“It’s unhealthy when you no longer seek time alone for the sake of recharging your batteries but instead seek it as a means of escape.” (37)

I conveniently found this book at a thrift store while I was traveling away from my family for three months. The convenience (or rather divine coincidence) is that this book is written for road warriors, men and women who travel for business regularly and who, truth be told, have actually become addicted to the loneliness that business travel affords.

While I do not think my single trip apart from my family could be considered an addiction, I was keenly aware of the joy that such solitude can bring—not having to stop every hour for feedings and bathroom breaks, not needing to get hotels every night (since I can just as easily sleep in my van), saving lots of money on meals, finding time to read, etc. I struggled with many of the issues the authors raised in this book, so I found it supremely helpful in dissuading me from fulfilling my relational joys through anyone but my family, even if they were thousands of miles away.

This books is easy to skim, filled with anecdotal stories as it is. And the authors kindly sum up each chapter in bullet points before they start expounding, so it not only makes things easy to find, but it also allows the reader to skim and skip anything he doesn’t find applicable. For me, the chapters on loneliness, temptation, and family were the most compelling, and they helped me focus correctly on why I was traveling and on what was waiting for me back home.

This is no doctrinal treatise, but it is a helpful book filled with practical advice on how to keep faithful to God and family midst the bustle of business life on the road. If you travel extensively and are finding your relationships suffering as a result, perhaps this would be a good book to work through.

©2013 E.T.

Read More from Steve Arterburn:

• Every Man’s Battle (2000)
• Road Warrior (2008)