And now back to my favourite topic... foreign trips and freebies. Despite the biting-the-hand-that-feeds-me rhetoric of a few days ago detailing the ups and many downs of business trips, they can be a perk. There are as always, though, a myriad factors that can make the difference between those few days out of the office turning into a living hell, or a pure joy.

They include, in no order of importance, your fellow business travellers – a potential minefield here and in the case of a press trip, dangerously this factor will generally be revealed to you only in the airport lounge. The party can range from a group of like-minded, affable individuals who are up for a laugh and a few drinks at the end of the day to an obscenely unpleasant pair of blaggers who have become obsessed with their own self-importance and can instantly make everyone in the room want to wipe the smug grins off their faces with a large shovel... for example.

Choice of airline was never an issue for me, until my experience with the great AA, but I realise now it could be a deal breaker. And news... yes we do also have to work for our air miles, and for that reason, having some actual news to report from an event can make life a lot easier. The shame of returning to the office empty-handed from a trip that has entirely failed to live up to its PR billing can surely only be matched by the Aussie's ignominious homecoming after their Ashes defeat. Of course I can't speak for all my colleagues.

Finally, it obviously helps if a business trip includes a perk or two. But as I found out today after a straw poll of IT Week editorial staff, the chance to see Bon Jovi play live at the Coventry Arena is probably a non-starter.