Travelling for business seems like a win-win. You get to see new places and experience new food and customs, meet new people and take in a culture you don’t normally get to, right?
In reality, everywhere you go is tailored to business travelers, everyone you meet probably flew in as well, and everything you see can be carried in a bag in the first place.
A couple of times a year, I travel for an extended period – usually 7-10 days. I hate doing it – not because I don’t like to work, but I can’t stand to be away from my kids for a day, never mind a week. Typically, I get to work with a fun, talented group of people, so that can help lighten the burden a bit.
But the heart attacks – oh, the many, mini heart attacks.
Is that banner printing right? Did they print one of five layouts, or five of one? Did we get all the correct information? Did I remember to wear pants when I left the hotel this morning?
These trips are typically so stressful that by the end of it you wonder if its even worth it. But the problem is that, in the end, the client is typically so blown away by what they see in the finished product, that you can’t help but feel good about delivering. Nobody ever says, “Boy, you guys really worked hard, days and nights for months, to get this done. Too bad, in the end, it looks like such a turd.”
And what do I see for 90% of the time on site. This – a blank room with a computer, locked to the desk, and my insanity.
So the next time someone tells you that they are traveling to Orlando, or Paris, or Puerto Vallarta, for business, don’t say, “Wow, that’s going to be fun, right?” Because it is not. It is not fun. It is work, and not the kind you just clock out of at five. It’s 6am to 11pm, balls-to-the-wall, flat-out work. And then a little fun on the end of it.
All within a quarter mile of whatever hotel you are staying in. Happy travels.