For the last six months, my suitcase has been getting a lot more use than I expected. I recently started a new role that requires me to travel once or twice a month. I’m grateful for the opportunities, but I quickly learned something about myself: I don’t love traveling alone.
After long conference days, I found myself sitting in quiet hotel rooms, ordering room service, and scrolling through my phone. The hardest part wasn’t the airports or the busy schedule—it was missing my family.
So when I found out my next conference was at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, I decided to try something different. I looked at my husband and said, “You and the girls are coming with me.” And just like that, we planned our first bleisure trip—a mix of business travel and family adventure. If you would like to read our full review of our stay at The Broadmoor hotel, click here.
Bleisure Gear: Pros, Cons & The Reality
| Product Name | The Game-Changing Benefit | The Hidden Flaw | Direct Link to Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🎒 Eddie Bauer Stowaway 20L | Thick ripstop nylon allows it to be thrown around without tearing or scuffing. | No rigid back padding so it’s packable but if you throw a bulky item right against the back panel, it will poke you while walking. | ⚡ Check Color Options |
| 🔄 GoBe Snack Spinner | Interactive distraction because the spinning button transforms snack time into a fine-motor game | You have to disassemble it completely to rinse out the crumbs and sticky food that get stuck in the crevices | ⚡ View Latest Prices |
| ☕ YETI Rambler 30 oz | The Lid twists to lock completely tight, meaning it completely leak and spill proof | It is heavy when fully loaded and can add noticeable weight to the backpack | ⚡ See Stock & Colors |
| 🔋 Belkin 20000 mAh Bank | Built-in cable & massive capacity to fully fast-charge an iPad, a switch, and your phone multiple times over! | A 20,000mAh battery cell is physically heavy to fit in blazer pocket, so it’s much better suited for your travel tote or backpack. | ⚡ Verify Phone Fit |
The Honest Reality of Bringing Your Family on a Work Trip
I want to be honest: this was not a relaxing vacation. It was exciting, but it was also stressful.
During the day, I was a corporate professional attending conference sessions, meeting colleagues, and focusing on work. But a part of me was always wondering: Were they having fun? Was my husband overwhelmed? Was I missing out on memories happening without me?
Parenting two young kids is hard enough at home. Solo parenting two kids at a large resort while your spouse is working is a completely different challenge.
My husband was truly the MVP of this trip. While I was in sessions, he explored the resort with the girls, managed meals, kept everyone entertained, and created his own special memories with them.
Then came my favorite part of the day…
The 3 PM Handoff: Switching From Corporate Professional to Mom Mode
At 3 PM, my conference day ended. I would head back to our room, take off my blazer, put on sneakers, grab a quick snack, and immediately switch back into mom mode. There was no sitting down. No real break. No transition.
We knew our time was limited, so we focused on making the most of it. We didn’t try to do everything—we just looked for moments that would make the trip memorable for our girls. And watching them experience a new place reminded me exactly why we decided to bring them.
What Helped Us Survive Traveling Light With Toddlers
One thing I’ve learned from traveling with kids is that you don’t need to bring everything—you need to bring the right things. Packing light means relying on multi-purpose gear that solves real problems on the go.
A few items made this trip significantly easier for us:
- The Family Adventure Backpack: When my husband was solo-parenting during my conference hours, he needed something more practical than a small bag but didn’t want to carry around a bulky toddler bag all day. The Eddie Bauer Packable Backpack became our “home base” for the day. It held the things we actually needed—extra clothes, wipes, snacks, sunscreen, water bottles, and all the random toddler essentials that somehow appear the moment you leave the hotel room.
- Why we love it: It folds into its own pouch, making it easy to pack in a suitcase and pull out whenever we need extra storage.
- The Snack Solution: With toddlers, snacks are basically part of the travel strategy. The GoBe Kids Snack Spinner helped us avoid packing a bunch of small bags that get lost or crushed. It kept different snacks organized in one container, and the girls loved choosing their snack compartment—which bought us a few extra minutes when they started getting restless.
- Why we love it: The spinning feature turns snack time into a little activity, which is especially helpful during airport waits, pool time, or those moments when toddlers start losing patience.
- The Parent Survival Item: My husband’s one non-negotiable on any trip is coffee. The Yeti Rambler Travel Mug made busy mornings easier because he could carry it around while managing two kids, bags, and everything else that comes with family travel.
- Why we love it: It kept his coffee warm through busy mornings and gave him one familiar routine during a very busy day.
- The Workday Lifesaver: When I’m traveling for work, my phone is basically my second computer. Between conference schedules, emails, navigation, and capturing family memories, my battery disappears quickly. The Belkin 20000mAh 30W USB C Power Bank became one of those small things I never leave home without. It helped me get through a full conference day and still have enough battery left for our evening adventures.
- Why we love it: It’s compact, cordless, and easy to keep in my work bag when I’m moving between meetings and family activities.
Making the Most of Our Evenings in Colorado Springs
Since my family spent the day waiting for me to finish work, we wanted our evenings to feel special. We focused on low-gear, high-reward activities we could easily do before bedtime and were located near The Broadmoor.
Feeding Giraffes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
This was one of the highlights of the entire trip. After my conference day ended, we headed to the zoo. I got to see and interact with tons of animals but the highlight was definitely feeding giraffes. The Cheyanne Zoo is a MUST do, if you are visiting Colorado Springs with kids.
Exploring Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods was perfect for our family because we didn’t need a complicated hike to enjoy it. The kids could move, explore, and burn off energy on the flat, paved trails while we took in some incredible views. We did the 0.4 mi Ridge trail and the balanced rock trail which even my 3 and 4 years old were able to easily do!
Visiting Seven Falls
We saved Seven Falls for a late afternoon adventure. It was beautiful, manageable with young kids, and the perfect way to end the day before heading back for bedtime.
Would I Do a Work + Family Trip Again?
Absolutely. Would I say it was easy? No. There were moments when I felt pulled between being present for my career and present for my family.
But when I finished my conference day and walked back into a hotel room filled with my family, it felt completely different than those lonely nights traveling alone.
This trip reminded me that family memories don’t only happen during perfectly planned vacations. Sometimes they happen between conference sessions, after a long workday, and during the small pockets of time we choose to make meaningful.
If you travel for work and find yourself missing home, consider bringing your family along when it makes sense. It may require more planning, but those shared experiences can be completely worth it.
That’s what The Modern Getaway is all about—finding ways to make the most of every opportunity and create more meaningful memories with the people we love.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through the links in this post—at no extra cost to you! I only recommend travel gear that my own family has thoroughly tested and approved.
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