I used to not mind going away so much. Until my son was born.
In the beginning, I have been known to manipulate my projects in order to avoid trips. But, the more I do it, the trickier it got. And, as expected, there were lots of times when escape was not possible.
When that happened and my trips increased, I talked to my boss and found a compromise. I planned mini-vacations, with my husband and son flying or driving over on the last day of my conferences or meetings.
Some may deem it inappropriate but hey, as long as you are not charging the company for unwarranted expenses and that it is done openly, it should not be a problem.
Turning business trips into mini-vacations is a win-win situation, IMO.
Instead of worrying and pining for my family, I am not distracted and have more energy for work, knowing that they'd soon be joining me for a short R&R.
Personally, I get more out of a productive yet, tiring trip. I get an extended weekend vacation out of it. And we get to save a lot of money. My flight was paid by the company while theirs are courtesy of the miles I have accrued. Hotel cost on the night of their arrival (usually on friday/saturday) is paid by the company. For a mini-vacation, we only had to shell out for the extended hotel stay and the cost of entertainment and dining.
And guess what, I am not alone...
"The economics of it are such that it makes sense to squeeze in a mini vacation. It's always been part of our mix, but we're also seeing more growth,"
» Combining Business with Pleasure from RoadGladiator
Many combine business with pleasure. As long as you don't include it in your reimbursable expenses and do it after office hours or during the weekend between then it should be okay. People have different ways of relaxing (or whiling aw... [Read More]
Tracked on: March 21, 2006 12:29 PM | Permalink to Trackback