cudalord

I have a question regarding regular travel for work. I was recently offered a job that requires me to air travel 3-5 days per week. I have traveled internationally, and to many nationwide destinations, but never ongoing for work. I want your feedback as to the pros and cons of travelling all the time. I have a girlfriend (she is supportive of the job), but no kids or any other obligations except for my house which I own.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

silver-tls

Plenty of info and experiences in other threads.

Bottom line is that after a few month, it will wear on you. Right off the bat you think its great to be able to travel and be paid for it but spending 150+ nights in a hotel room may make you miss home.

Not sure how often you see your GF but you'll see alot less of her and miss out on alot of things you used to take for granted in your hometown.

And with all the time away, you'll start to think about paying your mortgage but not even living in your home.

On the other hand, you're young and not married (yet) so you really don't have anything tying you down. Who knows what can happen on the road. You may find you want to live in another city and this is a good chance to try it out without permanently setting roots.

Everyone is different so until you try it out, you won't know for sure.

Segments

Enjoy it.

Unless you typically spend every waking minute together, you won't miss being together a few nights during the week. Call/text/Skype. How many nights do one of you already work late?

Let her use your travel time for things you wouldn't be around for anyway (girls night out, errands) or even planning those days st the one she works late at work herself. Then use the weekends for together time.

Biggest "conflict" is that if your travel requires lots of business dinners -- after a while you want to stay home and cook while she wants to go out somewhere nice to make up for lost time.

RCyyz

Traveling for fun is, well, fun. It's relaxing, it's rewarding, and it's what we all want travel to be.

Travel for work is a different game entirely. You're there to work; not to have fun. Your employer will certainly pay for certain things along the way - internet access, simple meals etc. But depending on what you do and where you do it, more often than not your view from the hotel will offer a stunning look at a highway. Or an oil refinery. Or a parking lot. Or a brick wall.

I live in YYZ which is a decent sized and incredibly diverse city. But when I travel for work, quite often I end up in places where the dining choices are burgers or wings or ceasar salad.

Having a normal schedule may be difficult if you cross time zones. If I'm working out of our office on the west coast, I'm usually in there no later than 07h00 to cover off meetings and phone calls back here on the east coast. But I'm expected to stay in the office until 17h00 or later which of course is 20h00 or later in eastern time. If I'm in Asia I'm typically 12h or so out of sync with eastern time so things get challenging; typically there are late-night calls from the hotel room and lots of email checking going on at other times.

Keep in mind too that 3-5 days on the road = 4-2 days at home. In fact, Monday to Friday on the road typically means you leave on Sunday night or REALLY early on Monday morning (in which case you go straight from airport to office then check in to the hotel in the evening), then you come home late Friday night. At that point, you basically go to bed, do laundry on Saturday then get ready for your next trip which starts on Sunday.

Maintaining diet and exercise will be hard. Most hotels have simple gyms, some hotels have full gyms. But finding the time to use them will be a challenge.

So all in all, it's hard!

But ... it's not without its rewards. You'll gain a business perspective that most people won't have because you'll see things first hand, and hear things first hand that others won't. You'll get to experience life somewhere else which can often be quite interesting. And, this being FT, let's not forget the miles, the bonus earnings, the elite status of airlines, hotels, car rentals etc. These are all perks which you'll be able to enjoy in your personal life.

And on your personal life, your GF is upportive which is fantastic. But like I said, 3-5 days on the road = not much time @ home. Skype will help maintain the connection, but it's not the same as sitting down with someone and just talking about the day's events. Time zones may impact the ability to connect as well. If you're on the road that much, you will crave quiet time at home but your GF may want a night out on the town which for you means another restaurant, another late night ... This is a balance the two of you will have to work out. Some relationships don't withstand the strain but hopefully yours will.

Don't get me wrong - it's not all bad. Sometimes it's quite fun and even quite fulfilling. But it is hard and typically it's not something one does for "the rest of your life".

Hope it all works out for you!

