I’ve just spent the past two and a half weeks away from home (which is also my office), and in some ways it’s felt like I’ve been gone at least double that amount of time. I always enjoy my travels — the chance to see new places or revisit favorite spots and reconnect with friends and family — but getting home always feels good, too. And there are some trips, like this past one, where the tug of home pulls strongly long before my journey is complete.

The first week of our trip was all pleasure and involved a Thanksgiving week sojourn to visit my daughter and son-in-law in their home outside of Chicago. I easily stayed connected to work by using Sarah’s computer, printer and high-speed Internet connection — almost like being at home. All of last week, though, was another matter.

The day after we arrived in Portland from Chicago found us driving 150 miles up Interstate 5 to Seattle for our younger daughter’s foot surgery. Three loooong days divided between the hospital and our motel room (free WiFi in both locations, though often dreadfully slow, and no printer, to boot) combined with maternal fretting over our patient left me tired and cranky.

We returned to Portland (150 miles in the dark with a backseat passenger in some pain) for a few days, followed by a one-day roundtrip trek back to Seattle for a post-op visit and another overnight in Portland before we finally drove the 275 miles back to Southern Oregon this Thursday. With the press deadline for Global Traveler‘s January issue looming at the end of the week and no Internet at the Portland home we visited, I found myself spending quite a lot of time (and money) at a nearby coffeeshop — not an ideal office.

Yes, it’s very good to be back home, back to familiar routines and surroundings, my own desk and computer. I’m convinced I could not handle the brutal travel schedules and long stretches away from home that make up the work lives of so many of our readers, and I have the greatest respect for those who do!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor