- by Jane Halford and ChatGPT

You step onto the jetway, passport in one hand, carry-on in the other, dressed in wrinkle-resistant neutrals. The business traveler. A modern gladiator armed with noise-cancelling headphones and mild resentment.

Some people think business travel is glamorous. Those people have never eaten a room temperature cobb salad at the gate of the airport surrounded by crying toddlers and one guy loudly Zooming into his annual performance review.

Let’s unpack the mystery and majesty of business travel!

1. You will forget something. Every. Single. Time.

Doesn’t matter how experienced you are. You could be an elite status-holding, Global Entry-approved, boarding group 1 kind of person—and still forget your laptop charger in your home office. Once you realize it you need to make the professional decision - can I live without this or do I need to find a store open at this hour to buy a replacement. 

The sad part is that in your quest to verify that you really forgot the thing, you will find many useless items in your bag. Why do we keep carrying that stuff?

2. You will pay $22 for a sandwich.

You’ll say, “That’s outrageous!”
Then pay it anyway.
Then realize it’s mostly sprouts and a vague hint of cheese.

You’ll eat it because it’s either that or a questionable energy bar from the bottom of your bag labeled “Best Before: ???”

3. You will be too hot, too cold, and vaguely damp.

No one talks about the microclimate of conference centres and meeting rooms. One is an Arctic tundra. The next feels like a Bikram yoga class hosted inside a bread oven.

Business travel = layers. All of them. At once. Forever.

4. Your hotel “workspace” will be a mystery.

Sure, your room has a desk.
But it’s wedged between the bed and a curtain. The chair is designed by someone who has never worked a day in their life. And the only available outlet is behind a 400-lb dresser bolted to the wall.

Don't even start about lighting...if you have an important Zoom call you try everything to make it look professional...and you fail every time. Of course, always check what's behind you...an unmade bed or empty wine bottle is NOT professional.

     5. You will pretend hotel breakfast will sustain you all day long.

Is it only me that wonders if you will stop long enough to find a midday meal or anything at all for the rest of the day? 

My go to is a huge farmer's breakfast. Not only is bacon a comfort food, but you can last for 8 hours without getting hangry...that's also a real thing.

    6. You will love it anyway.

Despite the gross inefficiency of the travel life, friends or family members who cannot understand why you can't be more present, or the hundredth cocktail party conversation this week, there’s something… energizing.

You meet people doing incredible things.
You learn. You connect.
You finally get a moment away from your inbox to see the big picture.
Sometimes you even laugh so hard with colleagues that you forget the flight delay.

Business travel isn’t glamorous. It’s not even comfortable. But it’s full of stories, surprises, and serendipitous moments that don’t happen on Zoom.

Plus, hotel points.

If you're a leader, board member, or consultant on the move—
Know that we see you. We’ve been you. And we promise: it’s okay to wear sneakers with your suit in the airport.

 P.S. The photo was me in an Uber after being stuck in traffic for an hour in a city I don't know. Thankfully I eventually made it to my event without an accident.