Scheduling challenges - WWYD

[twinmomma]

I have earned a free trip from work as part of my bonus package. It's all inclusive for me and a guest to a tropical place. We can pick any week we want, but DH is a teacher, so he can only travel during school vacation weeks. He doesn't get enough personal days to be able to take any additional time off. That gives us 2 options for winter travel, since we wouldn't fly to a tropical place during summer vacation. It would be miserably hot. 

DH's Week 1 is not possible for me, because of the giant trip I plan at work. It conflicts with my travel for that. So that's off the table.

That leaves us with DH's week 2. DH's Week 2 could be great, except that one of my team members is already traveling that week and my other team member is talking about booking a trip that week as well, since she's also married to a teacher. We can't all be out the same week. 

So now I have to figure out how to coordinate this vacation schedule with my employee who hasn't booked a trip yet, but is 99% sure she's going away. Do I ask her to stagger her time off with mine, so we have some coverage? Do I just let my employee take the vacation time and then figure out if I can pull it off? Do I tell DH "too bad, I'll bring a friend instead!" and just go during some random week? I really don't want to pull the seniority/manager card and just tell her I'm going and to deal with it. That's not cool. 

[2chatter]

I’ve asked another team for coverage in a similar scenario and it worked out fine. We covered all BAU work before we left and left a detailed if/then matrix.

[twinmomma]

2chatter, I wish I could do that! There's literally no other division that could cover us. We were a nonexistent division before I started, so no one has the ability to jump in without a ton of training.

[HeartofCheese]

I would tell your employee that she needs to commit one way or another to dates certain by some date certain, so you can determine your own plans. Then if her plans mean you can't go, I personally would suck it up and go in the summer.

[xctsclrx]

Just for the record. I went to Jamaica during August this past year and wasn't unbearably hot. We had a blast. I would not go any later than the first week of august until hurricane season is over though.

I would not tell your husband that you are taking a friend unless he would really be okay with that. My husband would be upset.

[rere]

Just a thought on summer travel. We went to Aruba in June and the weather was lovely. Constant 80s, it's windy so it stays cooler. Much nicer than places here with the humidity. Even when we took a tour away from the beach, we were never hot. We went to Panama City a month later and were sweltering.

[twinmomma]

It would be Cancun, in July, if we go in the summer. To me that just sounds like it would be a miserable vacation. I don't think I would do well in that kind of heat and humidity.

xctsclrx, it's tough, because I think he would be ok with me taking a friend if we didn't get to choose the dates. If the week were locked in, he'd have no problem with me bringing someone else, but since we have some flexibility, I think he'd be disappointed.

[xctsclrx]

If your other co worker has not booked yet I would ask her to work with you about staggering the dates some. She might be open to it. Worse case is that she says no. Is her first week affected by the work trip?

I wouldn't make a decision without talking to her about it. She might have some ideas too.

[erinshelley21]

Is spring break an option?

[twinmomma]

erinshelley21, This would be spring break week. We get a winter break, which conflicts with my work trip. And then a spring break, which is the same one everyone else wants to take.

[erinshelley21]

twinmomma, gotcha. I was assuming it was a 2 week winter break.

[akafred]

Could you go in June? Not as hot then and personally I find tropical travel in the summer not to be as bad as expected because I'm already used to the heat (granted I live in the South).

Or take someone else. Do you have a sister or BFF you could do a girls trip with?

[HeartofCheese]

Can you schedule the big trip you coordinate for work at some other time?

[2chatter]

When do you get out of school there? Last week of May or first week of June could be great. We did Cancun in late April and needed long sleeves/sweaters for dinners out.

ETA: I checked and last June it was only in the 90s one day - the overwhelming majority were 80s. I think that’s perfect!

[twinmomma]

HeartofCheese, Not a chance! It's booked years in advance.

2chatter it's totally dependent on snow days. Could be mid-June, could be the week before 4th of July... You never know!

[sweetptater]

I'd see if your co-worker would be willing to stagger dates with you. If not, plan for the summer. We've gone to Cancun in August for the past 3 years over my birthday. It's hot, but we're in Mexico so we're in bathing suits or in the water 90% of the time anyway. We have to plan our trips in the summer when my mom is off work (she works in a school) and my in-laws are home (they spend winters in FL).

[twinmomma]

You guys are making me not as stressed about the potential of a summer trip. Definitely not ideal, but maybe we could pull it off. It would be a lot less stressful and I could probably even get my sister to just stay at our house for the week since she'd be off too.

[waverly]

I would ask your co-worker. We coordinate with each other all the time. It's more over a large time than just a week, but we always check there is coverage before one of us goes out. We operate also on first come first serve, so IDK how your company is but if your co-worker can't decide and you submit yours first then you get to go.

Of course, I am the manager of my group, so I still have to make sure their is coverage, but I can at least say well I submitted this to my boss and it was approved before you submitted yours.

[ilovelucyvv]

I’ve gone to Cancun a few times in late July and early August and while yes, it was very hot and humid, these were still very enjoyable trips. Just stay in the shade or hang out at the pool bar