Ditto Andy. I get weekends in great locations too. I had a series of European meetings recently. My boss happened to be over from the US and we spent a couple of days in Dijon sampling fine wines, doing tours and enjoying excellent cuisine.
Because I often work weekends etc when I take a few days off it rarely comes out of my entitlement. I have not had any formal leave so far this year. In fact, even when I do have days off I do work anyway. I have not taken my full holiday entitement for years. That will change though now that Pia will be here. My marriage comes first and having adequate time together is important to me. My pc will no longer be by my bed with me waking up to check emails etc.
The nice thing is that my company expects the best people it can employ to work hard but also values family. Thus, it is common to see wives and gfs of employees milling around the hotel during conferences and joining us for corporate dinners, etc.
I have drastically reduced my travelling for the time being. I hit platinum status this year in 3 months travelling economy to primarily European destinations. Phew!! I have not travelled on business since June 26th and wont do so until it is absolutely necessary and Pia is settled. Even then i will try to make them EU day trips for now.![]()