I am, of course, referring to the movie of the same name. I could never fully enjoyed the humour because far too many of the “complications” in the film have actually happened to me over the years. My latest trip looked like it was shaping up to be one of those trips.

It started as a simple enough multi-destination trip. Ottawa, Washington, Chicago, and then back to Ottawa. Until the Chicago meeting was cancelled, and I was sent to a meeting in Montreal instead. With the revised itinerary, the final leg of the trip, from Montreal to Ottawa was, you guessed it, by train. And there were many other disturbing omens. Taxis that never showed up – ever. A fire that brought traffic in Washington to a standstill, just as I was about to head to the airport. But there were other “problems” that actually worked out for the best. For example, my flight from Chicago to Ottawa was cancelled due to massive thunder storms, but of course I was in Montreal, not Chicago, so I didn’t mind.

But the really memorable aspect of the trip was the meeting room, which was actually a private library. The building, and especially the library, looked like something straight out of Hogwarts. I have attended far too many meetings over the years, but I have never seen anything quite like this.

And that is the thing about business travel. You navigate an obstacle course of minor frustrations day in and day out, but every once in a while you stumble across a hidden gem that makes it all worthwhile.