I agree it's flawed, but it's reality. Video conference can only do so much, the reality is face-to-face contact is necessary. Training, multiple meetings, client relations, etc, they just don't work without an element of face-to-face.
So, we need to travel, so how? Now you live in Sweden, I on the other side of the Baltic. Half the businesses here, eg banks, etc, so it seems, are Swedish owned, so it is a good example - going from Stockholm to Vilnius by car/ferry is going to be, more or less, a three day round trip. The flight is less than two hours. And the flight is cheaper too
And should I wish to be a good son and visit my mum back in England, assuming I didn't get killled on the Polish hellhole roads, it is a straight two day drive each way!
And still those planes woud be flying above my head, probably an empty seat laughing at me.