Having attended 138 Postgres-related events in the past twelve years (chart), I have done quite a bit of travel (map). Of course, many business travelers travel a lot more than I do, but the variety, distance, and duration of my trips is somewhat unusual.
I am often asked at conferences about how I manage my heavy travel schedule. There are a few tips that keep me sane and motivated to continue traveling, so I thought I would share them here. I especially hope this is useful for the many volunteers that give of their time to travel as speakers to distant Postgres conferences:
- Control: For me, most travel is voluntary, meaning I can decide to accept or reject a conference invitation. Psychologically, that is an important aspect. If I have booked too much travel, I have only myself to blame.
- Pace: A related issue is pacing. You might remember I recently declined some events to recover from a heavy travel schedule. Pushing travel past the comfort point is an easy way to start hating it and therefore burn out.
- Variety: It is hard to get excited about going to the same distant city repeatedly. Variety is a great way to keep travel exciting.
- Vacation Day: I always try to book an extra day in the travel city for sight-seeing. I often don't remember many details of the conference, but I do remember those sight-seeing days, and that is keeps me going and anticipating the excitement of travel. Also, my travel usually allow me to experience the culture as a native, rather than as a tourist, which is also enlightening.
- Sleep: Sleep is an often overlooked aspect of travel. A long flight where you can't sleep is a frustrating flight. A flight where you are asleep by wheels-up and are awoken by landing instructions is a breeze. (A window seat, blow-up travel pillow, ear plugs, eye shades, and travel socks can make all the difference.) Also, sleeping early when on location is important, especially the night before your presentation. You need to be sharp; you spent hours traveling --- don't blow it by not pacing yourself and not getting enough sleep. Sleep also helps prevent you from getting sick, which is more likely and more inconvenient when traveling.
- Working From Home: Because I work from home when not traveling, I have lots of travel energy. If I had to go to an office every day, I would have a much harder time. Heck, when I have not traveled for a few months, I emit a slight whimper when driving past the airport. (Weird, huh?) I remember waiting for a short flight and hearing a Madrid boarding announcement and thinking, "Hey, I could go over there and be in Madrid by morning". (Yeah, odd, I know. I guess I was made for this.)
- Maximize: Travel is a big time-waster, so make the most of it. I don't worry about community emails and minor things while I am away but focus on making the most of the event by spending time with folks and being available for unscheduled things, like speaking at local companies that use Postgres. (This usually happens after the conference is over when people realize I am around for an extra day.) Combining trips to visit several cities is also always a win --- who wants to fly back the next month?
- Family: My work is not in a vacuum, and my family is certainly affected by my travel. I try to schedule things ahead of time so they have few surprises, and I often take one of my children with me on trips. That's a win in any family's book, and it cuts down on travel resentment. In fact, this is the first year I took all four of my children on at least one trip. (It is easier because they are home-schooled.)