I have decided I should really work on posting my travel notes from some of my international business trips. Thus begins this latest series. I will have to do some considerable condensing because my travel notes are essentially very detailed accounts of daily experiences when on the road. I traditionally do this as a means to stay connected to my friends and family as well as to pass the time which can drag on forever when you are away from everything you know for two weeks. These trips are typically very busy and if I don’t make notes of everything each day it soon all becomes a blur and I would not remember much.
My travel is sporadic. When I do travel overseas it is almost always for a minimum of two weeks. The classic thought process behind this is to make the most out of the effort. Thankfully I have never actually been on a three week international trip although that isn’t uncommon for our company.
I also want to go on record as indicating that business travel, for us, it not the glamorous life one would imagine. Yes, I do get to stay in fabulous places and experience some nice perks but I am often in meetings all day long and too darn exhausted later to really sightsee. Often these trips encompass visits to multiple countries so that I can end up being on and off airplanes every couple of days. And it is rare that I actually get to travel with my coworkers so that tends to minimize the type of things I would do as a lone, foreign, female in a strange place. While I do not often travel with U.S. companions, I always have local contacts, usually our international staff or staff of one of our sister organizations. They are responsible for arranging the meetings, getting me to and from meetings, and often try to slip in some sightseeing, shopping or other culture when they can. I joke that they are my “fixers” but they are actually dedicated account managers eager to provide my technical services to their clients. I am for the most part on my own on for weekends which is when sightseeing might be possible except for being alone and beat down tired.
Some of the perks are that we do experience is that we travel business class for international travel and that means sometimes first class when in foreign countries. An 18 hour flight is no fun but certainly significantly more tolerable when you have room to stretch out. We fly U.S. carriers in and out of U.S. unless that is not an option but after we get to where we are going we fly the major airlines in that area. And for the most part, the world of air travel outside the U.S. is a flashback to the days of good customer service. I have had little Asian ladies smaller then me refuse to let me lift my own bag into overhead bins. Yes, I know part of it is being in first/business class but overall it is just better. It is a slap in the face to arrive back in the U.S. and make that last connection through Atlanta, Chicago, wherever and be brought back to the reality of U.S. travel.
Other perks include private cars to and from airport and hotels when in certain locations as a means of secure and safe transport. There are hotels in Asia where the check in process for the hotel actually takes place in your private car and you are then escorted directly to your room upon arrival.
Another perk is the caliber of toiletries in hotels in Asia and they are restocked often. My suitcase gets heavier each leg of the trip not so much from purchases but from stock piling fancy bath products.
And then there are the not so great things. In addition to being alone, lonely, and beat down tired you also suffer from the differences in food. I have learned it does not matter how careful I am, I will get sick. After avoiding all kinds of things and still getting sick on my first two trips I decided going forward to just eat whatever I wanted and I have enjoyed things a lot more. I still get sick but at least I have a larger variety of food to experience and I rely on my local contacts to expose me to things I would not think to order or try on my own. And almost always, at least where I have traveled, when you do finally get to where you cannot eat one more local ingredient you can find some chain food place or order the Americanized food off the room service menu for a taste closer to home. Regardless of that I send emails home several days prior to my return with my list of food demands for my arrival.
Clothing for trips can be very challenging. Trying to pack for two weeks, sometimes with extreme temperature ranges during your trip, when you may not be in one hotel long enough for laundry service can be an issue. And all those flights, having to lug large bags around in addition to your work laptop and supplies. Between food disagreeing with me and hiking daily with laptop backpacks I tend to lose 5 to 10 pounds every trip (unfortunately short term weight loss at best). Clothing for professional females is a challenge overall from the standpoint of what is or is not culturally accepted in addition to balancing professional look with shoes and garments that can withstand lots of walking and permit you to make use of international toilet facilities. International toilet facilities are another not so great thing. There is nothing better, when feeling poorly, to actually encounter the rare U.S. style toilet versus the much more common squat toliet (hole in the floor).
But all in all I am thrilled to be able to have what experiences I do have thanks to my work travel. I have become much more tolerant of travel and accepting that I cannot control everything. I have been delayed, stranded, bags not arrived, gotten sick and had to buy medicines locally, etc. enough that I don’t fret about it happening now.
Stay tuned for upcoming recaps of exotic places…
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