Business Trips are Not Vacations

Perhaps for a junior staff person attending a conference in a lovely city away form their home, getting to travel for business is a rare nicety. They get to try some new food, perhaps even get a 1/2 day or more of site seeing in. When you have a full time job and then some, the occasional business trip is more of a hassle than a good time. I literally have been on work status since 4:00 Sunday not including the insane o'clock plane time, with the exception of sleeping, and Monday nights meal, and last nights  trip to a CVS. I'm not a big net worker anymore, perhaps never was but forced myself in the past.  10, 15, 20 years ago when I first had the opportunities to attend conferences, I really did try and meet with my colleagues, follow-up on connections, and take professional advantage. Today, I pay attention to the presentations that specifically will resonate with work back home, but don't feel a need to schmooze anymore. I'm not alone. Two other Minnesota colleagues after we got a drink, a plate of food at the reception, and said a few, "Hi, how are yous?" retreated to a calmer table away form the noise. 

All three of us, after a long dinner the night before, chose to forgo a meet-up with others. I took a  walk, longer than I thought it would be, to a CVS to get a razor for my arm pits and legs, a lemonade, and a snack, but was back in my room by 8:00, working. Tonight will be a very large group for dinner, so I am pacing myself by checking and responding to e-mail in my room. None of the 10:30 sessions resonated with my work, and my agency. This is a really great conference, but very targeted to a particular sector of the education field, and not the one I am in. I would have been too distracted sitting in a session with no interest and likely would have been doing the e-mails thing  while pretending to focus. A new session with a key note starts at 12:00, so I'll join that. 

Another difference is the swag pick-ups as you are older and further in your career, I do not plan to go home with dozens of pens, stress balls, pop-sockets, Andean beads. I did though accept the tiny folded up shopping bag that always come in handy and I noticed a few of mine are springing holes. I travel with a carry on bag that I can carefully fit clothes for the trip, but it leaves little room for extras. Plus, I don't need the clutter in home or office. I will bring back some New Orleans Pralines for peers and family though. 

I have a lot of empathy for people who travel regularly for their job. My on-line  friend The Hawaii Plan, is on a much needed sabbatical from her, to me, grueling job that involves regular international trips to London and Japan. Don't get me wrong, both are exciting places, or I assume Tokyo is having never actually been there, but when it is for work, not the same. She writes about  landing, going straight to meetings, getting a bit of sleep, more meetings, and flying home. I almost was a flight attendant. I had been hoping for an airline job in customer service, but then they started fast tracking me to the flight attendant side. Thirty years ago I fit the profile exactly-blond, thin, the perfect height  to the range they wanted, and I still spoke fairly strong French. When we realized how low the starting pay was, the number of flights needed to earn enough pay to cover the cost of the uniform, and having an infant son at the time, I bowed out. I never got back in the customer service lane. My point is that I don't think I would have liked being a flight attendant anyway, even if my earnings increased and for all the free trips around the country and potentially the world. I do appreciate them.

Thanks for indulging my thoughts about work travel. Perhaps because this is my last summer with my daughter, I'm missing being home more. Perhaps because I am missing visiting with my older daughter and hearing about her trip, I am less focused being here. Maybe I just don't like New Orleans overall, or at least not in late June. I might just be difficult this week, but I am really looking forward to being home, with my family, sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night. What a whiny brat I'm being!