Travel for work or travel for fun?

Now that I have the chance to travel more often for fun and much less often for work, I make the difference.

From one side, I am missing a bit the dynamics of the travel adventure, the switch from the everyday life to the plain, for landing on the other side of the planet just in a few hours. I am missing the mobilisation before, the preparation of my hand luggage, which will contain all my life necessities for the next few days. At the same time, there are two inconveniences: 1) I often used to travel solo, which made me more self-entertaining person and 2) I would go to another world, full of discoveries, but would stay for a couple of days, often not having even a few hours for looking around.

So, I am asking myself: is this what I really want, is this what I really enjoy? 7 days in Sri Lanka (exceptional length), 5 days in Brazil, 6 days in Tunis, 7 days in Niger, 5 days in Los Angeles... to get to the 3-days trips (usually from Thursday to Sunday, which also kills your weekend). And finally, to the 1 and 2-days trips, which would be arrival somewhere in the morning, straight to the conference, food, sleep, conference, trip back. What and enjoyment! What a consumership! What a pollution! My longest journey was in Prague, in 2001, for two weeks. It was, obviously the most enjoyable one.

Rather than these last months, when for one or for another reason (1 is the birth of my baby, and 2 is the change of my lifestyle, work intensivity and country of residence) I had to drop the travel for work from my agenda, I am experiencing a new phenomenon: travel for fun.

What is the difference? Travel for fun is much more rare, but longer usually. More planning, less stress, more sight-seeing and choice for destination and activities. Travel for fun includes some favourite people joining you, include visiting friends at the place of destination... hmm.. Do I need to feel sorry for this change or just the opposite? I have been in the past year to:

1. Bulgaria - 1 month
2. Cuba - 1 week
3. Quebec city - 3-4 days
4. New York - 4 days
5. Mont Tremblant - 3 days and
6. every weekend out of the city.

I am planning:
 a trip to Ottawa/Niagara/Toronto
 a week in Quebec (for study and pleasure)
 a month in Bulgaria and Germany
 a trip in a tent and bikes...

Some people might find it minimum, but I know there are others who never get out of their town or village. So, let’s not be maximalists. My daugher of 14 months has already visited 5 coutries. Are there many adults who can say the same?