4 Trips Down, 1 To Go - Then 4 More in September!

I've been busy this month. That's not just a feeling; it's by the numbers. One of those numbers is 5— as in 5 trips this month.

I've got 5 this month because I wanted to. Back in July I fretted that I wasn't traveling or doing things as much as I'd like. One reason for that was lack of planning. It's kind of too late when Saturday 10am comes around and I'm thinking, "Gosh, I don't have much to do today." So I looked at my schedule for August and filled in the weekends with plans. I wound up with 5 trips planned in August. Subsequently one of those trips got pushed out, but we put another its place.

I've now completed 4 of those trips. Chicago last week was #3, and Phoenix on Sunday-Monday was #4. That leaves just one more for the month of August... and it's a long one. On Friday evening we're flying to Toronto, Canada. We'll be there through a week from Sunday.

Once September rolls around... things will not settle down. 🤣 That's because I've planned a lot of trips for September, too. I've got a pair of business trips, 2 nights each, the second and third weeks of the month. In addition to those I've planned two long-weekend leisure trips. That's a total of 4 trips in September... and I may well plan a 5th one in the next week or two!

Retrospective: Hawk Joining me on a Business Trip

Sunday/Monday this week I flew to Phoenix for an overnight business trip— and Hawk joined me. It was the first time either of us has accompanied the other on a basically pure business trip. How did it go? Here are Five Things:

1) The first time ever. Many times in the past we've taken trips that were a combination of work and leisure. For example, when a previous job had me traveling overseas on US holidays like Thanksgiving, I'd fly out there to do the work during Thanksgiving week— then have Hawk fly out to join me for a few days after for a belated few days off. This trip was a first in that it was essentially all work for me. I didn't extend a business trip by adding a leisure component to make it a bleisure (business + leisure) trip.

2) The first opportunity in 12 years. While this trip was the first time ever it's a particular opportunity I've been looking for for 12 years. 12 years is about how long I've had the Companion Pass from Southwest Airlines.

The Companion Pass allows my designated companion (Hawk) to join me on any flight for a nominal fee. It doesn't matter who pays for the flight, or even if it's purchased with award points. My companion can join me cheaply.

When I first earned the Companion Pass 12 years ago one of my thoughts was, "Great! Hawk could join me on business trips!" In fact I even added her to a trip I was booking a few weeks out. That trip wound up fizzling... and it would be the last opportunity for almost 12 years.

3) Why so few opportunities? Having Hawk accompany me on a business trip hasn't worked out for the past 12 years because the timing's never been right. Most of that time she's been working— at jobs that do not support remote work— so she hasn't been able to join me without using her limited vacation time. And if she were to take vacation time... well, I'd still be working. We might as well both take time off and enjoy the trip together.

4) To be clear, my company did not pay for Hawk. There's no boondoggle here. We paid for her flight ourselves, the little that it cost thanks to the Companion Pass. (And Southwest was the logical choice of airline for this trip due to their schedules, prices, and change/cancel policies.) The hotel cost was the same whether one or two of us were in the room. And we paid for Hawk's meals on our own dime.

5) And Hawk enjoyed it! This is perhaps the most important point to consider: how well did it work— for both of us. For me, it was enjoyable having Hawk with me on Sunday evening, even if our plans for swimming in the pool in the desert evening heat fell through. Despite that missed opportunity I was successful with all my meetings on Monday— the actual point of the trip. But how did she like it? I was skeptical because, for her, the trip amounted to kind of a nothingburger. Not only was Sunday evening kind of a let's-stay-inside fizzle but her plan to go rock shopping on Monday fizzled because the shops are closed on Mondays. Still, she told me she enjoyed it. She enjoyed the extra time together. And maybe next time— if there is a next time— we'll a) arrive earlier to use the pool and b) try not to have my meetings on a day when the rock shops are all closed. 🤣