{"id":518,"date":"2015-03-16T16:43:06","date_gmt":"2015-03-16T16:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=518"},"modified":"2017-02-07T23:14:37","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T23:14:37","slug":"tips-for-staying-connected-to-your-family-while-youre-on-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/tips-for-staying-connected-to-your-family-while-youre-on-the-road\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Staying Connected to Your Family While You\u2019re on the Road"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most common things you\u2019ll hear current or potential over-the-road (OTR) truck drivers say they wish they could change about the job is missing family time. It\u2019s not easy for the truck driver or their family to adjust to being away for many days at a time, only to be home for a few days before leaving again.<\/p>\n

One of the big topics for 2015 here at the QuickTSI blog<\/a> is going to be truck driver health. We recently reported on tips<\/a> for exercise and eating well, but is not a solid family life also a pillar of trucker health?<\/p>\n

Connect Before You Go<\/strong><\/p>\n

One easy way to get your family involved with your career while slightly mitigating the sting of having you gone so long is to tell your family in advance of where you\u2019ll be driving to and through. This type of activity not only helps keep them engaged with what you\u2019re doing, but also offers opportunities for history lessons and learning new things, if you have children. Try putting a map up that they can place tacks in to track where you\u2019ve gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Once on the road, you can take pictures of the areas you are traveling and allow them to connect those images with whatever you discussed before leaving home. You can also send pictures and have your family research and identify what\u2019s in the pictures. When you return home, have them tell you all that they\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n

Knowing where you\u2019re going isn\u2019t just good for the kids either. Involving your spouse or significant other in the planning process also helps them stay mentally and emotionally engaged. Not having a loved one around for large periods of time is emotionally draining. When a partner can lay in bed alone and think about all the wonderful places they talked to you about before you left, it blunts the emotional pain of you not being there.<\/p>\n

Connect While You\u2019re Away<\/strong><\/p>\n

No matter what you do before you left, it\u2019s still hard for your family while you\u2019re away. Make sure you stay connected while you\u2019re on the road. Having your presence in their lives, even if it\u2019s just by phone or casual reminder, is sometimes all they need to keep loneliness at bay.<\/p>\n

Before you leave, try hiding small gifts or notes of thanks or love around the house. While you\u2019re gone, call your family and host an \u201cover the air\u201d scavenger hunt. You can still play games and entertain, even when you\u2019re away.<\/p>\n

Some board games don\u2019t have to be played real time. A game like Battleship<\/em> can be played with one half on the road and one half at home. Throughout the day you and your family member can text moves back and forth until a winner emerges. With the digital revolution upon us, apps like Words With Friends<\/em> allow you to play interactive games with your family from your mobile device.<\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve made sure to provide love and support before you left and stayed connected while you were away, but what about when you get home? The void of your absence is best filled upon your return.<\/p>\n

Connect When You Return<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sure you\u2019ve done everything you can to stay connected while you\u2019re away, but making sure you connect when you are home is just as important as connecting when you leave and while you\u2019re gone. Upon your return, it\u2019s important to replace the time that was missed.<\/p>\n

After weeks on the road, it\u2019s easy to come home and either vegetate or be so caught up trying to catch up that you unintentionally wind up neglecting your family. When you return, ask yourself if you have spent enough quality time with your kids and loved ones.<\/p>\n

Asking them questions about what happened while you were gone is crucial to not just appearing engaged, but genuinely staying engaged. Making sure your level of emotional engagement is high isn\u2019t just about pleasing your family, it\u2019s good for you too.<\/p>\n

Are you spending enough time deliberating with your significant other and catching up on everything that happened while you were away? By asking questions and staying in the here and now, your family will see that your time on the road hasn\u2019t made you less engaged in what\u2019s going on in their lives.<\/p>\n

Staying connected with your family is just as important as your own personal health. Whether it be before you go, while you\u2019re on the road, or upon your return, always make sure you\u2019re properly taking care of your family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the most common things you\u2019ll hear current or potential over-the-road (OTR) truck drivers say they wish they could change about the job is missing family time. It\u2019s not easy for the truck driver or their family to adjust to being away for many days at a time, only to be home for a … Read moreTips for Staying Connected to Your Family While You\u2019re on the Road<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[164],"class_list":["post-518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trucking","tag-over-the-road-truck-drivers"],"yoast_head":"\nTips for Staying Connected to Your Family While You\u2019re on the Road - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/tips-for-staying-connected-to-your-family-while-youre-on-the-road\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tips for Staying Connected to Your Family While You\u2019re on the Road - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the most common things you\u2019ll hear current or potential over-the-road (OTR) truck drivers say they wish they could change about the job is missing family time. 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