OT- what do you do when you travel for business?

There are a few “musts” I look up on the road: 1. The best espresso places in town, preferably locally roasted beans if I can get them (you’d be amazed at how good the coffee has become almost everywhere in the last 10 years). 2. Great local restaurants; I can’t stand eating at a chain when I’m traveling, unless it’s a good regional one like Pappadeux in Texas. It has always seemed to me that eating at chains is a huge missed opportunity. 3. If I have time, the “something different” place; could be a bakery, ice cream shop, etc. As long as it’s good. I’m kind of like Napoleon’s army: I travel on my stomach.

Catch up on email some TV and bed...my wife thinks business travel is glamarous.  Hotels, restaurants and airports suck after 30 years.

Whatever you do, wherever you are, it is imperative to wear a Michigan T-shirt, even under a sport coat.  

My favorites for conversation starters are "Worst State Ever", "Harvard-the Michigan of the East", or "Water Covers 70% of the Earrth-Charles Woodson Covers the Rest".

Classiest look is just the plain blue Champion that says "Michigan".

I do restaurants, bars, and Mogoblog as well.

Being a carpenter/builder I've only been on the road twice, once to Old Greenwich Conn. and then to Greenville, MI.

Helped a friend on his sisters house a block from the ocean. The house had salt water flooding problems in the crawl space, so spent 10 hour days crawling around nasty crawlspace redoing plumbing , electrical, and crumbling foundation. We were so bushed we never went into NYC which was our plan all along for fun on the trip.

Second trip was helping out a custom cabinet builder in Greenville making high end kitchen cabs for  a job I was working on. After dinner we'd play with his daughters horse with beers in hand.

 

Dinner and drinks. Weekends by the beach or pool if in a warm climate. Went to the movies by myself while on a business trip, I’ve never felt so alone.

As a federal employee back in the 90s I would get to go to many science conferences but in recent years our travel budget has been slashed. The only way to attend conferences is to get your research work published. Oh well, it was fun back in the day.

I have been to 43 states - a lot of them due to business travel and I make a point to see local museums or historical sites if I have time. Last week I was in Arizona so I went to a Diamonbacks/Dodgers game which was pretty fun. From a business standpoint, it goes over well with the customer if you spend some time getting to know the local culture.

I used to travel a helluva a lot, but haven't since the kid was born 7 years ago.  Wife still threatens to bolt if I get back into it, although she just migh thave to deal with the occasional trip in the next few months.  I read voraciously - bury my face in a book from the moment I sit down on the plane seat.  Went out with co-workers, sometimes with the local guys.  Lots of drinking 20 yrs ago on the road, don't think I could do that anymore!

Got to see some cool places and meet some really smart people (some were actually smarter than me!).  But the reading...  I miss being able to read.  Between my commute time and the kid, I literally have no time to settle in with a book.  That takes hours for me - I can read until 3 AM without yawning, but that doesn't work when you have to get up by 5AM for work...  And I always read to learn something.  I gave up reading fiction fluff back in my Navy days.  If you're going to take the time to do something, do it right!

In the past, I’ve usually tried to find local places, not chain restaurants if I’m traveling to the same place regularly. I’d rather have the familiarity after a while. If new places, especially Europe, take some time to explore. Last few years I’ve mixed in running, either when done at the office if sunlight/weather permitting, or use that fitness center. It counters the restaurant diet and likely more drinking than usual.

Pretty much same as you, go to an authentic local restaurant and hang. Sometimes try to see a pro or college sports game if it’s not too late/I’m not behind on a ton of work.

I haven't really traveled for business all that much since I started my career in the last three years, but for the couple of times I've gone out on client visits, I usually don't have much time to do anything other than work. 

Visited a client out in Midland, TX last year. Flew in from Atlanta early in the morning, met at their office for a few hours, and then went straight back to the airport to get home around 1am. The other clients I've visited involved driving out to NC/SC just for an afternoon visit to go over some project work, and was back in Atlanta by the end of the day. 

My department is really as stingy as it gets when it comes to travel. You're not staying overnight anywhere unless it is logistically impossible to get done everything you need to get done in one day and make on the last flight of the evening. When it comes time for food, your provided budget basically gives you the choice of going to Subway or Panera for lunch, and maybe the food court at the airport for dinner. If you do happen to get stuck overnight somewhere, maybe you can swing Outback Steakhouse if you eat from the vending machine at lunch. 

