Business Trip Woes
My first business trip! I was thrilled when my boss said he wanted me to go to an exhibition in New York. It was to be a one-day trip and I was to bring back brochures, magazines and printed materials from exhibitors in our field. In addition, my boss gave me a list of people he wanted me to introduce myself to and to explain my role in the company.
I could do this! It was an opportunity to show my boss that his faith in me was well placed. I was ready for an exciting experience in, of all places, New York! I learned the hard way, however, that traveling for business isn’t such a wondrous thing and that this novice—me—has much more knowledge to gain if I’m to handle this duty better.
While preparing for the trip, I spent more time on my outfit than on anything else. I wanted to look professional, yet stylish. I tried on outfit after outfit and decided I just didn’t look up to par for New York. A shopping trip resulted in a new outfit complete with new shoes. (The latter turned out to be a big mistake.) I chose to take a large shoulder bag to handle all the materials I would collect. (Another mistake!)
On the day of the trip I awoke at 4 a.m. to get to the airport in time for my flight. By the time I belted myself into my airplane seat, I was exhausted. Also my feet hurt. The new shoes were uncomfortable and pinched my feet. Oh well! I did look good!
After a lovely view from the airplane of the Statue of Liberty, I arrived exhausted, wrinkled and in pain. A taxi trip took me to the convention center. I was an hour and a half early and it was pouring rain outside. I couldn’t walk around and check out the sites because of the rain and my ill-fitting shoes. I waited for the exhibition to open in an uncomfortable plastic seat in the center. This glamorous trip was turning out to be anything but.
I did my thing and did it well at the exhibition and proceeded to pick up a wealth of printed materials, easily 50 pounds worth. My shoulder bag sagged with the weight and my shoulders (I kept changing from one side to another because of the weight) began to hurt with each painful step I took.
By 1 p.m. I had accomplished all that I had to do at the exhibition. I had three hours before I needed to take a taxi to the airport. I walked outside to discover that it was still raining. I was hungry and in pain. Where should I go for lunch? Since I didn’t check on restaurants or anything else before this trip (I only worried about my clothes), I didn’t have a plan. I hobbled to the closest McDonald’s and had my usual fare of McNuggets, fries and Diet Coke. (Big deal!)
After lunch I still had time to investigate this exciting city. I headed to Times Square. By the time I made it the multitude of blocks in the rain to this landmark location I lost any enthusiasm for this site. After a quick look around I hailed a taxi to begin my trip back to the airport. (Luckily, the driver took pity on me when I told him of my unsuccessful plight to see the city and he took me to Park Avenue and a few other places and he didn’t charge me for these side trips.)
I got to the airport with blistered feet and bruised shoulders to discover that my flight was delayed by almost two hours. Groan! After finally boarding the plane, relief was only temporary when the pilot informed us that there were numerous planes ahead of us for takeoff. It was another hour before we were in the air.
It was well past midnight when I finally arrived home from my “exciting and glamorous” business trip. As I crawled into bed I chastised myself for not taking comfortable shoes with me and for leaving my carry-on bag—the one with wheels—at home. I also felt stupid for not realizing that traveling for business isn’t the same as a pleasure trip.
Although my first business trip was far removed from my expectations, I am “eager”—that might be too strong of a word—for my next experience. Next time I will be better prepared...much better prepared!