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Holding the Fort AbroadThe podcast for expats with travelling partners Author: Rhoda Bangerter
Holding the Fort Abroad is the podcast for expats with travelling partners. Discover how families find creative ways to maintain relationships when one partner/parent works away more frequently, whilst the non-travelling parent juggles responsibilities at home amid their own pursuits. Through deep and often humorous conversations, my guests - experienced expats, therapists and researchers share their wisdom with us all. Even without a travelling partner, youll find valuable gifts here for your life abroad. Find out more... Language: en Genres: Places & Travel, Relationships, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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#98 Travelling Dads: Benefits, Challenges and Agency - with Rhoda Bangerter
Episode 98
Monday, 29 June, 2026
Episode takeaways Frequent Business Travel, International Business Travel often comes with the job, with higher responsibilities often comes need to travel, eg regional managerYou may be leaving home for 3 weeks here or there, or 3 weeks a year. 90+/ year or 200+/yearIf you are a frequent business traveller or have been one and have a story to tell, please contact me at rhoda@amulticulturallife.com. We can talk on or off the record.1.Benefits of Frequent Business Travel For travellercareer satisfactioncareer development and advancement‘change, novelty and pleasure’Creating global networks and benefits for the company in terms of knowledge transferFor familyMore intentional times together,Time to do pursue own projectsReflection: What do you find as FBT benefits for you and for your family? 2. ChallengesCouple challenges and marital strainParenting; guilt, loss of connection, role strain UN Dad storyICAN model: Blog Distance Parenting: How the ICAN Model Helps Families Stay Connected When One Parent Travels - Rhoda BangerterWatch Being Gordon Ramsay | Netflix Official SiteHe makes a point of being an involved dad when he is home. You see him playing with his younger children, doing the school run and ringing in from a rooftop for a wedding planning conversation with their eldest.One of his adult daughters says "I know I can text him, call him any time"It's hard to leave. As he prepares to go for 6 weeks, he acknowledges how much he is going to miss his family. "Being away from home is tough"At one point his child says 'I'm going to miss you' and he replies 'me too'. It's a beautiful way of validating a child's feelingsThey always involved their kids in what he was doing "instead of it being a totally separate life".Reflection: A great question to ask ourselves is :'Are there ways we can involve our kids in our work?'Your bodyReflection: Have you thought about what frequent work travel is doing to your body?For #InternationalBusinessTravellers (IBTs), #FrequentBusinessTravellers (FBTs), #RotationalWorkers, #Flexpatriates, and anyone whose work regularly crosses borders, #travel is part of daily life.But it also creates a unique set of demands:✈️ disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms✈️ repeated time-zone changes✈️ long periods sitting✈️ irregular meals and routines✈️ increased stress and reduced recovery time✈️ exposure to unfamiliar environments✈️ higher cumulative exposure to cosmic radiation at altitudeThis isn't to scare anyone. It is to highlight the need to take a closer look at what impact frequent travel might have, keep track of its effects in order to put things in place that will mitigate them.Many of my blogs, resources and podcast episodes are from the home-based parent's point of view, but as I am preparing an episode from the traveller's point of view, I have also come across https://superpower.com They offer a yearly membership for 100+ biomarkers for prevention. A combination of AI and a team of doctors interpret markers such as;🔺 inflammation and recovery🔺 metabolic health🔺 cardiovascular risk🔺 nutrient levels🔺 energy and resilienceAll markers that can be affected by frequent travel.For those of us who support #globallymobileprofessionals and families, perhaps we need to expand the conversation about mobility. It is not only about relocation support, cultural adaptation, and resilience. It is also about sustaining the person who is doing the travelling because a successful global career should not come at the expense of long-term health.3. You have more agency than you thinkYou may have more agency than you realise in shaping how travel impacts you and your family.avoiding back-to-back trips where possibletravelling on a Monday rather than Sundayprotecting transition daysresisting the temptation to overload calendars before and after travel.While organisational demands may limit flexibility, proactively managing the parts within your control can help create a more sustainable rhythm between work, travel, and life at home.Reflection; How much leeway do you have? How much of the calendar is put in by you? What can you do that would help? Contact Rhoda: rhoda@amulticulturallife.comReceive news regularly on new episodes of HTFA Podcast and on new events and resources. Subscribe to my newsletter.Buy the book: Holding the Fort AbroadYour partner's job opportunity in another country seemed like an exciting idea, but lengthy work assignments mean you're holding down the family fort - alone.OR Your partner is working and living in another country, and you feel like you are shouldering all the home responsibilities alone.You may be wondering:How can we be a family when we're miles apart?Can I cope, alone, when troubles arise?I believe there are answers to the above questions, and the answers start with you. In this context, it's more important than ever to invest in yourself, to care for yourself, to set your own goals and to watch yourself grow. Equally important is to nurture your relationship with your partner and learn to parent together.
