Jet Lag and Jamborees: Balancing Business Trips and Social Life
There was a point in time where I was flying so much that I knew the flight crew by name and they knew my schedule. Now, I’m not talking a quick flight. My schedule entailed back and forth flights from Denver to Frankfurt, every two weeks. For some this may sound fun or at least intriguing. And it was both of those things… for awhile. Earlier in my career, I would have weeks where I hit four or five cities in a week. Back then, I was also young, dumb and wearing heels in the airport.
In my early 20’s, I loved this life. I leaned fully into the culture of only needing a small apartment “for storage”. I was always looking for the next flight and didn’t think much of the space I occupied when I was at home.
Boy, have things changed. For one, I’m no longer single and now have a lovely partner and pup, who don’t want to live in a storage closet. I no longer want to live amongst my shoes and have takeout for most meals. When I get home from traveling, I basically want to live in my kitchen. I’m CRAVING something green and homemade. I also don’t want to be waited on, I want to wait on someone else.
I’ve talked about this with my friends who also travel frequently. It’s something that’s difficult to comprehend if you don’t travel as often as we sometimes do. It is nice to be waited on and outsource all of your needs…. for a day. After awhile, it becomes tedious and tiresome to constantly have to ask others for every little thing because you’re living out of a hotel room. And don’t get me started on the search for food. Typically, you don’t have a kitchen, let alone a fridge to store food. So, anytime you want a snack or a meal, you’re on the hunt and it can be exhausting. I’ve eaten my fair share of granola bars and any random snacks I can get my hands on, in lieu of dinner.
Nowadays, when I get home, I’m ordering groceries from the tarmac. I cannot wait to get back to my kitchen and whip up family dinner for my friends. It’s become a fun tradition that we all look forward to. If I’m abroad, I’ll pick up wine or other treats to share. Everyone will come over for a big family style meal and we do a “tasting” of whatever I’ve brought back.
For this reason, when my partner and I moved in together two years ago, the one thing I asked is that we had a big kitchen and space for entertaining. Our townhouse has it’s faults, but the kitchen is not one of them. It’s been an absolute dream for hosting.
Probably my favorite thing in our home is the kitchen island. It has served as a group pasta making surface, giant charcuterie board, and the place we all gather around to chat and have drinks while I cook up a feast. You don’t need a giant space, however. I hosted the friends in my 500 square foot apartment with a galley kitchen. Regardless of what space you’re working with, here are a few of my favorite things to make hosting a little easier. And some hosting tips and ideas to make it fun, without making it a huge mess… that you have to clean up.
Kitchen island boards
Cover your island, or table, with butcher paper. You can get this at Target or on Amazon in a big roll. I highly recommend taping the ends to secure them and making sure there’s a good amount of overlap, so nothing slips beneath. Now, the fun part. Assemble the goods. I’ve done classic charcuterie with meats, cheeses and accoutrements.
Because we live in Colorado, Sunday game days can start early. For these, I’ll do a breakfast board or bar, adding waffles, fruits and all sorts of breakfast meats and snacks. You could do french toast sticks, cinnamon rolls or built-your-own breakfast tacos. The sky’s the limit!
Pizza, Pasta, Perogies - Oh My!
Get your friends and family involved by creating a mini-cooking class. It does NOT need to be perfect and you don’t need to be an expert, that’s half the fun. Set out the tools and ingredients and let everyone else figure it out. I typically have friends making raviolis while I’m making a sauce or other appetizers. Personal pizzas are always a fun, easy activity and the topping options are endless. (See below for kitchen items).
Clean up = the best part.
When you’re done, roll up the paper and toss it. That’s it! Easiest clean up after a big meal everrr.
*For all my travelers, or really anyone, I cannot recommend grocery delivery services like WholeFoods (Amazon), Target, or your local stores. I have found that I save SO much money on groceries when I order for pick-up or delivery. I buy what’s on my list and eliminate my toddler grabby hands from picking up random things I don’t really need.
Hosting Tip: Get yourself durable, stemless wine glasses. I’ve lost too many stemmed wine glasses as result of animated friends or excited pets (wagging tails are wine glass kryptonite).
*this post contains affiliate links that I may earn a small commission from.
