Business Travel – Do You Dare To Unplug?
Can you unplug on a business trip?
Business travel has changed a lot since I took my first business trip. Then, it was taken for granted that when you left your office, you would be out of reach for a few days. Sure, you might phone in on an extended trip, or communicate if you really needed to find out something, but if you were leaving the country, you wouldn’t waste the company’s money on an international phone call. There were no mobile phones and very few computers – and they certainly weren’t portable.
Fast forward some 25 years and the picture is different. Now, it’s strange if you aren’t constantly connected. I don’t know about you, but one of the first questions I ask about a hotel these days is not ‘what is the room like?’ but ‘do they have free WiFi?’ But is being constantly connected always a good thing?
21st Century Business Travel
On my very first business trip, once meetings were out of the way, I was left to my own devices. I could hang out with colleagues or take off for a bit of sightseeing. Once I had achieved what was required for the day, there was nothing more I needed to do. Now, whenever there’s a five minute break, I’m heading to the business center or to my laptop to check my email and make sure that nothing urgent has happened in my absence. While I’m at it, I also check up on the main social sites I frequent, as I wouldn’t want to be out of contact for too long.
The result of that is less down time, less time to enjoy the locations I travel to and to appreciate the diversity of human culture and behavior. I may travel more, but I often think that I see less of the places I visit on business. So, what’s the answer?
I think that if your holiday allowance permits it, tack on a couple of days to the trip so that you can explore the town you are in and the surrounding area. Leave your laptop in the hotel safe and only use your mobile phone if it’s absolutely necessary. Unplug for a day, if you dare – it’s one way to put the fun back into business travel.
Tags: business travel, travel
July 28th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
This is a critical tip, with all the cost cutting measure put in place to get us in and out of town we never seem to have time to unwind while away on business. I definitely agree, lock the laptop in the safe and at least get down to the pool for a few hours.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Yes, once the business is done, it’s time to enjoy the travel part
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