Just a one-night trip. . . . 4 Tips for Business with pleasure

A business trip offers a chance to get out of the office, network with new people and learn about different things. These experiences, which are already valuable, become priceless when combined with pleasure.

1. Packing. Packing always adds an element of angst—too little or too much! My friend, Heather, a seasoned business traveler, advised having a bag of “spare everything” ready to go at a moment’s notice. Traveling by car is so much easier than plane. None of those TSA requirements. But still, for one night, I planned to travel light. Everything should fit in a tiny carryon. But shoes and makeup left no room for clothes or books. The larger suitcase let me plan for 30-degree temperature shifts in the Florida weather but did not fit in the trunk of my Mustang.



2. Preparing. I was headed for a symposium concerning the Indian River Lagoon, a unique estuary on Florida’s coast. I did advance reading on the estuary itself, speaker credentials and abstracts. This meeting provided a chance to reconnect or network in a shared quest to find ways to convey scientific information to stakeholders so effective policies could be made.

3. Having fun. My conference was just south of one of my favorite beaches. And not surprisingly, my trip also coincided with an Argentine tango workshop.

4. Learning. The conference surpassed my expectations in terms of intensity, dialogue and new connections. Advanced prep helped. But many of my items I planned to pack never made it to the suitcase.

The follow up to the conference is as important as the meeting itself. The dialogue needs to continue. As for that bag of “spare everything,” well, I’ll be ready for the next trip!

I’d love to hear about your business travel experiences! And, if you have any packing advice. . . .

Tango here, there, anywhere! by Jane Tolbert

Nice by day, and Nice by night (tango photo by Marie)

When I first started dancing, I told my instructor, “Anything but Argentine tango.” After all, I reasoned, where could I possibly tango! But that was more than six years ago. That was before I started planning all trips around milongas (tango parties) much in the same way other individuals plan around a ski or golf resort.

I gradually joined the international ranks of tangueros and tangueras who live for the next dance and pair of shoes. We share that intensity of emotion that comes when we hear the music and make the connection with our partner. Once the music stops and people change to their street shoes, the spell is broken. We and are left with withdrawal symptoms, bordering on depression, until the next milonga.

The first milonga I attended took place in Gainesville, Fla. Its organizers called it a “hit and run” tango. The tango dancers “hit” the outdoor plaza behind the Hippodrome, and they prepared to “run” if the police responded to a “disturbance.” After that, I discovered tango communities dot the dance landscape. In fact, tango seems to take place just about anywhere.

Tango dancers in southern France seek any opportunity to attend outdoor milongas. The surface may be a gritty sidewalk, but dancers simplify their steps—few pivots and little fancy footwork to avoid injury. Weekly summer events take place in Nice and others at the Cap d’Antibes in addition to a large annual tango festival in nearby Menton.

The rest of the year, the milongas are held inside. Tuesday nights the Milonga Linda is held at Jack’s Blues in Cagnes-sur-Mer. Entering through the bar of this former wine cellar, you’ll find Jack, a Blues musician and tango convert. Participants make a point of welcoming newcomers with a kiss on the cheek and address each other using the informal “tu” instead of more formal“vous.” In summers, the floor is packed with locals and tourists. But like many places, attendance waxes and wanes. People flock to Buenos Aires between January and March, but by late spring and summer, the place bustles once again. Here at the Milonga Linda, the Buenos Aires tradition is followed--men sit on one side and women on the other The man invites the woman with the “cabaceo,” or the slight nod. It’s almost imperceptible, so much so that several women may rise at once, each thinking the invitation is for her. A misunderstanding, an awkward moment. As one visitor commented, “Why do this when we are not in Buenos Aires.”

The numerous outdoor events and tango dancers make the South of France an ideal vacation spot. At least for those of us who plan for the next milonga. When Marie and Jacques sent out announcements for their summer milonga, overlooking the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, I jokingly mentioned the “hit and run” tango. They wrote back that they danced until one in the morning “without police intervention.” The numerous milongas, the wonderful possibility of having so many dances that my feet ache combined with the summer weather, have me (well, almost)checking for the next flight.

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