Traveling for work is a tease

Traveling for work can be a tease sometimes. I just got back from attending a conference in New Orleans for my job and stayed in a beautiful hotel. But I was so tired after sitting in sessions all day that I did not feel like sightseeing or even sitting by the hotel pool. I passed out from exhaustion for the three nights I was in New Orleans. Now I realize why a few of my coworkers came a few days early or are staying until the weekend to have downtime and do some sightseeing. Oh well…you live and you learn.

I spent less than I expected on food because breakfast and lunch were provided onsite at the conference. So the only meals I had to pay for were dinner and snacks. But, I did purchase a skirt and a dress on sale while in New Orleans for about $60. I have decided to keep the skirt but the dress will be returned over the weekend. I think it was more of an emotional purchase than an actual desire to have the dress. I also paid $12 for a 15 minute massage which I think was worth it because that is going to be the closest thing I have to a spa experience for a while. In hindsight that I could have spent way less if I had planned a little better. Here is a breakdown of spending (approximate):

Sunday through Wednesday
--$10 – coffee*
--$35 – Taxis*
--$75 – Food* (Dinner, snacks)
--$70 – Shopping
--$8 – ATM withdrawal fees (My bank apparently doesn’t have a branch down there)
--$25 – Airport reading (I know this was a frivolous expense…)
--$12 (plus $2 tip) – Massage (This was also a little frivolous but enjoyable)
--$290 – Hotel*

*I will get reimbursed for these expenses by my job.

Overall I had a nice time and was happy to have had the opportunity to go. Traveling for work is okay, but traveling just for the sake of traveling is my preference.