BlackBird

Get a girlfriend (or boyfriend) 8000 miles away. That'll keep you busy for a while

techgirl

If you like being in front of people and presenting (which is a requirement for many sales and consulting jobs too), doing training might be an alternative. I know lots of folks who have gigs doing speaking or product education (ranging from 401k folks who go out and educate corporate employees about benefits of their plan to folks who go out and demonstrate a product and teach consumers how to use it).

I travel for several different things... all interrelated (the fun of being self-employed to a degree). Business development (attending conventions to exhibit as well as going out to sell one-on-one to clients), speaking (I have a couple topics I do presentations on at conferences), consulting (presenting to clients and doing/supervising onsite work), and manufacturer rep-ing (getting flown out to a wholesaler or retailer to demonstrate products/teach classes for companies I contract with).

Barring something fun... get a fun job that pays well and has good benefits and start doing mileage runs or attending FlyerTalk DOs. You'll have tons of miles in no time - and great stories to tell at the water cooler on Monday mornings (if you dare)!

Dave8481

I appreciate all of the good input from everyone...I have looked at the Big 4 and the other large consulting companies and I will continue to look at them...I am located in Norfolk because that is where my wife is finishing up her PhD, but I am flexible to go to DC or Charlotte or hoping to find something that might let me keep my home base as Norfolk if I travel frequently enough...My wife has been in Norfolk for about 2 years now and I just moved here back in January so essentially for 3 semesters I was going CID-ORD-ORF roundtrip every weekend or every other weekend... school in the fall...I wouldn't want a job in the travel industry other than working for United or Boeing in a corporate finance/business analyst capacity, but i would love do the consulting thing and travel alot before we have kids while my wife is busy finishing the her PhD course work and working on her dissertation...But I appreciate all of the input and I was already looking but I have decided I am going to look harder at the big Consulting Firms...Hopefully my finance degree will allow me to go that course or I know some of them do healtcare consulting and I worked for the Senate Finance Committee Health Policy team for a semester as an intern and because of that and studying quite a bit I feel comfortable discussing Medicare parts A,B, and D and the issues facing Medicare and Medicaid even though I don't have a public policy background (that's the wifes territory) Well again I appreciate all of the discussion that has been generated by my post and wish me good luck and I hope to sometime in the near future be out there again travelling with all of you on a regular basis...Also, don't hate me for going on and on here...my wife is in Moscow for the summer and this website/community has truly kept me smiling, amused, and company for the past almost month I have been a member and I appreciate that. Thank you all.

David

tom911

Now that I'm retired from the PD, that's actually the kind of job I'd be happy with, working a day here or there. I occasionally search on the job sites and nothing like that pops us. Maybe one of these days

UMassCanuck07

One of my friends who just graduated from UMass with me got a job doing scouting for the NY Knicks and he will be traveling 200-250 days a year. Best part of that is you get to see a lot of the US/Europe/Asia and you also get to see some sports on the way! He went on his first trip last week from NYC to FRA and was treated like royalty. He was in F both ways and stayed at 5* hotels, all on the Knicks tab!

Dave8481

I hate your friend...now I hate the Knicks and would much rather do that for the Bulls, but wow I really hate your friend

blueskeyes

You'll want to choose a firm where you get to keep your points. I like that I can charge travel to my personal (points earning) credit card.

michaelcoyote

I can't believe a company would take your points. that's one of the perks of constant travel in my book

civicmon

Dang.. wish they'd reinvest all that $$ back into their stupid team...

Rejuvenated

Marketing research. That's one of my job titles now and it's having me shuttle between many places.

Rejuvenated

Dave8481

Thats a good one...Thank you...Are there any Securities Analysts or Portfolio or Fund Managers out there and if so does your job require you to travel much? I know someone my age can't just fall into those positions, but I am just asking out of curiosity. Thank you.

Karter

Sounds good. At uni we have to quite a bit of presentations and I really enjoy that. I've actually realised that I'm very good at it too. Maybe my days as a musician and the times on stage prepared me for it, but I can see that it's something I'd like to do.

Is training considered part of the HR department, or is it consulting?

GWU ESIA STUDENT

A word of caution about travel. I work as an associate for a retained executive search firm and a search I am currently working on is for a company that likes strategy consultant types who generally used to travel 80%+ and offer them the chance to move to a job that is only about 20% travel. When I dangle 20% in front of these people most jump on the opportunity to not live in a suitcase 5 days a week.

There is a good thread in trip reports that an IT consultant wrote over a few months about being on the road 100% and you can really tell how it took a toll on him; I will try and dig up the link for it and post here; but I highly reccomend reading it.

michaelcoyote

Please do, I'd like to read another viewpoint..

As for myself i've been traveling ~100% for the last 2+ years.. There are indeed times it gets old, but i'm one of those weirdos who can't imagine any other way of life.

I think the key is to find a flexible company. Having options to take extra days off on Monday or Friday, or just have a week off to lounge around the house, or even work from home is a great thing. Make sure you ask about these options, I feel that they can make or break your travel experience.

For instance, One of the worst things about my last job was being on the road for 2 months and then having to report to the office because i had a few days "on the bench", when working from home would have been fine.

I might settle down to a permanent position someday, but i think what will probably happen is that i'll find a job with less travel.. either way, i'm sure my cat will be happy. Everyone is different though. Even now i wonder if i will burn out totally on travel.. I don't know, but i make a lovely light :-)

_m