Just a wee bit of travelling

So, I find myself in Munich this week, participating in the DSL Forum quarterly meeting.

I'm the main technical representative for the company I work for, as well as the editor of one of the parking lot documents. Being an editor means that I pretty much need to attend all of the meetings, so I'll get to do quite a bit of travelling (at least 4 times a year) for the next little while.

Travelling seems to be feast or famine for me. Back in 2002, I did a lot of travelling - about 10 trips, all told. Lots of trips to the US and a few to Europe. I travelled enough that I achieved Elite status with Air Canada. I was pretty happy about that, since that meant I would get the upgrade coupons and get access to the Maple Leaf lounges.

All of that travel was promptly followed by 2.5 years of virtually no travel whatsoever. I travelled twice in 2003, and neither of the trips with Air Canada, so I didn't get to use any of my Elite benefits. Figures. I also only travelled a handful of times in 2004 (once to Denver, twice to Madrid).

So, what happens this year? Right after Olivia was born, I seem to be travelling quite a bit. LA back in July. Philadelphia in September. New Hampshire in October. San Francisco in November. Munich in December. Every trip lasts about a week. It's crazy!

Andrea, naturally, is not too thrilled with my being away so often. To be honest, while I love visiting new countries, I hate leaving Olivia. The fact that Andrea is home by herself with Olivia makes things even worse, since it's very hard work raising a child with two people, let alone by yourself.

Things a little different this time, though... I've brought Andrea with me to Munich. I've been slaving away all week while she's been galavanting all through Munich and even to Salzburg. She deserves the time away, of course, so I don't mind hearing about all of the cool things she does during the day while I'm stuck in meetings.

And there's no real end to all of the travel in the near future. Potential trips for 2006 include New Hampshire, Vienna, Athens, San Jose, and Atlanta. I'm thinking I'll get Elite status again in 2006.