TRICK OR treat?

INVITES AREN’T ALWAYS ABOVE BOARD, WARNS MICHELE A’COURT

“Is it work or pleasure?” This is one of those standard how-is-your-day questions you get asked when checking in for a flight or at a hotel. Sometimes it will make you grin as you weigh things up in your mind – sure, this is a business trip, but you’re going to squeeze in some super-fun me-time here and there.

But other times it’s a family holiday and you’ll look at the kids, one of whom has just been car sick on a particularly curly bit of road and sigh heavily as you realise being “away” is just like being at home, but with fewer laundry facilities.

That work/pleasure combo works best when “pleasure” is the surprise side dish to a business main course rather than the other way round. I’m inordinately lucky that I sometimes get booked to go entertain a bunch of strangers somewhere and discover my accommodation is a sweet little cottage with a rose garden, a claw-foot bath and some homemade jam in the fridge, and you can pretend you’re really on vacation.

On the other hand, my top bowels-turn-to-water moments include being a guest at what I think is an off-the-clock social event until someone loudly suggests, “You’d probably love to get up and do a bit of your comedy thing, eh?” and the rest of the party agree this would be just the thing. (This has happened more than once.)