GRALISTAIR

And at least once per year, splurge those miles on her - go somewhere (OK on a plane again) in First/Business - nice hotel, upgrade to suite etc to somewhere SHE WANTS TO GO.

cudalord

Thanks guys all this information really helps. I'm am on the fence about one job offer that offers heavy travel 3-5 days per week, and another job that offers 20% travel, both in the tech field. Both offering the same salary range. The one that involves heavy travel pays for rental car/daily per diem/hotel, expenses, etc (company credit card) and I keep all the miles accrued.

On one hand I hear from people that it's like living out of a suitcase, but on the other you get to see something new every day. I have done a desk job for 5 years now and it's just not for me. I have always felt in my element while I was on the road.

sonofzeus

Figure out how much you'll save by banking your salary and living off the expense account for 3 years. EOS.

tentseller

Young Jedi: there is no clearer sign for your path.

Spend the rewards on GF trips and bank the savings from living out of the suitcase to upgrade her to fiancee or wife.

FearFree

This is a must to consider. You wont be home, so your utility bills will be much lower. Your meals while on the road should be covered, so your grocery bills are much lower.

These things, while not increasing your salary, do lower your cost of living. Having to make up for it by spending the extra money on "special occasions" more frequently for the GF may make it wash howerer

aroundtheworld76

THIS. My GF tolerates my crazy travel schedule because my hotel points and to a lesser extent, airline miles allow us to take at least one big trip a year and a few long weekend in Paris type trips.

maniac78

If they pay the same then I'd go for less travel. The one demanding the travel is underpaying and will always do so.

pittpanther

No too supportive I hope!

You need to find out what "3-5 days per week" really means. Does it mean 5 days per week 50 weeks out of the year, and 3 days on Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks? Or is it a true random value?

Are you the kind of person that after traveling all week, will want to sit home and relax on the weekend? Because if you are, I foresee trouble with the girlfriend, who has been home alone all week and now wants to enjoy the 2 days with you hanging out about town.

You really have to know yourself, to know if you're a road warrior type. It will be fun for the first month or two, but only a true road warrior can keep up that 3-5 days per week pace for the long term.

mikeef

1) Do you have any discretion over where you go, what airline you use to fly there, what hotel chain you get, etc.?

2) Upthread, somebody posted about diet and exercise. It is much more difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle on the road. Certainly not impossible, but it takes willpower.

Mike

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

To the OP, I would try to determine ahead of time what the expectations are of the offer with more travel. Will you be expected to be on site Monday AM and stay through the end (or near) of the day on Friday. What will the work load be like once onsite.

Also, what are typical locations traveled to like. Its going to be much easier flying to a major city with lots of options than Cowtown USA where you might have only a few if just one option a day. Will the employer allow for direct flights over connections even when there is a noticeable cost difference? Will the employer pay for extras such as a lounge membership or onboard wifi? Waiting in an airline lounge for a three hour delayed flight is going to be much more comfortable than at a crowded gate with screaming babies.

If the OP is leaving late morning/early afternoon Sunday and coming home late Friday night after putting in 10-12 work days the relationship with the GF is likely to become very problematic, along with many other things in the OP's life (like trying to schedule doctors appointments, get clothes cleaning done, take care of house needs, etc.)

gfunkdave

You'd be going from nothing to True Road Warrior. It's difficult to underestimate the toll this takes on you. Think George Clooney's character in Up In the Air.

Will you be going to the same place over and over, or will it be different every week? Living out of a suitcase gets really old really fast for me. And don't think of it as "look at all the cool places I can go see." As my uncle said (he used to be a big 4 consulting partner), he got to go to Paris for work many times, and only ever saw the Eiffel Tower from the back seat of the taxi to the airport. In general, you'll go from one hotel that looks like any other to a conference room that looks like any other.

If you want to do this, be absolutely sure that you love the work itself, since that will consume much of your time in the place you travel to. Be sure it's enjoyable enough that it's worth the toll it will take on your physical health, on your relationship with your girlfriend. Be sure it's enjoyable enough that it's worth sitting in airports because of delayed or cancelled flights.

I would suggest doing the job that has 20% travel. You'll still get your miles and status but you'll retain your sanity.