Traveling with Your Nanny
With summer break finally upon us, you’re probably starting to finalize your family travel plans and other trip details for the upcoming months. In doing so, you may have been considering whether or not you would like to take your nanny along with you. When presenting the opportunity of a work trip to your nanny, you’ll want to sit down together to lay out duties and expectations clearly so that everyone is on the same page. Please remember that ultimately, this is your vacation – not your nanny’s vacation. While it may be a fun trip to an exciting destination, your nanny will be working! They will be making sacrifices at home to accompany your family on vacation and for that, they should be compensated appropriately.
So, How Do We Compensate Our Nanny Appropriately on Vacation?
Before offering the opportunity to your nanny, you’ll first need to evaluate all of the expenses involved and ensure that you’ll be able to afford proper compensation for them. Traveling with your nanny is the ultimate luxury and for that, it can be expensive. Here are some guidelines of industry standards to keep in mind when deciding if you should bring your nanny on vacation:
Compensate for travel, and cover all your nanny’s expenses.
Your nanny must be paid for all hours spent traveling, both to and from your destination. This includes time spent on a plane, any layovers, and any time spent in the car. Additionally, your nanny should not be required to pay for any food, airfare, room/board, activities/excursions, etc. when with your family. If they are given time off on vacation to do their own thing (which we highly recommend when possible!) they can be responsible for anything they choose to do on their own.
Remember to still factor in your nanny’s guaranteed hours.
Your nanny has guaranteed hours (or at least they should) and should be paid for those same number of hours on vacation, plus their hourly rate for any additional hours worked—including any applicable overtime.
Account for your nanny’s “per diem” fee.
Your nanny should also be paid a “per diem” fee for being away from their home. This rate typically ranges from $50-200 per 24-hour period. This rate is dependent upon the travel accommodations you provide your nanny. If your nanny has their own private room and bathroom and is not required to look after children, you’ll consider the lower end of the range. If they have their own room, but are required to look after children over night, you’ll want to consider the middle range. If you’re planning on having your nanny share a room with a child, you’ll consider the highest end of the range.
Offer schedule clarity and allow for downtime.
As you are able, give your nanny a more specific schedule they can expect to work during the trip. That way, if they are working with the kids most of the day and will also be needed later in the evening for a date night out, they can count on some time off in between these shifts and plan accordingly.
Of course, we know there can be some exceptions to every rule. However, when you present the opportunity of a work trip to your current nanny or a previous nanny, you do want the offer to seem appealing to them. It’s not easy for a nanny to commit to a week (or more) straight of work without seeing their family or their pets and without being in their own home. You’ll also want to consider giving your nanny a paid day off or two to recharge after the trip. Coming back from vacation and jumping into work the next day is hard on anyone, so having those extra days to clear their head and do any necessary chores around their own home will ensure that your nanny is coming back to work with all of their ducks in a row.
If you’re still unsure about how to approach certain aspects of travel with your nanny, our team at Nanny Harmony always suggests keeping open lines of communication during a working relationship. Ask questions! Talk through options and concerns well beforehand! A discussion with your nanny about traveling with your family is a great idea (and you’ll impress them with your knowledge of the industry standards).
Good luck, and Happy Travels!
P.S. Interested in hiring an experienced, professional caregiver? At Nanny Harmony, we offer nationwide placements for highly-qualified nannies, household managers, and Newborn Care Specialists:
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Nanny Harmony is a well-established, premier nanny placement agency, based in Chicago and offering services nationwide. We take immense pride in our extensive community network and in our proven ability to find extraordinary matches between families and passionate, experienced nannies, household managers, and Newborn Care Specialists. We also offer specialized placements for niche roles like travel nannies, and would be thrilled to support you in finding the very best fit for your family. If you’d like to begin the process, fill out our family application here or head to our Families Page for more info.
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