DawnM Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Does his company allow the family to go along and stay in the hotel with him? Someone on this board and I were discussing this and my DH's firm doesn't really say it is forbidden, but they say they STRONGLY discourage it and we have only done it once. The kids and I stayed very scarce during the week (Montreal) and never left the room at the same time as he did, etc... This week his firm is sending him to Orlando. He is staying at the JW Marriott. We do plan to crash his pool, it looks so cool! But we aren't staying with him. Now, one reason for this is because he is only staying there 3 nights and the condo rental certificates we have are for weekend to weekend 7 night stays so actually tacking on days to his stay would be MORE costly, but also because he doesn't feel comfortable doing it. Just curious. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We can go with dh and stay in his room, no problem. We are required to get ourselves there on our dime though. So mostly we only go to Boston and Portland. I'd make the effort if he ever stays in NYC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjins Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We do and we have a great time. Sure, Dad is working and we do not see him like it is a vacation.... BUT we do see him like it is a work night. Sometimes he has a work dinner and we are on our own. Still, we have a great time being away from home. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I don't think there'd be any problem for us with regards to it being 'allowed', but I don't think DH would encourage it for a moment! DH is very good about keeping 'work' and 'family' compartmentalised :D I think it would drive him crazy to know that we'd all be around while he was visiting a customer, or at some big conference :lol:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We can travel with him when he goes commercial but nowadays, we don't. THe last time we did travel with him was when he was stationed in Europe. Twice we traveled by car to where he was taking a class (Oberammergau). I think we may travel sometime in the next year. I would like to go to San Antonio and he travels there several times a year and I have friends who live there and I would like to visit with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thea Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Well, that's kind of a bummer that your dh's company has that attitude. My dh travels--so far only to AZ--however, there is potential for travel all over the world and his company encourages families/spouses to go. They won't pay for the spouse's airfare (although they encourage the use of miles accumulated to be used for that purpose), but, as I was told by the VP, a happy employee is a productive employee and if having the spouse along makes the employee happy, they are all for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Does his company allow the family to go along and stay in the hotel with him? Someone on this board and I were discussing this and my DH's firm doesn't really say it is forbidden, but they say they STRONGLY discourage it and we have only done it once. The kids and I stayed very scarce during the week (Montreal) and never left the room at the same time as he did, etc... This week his firm is sending him to Orlando. He is staying at the JW Marriott. We do plan to crash his pool, it looks so cool! But we aren't staying with him. Dawn Dh's company is very family friendly, and encourages it as long as it doesn't cost them anything. We've gone to Montreal twice with him. I've gone to San Diego with him. For Montreal, the first time, he was working for a different company, and we had free flight benefits, so it cost next to nothing. He never uses all of his per diem, which helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I travel for work and I would love to be able to take my family with me sometimes. My company would never really even know and there's nothing in any policy saying that we can or cannot. Of course I'd have to get them there and feed them on my own dime, but I could certainly do it if I wanted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Dh's company allows it. We haven't gone anywhere with him yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Mine travels. He gets a lot of free tickets from flying and has taken me with him from time to time. I stay with him in his room. We haven't taken any of the kids. It's "our" time :). He works and I sleep in! I will go for walks, enjoy free coffee and sometimes free brunch or continental breakfast... It's never a secret, we've never been told it's not okay, and dh always gets his work done! We love to go out at night for a nice dinner... Sometimes we take an extra day at the end (at our own expense) to do something touristy... like when we spent a week together in San Diego we went to the zoo before heading home... and once we spent a few days at a resort (he was actually working on the crane for the building of a nearby resort and his company had a time share at the resort... it was lovely!) and we went zip-lining! He drives around our state often and I've gone with him a couple of times to keep him company during the long drive and find ways to amuse myself while he works... and a few times he stops in at my parents' to visit because he is working near them (they are 7 hours away) and they'll go out to eat, etc. Anyway, it's just never been a problem with dh's company and he's never submitted receipts for anything personal. He has a solid reputation for saving his company money, so that's good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 My DH's company has the same take as yours. I've never done it, though we seriously considered it when he got sent to Vegas for a week. I am NOT allowed to go on the annual cruise. Don't get me started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We've never gone with him, but the feeling we have is that we can. DH is going to Ft Lauderdale in Dece,ber and I was teasing him about being left here in the cold. We looked into it - staying with him and going to Disney (3 hours) or going to Key West (also 3 hours). What finally solved the question was that flights down would be $800 for the other 4 of us. So no, we aren't going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam L in Mid Tenn Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I've never flown on a plane with dh for a work trip. But I have rode on driving trips with him. Kids and I just piled up in the hotel room. One time the client he was meeting with paid for a second hotel room for the kids. Most companies do not mind if families travel, as long as they do not pay for anything extra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Does his company allow the family to go along and stay in the hotel with him? Someone on this board and I were discussing this and my DH's firm doesn't really say it is forbidden, but they say they STRONGLY