kimhase

Consultant is such a bad name because it tells you nothing; it's what I was but not in the "come fix our stuff and annoy our staff" way. Almost everything I do would be better called a short-term hire; every organization I've worked with hired me to do a job that no one else there could do or would do. Generally it included writing. Once I've written what you were looking for, I'm done. I travel to do that sometimes, sometimes I do it at home.

Now I work full time for one of these organizations, but from my home. The company prefers me in the office twice a month for 4-5 days. So I'm one of those with great hotel status and junk airline status, especially since my flight is very short.

As for the college student looking for this sort of travel related work, well, I had to get 17 years of experience and lots of connections before this sort of living happened for me. I didn't plan to be a traveling consultant who writes a lot, it was the evolution of my job and skill set.

KoKoBuddy

I joined a consulting company straight out of college, making very good money, considering I was 22 and straight out of school with zero experience in the real world.

I traveled a lot that first year, probably 40 weeks, give or take. I was single, making good money and travelling all over the country, and a couple of international trips as well. I couldn't have asked for a better first job.

This was in the late 90s. I left the consulting world about 10 years ago, but I imagine things work the same with college recruiting today. Plenty of opportunities for newbies, without decades of experience.

As for the $2000 a day topic....easy. I was billed out at $175 an hour, 15 years ago. I'd imagine that translates to $225 today or more.

KoKoBuddy

I know. I feel the same way about doctors. Pay some doofus with an MD $250 for an office visit? Pffft. I can self diagnose myself. After all I know what hurts, why do I need someone else to tell me what I already know myself?

Venabili

Yeah, we all had heard that at one time of our lives - usually a few years before being called consultants.

So when a company is implementing a new solution for accounting or new security protocols, how does the implementation work? Do they train their internal people and hope that they won't mess up? Or isn't it actually better to get a consultant from the vendor to do the design and the implementation properly and train the team?

1010101

Technology sales and client management, running APAC. I do a lot of very short duration regional hops and the occasional long haul back to head office. It's the long hauls that plump up the status, both business and leisure.

My boss (global head) flies intercontinental at least once or twice a month.

For what its worth, my other half is a regional manager for a fashion label and spends more time away than I do. She flies ultra long haul to HQ once a quarter and spends a few days a month in each territory.

FromMAtoAZ

Government contract work that requires travel is a pretty good gig. I didn't start out with travel in my job description, but now I travel TPAC 4 times per year and to East Coast a few times to visit family. I have begun doing research in jobs that require lots of travel... I think I'd like to get into a large multinational or NGO which would require lots of travel. I guess the key is to pick a field that requires you to be an expert and be there in person.

Mrtrash757

It isnt just people with MBAs... I would say most fresh college grads are like this (including me in someways, but at least I am striving to learn and gain experience before I graduate).

altaskier

Physics professor. If you're in a very common research area you have hundreds of peers within the USA, but if you're in a more specialized area you have to travel internationally to be in contact with the full peer group.

Badenoch

I'm the consultant working for your competitor, bringing 30 years of experience in your field to someone else. It's experience, expertise and insight that he doesn't need full time but is willing to pay for occasionally.

I will help him eat your lunch, kick your butt and put you in the poorhouse.

And we will both be laughing our way to the bank.

LadyLuck

Software Development / Consultancy (Architecture, Security + Infrastructure). Work for a large multi national company with travel to all their sites.

Was 22 when I started and youth was on my side as a lot of the older colleagues had their fill of it.

gobluetwo

Professional basketball scout.
http://grantland.com/features/nba-sc...w-york-knicks/

hookthem

I worked for a consulting firm right after college working on software/IT implementations for O&G companies. Since I fly domestically out of SA, I usually end up making 1K on segments (stop in Houston). I flew somewhere around 150 segments (I forget the exact number) in the last 6-7 months of 2013 (~6 segments a week). That was the most extreme my travel has ever been.

This year is a different story. I'll qualify for 1K mostly on personal travel. Business travel has been light (76 segments thus far this year @ 72,922 PQM). Flights to SGN & OGG in Q3 will re-qual me again to 1K. PQD's are a joke with this flying pattern (I think i met my $10k spend within 2-3 months).

For me, the ideal position would be 25-50% international travel. Quickly qualify for top-tier status w/o having to fly all that much. Hotel status is junk.

lighthand

Join a oil major. All have projects almost everywhere in the world, as well as service & material suppliers which you need to visit from time to time.

I've been in this industry for close to 18 years now, and it's been a blast to see not only the shiny cities like Paris, Oslo, Tokyo, Rio, etc. But also other interesting places like Lagos, out skates of Ivory Coast, small islands around Sumatra, etc.

But ultimately please.... please don't choose a job just for the travelling opportunity. At the end of the day you need to really like what you are doing. Cause the time spent in the air is but a small fraction spent in office, field, factory, etc. I have seen too many fresh grads, who joined the oil industry and quit before the first year cause it's not the "dream" they imagined.

LondonElite

A friend of mine runs a location-scouting firm for the film industry. What a joke of a career he has. Flies all over the pace, basically does nothing other than going to the locations I could have told him about in the first place, makes some notes and some calls, and hands it over to the studio. He's flying all over the place, mostly pointlessly since he's already decided what is best to recommend, and has a blast.

A major international thriller film had several locations chosen, successfully, based on what we discussed around the dinner table over a half-dozen bottles of Calon Segur some years back.

mjcewl1284

Consultant and liaison for several executives in the power tool industry residing in China and Taiwan.

Basically I am fluent in Mandarin but these executives do not know much English and they need me to translate and assist when dealing with their customers who don't speak Mandarin.