Take a biz trip to the max with some "me" time

If you know me, you know that I love to travel. You’ll also know that since I left my job where I traveled a ton, I haven’t been on many trips for work. So, when I had the opportunity to pick a conference to attend, I made sure to CRUSH IT.

I found a great marketing conference in a great location (Miami Beach) when it’s typically cold in the CLE, at an amazing, newly renovated hotel (Fontainebleau). And I even got accepted as a speaker, which erased all guilt of enjoying the beach when I could. Even better, two former colleagues and friends traveled with me!

Some trips are packed to the gills, but when I can afford the time, here are my tips for taking any biz trip to the max.

Plan your meals

A former colleague who also attended the conference made us dinner plans for our first night in Miami Beach before she even booked her flight. While I wouldn’t recommend putting plans in place in that exact order, it was great to have reservations. We ate our weight in sushi at Nobu (which just relocated next to the Fontainebleau the day before we went) and Katsuya.

Be the best version of your healthiest self

Sometimes gorging on a fantastic meal prevents this, but these days I am all about restoring myself while traveling: eating well, sleeping well and working out. We were lucky enough to have beach workouts scheduled during a couple of mornings during the conference. Loved them!

Squeeze in a manipedi

The resort was pretty contained and had a spa with a great rate on a manipedi so I booked it, but usually I just find a walk-in nearby my hotel. I always feel a bit more put together once my nail and toes are done.

Extend your trip pre or post

Luckily, I had some extra time the first day the conference started to enjoy the beach. When time and business permits, I try to book a trip near the weekend to make it easier to stay an extra day to see the sights and fit in a meal at a spot I want to try.

My all-time favorite extension of a work trip was when I went to London in 2008 and extended my trip to take the new Chunnel and stay in Paris. That trip actually inspired me to blog my first post.

What’s been your favorite biz trip extension?

Hitting the beach in Miami after a long break

I’m back from hiatus - travel certainly slowed down for me during the second half of the year. I did have a trip to Indy last month, but I was too lazy to blog, to be honest. But now I’m back after what I hope is an annual girls’ destination trip with my friend Jen. Our first destination was Miami for a long weekend – more specifically, Sunny Isles Beach.

The past four days were absolutely fantastic, particularly after the bruising winter we're having! So happy to retreat from polar vortexes while basking in Florida sunshine. I've only been to the Miami area once before - in 2006 with Phil when he had a conference in South Beach. 

The Trump international Resort where we stayed and Sunny Isles Beach were amazeballs in general for 3 reasons:


The beautiful hotel had wonderful service, a fantastic pool and great beach- and pool-side dining options. We booked on Expedia and I liked that there were lots of inclusions. For example, we didn’t have to pay extra for beach chairs, umbrellas and towels on the beach. The hotel is kid-friendly too and I hope to bring the entire fam back.

Quiet, soft, well-kept beach. Even though I only dipped my toes in the water, I liked that we were close to the lifeguard station. I loved running in the sand each morning…sometimes barefoot and sometimes with running shoes.

Great location with lots to do around the hotel. There was a “utility” shopping plaza across the street for anything from groceries to nails to breakfast to booze to souvenirs, and there also were a couple of lux shopping options within a 5 minute cab ride. And, not once did we have a challenging tab getting a cab back to the hotel. 

Such a great trip and I can't wait for my next vacation, which will be in a few months when our who fam heads to Albuquerque.