Mixing Business With Pleasure in London Town

Originally published on American Airlines BlackAtlas.com January 29, 2013

The truth is that every plane ride doesn't result in a vacation, now does it? In fact, according to a 2012 New York Times article, American businesspeople took a total of 437 million domestic trips in 2010 and 445 million trips in 2011. And while these numbers are "expected to drop to 440.4 million [in 2012] and 438.5 million [in 2013]…international [business] trips are still expected to grow…." Just ask my travel writer friends—April, Tawanna, Monique and Chelle—who traveled to the UK for World Travel Market London this past November. As a part of this growing international business traveler statistic, these entrepreneurial travelistas hopped a plane to hone their craft, network, and get the latest news in global travel. And yes, even though the travel business has its perks (it's fun!), make no mistake: this was no vacation.

As I'm sure any one of these frequent travelers will tell you: "All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl." And dull they are not; so with a little help from yours truly, we found a way to mix business with pleasure in good ole London Town. And let me tell you how:

1.     We went with Oh.  Of course we could have all found our own individual London hotel rooms to stay in, but we decided instead to turn things up a notch by staying together in a roomy apartment sponsored by European apartment rental agency Go With Oh, and dubbed it The Ultimate Travelista Weekend. Why it was business: Because World Travel Market London is a travel industry conference. Why it was pleasure: We turned a conference experience into a quasi-girlfriends weekend with a group of women who have never traveled together, but have travel in common (among other things). We played charades (hysterical!) and bonded. And yes, it was The Ultimate.

2.     We rode the cable car across the River Thames.  From our North Greenwich apartment, it would have been a breeze for us to all jump in a taxi and share the fare to the nearby ExCel Centre (where World Travel Market went down and where I won a 7-night stay in Indonesia!) but, instead, we decided to walk a few blocks to the Emirates Air Line and catch the cable car and gaze out over the River Thames. Why it was business: We had to get the conference venue somehow, right? Why it was pleasure: Beyond the fact that we walked through a pretty park from our North Greenwich digs, it was a pretty touristy (and fun) thing to do.

3.     We did stuff at night.  In spite of the fact that we all ran out of time and were unable to use Kiratiana Freelon's Travel Guide to Multicultural London (but we will!); and in spite of the fact that a few of the travelistas had jet lag and still managed a full day at one of the biggest conferences ever, when said biggest-conference-ever was over, we all managed to get in a little after-conference fun. Why it was business: A girl’s gotta eat, right? Why it was pleasure: April, Tawanna and I ventured off to London's Chinatown (and also roamed Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square), and I talked them into having dinner at the beautiful Spice Market London. There, we just happened to meet a friendly Warner Bros. film executive who hooked up Tawanna with a ticket to The Harry Potter Experience, and me with VIP access to the lot in Burbank, CA. #score

4.     We met up with other travelistas at Caribbean Scene.  Travelistas who use social media often meet virtually via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. for the first time and then forge online relationships. What’s nice about travel industry events is that it’s cool to finally meet in person (waving at Sara!) and/or to reconnect. Even cooler is meeting to talk about how we can take our work to the next level, which is exactly what we did at Caribbean Scene Royale, a popular Caribbean eatery just steps from the ExCel Center. The five of us met up for dinner and travel talk with travel writers Oneika, Colleen and Janice. Why it was business: This was a pre-planned meet-up for culturally diverse travel writers to meet and discuss how we might take our work to the next level, sponsored by Caribbean Scene. Why it was pleasure: The atmosphere, location and service were perfect; the food was yummy; the company was a pleasure; and we laughed and talked a lot. Check out Colleen's recap here and Janice's photos here.

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how to squeeze in a little fun on a short business trip, but what I will tell you is that you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t at least try to make the most of a trip that takes you far away from home. So, skip the taxi and take an alternative method of transportation to your meeting or, at a minimum, skip room service and treat yourself to a fine meal in a local restaurant in a popular part of town. Shoot, you just never know who you might meet…

Mixing Business With Pleasure in London Town on PhotoPeach ***

Disclaimer:  Our comfortable stay in the North Greenwich apartment was sponsored by Go With Oh. Our delightful meal at Caribbean Scene was sponsored by Caribbean Scene. All opinions are my own.

Photos courtesy of Tawanna and me.  =)

Please also see: Exploring the World in London courtesy of April; Go With Oh Vacation Rentals in Europe courtesy of Monique; and 5 London Travel Tips for Americans courtesy of Tawanna.