TRAVELING WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES

This is how you do it

It all seems incredibly fun, an outing with your colleagues or a meeting with investors in another city, but in practice, it can be deadly exhausting. Because as fun as it is, most colleagues are just not your friends.

For my crazy job, I get on a plane every month with a changing group of people. Sometimes I know no one, other times I do. Sometimes I find my travel companions particularly nice, other times, how do I say this diplomatically, particularly peculiar. Therefore, a small survival guide on how to deal with that.

Ontmoet elkaar bij de gate

If you still need to check in, you often see each other at the check-in desk. But after that, you usually have two to one and a half hours to kill at Schiphol. My advice is to be as polite as possible, that much is true, to say that you want to buy a few things and are hopping around, so you'll see the group at the gate later.

Believe me, everyone prefers that over a wobbly group sticking together.

Create your own space

I am very inclined to go into entertaining mode and shake out amusing anecdotes while I actually don't feel like it at all. Unless you feel like a nice chat, you can perfectly keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, you won't have any energy left for when you land and need to get to work. Again, just say it. Mention that you are going to quietly watch a movie you downloaded, or that you are just going to close your eyes for a moment because it was quite early this morning. If you articulate it, the other person will understand. And if not, then just don't.

If you want both company and peace, you can watch the same movie together. You stay in the same atmosphere but don't have to talk all the time.

Be on time

This is very important when traveling with a group. Make sure you respect the agreed meeting times. I once went to a fashion week in New York where a certain unnamed colleague always made us wait a quarter of an hour. That is so annoying for the group.

If it doesn't work to get everyone to show up on time, one solution is to meet in a café. That makes waiting a bit less irritating. At least you can have a coffee (or a glass of wine) to kill time.

Put that mobile away for a bit

I find it very important that you build in space for yourself during a business trip, but at the moments that matter, you need to be present. During meals, your mobile goes in the bag and you converse with the group. This is the moment to talk a bit longer and hear all about your CFO's hiking holidays in England or your corporate strategist's camping fun.

I actually enjoy that the group is very diverse because it always inspires.

This is how you deal with that annoying guest

In a group, there is usually a grump. Someone who finds everything just not good enough and is all too eager to spew their unfounded, negative opinion about everyone in the world who is not at the table. I always feel very uncomfortable about that because a. it’s not pleasant, b. it’s certainly not inspiring, and c. you know for sure that if you get up, there will be a lecture about you. One way is to joke about the behavior a bit. “I really like you, but it’s such a pity that you never dare to express your opinion.” Or you say to the group: “This is Saskia, the woman without an opinion.”

The group is often relieved (because they also found it highly uncomfortable) and the grump in question is kindly put in their place.

Keep it a bit businesslike

Of course, it’s great and amazing if you’re sitting together on a rooftop in New York drinking three gin and tonics, but you are with colleagues and not with friends. Everything you say now in your jovial mood can be used against you in a business context in a few months. Have fun, but don’t let yourself go. And certainly don’t start throwing up and collapsing on the dance floor. Before you turn into a pumpkin, you’ll be neatly back in your bed.

Ensure sufficient gear

You are here for work, so you are prepared. Make sure you have a charged laptop, a charging cable (a little cord), a fully charged mobile with enough space in your archive for photos, and an extra battery. Everything is in order, your passport is not expired, and you have business cards with you. All of this contributes to a good impression with your employer. And it simply gives you peace of mind.

Pay for the minibar yourself

Suppose you took an aperitif from the minibar or a snack or maybe even a Mars bar, then you pay for that yourself at the reception. I stayed in a hotel for two weeks for Holland’s Next Top Model, and they took great care of me, but I paid for the three drops I consumed from the minibar myself. And make sure to tip the maids.

Enjoy it a little bit too

Because hey, someone has paid quite a bit of money to fly you somewhere. That means you can apparently do something that no one else there could do. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Aftercare

Once at Schiphol, everyone disperses again. That can feel quite strange sometimes when you’ve shared everything (well, not everything, see point 6) together for a while. Send a message in the group chat that undoubtedly exists, and an email or a card to the person who facilitated it (your boss, for example) is never a bad idea.

A gift for those who stayed behind

A macaron for the rest of the editorial team who just kept grinding away behind dusty desks, personalized M&Ms from New York, a bar of soap, a sock with a palm tree. Everything is nice.