Imagine this:
?Julie, can you make it to the staff meeting on November 12th??
?Let me check.? A reasonable pause ensues. ?No, I?m in Singapore that week. How about November 30th??
?No, I have to go to Germany that week.?
Pause.
Are you catching this? I have to check my calendar? Someone has to go to Germany? It?s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Trust me; I know exactly what I?m doing on November 12th, where I?ll be, what time my flights are, my tours start, and what the weather forecast in Singapore is for that day. I?ve read three tour books, lined up as much sightseeing as I can, and already have a map of the Metro. I do not need to check my calendar to know where I?ll be on November 12th.
The most bogus part of business travel is that we have to pretend we?re not over-the-top excited about it.? We drum up more excitement about where we?re going to have lunch on any given day than we do about traveling halfway around the world on the company?s dime. It?s ludicrous.
Here?s what?s really going through my mind:
?Julie, can you make it to the staff meeting on November 12th??
No! I?ll be in Singapore! Oh my God, I?m going to Singapore! I never thought I?d go there.?What should I pack? I know it?s humid. I?ve got to go get some tour books. I wonder how much free time I?ll have in the evenings? I?d better add on a couple of vacations days. What can I do there? Oh my God, I?m so excited!
I?d like to do a happy dance. I?d like to jump up and down and squeal like a little girl, but instead I have to bite my lip and act as if it?s no big deal and?that I couldn?t care less if they send me or not. Because it?s work. And work isn?t supposed to be fun, right?
Then, when I get back, the pretense starts again.
?How was Singapore??
?Good. We made a lot of progress; got a lot of work done.?
Not a word about the all the incredible sights I?ve seen or things I?ve done. All anyone wants to know about is the meeting I was there for. I?ll almost have to pretend the rest never happened. That I didn?t traipse all over Chinatown, and Little India, and spend half a day in Malaysia, or go on the night safari.?I?ll just describe the hotel and the office and give a brief, two-word report on the meetings themselves. That?s what they want to know about.
How bogus is that?
Have you traveled on business? Did you have to pretend that it wasn?t the greatest thing ever?
Source: http://browsingtheatlas.com/2012/11/10/the-bogus-part-of-business-travel/
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