There are no extravagant client dinners, after-work martinis, or first-class upgrades in my experience. One of my friends who works at PwC says he's been treated on some very lavish business trips (first class trips to San Diego, five star sushi restaurants, hotel suites), but that's being a CPA at a Big Four firm where you're working 60-70 hours a week so I guess he's earned it. 

My evening activities while on business (avg 30-35 trips per year, although have done as many as 45 weeks). Married almost 15 years, 2 kids, been traveling the last 12 years. 

- work - I have to either catch up on other work or follow-ups from the day's meetings

- dinner out somewhere; you get over the self-consciousness of dining alone pretty quickly; also, always order a different local beer every time, whether you're in Birmingham AL, Manhattan KS, or San Francisco CA

- work out - gotta stay healthy; or in the mornings if I can drag myself out of bed. I like to run outside vs. treadmill and it can be a good way to explore. I've done that everywhere from Paris and Amsterdam to Atlanta and Wichita

- watch TV/streaming; read a book (often ebooks these days); internet

- if it's a new city/town, walk around and explore. Did this in Prague, Paris, Frankfurt, Seoul. A little easier than many US cities, frankly, where you might have to drive to a "downtown" sort of area. 

- if it's a city/town where I have family and/or friends, try to meet up with them at least once

 

I travel for work anywhere between 5 and 20 nights per year.  Usually for no longer than 2-3 days at a time.  

i have two kids and a wife at home, and generally speaking, I don't like being away from them, and I especially hate when I have to travel on days where I will miss one of my kids' little leage, soccer or other games.  

That all said, because I work kind of long hours, and spend pretty much all of my non-work time with my wife and kids (not complaining at all, it's a good thing), I've learned to enjoy the short work travel.  I usually start the day with a longer-than-usual workour in the hotel gym followed by a relaxed room service breakfast while I switch between watching the news, CNBC and SportsCenter pm TV (which I almost never have time to do at home).

After the work portion of my day is done, I often try to get in a second workout in the hotel gym, followed by a relaxing room service meal (again with some mindless TV), and then, aside from spending a bunch of time on the phone with my wife and kids, I usually end the night reading whatever book I loaded up on my kindle.  

Overall, I miss being home with the family, but it is usually a super relaxing few days.

All of my work-related trips are with half a dozen to several dozen teenagers or middle schoolers so probably not what you meant. Any downtime I have is spent either sleeping or making sure we have the proper gameplan/equipment/forms/schedule/tickets for the rest of the trip.

Also, we play a lot of Mafia on the bus.

I enjoy traveling by myself for work a few days at a time.  Longer than that can get a little monotonous.  When a trip gets scheduled, I generally try to spend 15-20 minutes getting a little more familiar with my destination if I've never been there before.  I also check sports and concert schedules.

In the past, I've done:

Seattle - Space needle and Chihuly musueum, next night Mariners game and Pike Place market

NYC - Empire State building (been to NYC many times, but never been to the top of the Empire State Building.  Went on a random week night in the fall and it was almost completely empty - pretty cool experience)

Dallas - Maveriks game, was able to buy midcourt seats on Craigslist and sat with a random couple who fortunately were very nice

Houston - Astros game - bought very good good seat right before game started

Salt Lake City - Did a tour of Temple Square

Burlington VT - had a full day to kill due to very random events and went snowboarding at Stowe

Silicon Valley - had time to kill between meetings one weekday afternoon and stopped by Stanford's campus and football stadium.  Asked if I could walk around the stadium, was initially told no by a woman at the ticket window.  Then she said, hold on, go to the gate on your left.  A stadium employee ended up giving me a private tour of the stadium. Also, the Standford campus is pretty awesome.  Whenever UM is competing with Stanford for a prospect, based on my limited experience, I assume Stanford will win.

Detroit - obligatory side trip to visit Ann Arbor

If I'm in a random small town, it seems like there's always a mall nearby.  It's hard to find time to shop for myself when at home, so I will do some clothes/shoe shopping at my own pace (very nice compared to having kid and/or wife along).

I also like going for a run outside whenever possible. It's a great way to get a different feel for the place and can help you get your bearings.

