The Reality of Taking Two Young Children on a Business Trip

The drive from San Diego took three and a half hours, a significant extension of the usual two-and-a-half-hour commute once pit stops were factored in. For Varner, the trip was a necessity born from a desire to avoid the separation she felt during previous travels. While she attended press events, including a multi-course lunch and a date farm tour, her husband managed the hotel room, navigating the demands of two young children without the support of their home routine.

Evenings became a high-stakes balancing act. After returning from professional obligations, Varner frequently found herself nursing the infant and soothing the toddler simultaneously, allowing her husband time to catch up on his own neglected work. The couple spent their nights whispering in the hotel bathroom, eating cold leftovers and working on laptops to avoid disturbing their sleeping children. Despite the exhaustion and the constant cycle of nursing and soothing, the experience offered rare moments of shared discovery, from hotel breakfasts to new surroundings. For Varner, the ability to blend professional responsibilities with family memory-making outweighs the drain of a sleepless, overbooked schedule.