need some extra time together and prioritizing that.

  8. These all seem like amazing ideas! Times like this can be hard but practicing self care and putting effort into the things you listed above can make such a difference!

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