No, going abroad is not always FUN

All beauty editors recognize this. They travel more often by plane than by train for their work. For Rituals to Shanghai, for Dior to Los Angeles, and for Sisley to Paris. Great of course and an intense experience every time, but it is work. You are traveling with a group that is not your friends, you are immersed in the world of that brand, you have to be ‘on’ all day. Again, special and unique, but really also tiring. Then you come back to the office and everyone asks: 'So, did you have fun?'

Then you want to say: ‘I'm exhausted, I landed last night at half past one and I'm already here again and yes, I was traveling, but in between I also typed all my regular pieces.’ But if you say that, you are a snob. So you kind of roll over a bit weakly in the middle. That it was fun, really, but still quite tiring and so on. ‘But yes,’ says the other, ‘you were just beautifully in New York/Milan/Paris.’

When you say abroad, others think: party. It starts already with Booking.com. Once you've confirmed your hotel, it rains exclamation marks and there's almost confetti coming out of your laptop. CONGRATULATIONS! HAVE A GREAT TRIP! THE PARTY CAN NOW BEGIN. I know it's well-intentioned, but what do those people have to do with it? Maybe I should be going abroad for a funeral.

While traveling, it continues like this. Every email you respond to with ‘I'm not in the Netherlands so I'll call you as soon as I'm back’ gets the response ‘Okay, enjoy!’

When you return, both KLM and Booking ask if I had a nice holiday and flight/stay. And then I sigh.

Dear people, going abroad is not one big swimming pool with a cocktail fountain. Life can be tough there too.

So, that was it. Love from your normally not so cynical editor-in-chief.