WHENEVER POSSIBLE,
TAKE A TRAVEL BUDDY

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA - JuLY, 2014

It’s no secret that I am driven by two passions. The first is my kids and second is being their dad. So it took some real contemplation to figure out just how I could maintain the joy of fatherhood with the excess demands of traveling for work. I got it!  I’d talk my diligent sons into working for their dear old dad.

Brilliant, right?  I could have the best of both worIds. The way I saw it, I could keep the demanding schedule of a traveling man with the precious facetime I always long for with my children. If I could turn them into my travel buddies, well then I could hang out with them more, share my road’s experiences with them, and resist the loneliness that usually sets in less than thirty minutes after leaving for my latest trip. I’m so bloody clever!

This has actually worked out quite well.  Over the years I’ve successfully talked three of my four boys into such an arrangement. The latest being my youngest son Chandler. The Chan, only one of many nicknames our family so adoringly refers to him by, is currently onboard and does a great job for my company.

A quick aside about those nicknames.  Recently, Chandler and I counted dozens of names that I’ve given him over the years. Each one more ridiculous than the next.  For Chandler, he is resigned to basically answer to anything as long as I have eye contact with him. For the sake of this tale we will simply stick with the universally known and accepted, The Chan.

Why The Chan? It evolved from being the youngest of the boys, but whose energy and adoration for his older brothers never slowed this undersized little guy or his ability to keep up with them step-by-step.  He tackled, played, and ran with the big dogs. Chandler had to be called “THE CHAN.”  He literally was, and remains to this very day, A FORCE OF NATURE!

The Chan, if you ever have the unequalled pleasure of meeting, is the ideal person to be trapped with 24 hours a day for weeks on end. He’s good natured with an easy disposition, a total crack up, and most importantly he doesn’t snore!  Trust me when I tell you that no matter how charming your travel buddy is, whether he be a man or she a woman, snoring can quickly become a deal breaker when sharing a cramped 20x8 hotel room in suburban Nashville.

There remain some strings attached before The Chan can go on the road for long work assignments. I can’t just conscript him at a moment’s notice.  Some real planning has to take place. Boundaries have been set by his mom and I that guarantee our road’s adventures don’t interfere with his primary occupation which is being a college student. We all agree that is the number one priority when it comes to scheduling him with me.

He can only travel if school accommodates it.

He spent one Fall semester on the road doing all his classwork online.  He’d work long hard days with me, then go back to our hotel room and study and test all night. One night in Alabama, I literally found him asleep with his laptop laying over his face like a book someone had stuck their nose between the pages of. Talk about dedication and indeed he has successfully maintained his place on the Honor Roll.

When I’ve had long road trips alone, I’ve become so fixed on finishing my route that I almost never stop and take in the sites or beauty of these idyllic locales. This brings us to the next absolute before The Chan can hit the road with me. 

No matter how hectic our schedule becomes we are required to slow down and take in the sights and sounds of our beautiful surroundings.

Once, it was simply enjoying young musicians on a harp and bassoon playing Christmas tunes in the foyer of a Whole Foods near the University of Denver while we shopped and sipped hot coffee.  Another time, it was posing as Eagles fans and enjoying the spectacle of a Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints football game. Whatever we did, there could never be an excuse for exposing him to the hectic grind of the road without sharing some quality time and amazing exploits together.

All of these conditions seemed reasonable and if I was determined to take a travel buddy whenever possible, remained non-negotiable as well. Of course I complied. A travel buddy ensures balance. A travel buddy gives you someone to reminisce and laugh about inside stories with. A travel buddy allows one more time for a father and his son to share Americana together.