What’s one piece of travel advice you always follow?
The advice came from a colleague in the Ministry of Public Building and Works, that well-known ministry that few will even remember or be aware of. Sixty years ago, on hearing that I was due my total of two weeks paid holiday, exclaimed the short and sharp advice; “DON’T”.
Why are you going on holiday, he asked? “I would like a break, I mumbled, unconvincingly “. “From what” he rejoined? Tired of your job, get another one was his solution, pointing out that whatever issues the job had would still be there upon my return. Made worse because your appointed leave relief would not have touched your work, and given minimal attention to your in-tray because “we were so busy, whilst you were away”. That one troublesome file or problem that you (stupidly) thought would be resolved in your absence because you left detailed instructions prior to your departure would still occupy the pending tray, only now with an enhanced layer of dust.
He took me through the first day back. “Your colleagues will ask if you had a nice time”, followed up by where did you go? Despite the weekly and then daily updates you had provided prior to your release, they hadn’t forgotten, they had never listened as they weren’t interested. “And what do you say in return”? he wondered. “Yes” you reply with as much enthusiasm as a carnivore looking at a green salad. You might even, at the post-Christmas chat say “quiet, you know”. He pointed out some colleagues would follow it up with “I went there”, or they always know someone who did and it was awful and give you twenty reasons why anyone who is sane would never entertain such a stupid location.
Of course you then respond competitively with a lengthy tale of how their tale did not apply to you, and it’s so long that you both glaze over with boredom. That catatonic state dissolves as soon as you see your in tray, the list of telephone messages, the demand to see the boss immediately (for a replay of the above water cooler chat as a starter) to be given an urgent job which needs to be done now because you are the only one who knows how to do it (no, I left detailed instructions to my leave relief). The next three days pass in a blur of catching up, and overtime (unpaid) so by Friday you are ready for a holiday.
