Thinking Back about Travel

I was in Washington DC last week for a conference. I had quite a few people ask me if I traveled often. My typical response is I travel about once a month... and it really is true... since April I have traveled every month. It's been insane this year the amount of travel... but not insane in a bad way but insane that I've been able to this much. For the people in my same position I travel way more than anyone else... and for that I feel pretty lucky. I've been complaining lately that I'm just sick of it, and that's sort of true. I've really been dreading the travel beforehand, but once I'm there I typically enjoy it. I'm in nice hotel rooms, I get paid extra money, I get to visit different cities and I get out of the office. None of those things are bad. I do get sad to leave home and Chad and the animals... but I'm really getting a lot of experience and I'm getting much better at being at these conferences. The things to look for, the questions to ask, the things I can get hotel staff to do for me, etc.

I am also getting pretty darn good about navigating airports. I'm an expert getting my ticket, getting through security, boarding the plane, etc. I've also figured out exactly what kind of hotel rooms I want to stay in and what seat I want on the airplane. I know exactly what to get out of my bag and when to fall asleep. I also know exactly how to book my travel and complete my expense report upon return... I'm the go-to person in my area for questions.

There are still some I need to get better at. There are times I travel when I'm not traveling with someone who wants to do things, or doesn't want to do things I'm interested in. I need to be better about doing things on my own. Touring the city by myself, going shopping or to dinner or get a drink by myself. I'm trying to get better, but this is something I really need to improve on.

On every work trip I get a magnet to display at work. I'm gaining quite the collection... So where all have I gone?

Denver - June 2009
San Francisco - August 2009
Baltimore - September 2009
Las Vegas - September 2009
San Jose - October 2009
San Diego - January 2010
Indianapolis - April 2010
Tampa - May 2010
New Orleans - June 2010
San Francisco - July 2010
Atlanta - August 2010
Los Angeles - September 2010
Washington, DC - October 2010
Salt Lake City - November 2010 (haven't gone yet, but travel is already booked)