frequent flier number when you travel. And then two bits of advice that seem to contradict each other but don't if you figure it out:

- Don't be afraid to take a late night flight so you're at a kid's recital or game before you leave. You'll have to do things that inconvenience you at times, but it's worth it to make it to kids stuff. There were many times when colleagues would be taking a 3 PM flight to get somewhere for meetings the next day. I'd get the 10:00 PM flight just to make sure I could put my kids to bed.

- Depending on your kids' ages and home situation, IF you're going somewhere cool, try to stay an extra half day or day to see the place. My last company had offices in Europe so I was over there a lot. A German colleague who was probably 55 at the time and had worked for American companies her whole career told me: "I've seen the world, but I've never seen the world." I asked what she meant. She said she's traveled all over Europe, Asia and North America, but had mostly seen the inside of hotel conference rooms. Her advice to me being young (I was 32 at time) was to take an extra day on the front or back of a trip and see the city I was in. When convenient I started to do this and I don't regret it.

And btw, these two don't contradict each other if you plan your travel appropriately and have the right home situation.