To be really honest about what I need while he's away

How much contact do you have now that he feels he needs to manage your expectations? Don't give him any rules about when he has to message you, absence can make the heart grow fonder or make the heart forget all about him - this will be a good test

Yes but it sounds like she’s fairly clingy

The downside of mobile phones. There is no need for contact multiple times a day. Jesus when I first married my DH worked away quite often we didn't even have a phone.

Sorry didn't mean to quote.

He can and should message you regularly. If he's time to use the toilet, he's time to say hi.

If he wants to, he will.

My husband is on week 4 of a business trip to Brazil - we just have a rule to always say goodnight (via WhatsApp) and FaceTime at the weekends - time difference and work make it trickier during the week although sometimes can fit it in. We’ve been together for 10 years though, I can see why in an early relationship you might be worried about things fizzling out over that time. I think just expect minimal contact as he’s said and just spend the time enjoying your own life to the full. I’ve spent the past 4 weeks getting back into the gym and doing my own weekend trips and outings with friends. Good to have your own thing going on and really you only have 3 weeks and then you’ll be there for a week anyway 🤷🏽‍♀️

He will be busy for 6 weeks so I don't know why it's so complicated, surely a grown adultcan cope with minimal contact for this time?

This. Plus he's only an early partner, a boyfriend really. Honestly you need a life of your own and not to be so needy. He's working on his business leave him to it, he's given you a heads up that he'll be busy. Obviously if you don't hear from him at all then that would be another issue. As long as you're both in contact every few days, what's the issue. Relax.

Only thing I’d say op is with the time difference it can honestly be a bit difficult to get someone. A text no problem but eg a FaceTime you can easily get the timing wrong and not get a chance to get them

Your very new boyfriend is going on n intense business trip and has said he won’t be contacting you much. As others have said a few texts and photos on WhatsApp don’t take much time - and a phone call every few days.

if he wanted to he could.

whose idea was your visit. I would commit to such a trip in a new relationship to see someone is working so intensely they can’t phone me.

You’ve been with him five months , he’s not your partner . It’s not like you are t going to hear from him at all in six weeks , plus you are visiting him .

what are some suggestions that I could put to him

Send you a text or WhatsApp once a day just so you know he’s alive. Any time of day or night is fine - you’ll reply (once a day, just so he knows you’re alive) when you’re awake.

This. You barely know him.
Insisting on a comms schedule at this stage seems really needy. I would consider it a red flag in a new boyfriend.

Why not use it as an opportunity to focus on your own life, friends, self-care, other goals? It's six weeks not six months.

My DP has done some work trips in India and it was just a message or two each day. The time difference is something like 4.5 or 5.5 hours difference. So if he were to message you before starting work it would likely be about 03:30 or 04:30 uk time.

in India it was not uncommon for him to be taken out to dinner after work (19:00 or 20:00 in India is middle of working day in uk) so it would either be a quick message in between him finishing work/ getting out of the shower before going to dinner or a message before sleeping after getting back from the meal.

the time difference combined with the need to spend time with clients means that other things do take a backseat. But we managed fine with one or two messages each day.

maybe you could make sure you’ve got things planned for yourself while he is away if you feel that you may find it difficult to be out of contact

OP- I understand. I recall someone telling me- 'you've only been with him 1 yr and your expectations are too much!'

Our expectations were indeed very different. At about 9mths into the relationship, he went to visit relatives abroad. He was only away 1 week, but I expected at least a text 'I arrived ok'. Not daily calls by any means, but at least some form of contact! I heard nothing the entire week.

In hindsight, our thoughts and expectations in the early months of dating were just different and we were at different stages in the relationship. We've now been together 25yrs!

DH used to attend conferences abroad, but max 1 week. I'd busy myself looking up local museums, things to do in the area etc in the day and where we could, meet for dinner. I'd suggest you do the same. If you are really set on going to visit him, make yourself busy in the day so you aren't sitting in a hotel alone!
Read up on tripadvisor and check other touristy/off the beaten track things to do in the day yourself.