I've been a road warrior for over 15yrs now (happily married almost 17yrs now, with children) and do anywhere from 60-100 hotel nights/year.  Never much been one to wander over to a strip club by myself but sitting in the room gets lame and lonely.  I've found that when I stay at the same hotels when I'm on the road, I've gotten to know the bartenders and other regular travelers.  I've had some random nights in, say Old Town Scottsdale, where I've gone to dinner with other travlers just because we're all in the same boat.  One recent development that I love is that many hotel TVs offer Apps like Pandora and HULU through the TV so I often now put Pandora on when I'm working in the room. 

A co-worker of mine looks for things like hiking trails and other 'local attractions' and I always make time to work out, to both kill time and reduce stress.  It's usually pretty easy and cheap to grab a MLB ticket if there's a local game and even sometimes for an NBA game.  I think just walking a new city or place can be a good way to get to see things and a rule I try to keep is - no chains.  I don't eat at PF Chang's or Chili's or any chain unless it's completely unavoidable.

And coincidentally, or ironically, to the OP I am from Denver and still live here (for now).  From what I gather, it's cool to check out dispensaries and try edibles and then freak out in your hotel room.  That's the word on the street anyways ....Angels are at Coors Field tonight, too.

I love exploring new cities, so I typically try to carve out some time to randomly navigate new surroundings and learn about other places.     I usually don't have an agenda - I just explore.   Avoid Applebee's and take a chance on the local watering hole down the street.     

If I'm traveling with others, I still like to explore alone.   I need a break from the work crowd.   I like most people I work with, but work topics inevitably surface during dinner or drinks.  After 8-10 hours in a conference hearing nothing about work-related topics, I need detachment time.   So I often explore alone.

When my children were younger, I used my work travel down time to sleep for 7-8 hours (assuming hotel noise didn't interrupt sleep).    So sleep was a high priority item during travel stints.

Finally, I find that I am often more productive on the road.   The office can be stifling.  Travel often invigorates me, so I go into manic mode and get a lot of shit done!

 

 

This morning on my business flight, I sat next to a former Tigers starter that is currently with Toledo.

Generally, I’m boring. I don’t like staying out all night with a group. Solo or with colleagues, I’ll go to a nice restaurant and get a good meal. If I’m solo, I still sit at a table vs. the bar. After dinner, back to the hotel room to work work work.

Last year, I told my colleagues my desire to go visit all B1G campuses when Michigan is NOT playing them. We were in DC, so we walked around Maryland’s campus and saw a basketball game. The gates to their football field were open, so we walked around the end zones as well. Cool experience.

Warning: Old man rant to follow.

I miss the pre smart phone and wi-fi days. Social interaction with those in physical proximity, in say an airport, seemed to be more common then.  Even if someone were reading a book or working a crossword puzzle, everybody around could see what the person was engaged in.  For example, I've been involved in conversations when I was reading a book (or someone else was) about the book, author, or genre.  It made for a convenient conversation starter.

My kid brother was a road warrior, and his customers were usually located in or near mid-size cities.  He made it a habit to take in a minor league game whenever he could.

My work travel has ebbed and flowed. From 2006-2011 it was a couple of times per month 1-3 days. From 2012-2017 it dropped down to only a few times per year. Over the past year it has started to creep back up  to about once/month. I'm generally happy traveling in the +/- 25% (+/- 5 days/month) range. I find that is enough to make my wife miss me, but not enough to make her resent the time away.

My work is largely collaborative/team-based, so I am often travelling with co-workers and/or meeting co-workers at my destination. Evenings generally involve dinner and drinks at a restaurant with the team. My focus is on going to a good (that might mean expensive, but usually means local, interesting and tasty) restaurant and getting time to check out the town and walk around a bit. I've been lucky to generally have like-minded co-workers that enjoy good food and cities.

Sometimes dinner leads to additional drinks someplace else and a late evening, but generally I am back to my hotel room sometime between 8-10 PM. At that point it's probably been a long day, I am behind on emails and all of my other projects and I probably have an early meeting or flight the next day. I generally spend an hour or so on emails and the fall asleep with the TV on. 

