Tips for the Business Traveler's Companion

I'll be blunt here, Companion. If you aren't comfortable sightseeing alone, lunching alone, and playing second fiddle to the corporation for the duration of the meeting, don't go. At best you won't enjoy the trip. At worst you might turn a boring business trip into an exciting marital crisis.

Rules to Remember for Companions:

• This is not a vacation for both of you. Traveler is working to earn this trip.
  
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• Schedule a couple of extra days before or after the meetings, if it is possible, so you and Traveler can share some of the local fun.
  
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• Don't be offended if Traveler says "I can't tell you about the meeting, it's confidential".
  
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• Be prepared to entertain yourself during the day.
  
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• Don't expect meetings to end on time. If you reserve dinner half an hour across town for an hour after the meetings supposedly end, it's not going to happen.
  
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• Be prepared to eat with other Travelers and their Companions, and be entertained by shop talk during dinner.
  
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• This is not a chance to rekindle anything. A quiet dinner near the hotel and a snuggly night is about all you can expect.
  
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• Don't expect to go dining and dancing in posh places after the meetings are over. Nine hours of meetings leaves the typical Traveler brain dead.
  
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• If you realize the trip was a bad idea, don't expect other Companions to attend your pity party in the hotel bar.
  
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Destination Planning for Companions
Do a fast reality check on the Traveler's destination. If it's a place you wouldn't want to go on a real vacation, you probably won't like it any better as a Companion. If it means a 19 hour flight each direction crammed into tourist class (one way) for 2-days on the ground, it's probably not worth it

• Check the travel requirements. Do you need a passport and a visa? How long will it take to get all the paperwork done?
  
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• Check your government's Department of State for travel advisories involving your destination.
  
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• Check your government's health department. Are any vaccinations recommended? Are any vaccinations required for getting into or out of the destination?
  
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• Book your flight immediately after Traveler's flight is booked, and ask the airlines to seat you together.
  
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• Research the area on the internet to plan your days.
  
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• When are the destination's national holidays? Holidays can affect sightseeing because attractions may be closed or else full of swarms of schoolchildren.
  
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When the budget is tight.
Very few corporations will pick up the tab for a traveling companion, which may make some destinations too expensive.. But you can always ask the company if you can stay off-site in a cheaper hotel.

I compared the price of a San Francisco bed and breakfast to the cost of a room at the far too modern hotel that hosted the engineering conference. No contest! The B&B was 30% the cost of the hotel, included breakfast, had a kitchen, and had charm. It was only a 15 minute bus ride from the meeting site. Traveler is going to the same conference next spring, and I already have the B&B booked for us.