Business trip or pleasure? Why not both?

I have a friend who is able to work remotely to the point that he can go wherever he wants and is still able to be productive. He has taken full advantage of that perk, and has traveled to parts of the world and experienced things that many of us only dream about. Granted, he’s a single Type A personality, and doesn’t have anyone or anything tying him down, but he certainly knows how to live life.

I also had a conversation with another friend not long ago where we were discussing my (relatively-new) job. (I just celebrated my six-month work anniversary, so it doesn’t seem so new anymore!) My position allows me to travel around the state, and I am in New York City about once a month. I like to travel, and I enjoy my excursions down to the City; there are many things to do and places to eat that I can’t get at home, so I take advantage of them when I can. I always make it a point to sample the local culture — whether it’s food, music, entertainment, or sporting events — whenever I travel somewhere away from home. I told my friend that whenever my employer sends me on these trips, “I feel like I’m living like a king!”

Indeed, for me, I consider business travel to be one of my perks. Before I took this job, I spent about fifteen years working jobs that kept me chained to my desk. During that time, nearly every trip I took was on my own time and my own dime, including conferences and events such as SQL Saturday and PASS and STC Summit. While I still plan these trips on my own, my business trips give me lots of opportunities to experience things outside of my home turf.

I’ve taken advantage of these opportunities on numerous occasions. When I spoke at SQL Saturday in Virginia Beach, my wife and I added a few days around that weekend and we made a vacation out of it. When I spoke at SQL Saturday in NYC in 2019, the Yankees were playing a home playoff game the same weekend, so I got myself a ticket to the ballgame. On a more recent business trip to New York, I went up to midtown Manhattan to get dinner and a show at Birdland Jazz Club, a place that has been on my bucket list for quite some time. And I often take advantage of these trips to get together with friends whom I don’t get to see all that often.

Granted, when I travel for work (or a conference), I have an obligation to put in the work or attend the conference. But once I’ve left the office or venue, and my obligations are finished for the day, the evenings are generally mine to do whatever I want. Take advantage of these opportunities when they come up! They make your trips feel less like work. Besides, you never know when these opportunities will come up again.

I have had friends tell me that at some point, I’ll likely tire of all the travel. I’m sure I’ll reach that point eventually, but until that happens, I’m going to take advantage of these chances to stop and smell the roses when I can.