discourage it and we have only done it once. The kids and I stayed very scarce during the week (Montreal) and never left the room at the same time as he did, etc... This week his firm is sending him to Orlando. He is staying at the JW Marriott. We do plan to crash his pool, it looks so cool! But we aren't staying with him. Now, one reason for this is because he is only staying there 3 nights and the condo rental certificates we have are for weekend to weekend 7 night stays so actually tacking on days to his stay would be MORE costly, but also because he doesn't feel comfortable doing it. Just curious. Dawn we can and do stay in DH's room all the time; but we have to take a POV as we can not be in his company car or any car he rents for work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We've done it for years. Dh often tacks on a couple of vacation days to the end of a trip so we can stay and do some things as a family. The kids have some fun memories from those trips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKidAcademy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Yes, we go with DH when he travels. In fact, he and DS10 are going to OKC this week for 4 days. We stay in his room but pay for our meals separately (his on company card). The difference is that DH is working during the travel - he's a corporate pilot. Once he's on the ground and the plane is put to bed, he is free to do as he pleases. So our going with him depends on who the passenger is. Most don't mind us tagging along; the one won't allow it. DS goes quite often. I only go if I'm specifically invited (usually because they will be gone for an extended time). We are very blessed indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 My DH's company has the same take as yours. I've never done it, though we seriously considered it when he got sent to Vegas for a week. I am NOT allowed to go on the annual cruise. Don't get me started. That is NUTS! I would think that if he is required to be on the cruise they should pay him 24/7 for every day that he is away from home if he can't take you with him. My DH was sent to London and Switzerland and both times I could go with him as long as we paid transportation. He has a daily stipend that he gets whether he uses it or not, so we could have used that for my incidentals as well as his since it is generous, but anything extra was of course on us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We could definitely go as long as we paid for our own transportation. My husband is in Boston this week! Wish we were there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Dh's company is amenable to it in most instances. Sometimes he attends conferences where he needs to do dinners, etc. after the main portion of the day. He works for a very small company (30ish employees) and spouses travel fairly regularly on big trips (South Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc.). We can't afford airfare for 4 of us right now though (DH's would obviously be covered). When my kids are a bit older, I plan to travel with DH a bit when possible. Sometimes they share rooms at a conference, but DH's new manager thinks everyone should have a place to retreat to at the end of the day. DH asked about us going to Boston with him in a few weeks, and his manager said absolutely, we'll book 2 rooms (one for manager, one for our family, vs. the two of them sharing). Dh's company is really family-friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We can go if we pay for our own plane tickets. Dh's company picks up our hotel and most of our meals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 My husband travels a lot for his job. His company feels that if the family is happy the husband will probably be a better employee and more productive. We are encouraged to accompany husband when we can. We have gone on many trips over the years. Unfortunately the kids have a lot of activities that make it difficult to take the time off to go with dh now. God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 DH's company is the Army so we don't really want to go most of the places he travels to. :lol: When we do want to go somewhere, like if he goes someplace nice for TDY, we can go. We actually packed up and moved to AL with him for two months when he was completing a school two years ago. We're apart enough as it is without being apart when we can choose to be together. It was quite an adventure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 I hear Bagdad is beautiful this time of year! :D Or maybe a nice Kuwaiti cruise down to Bahrain? Dawn DH's company is the Army so we don't really want to go most of the places he travels to. :lol: When we do want to go somewhere, like if he goes someplace nice for TDY, we can go. We actually packed up and moved to AL with him for two months when he was completing a school two years ago. We're apart enough as it is without being apart when we can choose to be together. It was quite an adventure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Yes, we can go and stay in the same room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhudson Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Yes, we can go. Much the same as others, we have to get ourselves there and pay for meals but he gets to keep his frequent flier miles so that helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Well, as dh owns the company, the answer is yes!:D He rarely travels without us. He's fine with employees traveling with family, but he does most of the traveling so it is rarely an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Interesting to see different policies. Now, one thing I will say is that they ARE covering all of our gas to get there and back. The policy says that if you drive or get your own transportation, you get reimbursed the cost of a plane ticket even if you don't use it. So, that will cover our gas pretty much for the entire trip. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) dh's work encourages the spouse and/or family to go. But, dh doesn't travel real often. Maybe a dozen times a year, give or take. This is one of the reasons we originally homeschooled. A friend's company has an official policy against it. His job requires constant travel. Edited October 31, 2011 by snickelfritz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Well, it used to be fine. My dh works for a university and travels often. His work was totally fine with use staying in his hotel room if we covered our own travel. He always asked HR before we did it and they were always fine with it. In fact, they were downright supportive of the idea. But, since the financial downturn, he is no longer permitted a single room when traveling. If he is presenting at a conference he is expected to reach out to others at different universities and find someone to split a room. Sometimes he does get sent on his own to represent the university so I guess then there wouldn't be a problem, but we haven't