Mix Business With Pleasure

Are you just dying to go to Austin City Limits or to see the Packers or Wicked the Musical? Business travel can be incredibly tiresome, especially if you travel constantly. It really helps if you can plan your business trip around the fun things you want to do. I made it to the World Series last year, Jazz Fest in New Orleans and Dave Matthews opening concert in St. Louis by careful planning. Of-course your job does come first, but if you have any input on when you will go to a given area, check out concerts, exhibits and sporting events for the times in question. If something fantastic is happening the day before your scheduled trip, try to go early. This is the number one job perk we have as business travelers.

Check Ticketmaster. Note I’m not telling you to buy through Ticketmaster, but they do have a great listing of larger events in most areas. You can usually save quite a bit by purchasing directly from the venue, unless you need to get the tickets early.
Check the local Alt. Weekly paper. This is your very best source for finding great local music and events.

Check the Travel and Tourism website for the city to which you’re going. Some of these are great resources, some not so much. But it never hurts to check.

Ask at the hotel. This is definitely a craps-shoot, but I’ve found some great places to go from the people working the front desk.