You have probably been told a number of times to NOT mix business with pleasure, but hear me out on this one! As a wannabe Academic my job is presenting my research at conferences as part of my dissemination strategy and knowledge transfer activities. While I cannot attend any random conference that I would like, I do have some flexibility in terms of selecting which conference I want to participate in. I would be lying if I said location didn’t have a large sway in my final decision. Over the past years, I’ve used conferences as one way to travel for cheaper and discover new places while on a tight budget. If your lucky (and I’ve been) some of your travel costs are covered by the business or group you represent, thereby saving you some cash to extend your trip a few days and see more than the inside of a hotel banquet hall. It’s not always going to work-out since business travel is often hectic and exhausting more than anything else. However, it never hurts to find out if that upcoming business trip might also provide a bit of pleasure as well 😉
