Lokahi

One answer, to me, is when you lose the "sense of place" that should be home.

I spent several years working as a network news producer, which meant two and sometimes three short-haul trips a week. So even though I resided in a great city, I had no connection to it: no friends outside of work, no ties to the community, no involvement in civic affairs, and certainly no time to develop relationships, much less family ties.

Eventually, I got downsized, ended up in Hawaii, and for the first time feel like I have roots and a place to call home in the truest sense. And as a freelancer, I can pick and choose when and why to travel...and the "why" is increasingly for pleasure rather than business.

On the other hand, I'm divorced (and travel was partly to blame), so I'd better not touch this question

Aloha and best of luck in your quest for balance!

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Infrequent flyer and newly minted AAdvantage Gold, HHonors Gold

toofrequentrav

As a 32 year old 3 million miler on AA, and millions more combined on all the rest....I tell you that you do it as long as you can and they you get out. I've been TOP Platinum on American since I was 25, before EP came about.

I always ask myself the questions asked throughout this posting. Have you had enough yet? I am still single, so I only have myself to look out for at this point. I fly my family (or they fly themselves) to visit me all around the world. We get to experience great things together.

Regarding the AA EXP/PLT tags on the bags and why people have them and proudly display them and why people don't? I think it depends on your backround. When I was young my family and I used to laugh at all the older men (which it mostly was) on the concorde who would collect the "concorde" bag tags on their luggage to the point of having 15 of these ratty tags hanging there. This was ridiculous, just like having all your frequent flyer tags on your briefcase. UGH! IS this incase you forget your own name?

I was always raised to believe that you never advertise to anyone what you have or who you are. If they want to know they will ask! And if you are so important, they will know far in advance who you are without tags produced en-masse for millions of people.

Somthing Grandma used to say. "It Doesn't matter how you look when you make a purchase, just that you have the money to back it up".

Regards!

SemiElite

Wow! For me, this thread adds perspective.

I'm currently a real estate agent. And previously I was a Special Education teacher and a Communications Consultant for the phone company in Chicago.

I've never had a job that required travel. Yet, I've always loved it. Arriving at an airport gives me a rush! Seeing new places is a thrill. And I love to experience every new place I visit as much as possible.

So, when I started reading FT, quite honestly I was envious of all of you who have much of your travel paid for, and stay at hotels which I can rarely afford. I envied your top level elite status on two or more airlines, having forgotten what a Coach seat looks like, and your suite upgrades at Starwood and Hilton, as well as a mileage bank that could provide FC around the world reward tickets.

But now it has become apparent that there is a darker side. The grass isn't always greener on the other side! The travel can be nice, but there's a price to pay. And, honestly, I'm glad I don't have to pay it!

Would I like a bit of business travel? Sure, but in my business, it's not to be. However, I'm lucky enough that I do have enough flexiblity that I can take a short trip when the fares are cheap.

And, I've learned enough on FT to plan my strategies. I've learned how to take a 3 or 4 day trip for $200-500, thanks to Travelocity Dream Maps and searches, and to be able to get upgraded to FC much of the time, and get suites for less than half the going rate, and ditto with rental cars (via Priceline).

In the last year and a half, I've visited Amsterdam, London, Rome, Panama City, Peru, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou China, and two trips to Australia, including two trips to Sydney (to visit my fiancee), and a trip to Cairns, visited my hometown of Chicago and eaten the best pizza in the world (and I was able to write off that trip!), and a trip to Toronto.

I've visited the Anne Frank Haus, the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey, travelled through the Miraflores Locks, saw Juan Pizarro's remains in Lima, visited the Colliseum, Vatican City, and ate great pizza, window shopped on Nathan Road, had a one day glimpse of the "real" China, including an excellent lunch in Guangzhou, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge (twice...both day and night), had the best seafood meal of my life at Doyle's, taken the ferry to Manly, took a cruise up the Hawkesbury River on Australia's last surviving postal boat, spotted humpback whales and dolphins at Port Stephens, dived the Great Barrier Reef, and rode the Skyrail to Kuranda, visited friends back in Chicago, went to the top of the CN Tower and took a tour of the SkyDome in Toronto, and even discovered a decent Canuck brew!

I've done more travelling in the last 1 1/2 years than most people have done in their lifetimes. I never would have believed that I could have afforded it until I started reading FT, and now it's become a game...getting the max for the minimum!

I'll be leaving soon for FLL ($196 fare), getting a car for $15 a day, and driving down to Key West...2 nights in a 2 1/2* suite for $35 a night, plus one night in a 3* Sheraton suite for $85 (hey, it is Key West! ).

