How long does it take you to unpack your suitcase after a trip? For me, unless I am leaving for another trip in the coming days, it takes… well, much longer than my husband probably prefers.

There it sits…to me it’s an extension to my too-small closet. To my husband, a toe-stumping obstacle that taunts him in dim light. To me, a wonderfully packaged souvenir of the memories of the trip. To him, a grossly mangled mess of clean and dirty clothes in co-existence. In my defense, I’m apparently not the only one. If having a page on Facebook makes it official (or okay?) then check out the Not Unpacking Your Suitcase For Two Weeks After You’ve Been Home page.

So what it really comes down to for me, is closure. Once the suitcase is unpacked, the trip has officially ended. I know I’ve already done a post about last week’s PRSA‘s Counselors Academy conference in Asheville, but until I blog about the Asheville part of it all, I’m not sure I’ll have closure and be ready for the trip to be considered DONE. And if I don’t get that suitcase unpacked before this holiday weekend ends, I’m afraid I might be asked to take it (and myself) somewhere else to stay. So here goes.

Business travel so rarely allows for actually experiencing the location of the meetings. Yet another great thing about how the Counselors Academy conference is organized that through “dine arounds” we spend one evening going into the host city instead of staying at the hotel. We were extremely fortunate that this occurred in Asheville on Friday night when the drum circle takes place downtown. Now listen, if you go to Asheville, get on down in the drum circle and really experience it. Don’t stand up at the top and watch. Trust me on this one!

The other must-do on my Asheville list:run don’t walk (I did both actually, from the Grove Park Inn) to Early Girl Eatery at 8 Wall Street. One of our clients who is never wrong about restaurants recommended this so I made it a priority before our sessions started the first day. A menu full of local ingredients, incredible customer service… an all-around delish experience!

So, goodbye #CAPRSA 2010! Time for me to get un-packing!