They say travel is broadening, and for once, they’re right.
When I was 12, our family took a month-long vacation to drive across the country and back. We went to about 20 states, and it was unforgettable. Even at that tender age, I could appreciate the effects of seeing so much terrain, and the differences from one place to the next. And, most importantly, the stimulation of being away from home. I loved it!
My family couldn’t afford much travel (I was in my 20’s before I even flew in an airplane), but I did find being on the road exciting. Only when I got older did I have an inkling of the stresses, costs and challenges my parents faced to set up that trip.
As a young professional, I got a chance to do some business travel, and I loved that as well. I grew adept at booking flights and hotel rooms. I was proficient at keeping track of, and reporting expenses. I loved hotel beds and hotel bars. I still do, actually,
But travel, as interesting as it is, come with costs that go beyond the ticket and hotel fees. It’s very time consuming, for example. For a Californian, a 3 day conference in Florida means being gone 5 days. There’s a lot of waiting around involved. And there’s separation from family and the life at home, which doesn’t stop just because you’re on the road.
This is a harsh reality for professional musicians, and it can very stressful for marriages and families. I’ve never been on a real tour as a musician, but I have done some traveling gigs and got to see firsthand the crazy math involved – long hours of travel, less-than-stellar pay, and relatively brief actual stage time. It takes some real effort to get up for a show away from home, and doing so 4 or 5 nights in a week, it’s extremely draining.
On the flip side is pleasure travel – trips planned to include family members, And when the family is ll adults, the stresses of being responsible for the needs of children is not a factor. In an extended family, the care of traveling children can be shared, too, and that’s nice. It’s still expensive, but the memories you gain are far more valuable than the money spent.
You gain a better understanding of people by making new acquaintances away from your home turf. You have a better sense of how you fit into the world – that’s good for adults and children to learn. You gain self-confidence by dealing with the unexpected challenges of being on the road. These things are true if you’re 50 miles from home, or 5000.
