DH's business trip running into planned event

[momofkhm]

DH asked me yesterday if I minded if he went on a business trip - to India! After I made sure this was a business trip (very short) and they don't want hm to move to India, I asked when. (The company got rid of a section of people in CA in the past couple years and some were invited to move to India so the thought isn't completely out there.) The dates for the trip run into the women's retreat for our church. I'd be leaving to go to the beach the last day of his trip. We're not completely sure if he would return home on Friday or if he would leave India on Friday. But Friday is the start of the retreat.

 

My oldest is 15, will be a week shy of 16 by then. For the past few years, I have left for the retreat about 1 or 2 and left the kids alone until 5:30 when dh got home. If this were a local trip or maybe even a cross country trip (but probably not), I would still leave them home. But with him going 1/2 way across the globe, I think I should be home when he gets home. DH says this one family would probably be happy to watch them up to all weekend for us. (They have offered to watch the kids for the homeschool conference in the past.)

 

What would you do? Leave the kids with friends and go? Or stay until he gets back? The trip should be about a week. I'm leaning towards waiting until he gets back or not go at all. But I've gone all but the very first year, that's 6 or 7 years so everyone expects me to go and I already signed up and paid my deposit. Everyone on the retreat would understand.

 

Thanks!

[keptwoman]

It's most likely that he will both leave India on Friday and return home Friday due to the International Date Line, when we fly from Australia to the USA we arrive "before" we left according to time. I'd make sure you had a contingency plan for delayed flights and go.

[TravelingChris]

I know it is a new thing for you but for many of us, it is a normal course of business. JUst do as keptwoman said. Plan for contigencies but also go to the retreat.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

With the ages of your kids, I would have no problem leaving them with friends. However, you need to at least have a back-up plan if he doesn't arrive home on time.

 

My dh travelled to India this summer. His flight on Air France out of Bangalore was cancelled due to mechanical problems, and there was only one flight a day to Paris, The next flight, scheduled 24 hours later, was full. Immediately there were 200 passengers scrambling to fly out and very soon most of the flights out that day were full. The airline had to charter a special flight to accommodate all of the passengers.....24 hours later. Then he found out that the mechanical part had to be flown in on the one flight from Paris. So they started fixing his plane 24 hours after it was supposed to take off. His flight ended up being 36 hours late. When he reached Paris, he missed his connection and spent another 24 hours there. He arrived home 56 hours later than planned.

 

Last year he was 20 hours late when he flew from Cambodia to Thailand to home.

 

Just have a back-up plan for the kids.....

[angela in ohio]

I would skip the retreat this year. I wouldx want to be there when dh got home, because I would miss him like crazy. Of course, I'm not a huge fan of retreats, so it doesn't take much for me to skip one. :D

[Garga]

This is more of a personal decision.

 

Here are the variables:

 

Will your relatives be ok with the kids staying for days longer than expected in case of flight troubles? If no, then stay home.

If yes, go to the next question.

 

Will you miss him and WANT to be home when he arrives, OR will you miss him, but would also rather go to the conference?

If you'd miss him, then stay home.

 

If you would miss him, but want to go to the conference, then go to the next question.

 

Will dh be all weirded out if you go to the conference and he comes home to an empty house?

If yes, then you'll need to work it out with him and decide who gets to be unhappy: him when you go or you when you stay.

 

If he won't be weirded out, then go to the conference.