I go to London once a month for a face-to-face with one of my clients - it is by far the most unproductive time in my month, but it makes him feel better.

When you telecommute, you have to develop your communication skills. It helps that I trained as a doctor:

"Which pills are you taking?" "The white ones..."

"How long have you had the pain?" "Oh, a wee while now"

As for the learning from others aspect, I agree completely, and that's where Perl Monks has been invaluable to me.