The End of the Travel Season

In 2005 I have already traveled on five trips to four different countries on three different continents. My travel comes in bunches. I didn't teach in the winter quarter (at the cost of doubling up in the spring) so I planned much of my travel during this time. After I return tomorrow I have no major trips planned until STOC in late May.

Why do I travel? I don't enjoy at all the act of traveling despite the advantage of non-stop flights to nearly everywhere from Chicago. The tourism bit has long lost its allure. After a while all the cities and universities start to look the same.

I don't need to travel. I could hole up in Chicago, just work with the students and visitors and have a moderate research career. I have tenure so my job is safe in any case. So why travel?

1. People: Working with people, talking with people, drinking with people. Traveling to visit different people keeps my research and academic life from getting stale.
2. Getting Away: Like most people, I have considerable work and family responsibilities and travel allows me to escape and have time to focus on research. When I visit someone for a short time they will usually make time to work with me as well. The internet has prevented me from completely escaping but I can usually tell people I'm away and I will deal with the problem when I get back. I do try to keep to a goal of not leaving the family for more than a week at a time.
3. Being Involved: If you want to be an active member of the community people need to know who you are. Don't travel and people will forget you. Email is not a good substitute for meeting face to face.

Traveling has many virtues but I am really looking forward to two straight months of going no where at all.