Like cruising the Internet for a new pair of shoes when your boss thinks you are reviewing sales records, mixing personal stuff with business can be a red-flag no-no when you are on the road. The employer who sends you to Florida for a corporate meeting does not want to see you back at your desk the next week wearing your Disney World t-shirt and humming It’s A Small World After All.
But business travel need not be total drudgery. Efficiency experts agree that if you can find joy in your work, you will do it better. Nobody is at their best when they feel enslaved to their tasks and begrudge their responsibilities. Everyone comes closer to peak performance if they are enjoying themselves. The trick is to find ways to fold the pleasure into your schedule rather than see business and leisure as two competing activities. It cannot always be done, but even the most crowded day planner usually allows for fun. For instance, if you need to plan a mealtime meeting, consider making reservations at that restaurant you’ve heard so much about. Unless the food is so good that it distracts you from the work at hand, you’ll be seamlessly mixing business and pleasure.
If you are going to have an informal afternoon get-together over coffee with a client, you need not do it in a national-brand coffee shop. Why not have some of the world’s best hot chocolate at the Bittersweet Cafe* if you are in San Francisco or cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde* in New Orleans’ French Quarter? Likewise, if your casual meeting is with a free-spirited, fun-loving sort of person, maybe you don’t have to limit your choices to coffee or drinks in a bar. Why not meet over superlative hot fudge sundaes at Margie’s Candies* in Chicago or share one of Philadelphia’s signature cheese steaks at Steve’s, Prince of Steaks*? If you’re not hungry and need to talk one-on-one with a client, perhaps it would be possible to do so while taking a pleasant walk rather than sitting in an airless room in the client’s office.
If you are sent somewhere and have meetings Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, you might be able to take Wednesday as your day off: an opportunity to visit friends or family, sightsee, or go to a movie or museum. First, you need to know if the boss expects you to sit at a desk and work on the off-day. If so, so be it (which is not to say you can’t at least enjoy yourself by finding interesting spots for breakfast, lunch and dinner). Of course, you need to know if your travel budget includes discretionary funds for extracurricular activities. In a tight economy, it might not. While hotel and meals may be covered, overpriced tickets to a Broadway play may not be. If you have the time and want to spend your own money, that’s fine, but it’s crucial to be upfront with your employer about not padding the expense account. Misuse of the company’s money can easily lead to a situation where you no longer have any business to mix with your pleasure! So know your limits and have fun within them
Bittersweet Cafe: 5437 College Ave., Oakland, CA. 510-654-7159 and 2121 Fillmore, San Francisco, CA. 415-346-8715.
Cafe du Monde: 813 Decatur St., New Orleans, LA. 504-581-2914.
Margie’s Candies: 1960 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL. 773-384-1035.
Steve’s Prince of Steaks: 7200 Bustleton Ave., Philadelphia, PA. 215-338-0985.
