(nearly falling out of my chair)
Unfortunately not
That's surreal - quoting myself ?!
(I had a good giggle at this one when I read it, I like the sense of humour)
Anyway....Dajop is correct. Travel isn't always as glamorous as it sounds. I can understand FULL WELL where he is coming from. I had a conference near MCY at the Noosa Sheraton a little while ago, and for some of those days, I was working 16 hour days. No joke.
What people don't seem to realise is that as soon as you put your suit on, you're at work, when you're at breakfast and talking to a conference delegate or having a coffee break, you're networking. Very rarely do I get chance to sit down and be by myself, without 'being on show'.
You have to put on 'a professional air' and that takes it out of you, no matter how much of a people person you are. You have to watch that you don't end up absolutely sozzled on the free booze in front of the CEO,
you have to watch your manners, your whole dining etiquette, talking to people, being super nice (and super interested in what they're talking about or researching) takes it out of you. In short, you can't relax and have to watch every mortal thing that you're doing, because you are representing your company and that is really tiring. Think about it - whole deals and corporate alliances can rest on it !
As an example, one day, I worked from 7am, had a poster presentation and an oral presentation on the same day, then had a talk about a possible deal until 10.30pm. By the time we left the hotel, the cleaning staff had actually locked up and so getting out took a bit of walking around !
For the record, I'm an exec in the chemistry field. So some of my job is spent travelling to conferences. It all looks really great, "I'm going to a conference in America, in Japan" - but until you do it, you don't realise that it's really hard work.
At a conference in the USA, I was working from 7am. Breakfast was spent talking with the Japanese delegates. Conference was from 8am until 6pm, and sometimes, until 8pm. After that, we went for 'the water business' (drinks) until 1-2am. Go to sleep for a few hours, get up and do it all again.
That's why I say that I love the QC lounges. I love the nice hotels. I love 'earning points' and SCs. It is the 'sweetener' to sometimes long business trips away from my better half. Like the advert with Cathy Freeman - "I look forward....to sitting down. Taking my shoes off."
I look forward to taking my tie off and changing into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, or shorts, sitting around the pool in 'full relax' mode and that's why I love my leisure trips away too.