And to top it off, a year ago Novemeber I met the most wonderful lady online. We've visited three times...once here and twice in Sydney...and we'll be married in Sydney in the next few months.

Now I realize that I have the best of all possible worlds, and I truly am blessed! To quote Lou Gehrig on July 4, 1939 in Yankee Stadium, "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth!"

Thanks for the perspective, everyone!

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In Economy...no one can hear you scream!

AAFA

Ok, having said all that, work-life-balance, is a load of old tosh. The majority of people who moan about travelling love it. 50% of trips don't have to be taken, but are taken because we like it - or at least we think we will like it at the time we commit to it - I am not saying that 50% of trips are valueless, but they are not essential, and we could get out of them if we wanted.


I found this to be the most insightful comment on this thread. It is also one I heartily agree with.

I'll never forget working with a woman flying 48 years who was thinking about retiring. She was bemoaning the fact that she couldn't quit because it was the best lie she ever lived. She said she'd never be able to get out of going to an annoying family party again, or Christmas dinner at her sister in laws. I just laughed because I do the same thing myself.


From my perspective as a flight attendant, I know I've been flying too much if I get a little short on patience. This usually happens if I back all of my trips up together in order to get maximum money in my pay check and 2 or more weeks off in a row. By the 6th day of super 80, working an itinerary that has more legs than a coffee table, you feel it coming on. On the 4th leg of the day when the 4,000th person gets on and insists they are stacking their bag in the front closet because they did it on their last flight, you know it's time for a break. Then it's also time to close the closet.

One thing I know I couldn't do is stay home and not fly. My favorite time of the month is when the schedules for the next month come out and we see what type of layovers are up for grabs. It's like Christmas every month.

When I am home too long I start getting that ants in my pants feeling to do some traveling. Even when I'm not working I'm traveling. I made my boyfriend my companion so he could travel too at my rates. He still finds it odd to travel out to someplace just to have lunch and dinner or to spend the day at the beach. He likes it though, and that's what counts.

Gaucho100K

Welcome to the boards. Great thread you started here. Personally, I think that the limit on too much travel really varies from time to time, time being personal life circumnstances, cycle of the industry you are in, etc. There are times where you have to travel more than you would like, and there are only so many things you can do to limit that. However, are VC's and other technical means become more mainstream, I think that many companies (and their clients) are going to start curtailing massive business travel.

doc

Again, as noted above, I largely agree with Nick.

Much is essentially somewhat, if not entirely, discretionary - and the only really and truly difficult travel time for me is/was with missing children, especially during the first year.

There are both good and bad aspects of almost everything. My strategy is simply to focus on the good and downplay the bad. Yet travel is mostly quite good, IMHO, and while I do not love it as some truly do, I generally do not mind it at all!

There also was a Wall Street Journal article on basically this topic just over a year ago.

As fashionable as it is to complain about business travel- and when was the last time you sat next to somebody on a plane who didn't say they hated traveling for work? - all the grumbling masks a well-kept secret of business travel: For a significant number of workers, getaways on the corporate credit card are a sort of illicit indulgence.
As much as parents miss their families when they're gone, they admit to cherishing the perks, whether it's three hours of uninterrupted reading on the airplane or room-service breakfast at a time when they usually are scurrying to get kids ready for school.

studley

See what I mean? Date an F/A! ;-)

Studley

boilermaker

Been married for eight years, and have been travelling in some capacity that whole time. I love to travel, and my wife knows and understands that. We joke that the travel has helped our marrage, and I think that it actually has helped. My travel has allowed my wife to learn how to become independent, read a map, and find out who she really is. And, she benefits with all my miles, hotel and rental car points.

I currently travel around 60k a year, but a new position may increase that to 100k+.

Jim_B

Add me to those whose marriage has been helped (saved is actually more accurate) by travelling. Our marriage was severly on the rocks when I started travelling extensively a little over two years ago. Initially, the travel was a great way to escape, but with time it became a way to reflect on how happy we really were with each other, once we got beyond whatever was bothering us at the moment. I don't travel as frequently now, but I doubt I'd still be married if I hadn't been on the road when we were at each other's necks.

hk_whales

Studley,

Nice cross thread reference!

[This message has been edited by hk_whales (edited 06-05-2001).]

crimson skies

Doc, I'm sort of new to this board and not sure of your occupation. But for sure I am very curious in light of the fact that if numbers are correct you average almost 27 posts per day, more than one per hour since you started.

Normally I would say "get a life", but if there are extenuating circumstances that allow you the freedom to surf the various web sites on such a liberal schedule what are they? I don't mean to seem arrogant in my inquiry, but I am curious. Thanks

studley

Hi crimson,

Welcome back!

Studley