My past traveling for business can be summed up in two words: sporadic and overnight. I would travel maybe twice a year, most times as long as a week. Beginning this year, I will be travelling for work at a slightly higher frequency and will be making more single day trips.

Recently I made my first foray into the world of "round trip in a day travel". I have just a few observations on this.

 

I believe I lost six months off my lifespan from this ridiculous travel itinerary. I didn't travel that far: Newark, NJ to Raleigh, NC; Raleigh to Charlotte, NC; Charlotte back to Newark. I wasn't awake all that long that day either, from 5AM to 11:30 PM. It was like each thing I did just increased the drain of everything I had already done by an exponential power of ten. I ran out of reading material and grabbed stuff off the chairs in the concourse (you will not find me recommending New York Magazine, ever). I ate Popeye's Chicken at the terminal. I consumed lots of caffeine in very small cups. 

  

By some odd scheduling quirk, my connecting flight through Charlotte was the same plane I was on both coming from Raleigh and going to Newark. I wasn't as freaky as the other people on the plane about making airline connections as I knew myself and this plane were going the same place. However waiting on a tarmac in Charlotte for 30 minutes to take off for a 20 minute flight makes the "cargo" a little restless. I do think it's odd to get off a plane just to get back on a plane. Key technical issue I learned - when an airplane pilot turns off one engine to save fuel while waiting, the reading lamps and air conditioning on that side of the plane don't function (at least that's according to the US Air personnel on the plane I was on).

 

I also came to a stunning conclusion about airports - lots of them look alike. I haven't been in that many airports, but Raleigh and Charlotte could have passed for the same place, and both resembled Pittsburgh, which was very similar to Phoenix. My thought on telling any airport apart from another is the food and shopping selection. Charlotte had a NASCAR Shop and a Bojangles restaurant, while Pittsburgh had a Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant.

 

Not that previous week long business trips I had taken weren't much better. Here are some of the highlights.

 

Sunday - Extended travel via a late night flight to some remote location complicated by an understaffed rental car desk and a hotel not having a reservation for your room.

Monday - Early wake-up so that you don't miss "Invitation Only Kick-off Breakfast with Regional Vice-President", getting-to-know-you activities with the same 20 people you've been with before, Monday night dinner with the meeting facilitator.

Tuesday - Wake-up with three pain-relief pill headache caused by excessive beverage consumption with the meeting coordinator.

Wednesday - The traditional "I know it's 5:30 and you are all tired but we really need to complete this subject today so we'll stay here until we wrap it up, beside you are only going upstairs/around the block/on the shuttle" announcement.

Thursday - Over breakfast, wondering if you will ever see your family again. Over last-night-at-the-meeting dinner, celebrating the announcement that causal dress is in effect for getaway day.

Friday - Agreeing with other participants not to ask any questions so that the meeting doesn't last one second longer than it has too.

 

I know this discussion can only go so far. I chose my career and the travel arrangements that come with it. Compared to the guys on Deadliest Catch, my job hazards are pretty insignificant. Would I trade this for flipping burgers? Not a chance. The days I find myself taking solace in the opportunity to fold down the tray, lean the seat back, be served a fresh beverage and enjoy the in-flight entertainment in peace and quiet far outnumber the others. It's at that point that business travel is a small, but valuable, perk.