Dullsville in Austin, TX. And I'm Busy.
"Oh, you get to travel for business," I hear a lot. "You're so lucky!"
The truth about business travel for most of us is it's not the swank life in the lap of luxury you see portrayed in movies. It's life in 3-star hotels in suburban office parks, dinners at dull restaurants, and too-long days that leave no time for clubbing or sightseeing.
Take my current trip as an example. I'm in Austin, Texas this evening through Friday afternoon. You might think of Austin as a fun place to go.... "Live Music Capital of the World", bars and clubs on 6th Street, great good swank hotels downtown, etc. All those things are true but this is a business trip. None of those things are in scope.
Instead of staying at a swank hotel downtown I'm in a... tired, anonymous hotel miles away. It's surrounded by office parks. I have elite status so they upgraded me to a corner room with a balcony. Here's the view from my balcony....
Hey, look, a great view of a parking garage! And they have a light show. Yes, the colored lights on the garage cycle through a rainbow of shades. Why, I could sit here all evening watching the lights and be only... 99.8% bored. 🤣
All the great eats in Austin? We had a team dinner at a chain restaurant across the freeway. Our leaders think of themselves as so cosmopolitan and world wise, but they're from flyover country. Their idea of fine dining is going to an expensive chain restaurant.
And clubs and bars downtown? Sure, I could hop in a cab and go this evening. But this being a sales training summit, we've got a full day starting tomorrow before 8am. As I'm already facing a two hour timezone change (the 8am start will feel like 6am for me) I don't want to do anything tonight that would jeopardize my ability to lean in all day tomorrow. It'll be hard enough as it is getting up with my 6:30am alarm. It'll feel like 4:30am to me.
The truth about business travel for most of us is it's not the swank life in the lap of luxury you see portrayed in movies. It's life in 3-star hotels in suburban office parks, dinners at dull restaurants, and too-long days that leave no time for clubbing or sightseeing.
Take my current trip as an example. I'm in Austin, Texas this evening through Friday afternoon. You might think of Austin as a fun place to go.... "Live Music Capital of the World", bars and clubs on 6th Street, great good swank hotels downtown, etc. All those things are true but this is a business trip. None of those things are in scope.
Instead of staying at a swank hotel downtown I'm in a... tired, anonymous hotel miles away. It's surrounded by office parks. I have elite status so they upgraded me to a corner room with a balcony. Here's the view from my balcony....
Hey, look, a great view of a parking garage! And they have a light show. Yes, the colored lights on the garage cycle through a rainbow of shades. Why, I could sit here all evening watching the lights and be only... 99.8% bored. 🤣
All the great eats in Austin? We had a team dinner at a chain restaurant across the freeway. Our leaders think of themselves as so cosmopolitan and world wise, but they're from flyover country. Their idea of fine dining is going to an expensive chain restaurant.
And clubs and bars downtown? Sure, I could hop in a cab and go this evening. But this being a sales training summit, we've got a full day starting tomorrow before 8am. As I'm already facing a two hour timezone change (the 8am start will feel like 6am for me) I don't want to do anything tonight that would jeopardize my ability to lean in all day tomorrow. It'll be hard enough as it is getting up with my 6:30am alarm. It'll feel like 4:30am to me.