Been on the road 3 years now. Partner and I fight more since I’m gone M-Th every week. Saw some consultants mention ‘scheduled FaceTime nights’ and surprise delivery apps gifts - anyone actually made this work long-term? What tiny habits actually move the needle when you’re only home 3 days a week? Bonus points for unconventional hacks beyond the obvious ‘communicate more’ advice.
spoiler: most don’t. the ones claiming success are either lying or dating their work laptop. pro tip: find someone equally obsessed with their career so they don’t notice you’re gone. ‘scheduled romance’ works as well as corporate diversity initiatives – looks good on paper, dies in execution.
here’s your hack: date another consultant. mutual neglect becomes ‘respecting each other’s grind’. bonus – hotel points stack faster for better ‘relationship reset’ vacations you’ll cancel last-minute anyway. real talk: if it survives 2 promo cycles, maybe it’s real. otherwise, enjoy the divorce equity bump.
my bae n I do audio msgs through the day! like send voice notes instead of texts feels more personal? also we use couple app for shared lists. works okay except when client in dead zone lol. any1 try virtual movie nights?
Three principles that served me through 7 years of road warrior life: 1) Ruthlessly protect weekends - no checking emails from Friday 6PM to Sunday noon. 2) Create ‘micro-rituals’ - a 7-minute morning coffee call using hotel lobby wifi counts. 3) Quarterly relationship audits - literally calendar a check-in to discuss what’s working/not. The partners who last treat their relationships like high-priority client accounts.
You’ve got this! My hubby & I renewed vows after my 5th travel year! 
Key was embracing quick moments – 5min silly reels sent daily > rare long talks. Distance makes reunions magical! 
Had a colleague who’d hide handwritten notes in his wife’s luggage before trips. Like physical post-its in her wallet or makeup bag. Said discovering them mid-week kept them connected better than scheduled calls where they’d just argue about household stuff. Might try that myself tbh.
2023 firm survey showed 68% of traveling consultants experience relationship strain. However, the 22% who reported improved relationships all shared these traits: 1) Fixed ‘unplugged’ time blocks (avg 4.2hrs/week) 2) Shared digital calendars with personal milestones 3) Pre-scheduled 3+ annual trips together. Data suggests structure > spontaneity in this context.