How to turn a business trip
into an outdoor adventure
(with out getting fired!)
(If you have to travel,
why not have a bit of fun at it?)
(home)
Ssoon after entering
the business world I discovered that numerous trips to various parts of
the country were required to get the job done. Oh, I tried to weasel
out of these trips, since they took me away from home and my favorite fishing
spots, but I was unsuccessful. Then, I accepted the inevitable and
trudged my way through each trip, stressing until I traveled home and then
returning home to exhausted to catch up on the work I left behind and to
be conversant with my family and friends.
So, how did I escape this pit of depression? I realized a couple
of things about every trip:
-
The 'business' part of the trip seldom takes more than 8 hours/day, with
at least one day of 4 hours/day.
-
I need 8 hrs of sleep / day, and 2 hours for socialization or gym time/day
-
Some one (my employer!!) is already footing the bill for airfare (or mileage),
rental car, and lodging!
-
What does every outdoor magazine focus on- Travel !
-
Every major city is near SOME type of outdoor recreation, and nearly all
have fish able water near by!
With a little time management, and using the tidbits above, one can see
that:
-
A trip of 5 days has 20 HOURS of untapped time!
-
A trip over a weekend has 20 HOURS and probably (though not always) ONE
FULL DAY of time!
How do I turn all this time into a stress relieving adventure?
With:
-
Some pre-trip internet research on area activities and attractions, fishing
regulations and spots (Search engines and THIS PAGE are very good for this!)
-
Studying a map of the area looking for: Public Parks, Piers, and bodies
of water.
-
Asking other people who have been to this area for advice.
-
Finding a way to pack my outdoor gear (including fishing rods) so that
I can not incur extra airline costs.
-
Once at the site, using a phone book (including yellow pages) to find outdoor
stores, tackle stores, and party boats, and then (most guys have a problem
with this) ASK THE LOCALS FOR ADVICE AND FOLLOW IT (at least at first)!
Pre-trip research about the area you are traveling to will save both stress
and lost time. An taking the available time at the destination to
enjoy yourself will bring you home much happier (and better fit to deal
with your family, friends, and job).
So enjoy your trips if you have to take them, and see if this page can
help you along!
Associated Article: How
to build a rod carrier that will survive the airlines!