I do, however, feel it a bit odd that you've chosen to join him on his work trip after only 5mths! Why not just have a holiday together at another time when you can actually spent quality time to get to know each other and he won't be in work mode?

Have to say I agree with others that he’s not a partner yet and that it’s OTT to visit him in the middle of a business trip.

What is your ideal amount of contact?

I travel a lot for work, leaving my DH and DC at home. Work travel can be BUSY and stressful. Sometimes I'll get to the end of the day and realise I haven't texted anyone at home - and then timezone differences mean I've lost my chance for that day. It's not that I don't care about my family, it's that I've been go-go-go all day, in meetings, on the phone, trying to meet deadlines and sort presentations, liaising with my team back at head office, writing up my notes - just in constant cognitive motion.
It doesn't mean I don't care about my family. OP I think he's done the right thing to prepare you for his potential reduced contact and attention. Business travel isn't like working from home. It can be super exhausting and all-consuming and there just isn't the brain space to make sure the emotional needs of a new partner are catered to.

This.
It is really bizarre to go out there when he is busy and out there for work.

But I'm not sure - even if it were a long term relationship - why you need to 'schedule' your contact.
I mean, it is 2024. It isn't difficult to have a WhatsApp chat where you can chat when it is convenient for you, and he can respond / send you messages when it is convenient for him. It's not like it is the 1970s when you would have to arrange a time for a phone call, or wait for a letter.

Once he's been there a week or two he will probably settle into a bit more of a routine and it might be you find you can 'sync' yourselves for video calls, but you'll have to play it by ear until he knows more details of what he will be doing, at the times you are available.

I think @CheekyHobson has the best response here.

You sound reasonable and mature and so does he.

Get him to send voice notes - that way you feel in the loop without needing to be free at the same time, and saves any difficulties with time zones.
When you visit, agree to spend part of each day together (lunch/dinner/activity) rather than taking over the whole day. Plan things you want to do yourself while he is working.

Yes, problem is when travelling, the time zones don’t really match up. When it’s morning in India eg 7.30am, it’s 3am in the UK. Evening time eg 10pm in India, it’s 5.30pm in the UK. Evening time for you, he’ll be asleep in bed.

He’ll be really busy and needing to make the most of meeting people face to face, and not always in charge of his own schedule. I definitely wouldn’t plan on being able to talk each day - maybe try to make a conversation 3 times a week? And texts - depends what he’s like. He may well be able to send the odd message but I’d say something like “ping me with how it’s going, would love to hear what you’re up to, send me pics of where you are if you can. I will drop you messages but don’t feel you need to get back to me straight away - I know you’re on another time zone and busy”. I’d maybe say “don’t let more than a couple of days go by without pinging me” or something like that.

AIBU to be honest that I'd like to find a way to manage it so that I don't feel completely forgotten for 6 weeks, rather than pretending to be totally cool with it?

To be honest I can’t see anything in what you’ve written about what he said that indicates there’s any risk you’ll be “completely forgotten about” and required to “be totally cool” with that.

It sounds like he said he’d be pretty flat out but would make the effort to ensure he’s still in touch, but it just won’t be as often as your current fairly high level of comms.

So maybe the most important thing for you to do is to think about whether you have a tendency to over-dramatize and create issues where none exist.

Just see how it goes and if you find you’re going too long without hearing from him (days, rather than
hours would be reasonable, I suggest) then raise it at the time that you’d appreciate a higher level of contact if he can manage it.

As it’s such a new relationship I wouldn’t be flying out, it’s 6 weeks, just text/ring as and when but crack on with your plans back home. I don’t think you need to tell him how to handle contacting you, if he’s capable of setting up a business he’s capable of dropping you a call or contacting you when he’s free.

A good morning text and a quick chat at night, sounds about right to me.

Not sure what the time difference is though?