When I do travel solo and am not spending much time with co-workers, it usually works similarly, but I may turn in a bit earlier. I track down an interesting local restaurant, take a longish walking route to get there and then am back to my room by 8 ish, catch up on email and other projects and go to bed.

I am usually meeting in urban centers and walking where I need to go. Thankfully I don't spend too much time at airport hotels or in suburban office parks. Occasionally a tight schedule means I have to eat at a hotel restaurant or the airport and sometimes the locations require driving everywhere, but I am usually "downtown" and prefer being able to walk. If I haven't been to the city much, I will try to find extra time to walk or drive around.

If traveling on the road, I bring a small guitar or portable keyboard with me and work on some music in the hotel room that night.  I compose music for side work and that keeps me pretty occupied.  I also try to book hotels which have a nice gym with free weights in it.

On my way to Vegas this afternoon....

Shotgun Willies

Enough said

work on corporate events around the world..I am the LUCKIEST man alive..usually 4-5 star properties all expenses paid..just got back from 12 days in Kauai and head to Dallas tommorow. I am on the road ALOT and it can be a grind sometimes all the traveling but the destinations make up for it....Downside I am away from home for many football and basketball games and have to catch them while Im working on the computer or phone...DVR is my best friend

I don't travel for work nearly as much as most of you in this thread (if I'm lucky, I get 1-2 work trips a year), and I'm glad I don't. I love my wife and kids and miss them a lot when I'm on work trips. But I wouldn't mind doing a bit more business travel -- it's a great chance to get away from the usual routine and enjoy some peace and quiet (and sleep), especially if you have young kids at home!

Lots of good options and tips listed above. Exercise, avoiding chain restaurants as much as practical, and sightseeing stuff that's unique to where you're visiting are all key. Don't become a veg-in-the-room all the time person; it's depressing.

I'll add a couple:

* Visit a museum (if you can make museum hours work with your job hours). I've enjoyed first-time visits to the Met in NYC and the Art Institute in Chicago on recent business trips. Doesn't have to be high art, though. For example, there are lots of Denver travelers in this thread -- try visiting the U.S. Mint there and see how they make coins. There are quirky cultural attractions in many U.S. cities.

* Do (non-naughty!) things you can't do at home because your wife or family don't enjoy them or they're inconvenient w/the family in tow. Eat food they don't like. Go see a movie they wouldn't want to see. See a baseball game without the kids whining they want to go home after the fourth inning. Someone else above mentioned clothes-shopping. You get the idea.

Finally -- when you get home, take a moment to appreciate how good it is to be home and with your family. And bring home some cheap souvenirs for the young kids -- they always love it.

What happens in Mansfield, Ohio stays in Mansfield, Ohio.

Whenever you get to the Hotel, take of your shoes and socks and walk on the carpet making fists with your toes.

Better than a shower and a hot cup of coffee.

I used to travel a lot for work (advertising). We had huge expense accounts, stayed in fantastic hotels, and ate in the best restaurants. Not bragging -- advertising in the 80's and 90's was the grand boondoggle and we were all so lucky to be along for the ride. Sometimes we'd be away for weeks at a time, mostly in LA on commercial shoots. I wasn't a bar girl, but I loved going out to eat and I mostly just hung out and watched TV at night. When I started working in advertising, I was single, but I eventually got married and had two kids and so laying around in bed watching TV with no interruptions was the ultimate luxury. Those were great times. Stressful, but great. 

Get the travel channel at home, I love to binge watch Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. It’s always on that channel.

I realize this sounds dorky, but I’ve found that I end up blowing a lot of cash if I go out. I will often meet up with friends for a beer at the hotel bar, but usually just enjoy the solitude of the hotel room. FYI I’m a husband and father of young children, so solitude is a rarity at home.

A couple times now actually. Check out the Buckhorn Exchange, Denver’s oldest restaurant that serves up gamey food...pricey but not your average restaurant. Also took in a Rockies game. Also took a trek through some mountains. Also hit up a dispensary. Colorado is fun. I try to have the mentality that I’ll never be back so I try to think of it as a vacation just as much as a work trip.

Big music fan here, so try and catch some live music. Although when I travel, I tend to be in cities that have a lot of live music such as LA and Nashville.

Big music fan here, so try and catch some live music. Although when I travel for work, I tend to be in cities that have a lot of live music such as LA and Nashville.