The Not So Friendly Skies

When I first started working at General Mills I thought travelling for work was SO sexy. Glamorous. Fun. I thought WHILE I was travelling to places like Bristol, TN, Charlotte, NC and Podunk Nowhere, New Hampshire for NASCAR races.


Fast forward a few, but very educational, years.
Travelling for work can be a great escape from the daily grind at the office. But the problem is the daily grind doesn’t stop. So while you are at meetings, or dinners, or (fill in the blank here) the work continues. And so you are in super fun places like NYC (which I was last night) but instead of going out on the town, you go back to your hotel room to crank through emails and stare longingly out your window where you can see the Empire State Building and FEEL the energy of the city but the responsibility to lock it down and get stuff done.

Not all trips are like this of course and there are those spectacular moments where you get to experience a once in a life time opportunity like a NASCAR race, or other event. I might just be bias this trip because whenever I go to NYC I want to move there. And so to not to be out in the city enjoying all it has to offer even for a few minutes leaves me with a pang of regret. But let’s be real.


Even if I didn’t have the daily grind pulling me back to the hotel room, I would have had school work. And if that wouldn’t have stopped me perhaps the pressure in my face and dark green snot coming out of my nose would have. Mmmm…sexy. I’m sure Nate was happy to have a night away from his sicky wife infesting our house my yucky germs.

Anyway, the point is that travel for work is a double-edged sword. Sometimes I love the escape (especially if that escape is to a warmer climate between the months of October and April) and the thrill of going to a new place even if I can’t explore. Other times I want to be at home…cranking through the daily stuff, and going home to Nate—cooking a meal, snuggling in to watch some TV, reading a book and getting a full nights sleep.

As for my less than 24 hours in NYC whirlwind this week, I can only say that I hope my face survives the descent on the plane since it already feels like it is going to explode with pressure. I’m looking forward to heading home to do those things I love to do, while appreciating the opportunity I have to see more through work.