Can Too Many Business Trips Inevitably Lead to Cheating?

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While business trips don’t have to lead to cheating, they can provide avenues for people who are already prone to infidelity. The first opportunity is provided by distance. Physical distance creates emotional separation when partners are away from each other, which can lead to cheating when combined with the opportunity to meet someone new.

They are also a temporary escape from daily routine and responsibilities. Some people use business trips as an opportunity to explore new aspects of themselves.

In some cases, people who cheat are dissatisfied with their current relationships and use business trips as a way to find fulfillment that’s lacking at home. However, many unfaithful people report being satisfied in their primary relationship.

How often do people cheat on business trips?

In general, up to 13% of women and 20% of men admit to cheating. Of course, this statistic should be taken with a grain of salt, as data on infidelity is inexplicably related to the assumption that the person isn’t being completely truthful with the infidelity researcher. 13% of women and up to 36% of men reported cheating on a partner while on a business trip, data on nearly 100,000 survey participants shows. The digits are even more significant when people travel to conventions and trade shows, where other people who are married or in committed relationships may be escaping.

According to a recent survey of over 2,000 employees, two-thirds reported that they either cheated personally or witnessed cheating in these situations. The same survey indicates that cheating is only one of many ways business trips lead to poor behavior, such as drinking too much and sleeping too little. These behaviors facilitate infidelity on their own. 42% of respondents said people slept too little when traveling to a trade show or a convention, and more than 70% said they drank too much alcohol.
Finally, a survey of over 1,500 professionals demonstrated a positive association between elevated power and the urge to cheat. This association between power and cheating was equally pronounced for men and women.

Signs of cheating

The statistics may change, but the signs of cheating remain the same in 2024 and beyond. You might be able to tell if your wife is cheating based on changed communication patterns and spending habits, as well as the overprotectiveness of devices. In fact, the most common sign of cheating during business trips is a major shift in patterns of communication, which could manifest in communicating at odd times, decreased contact, or evasive or vague responses. It could be a red flag if your wife used to text or call often while on trips but now seems unreachable or distant.

If she’s only available at certain times of the day, she could be scheduling her communications around cheating.

She provides vague responses or changes the subject when you ask about her day or what she did.
Of course, changes in communication don’t have to mean someone is cheating. Your partner might be dealing with poor reception or genuinely busy. The behavior could warrant further investigation if it is out of character and persists across trips.

Keep an eye out for changed spending habits, such as unusual credit card charges, particularly at bars, restaurants, or hotels that aren’t related to the business route. Suspicious signs include reluctance to share card statements or discuss expenses and cash withdrawals that your partner can’t account for. There might be innocent explanations for some of them, but consistent patterns of unexplained spending cause concern.

Devices are a central aspect of life today, so it’s hardly a surprise that smartphones are often the gateway to discovering cheating. Watch out for new passwords protecting previously open devices and refusals to let you use their phone, even for something like checking the weather report. They might step out of the room to take calls or turn their phone with the screen down when you’re around.

There are also apps that can disguise or conceal other apps, making them look like calculators or clocks. People often use these apps to hide photos, conversations, or other activity, letting someone maintain a secret online presence without raising suspicion.

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