bothered. Now, they have made it clear that if he wants to bring family he still may, but, the university will only cover half the room. He is always in a major city and we cannot afford half of a 200$ per night room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 But, since the financial downturn, he is no longer permitted a single room when traveling. If he is presenting at a conference he is expected to reach out to others at different universities and find someone to split a room. Sometimes he does get sent on his own to represent the university so I guess then there wouldn't be a problem, but we haven't bothered. Wow! I have never heard of employees being expected to share rooms!!! I can't even imagine how that would go over at dh's work. They'd probably have employees refusing to travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 For my dh's companies it was never, ever an issue. It's one reason our children have been able to travel so frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 No, we're not allowed to go. He doesn't travel too often, though. Once every 6 -8 weeks or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I'm really surprised by the number of people saying it's not allowed. I don't get that at all. When we go with dh, it does not interfere with his work (usually classes or conferences), and doesn't cost the company more money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 My dh travels and we sometimes go with him. His company doesn't have a policy one way or the other, but we've never asked or told. If we go, we keep our meal costs and travel costs separate. The one place he goes that we go with him, he stays in a suite anyway that accommodates all of us so we stay there with him and it doesn't cost his company any extra. If we go on a weekend in order to have more time, we pay for the extra days ourselves. If we ever go somewhere that would require a second room or larger room, we would pay the difference. Even at all that, though, dh prefers to keep his boss out of it, just in case. I imagine he'd be fine with it given how we handle it, and honestly he probably realizes because if we tag along, we drive rather than fly. It's one of the best perks of home schooling while he has this job and I hope we are able to keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) My dh travels and we sometimes go with him. His company doesn't have a policy one way or the other, but we've never asked or told. If we go, we keep our meal costs and travel costs separate. The one place he goes that we go with him, he stays in a suite anyway that accommodates all of us so we stay there with him and it doesn't cost his company any extra. If we go on a weekend in order to have more time, we pay for the extra days ourselves. If we ever go somewhere that would require a second room or larger room, we would pay the difference. Even at all that, though, dh prefers to keep his boss out of it, just in case. I imagine he'd be fine with it given how we handle it, and honestly he probably realizes because if we tag along, we drive rather than fly. It's one of the best perks of home schooling while he has this job and I hope we are able to keep it up. Yes. The sharing a room is one thing, adding in meal and travel costs for the family? Probably company theft. Big difference. Edited November 2, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Yes. The sharing a room is one thing, adding in meals and travel for family? Theft. Big difference. I don't know how other companies work but every company dh has worked for gives per diem, an amount per day, for expenses other than hotel and car rental. Receipts are not turned in. You get the amount, regardless of whether you go over or under. If we don't go, he ends up "making" money because he doesn't spend all of his per diem. If we go, then there isn't leftover, and we pay some out of pocket. Not theft, as he'd be getting the money regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 No. The company only pays for a single room ie - one bed and the motels here require you to have a bed for every person (well not couples obviously ;)) Also I would have to drive our car because all our kids are in car seats. If DH ever ended up in a place with enough beds I'm sure he would call and tell us to come right over but that hasn't happened yet. Most of his trips are only overnight too so there is not much use going if we have to be out of the room by 10 am the next day :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) I don't know how other companies work but every company dh has worked for gives per diem, an amount per day, for expenses other than hotel and car rental. Receipts are not turned in. You get the amount, regardless of whether you go over or under. If we don't go, he ends up "making" money because he doesn't spend all of his per diem. If we go, then there isn't leftover, and we pay some out of pocket. Not theft, as he'd be getting the money regardless. Oh, I understand what you're saying! It's a bit different for us. My dh has to report travel expenses. If he meeting with/entertaining/ feeding clients etc, it's recorded on his expense report with detailed recipets. He has a company credit card, and it's not always possible to predict what a meal or outing with clients will cost. (He does have a limit on what he can spend on a hotel room. No 5 stars for regular work, for instance.) If my dh tried to pass off family meals as client meals, that would be theft. Sharing a room is one thing, but using company money to feed me or the kids, no. Edited November 2, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 My dh has to report travel expenses. If he is certain feeding clients etc, it's recorded on his expense report. He has a company credit card, because there are not predictable per diem costs. (He does have a limit on what he can spend on a hotel room. No 5 stars for regular work, for instance.) If my dh tried to pass off family meals as client meals, that would be theft. We would never do that. Sharing a room is one thing, but using company money to feed me or the kids, no. Dh is usually the client (if it's not a conference)... and when they find out I'm with him (not often), they invite me too. If we take the kids, we pay for the room upgrade. Usually, the hotel will just bill us separately for that part but his current company is fine with us just telling them, and subtracting it out of his reimbursement if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairyMom Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I'm very surprised by the posters' companies saying it's not allowed also. I travel for work and my dh brings the girls along on most of my trips. My manager knows it, the hotels know it, and my colleagues know. If it doesn't interfere with your work, your down time is your down time, not the company's. "Discouraged" is different from "not allowed." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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