I love traveling for work, but I do business trips differently now as a parent. Instead of dinner, I network over lunch and get good sleep.
Courtesy Elliott Harrell
On a recent work trip to New York City, I had dinner with my boss. At 5:30, we went to a casual pizza place, and I was back in my hotel room by 7:30 and asleep shortly after. It was a far cry from what work dinners used to look like when I traveled.
My first business trip was a sales conference in San Diego in 2009. I was barely 24, and the whirlwind lineup of client happy hours, fancy dinners, and late-night networking was exhilarating. Traveling for work felt like I had arrived in the corporate world. For the next 10 years or so, every time I took a business trip, I reveled in all of the late-night activities.
Trips usually meant spending eight hours in back-to-back meetings followed by what felt like another eight hours of social activities with clients and colleagues. But they also usually meant drinking nice wine and eating at restaurants that I couldn't afford on my own at the time on the company's dime.
Travel left me drained and ready to crawl into bed when I got home, but I still loved doing it. I didn't know any other way to do it; I thought business travel had to be done this way to build strong relationships with coworkers and clients. However, I've learned that's not the case, and I do things a little differently these days.
Business travel used to be and still is a treat, but I look forward to very different things when I take a trip now. Travel used to mean a couple of days away to have fun and stay up late. Now trips are an escape from parenting and a way to recharge. They almost feel like a mini vacation.
It's a few days where I don't have to cook, clean, or be responsible for anyone else.
Instead of getting excited about nice wine or fancy dinners, I get excited about the comped hotel room and the per diem that will cover a fancy coffee or two. Most importantly, though, I cannot explain the level of giddiness I feel about getting a solid, uninterrupted eight hours of sleep a night when I travel.
With the end goal of sleep, I have changed how I approach the day when I'm on the road. Instead of team dinners, I opt for taking my team to lunch. Instead of a happy hour with a coworker or client, I opt for a coffee break or walk and talk around the city. I've also had early morning breakfast meetings, which I prefer to a late night out, even if it means cutting my sleep short.
By doing this, I maximize the daytime hours as best as I can so that I can get back to the hotel, watch a few hours of mindless TV, and go to sleep. If I can order delivery to my hotel room, even better. It's still a long day, and I'm still exhausted at the end of it by trying to fit in as many meetings and relationship-building opportunities as possible. But I'm able to muscle through the days because I keep what's waiting for me at the finish line, a 9:30 bedtime, in the back of my mind.
Changing how I travel hasn't had a negative consequence at work. Swapping business dinners for lunches still means I get dedicated face time with people, but it also means that I can enjoy a break from parenthood while I'm away. It's a win-win.
