I too felt like I wanted a job that allowed me to do a lot of business travel but I decided to go with something I wanted to do and would not be traveling every month, Aerospace Engineering.

So that is what I thought, I am currently on the road at minimum of 1 week a month upwards of 3 weeks.

I guess what I am saying is that IMO practically every job has the opportunity of business travel. Do something that you would enjoy doing.

Are you looking for domestic or international travel?

If you have the international bug, consider doing a semester abroad living in another country. Some majors make it difficult to do, but its completely worthwhile, and it gives you a real view into another culture. It is also a great foundation to do assignments that require international travel.

Go into IT consulting. In your youth (as I did) you can be a road-warrior as much as you want. If/when (as I did) you determine you want to settle, those same consulting skills you used can land you a desk job close to home. The skills are the same, and whether you choose to travel or not is completely up to you.

+1


Always do your undergrad degree in something you think is interesting. There's always your grad or professional degree to do something specific, if that's what you decide then.

As others have pointed out, business travel is often no more than commuting to work. As a consultant I seldom experience much of the community I travel to, even though I make an effort.

By contrast, people who work in some parts of the government, such as Dept of State, or the Military, live and work for extended periods in other cultures.

Also, I've known tour guides, such as for bike trips, who spend much of their time travelling in interesting areas. The pay is poor, but for the right person, especially after college but before settling down, a great opportunity.

I'll second the post on studying abroad - definitely a rewarding experience. I spent a semester in Singapore and traveled all over SE Asia. Definitely check into this, even for a year, or a semester program in a couple different areas. Many of my job interviews highlighted this experience and I feel it gave me a leg up. Not only for the future, but it'll never be easier/cheaper to spend that amount of time in a foreign country.

I studied abroad for a year in France and can highly recommend that. As for degrees I have an economics degree and also an MA in international commerce. With that combination I could choose from a wide variety of fields. In the end I ended up in the regulatory world and have a lot of travel, mostly internationally. It's fun at first but quickly loses it's joy. Do a degree you want and then choose a career that interests you first and foremost like others have said.

I did the Mech. E route. I'm in my mid-20s and have been to Singapore and the Middle East for work. I'm currently living in the Middle East for a couple years. One of my friends that I graduated with is working in S. Korea for a few weeks at a time. Neither of us planned this, we thought we'd be living in Houston (Oil company central) during our time in school. The nice thing is that I know I can keep travelling internationally if I want for expat assignments or I can settle down back home, get married, raise a family, etc. I plan to see the world now while I'm young i have the money, then settle down. At that point travel will be mostly domestic maybe a half dozen times a year. It is tough being away from family and loved ones for a long period of time. One thing about most expat assingments is your family can come with you if you have one. It is a way to allow your family to see the world too.

But, like everyone has said....DON'T PICK YOUR MAJOR BASED ON TRAVEL. The glory dies fast. My greatest benefit is earning miles so my loved ones can see the world too.

My view is that you are interested in Engineering and that will open up plenty of paths, some of which involve travel some that don't. So stick with what you like and you will have opportunities.

On studying abroad...
I didn't do it but definitely think everyone should. My problem was that I decided after my Freshmen year in college and that was too late with my major. I was determined to get out in 4 years and studying abroad would have pushed it to 5 year. I say do it as early as possible and if you do it over the summer, do it after your freshmen year because after that you will want to be doing internships. Also, make good grades, especially early on. If you have great grades early, when it's easier, you can lock up a good company, do internships with them and have a job lined up a year before graduating.

As an IT project manager, traveling all the time gets old. Find yourself a career you like. I did. It just so happens I travel a lot doing it. That is better I think. Since you are young (and I feel old), you will understand after it all starts.

Think about how your life is now. Do you like to watch your favorite football team every Sunday? How about your local hockey team? Travel every Sunday while the game is played, and you lose touch with them. Maybe you are home one or two nights a week, you often will spend less time going to the local hockey game cause you have to catch up and prepare to leave again.

Though I have had fun experiences. I am a big hockey fan. I have gotten 'free' trips to a few NHL cities and seen games in places I would never have taken the time to get to.

I have spent a lot of time in LA and SF. Great cities to wonder around. But there are some smaller Southern cites that being stuck in downtown with 3 restaurants and no car, well after a few weeks of the same restaurants, it wears on you.

When I first moved to FL, I started travel to Atlanta. I knew Atlanta better than the Tampa/St Pete area. And FL was my home.

So pros and cons. Again, best to find a major you like, a job you want to work in. Then find the job that allows the travel.

Get your ChE degree and go sell products for a company. Just don't get yourself a wife or kids if you travel every week...

Do what you love, but if you want to travel while doing what you love, you should concentrate on masteriing certain skills as opposed to targeting a degree. Whatever field you go into, I find that those with the ability to give good presentations and speak publicly, sell, perform quality improvement or troubleshoot problems are the ones that get to travel.

Most jobs in IT let you telework. I would do that and use your parents home as a home address. Then work from any city you like for a few weeks.

In addition to all the advice given here I would add; have an exit strategy. After having traveled 75-95% for 4 years I started getting burned out, but I had an exit strategy to another position in the company that reduced my travel to 25-50%. Travel can be good, but be ready when it starts getting tedious.

Another thing to consider is working at an international company, which you can do in just about any field. During the 5 years I worked at my previous company I transferred a couple times, allowing me to live and work in three different countries.

Living in a new place can be much more rewarding than just traveling, as you really get to immerse yourself in the culture. Plus, you have a new base and can explore nearby cities and countries on the weekends and holidays.

Yeah thats what my dad does giblet