#88 Travel and Parenting in the Hotel Industry - with Andrea Schmitt

About this episode

Andrea Schmitt discusses the challenges and strategies of maintaining family connections while navigating life as a trailing spouse in the hotel industry.

Synopsis: Andrea Schmitt shares what it felt like to be the spouse of someone working the hotel industry and who travelled a lot. Listen to what helped her keep the family connected, and what she wishes more families understood about growing up and loving across international moves and frequent travel. Andrea is a clinical psychologist and she coaches expat teen girls, helping them make sense of identity, belonging, and the emotional ups and downs that come with a mobile life. “He travels 50% a month” You have a choice Andrea Schmitt opens up about how she managed loneliness as a “trailing spouse” and later as a “trailing mom.” She highlights the power of intentionally choosing her situation, seeking out international communities, and repeatedly putting herself out there to build new connections—even when it meant being vulnerable time and again. “I sat myself down and I thought “it feels like you don't have a choice, but you do…I loved us as a family, and I thought “ how can I manage better? And that's when everything sort of shifted and I became less resentful because I had the feeling that I chose being there” Staying Connected as a Family With her husband away so much…

People in this episode

Host: Rhoda Bangerter

Guest: Andrea Schmitt

Topics covered

• travel
• parenting
• hotel industry
• expat life
• family connection
• identity

Keywords

• travel
• parenting
• expat
• hotel industry
• family connection
• loneliness
• identity

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