Not all travel is glamour and leisure, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find fun along the way! I think I’ve always tried to make the most of any time spent in a new place, which probably makes sense given my love of all things travel planning! Recently, the founder of the company I first started my career at passed away and I found myself reminiscing about my early days as a young professional in healthcare IT. During that timeframe of 2007-2013, I was lucky enough to do a little work travel to hospitals across the country and Canada as part of my job supporting and training on the electronic health record and ordering systems. Probably none of the places I traveled to for work would have ever been on my short list of vacation destinations, but I think that’s part of the fun since almost every place has something to offer! On those trips I often made a point to check out the local sites and scene wherever I went. I thought you might enjoy a little trip down memory lane with me and some amazing low quality pictures, no doubt taken on my digital camera and uploaded to Facebook.
My very first time traveling for work (and my first time traveling alone, period – yikes) was to Los Angeles in March 2009. I get a little anxious even thinking about this as I had also never been to California at that point AND this was a time before smart phones. I needed to rent a car to drive from LAX to my hotel and I vividly remember having printed directions from MapQuest in case the Garmin GPS I brought along failed me, which it often did. I remember being slightly nervous at the time but also very confident, as most of us are in our early 20’s! During that trip I was in the Redondo Beach area, just south of LA and I remember visiting the pier and eating dinner at a restaurant there. I thought it was so cool to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
A few other memorable, albeit random, destinations included Stratford, Ontario; Helena, Montana; Grand Junction Colorado and Glendale, Arizona. Stratford, Ontario (hometown of Justin Bieber by the way) had an adorable downtown along the Avon River with lots of cute shops and restaurants. Montana was vast and beautiful and the specific area we were in was known for their hot springs, which my coworker and I attempted to check out without success unfortunately. We did get to take in some great views along the way and enjoy a delicious meal at Silver Star Steak Company. In Grand Junction my co-worker and I visited the Colorado National Monument, which was impressive and unlike anything I had ever seen. In Glendale I realized my love for dessert landscapes and the extreme Arizona climate. I’ve had it on my list of places I want to return to ever since.
My favorite work travel experience was in September 2011 when I extended my trip a few days and my husband flew out to meet me in California. We had bought our first (and still current) home that spring and knew we probably wouldn’t get to take a bigger trip that year so we thought it would be a good opportunity for a mini vacation! After my work convention in the LA area, we drove north to Ojai, California where my husband had lived briefly in his early twenties. If you’re not familiar, Ojai is a beautiful, artsy town about 20 minutes from the coastline and home to some celebrities. We stayed at the very fancy Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, which was absolutely amazing and probably a once-in-a lifetime experience. After that we drove down to Santa Monica for a couple more nights. We got to see groves of orange trees, eat at In-N-Out Burger, visit the Santa Monica Pier, drive through Beverly Hills and walk the famous Rodeo Drive. It was so fun just to explore the area with no real agenda and do some of the quintessential touristy things.
Have had the opportunity to travel for your job and if so, what have been your favorite places? I love a good hidden gem! Thanks for reading and happy travels, friends!
The beautiful Phoenix Valley
