There are basically three kinds of travel: business, obligatory, and pleasure.
One could argue that business is, by it’s very nature, obligatory. I can only say that anyone who has ever traveled regularly for business purposes (meetings, presentations, training, system configuration, and every other stupid reason a VP can conceive of for sending warm bodies out to client sites to demonstrate his/her commitment to their needs) recognizes that they are doing something very different than travelling to Omaha for Great Aunt Hildegaard’s funeral. The first is business. Aunt Hildegaard, your Mom’s birthday, and Thanksgiving at your cousin’s cabin in Maine… obligatory.
I think the distinction is clear. Feel free to let me know if you’re still confused. That’s what comments are for. The third category is, I hope, self-explanatory. It’s that dream trip to the Galapagos Islands, to see the Parthenon, or the Eiffel Tower. It’s the dance workshop in Berlin (when you live in Omaha, NB). It’s leaving home to explore places that have always had a magical aura in your mind’s eye.
There are some people who travel to fun places with friends and family, who don’t consider the experience pleasurable. I’m sorry. I can’t help you with that except to say that travel is meant to be an exciting and fun, (if sometimes awkward) experience; choose your companions wisely.
I know whereof I speak. I persuaded my ex, who loved her routines, to fly with me to Paris business class, staying in a Renaissance hotel in the Premier Arrondissement, and wandering around to savor the best the city had to offer for ten days. (which is a lot, Paris truly is a wonderful place… more on that later – with pictures) Years later, when we were working on a divorce she mentioned that it was a terrible experience for her, forcing her out of her exercise and journal routine. Had she been honest with me at the time, I could have taken any number of friends who would have considered it the trip of a lifetime. This is just an example of how your own excitement over travel can cloud your judgement where others are concerned. Learn from my experience – ask and listen.
Lindley On the Road 