Taking Personal Side Trips

The trip was a “side trip” I had decided to take.  I wasn’t married in those days and as a much “free-er” man, I would occasionally stay overnight in a good city to take in some sights after a business trip.  Today, I beat feet home to see my wife (Hi, Honey), but business “side trips” are still in play for many travelers.  The trick is, to get the company to pay for as much of it as possible.  For that to happen, you need to make the trip as attractive to your boss as you possibly can.  Here are some tips:

1.       It’s never going to happen if it doesn’t save the company money, so look for cheaper airfare, hotel, and rental car rates if you add a Friday night stay-over.  Alternatively if you’re scheduled for back-to-back trips, check to see if it’s cheaper for you to take three one way trips and to stay the weekend in one of the two cities, than it would be to take two round trips from home.  It usually is, and it makes better sense to fly directly from one work-city to another than it does to come home first, especially if it costs more than $500 to do so.

2.       Be willing to foot the cost of some aspect of the extra time spent in your target city.  Obviously, the company isn’t going to pay for your deep sea fishing trip, and they may not be willing to pay for the extra rental car day or hotel either, unless it’s cheaper for them to do so.  Remember, it’s only fair if you feed/entertain yourself when on these excursions.

3.       Don’t do anything too crazy.  If you break your knee or twist your ankle while surfing, skiing, etc, on a side trip and you’re expected to work in your new city on Monday, don’t expect a lot of sympathy.

4.       Keep it quiet.  The non-travelers in your office are already jealous of your “spectacular jet-setting job” so don’t rub in by telling them about your extra day at the beach, or about your excursion along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  It’s better to drone on about how the company expected you to work over the weekend and about how “tough” it is to be away from your house and family because the job sent you to Australia for two weeks.

5.       Keep an eye on your city’s websites.  You may be near a city with a little-known festival or event which could offer a “once in a lifetime” experience.  Some teams have blown a whole pumpkin almost a mile from out of a cannon in Bridgeville, Delaware at their annual “Punkin Chunkin” contest.  Who knew?

6.       Be prepared to get searched at the airport, every time.  Buying one-way tickets rather than round-trip tickets is a sure fired way to get on the TSA’s “watch list” at the airport.  Expect an assisted search and plan for it.

7.       Don’t take too many side trips.  Remember, it’s the exception rather than the rule, and your trip and expense approval teams don’t want to have to roll their eyes and crunch the numbers every time you go somewhere.  Keep these golden tickets in your pocket and use them carefully.

Black Sea Bass is wonderful, especially when it’s baked in a light lemon butter sauce with capers and a sprinkling of dill, and I never would have known had I not taken that extra day in Charlotte to do some fishing.  My best “side trip” of all time though was a weekend in Nice, France; courtesy of the company sending me to do two weeks work in three different European cities that weren’t quite as glamorous as Nice.  What’s yours?