Overheard at the LFGSS golf club bar

Obviously depends what you're selling and how complex it is. Most work travel I've seen appears to be bollocks though.

Some people haven't. Other people see waste, pointless tasks, stupidity and try to change it.

Rationally yes. But I'm talking about the whole package. Humans connect in person in a way that they don't through remote communication.

My current team formed in lockdown. We have hardly ever met in person but we work great together. Last week some of us were all in the office together and in one meeting, someone said something and me and one of the other guys made brief eye contact in reaction.

That flash of communication could never happen remotely. After so long having everything mediated through Zoom/chat, an instant of raw connection was quite intense.

Then there's all the ad hoc conversations and serendipity that happens when people are in the same space. Remote working doesn't stop you have the conversations you know you need, it stops you having the ones you didn't know you needed.

I'm not saying we can never stop business travel, I'm saying it is a trade off because we can't fully replicate human communication and connection remotely, and I don't think it's just a case of some people not being evolved enough to do it.

I don't travel often but when I do get to go and spend a week with people and go through stuff together in person, eat with them once or twice, maybe go out for drinks together, it changes everything about how we work together afterwards and that lasts for the rest of the time we work together.

I certainly didn't wanna see any of my bandmates ever fucking again...

I would suggest that remote working eliminates a lot more of the conversations you -don't- need compared to losing you the serendipitous ones you didn't know you needed.

But they happily drive like maniacs once they have crossed the border.

You can spot the Swiss people going home at 3 am, as they are the ones waiting for the green man before they cross the (empty) road.

An enduring memory for me is crossing a road in Winterthur on a red man... You could see at least a kilometre down this road in both directions, not a whiff of traffic, the old couple waiting on the kerb let out a very audible tut as I jaywalked my way to my destination... Weirdoes... I found the people there very odd indeed, robotic, didn't show any emotion... Was very happy to get out of there and never went back...

I did have a fling with a Swiss girl once, she was a punk and hated the place... She was great fun, we both got thrown out of the Intrepid Fox one afternoon which was no mean feat back in the 1980s... 🙃 #csb

Weirdly, it's only really the German speaking areas that have a thing about jaywalking. They take it pretty seriously. The police give school kids road crossing lessons ffs.

Intrepid Fox

Aww we walked past where it used to be (last) the other day. Had some fun in there with my more metalhead mates.

The Swiss view the Swiss Germans in much the same way as the rest of the world views the Swiss: punctual, rigid, sticklers etc. I spent a couple of years there as a kid, and I have to say I never really noticed it - I think it's probably a great place to grow up, but I can see aspects might be stifling as a teen/adult.

https://youtu.be/huHIKtow878

While there's not a lot to recommend living in Switzerland, their flag is a huge plus.

hey fuck you man wheres my money?!

Wahey! Etc...

A Swiss, in celebration mode, is a force to be reckoned with.

The ones I know go absolutely batshit crazy in 10% mode. Like blackout drunk 48hrs straight

FWIW - I’d happily never ever travel again for work. Any cunt (finance I’m looking at you) that thinks it’s a paid holiday is way off the mark.
The last 20 months have been pretty decent in terms of no business travel b

Yeah, 100% agree. My meeting just got pushed, which means I don't need to spend my Sunday (which we don't get time in lieu for) getting to a cheap hotel.

Is/was there an announcement today about the traffic light system changing/finishing?

I saw that Shapps is meant to be announcing something today - not sure if he’s done so yet though.

No pre or post pcr tests needed for fully vaxed I think. Just as I (or the company) have paid for and done them.

Not quite that. Don't need the pre test to come back, still need one to go into countries depending on their rules. And 2day test changes not till later in Oct. Check the gov site obv.

Weirdly, it's only really the German speaking areas that have a thing about jaywalking. They take it pretty seriously. The police give school kids road crossing lessons ffs.

I remember being yelled at by a load of blokes in Cologne at about 3am after a night out. Thought I was in trouble until my schoolboy German kicked in and I understood they were VERY distressed at me crossing the totally empty road on red.

I do genuinely need to do some trips for work but the pandemic has cut out the crap I didn't need. I usually do two long-haul trips a year which I will restart when Australia opens up again, but the EU travel is mostly at an end and I don't miss it. I'll still visit a handful of customers but it turns out I don't need most of the conference travel (as I suspected).

Lol I had similar in Finland. I was about 18 and mildly pissed. Decided to cross a road on the red pedestrian phase. Was extremely amused when the car about 300 metres down the road started honking its horn, and continued to do so until it passed me, by which point I’d been safely standing on the far side of the road for fucking ages.

Obvs being 18 and therefore a dick, I decided to abuse this newfound power for the rest of the evening.

Check the gov site obv.

Yeah sorry I'm away and being lazy. Cheers for the update

The ones I know go absolutely batshit crazy in 10% mode. Like blackout drunk 48hrs straight

Yup, that's my experience.

48 hours going at it like a beserker.

Can highly recommend going to watch the Wengen downhill ski race. Probably the most fun you can have at a European sporting event. Debauched. Hilarious. They typically get going at about 5am on race day.

New Year's Eve in a Swiss city is also worth a go. It's everything NYE should be

Loads of drugs and sex in the street?