To think DH cant come to this

[KatieBr]

So I am working away in London for a few nights (never had to before so don't really understand the rules)

DH said as neither of us have been to London, he could join me (obviously pay for his own transport) but surely he wont be able to stay in my hotel room?

Ignoring Edinburgh, Dublin and Belfast, the closest other capitals (Amsterdam and Brussels) are closer in distance and time than Paris and about the same as London

Whilst it isn’t any of their business who you share a bed with , it is their business to make the most of your time while you are being paid to travel.

as I said in my previous post, there is a huge expectation for people who travel a lot with work to cram as much into every day your away as possible, to keep cost for extending a visit to a minimum. Literally doing 8days work in 4-5 . That’s done by very long days, meeting into the evening over dinner etc.

the benefit of that as an employee to me was that I’d get similar flexibility form those “banked hours”. I’d look after the companies interest, they’d make sure they didn’t question when I said I needed time off in lieu for whatever. I was working mum, it was bloody hard travelling when kids were younger, but no one ever, ever “dared” to questioned when I need to stay off work for kids sickness, or attend a school do, or just take a day off becuase I’d just come back form 2 weeks away.

it’s about trust. And it’s about give and take. If the OPs visit is very limited to set time and guarantees that she’s not needed in evening, then yep it would not make a jot of difference to the company. As long as h&S polciies followed re insurance, fire safety etc. and as long as company won’t incur any additional costs.
but, If they’re paying her to travel and stay in London to attend training, mix with colleagues socially etc outside of normal working hours then I’d be checking in with her as a boss , to ensure she realises if partner going she won’t see him except in bed! (Not quite put it as that , but certainly I’d be laying out policy to a member of my team travelling for first time). If she doesn’t want to travel on those terms then she can say no, she doesn’t want to go . If she’s signed a contract saying she will have to travel and she refuses, then that’s a contractual issue.

This sounds quite patronising, I travel loads and London is one of the easier cities to navigate. I wouldn't personally take a partner as I'd be expected to work remotely on the shorter day or log back in when I got home but it sounds like you work somewhere more relaxed. The question is do you want the company or a bit of free time.

@SofiaSoFar maybe my negotiating skills over my trip perks were just better than yours

Wine depends on your company policy!
As does travelling down a day ahead. London hotels are not cheap. As a company I’d be trying to get you there or back on same day as training so only one night away at max. I was always expected to travel home in my evening of last day, even if that meant arriving on Saturday morning or even Sunday form long hauls
you are making it sound like a jolly. Work travel is rarely a “jolly” or glamorous . You’re there to work, that’s it. If you can enjoy it, if the companies is fine with partner joining you, then great…but remember you wouldn’t be there at all if it wasn’t for fact you’ve work to do. Sorry to be a grouch, but set some realistic expectations.

sound like you don’t want er to come. Just say you’ve got long days, high stress, work to do in evening, and it’ll stop you doing the job you’re paid to do, so no, he can’t come. It’s not a lie. Then tell him to book and plan a weekend away for both of you to really enjoy London together.

Where did the OP say they were from England? 🙄

But you have to clear passport control. Whichever method you use to travel, that adds time. Those places are great. The ones I haven’t visited I want to. I’m just confused why you don’t include London in the ‘cities worth visiting’ list in your head.

I travel to London alone regularly. It's not difficult! Good grief.

But yes it is fine in the Premier Inn.

ha! What an untrusting person you are

i travelled for work for over 20 years. Uk, short haul, long haul, sometimes away for 3 weeks. I certainly never had time for “social” pleasure or site seeing. The “downtime” I had I was so flicking knackered I just wanted to slob in hotel room with TV and room service.

very few companies can afford to “bulk out” trip lengths to keep to normal working day hours. I was expected to use as much time as I could at the workplace and ask people at sites I travelled to to “stay late” to fit in with my crashed schedule.

sadly, I’ve travelled to some really interesting countries and even then had very little opportunity to site see. A bit in china as they are very hospitable hosts, same in Japan. But elsewhere you’re lucky if you see anything but the hotel and office and a string of eating places they’re takin*you to in the evening for more meeting talk.

therew were times, frankly, when on a different time zone, I had to step outside of meetings just to quickly touch base with my family or kids.

The deal is, they paid me generously, I banked huge goodwill that I could call on at any time no questions asked.

but if I’d have had a spouse that had raised questions about why he wasn’t invited, or why I couldn’t speak to him that evening, our marriage wouldn’t have survived. Thankfully he was more mature than you and trusted me and understood what was needed.

men who travel might be different form me, but the idea of hooking up one night stands with either colleagues (ugh,idk) or random strangers (wtf) was about as far from my mind as possible- too bloody knackered and sleep deprived.

😀 you’re floored that someone living in Thurso or Lerwick might never have visited London.

The UK is more than the Home Counties.

Maybe for your industry work trips aren't a jolly but not true for everyone. I've known people being paid to attend conferences held at ski resorts for example. Totally normal to take a spouse and tack on a few days at the beginning or end.

In your company maybe but in the vast majority of others it's fine 🤷‍♀️

I cannot see an issue provided
It doesn't interfere with your work
He does not incur cost to the company. Sharing the room when its paid for already is fine.
99% of employers would encourage it as it makes your stay more enjoyable and safe.

Well, exactly. That’s the point, you don’t have the Lion King as your only option in London. Nobody is saying Scotland doesn’t have arts and culture in spades but to compare any city in the country to London for sheer number and variety of high quality shows in at any one time is ridiculous.

This would be totally fine at my workplace as long as meals were paid for himself.

that said, central London is absolutely fine by yourself, the tubes are very reliable. I commuted in and around London alone for years. I now work from home but regularly travel around Europe solo for work. I really enjoy that time on my own. Depends what you want/feel.

I went with DH to London at the start of January when he was working, he had a Premier Inn booked under single occupancy. When we arrived they just added me on, they are all double rooms so it makes no difference and doesn't cost any more, enjoy!

@KatieBr do you want dh to come? If not, say you've asked and he isnt allowed!

How clever of you to know the company policy. Are you psychic?

He probably reads the Mail and believes London is teeming with knife wielding hoodlums. 🙄

That’s not true. No one is saying that Scotland doesn’t have art or culture but London has considerably more than Edinburgh.

The population of greater London is far more than the whole of Scotland so the opportunities are higher.

do all of these posters FLUMMOXED that someone in the UK hasn’t been to London also express theatrics if someone hasn’t been to Belfast or Edinburgh, or is it just the capital of England that we all must make a pilgrimage to?

Has anyone used the word pilgrimage? I CBA to RTFT.

I haven’t commented on that part but London is the capital of the UK, is the largest city by some margin, and is a global tourist attraction.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume the majority of Brits have at least visited despite the odd “hatred” towards one of the world’s greatest cities from people in parts of the country. I can never decide if that’s caused but jealousy or fear.

London isn't just the capital of England but the whole United Kingdom.

I didn’t see anyone say pilgrimage but the talk about aaaaaaarts and cultuuuuure was all a bit of a sacred cow vibe.

I do think it’s surprising to assume the majority of brits have been to London. None of my in-laws have. Not everyone I work with has. My grandfather has never been on a plane, and has taken a ferry to Scotland but not England. London’s a massive pain by boat anyway.