Anybody travel for work?

[E equals MC2]

Some people love it, some people hate it.

Given my age (24) and my drive to travel, I'd love to do it I think....

What do you think?

 

[KillyKillall]

I do it frequently on a plane and love it.

Oh..I travel for work too and it's not so bad. I like getting around.

 

[D1gger]

My previous job required a lot of travel, 2 - 3 days each week, and at first I liked it, but after a year of constant flying, hotels and taxi cabs, I was fed up and left.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
Some people love it, some people hate it.

Given my age (24) and my drive to travel, I'd love to do it I think....

What do you think?

I used to travel a lot, but haven't done so in some time. Make sure it agrees with your lifestyle. It is very difficult to set down roots and very difficult to do things in life that last for more than a day or two.

Having said that, it is a great way to save a lot of money fast and a great way to see places.

 

[EKKC]

i got tired of my consulting job when all i'm traveling to are stupid cities like Cleveland OH and Western Maryland
needless to say, i quit and found a job that requires LESS travel

 

[Thraxen]

I used to travel for a previous job. I was on the road maybe 2-3 weeks a month (weekends at home most of the time). It was was fun sometimes, but other times it was not so much fun. There were times when I would wake up in the middle of the night in my hotel and have to think for a second to remember what state I was in and where I had to be in the morning. But I got to meet lots of people, learn new processes, and lived viturally expense free during the week since I was on the company's dollar.

 

[Descartes]

Traveled every week for at least 75% of last year, probably about 50% this year. Before that it was only about 30% or so, but it was usually regional traveling.

It's great if you have friends in the destination cities. I traveled with friends, so we had a fantastic time everywhere we went. A lot of great dinners and nights out to punctuate the work we were doing.

I'd recommend it while you're young. It will add character whether you like traveling or not. You'll meet a lot of interesting people and do a lot of interesting things. The flying does get really old though, especially when you get delays, lost baggage, etc. It happens, and when you're already exhausted it can make your life a living hell.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: EKKC
i got tired of my consulting job when all i'm traveling to are stupid cities like Cleveland OH and Western Maryland
needless to say, i quit and found a job that requires LESS travel

Cleveland, a city with some of the best museums in the US and tons of cultural pockets with great restaurants, bars and people? You couldn't find anything to do?

I've spent a lot of time in Cleveland over the years, and while I still wouldn't want to live there permanently there are a lot of things it offers if you look.

 

[Kyanzes]

I often had to visit the HQ at Germany and other european departments when I had my previous job (I live in Europe anyway so these weren't intercontinental travels) and I loved it. A quick flight, driver waiting for me, a hotel room, restaurants etc. Was kind of cool. What I didn't like was to speak languages other than my native. It's quite hard for me (it's refreshing to read though). That aside I enjoyed my trips very much. New friends, colleagues, opportunities and more money ofc.

 

[kranky]

The first few times were cool. I ate better on the road than I did at home, had all my expenses paid for PLUS getting my regular pay, learned how to have a few beers covered on the expense report (technically, they are not reimbursable).

Then it quickly got to be a drag. Flying is a major hassle these days. If there's a delay you might not get to the hotel until after midnight - and still have to be wherever at 8AM. Maybe the hotel gave away your room - oh, if that happens they will pay for your first night at a different hotel, but it could be a lot less convenient place to stay. And you can't eat great meals every single night or you end up weighing 300 pounds. You don't have enough time to do things you'd like to do in a new city either.

Now for people who don't mind living on the road for extended periods of time, the money can be astronomical. We had a guy who worked for three years in a different city. They paid for his apartment, his rental car, and he got $45 a day to cover everything else (meals, laundry, phone calls, etc.). On top of that he got his full regular pay. Imagine how much more money you could have without rent or a car payment for three years. They also paid for him to come home on alternate weekends - and he struck a deal that he could use that money to travel somewhere else instead of home if he wanted (wasn't allowed to keep it though). So on weekends he'd fly to Toronto, Vegas, Orlando, wherever he wanted.

 

[wyvrn]

Depends on where you go. I just got back from the UK and it was fun. But I didn't like my previous job where I travelled 50% of the time, I missed my family.

 

[EKKC]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: EKKC
i got tired of my consulting job when all i'm traveling to are stupid cities like Cleveland OH and Western Maryland
needless to say, i quit and found a job that requires LESS travel

Cleveland, a city with some of the best museums in the US and tons of cultural pockets with great restaurants, bars and people? You couldn't find anything to do?

I've spent a lot of time in Cleveland over the years, and while I still wouldn't want to live there permanently there are a lot of things it offers if you look.

maybe i'm just biased against Ohio

 

[fuzzymitx]

I work for the Gov't and travel overseas about 1/3rd of the year. Its definitely the reason I took the job. I'm getting paid to visit a lot of locations I would never get to otherwise (Mali, Africa, Sarajevo, Brasilia, etc). Even better are the vacation spots like Paris, Vienna, I'm writing this from my hotel room in Tokyo right now...

I'd say go for it

(spelling and grammar are optional)

 

[imported_Imp]

Guess my job is a miniturized version of travelling, but this summr position requires me to go all over the city to every area office. Never even been to 90% of the places before. Good way to learn about your home town, and I love it.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've done it.

It gets old quick.

 

[Anghang]

i travel for work...it's got ups and downs, but overall it's kind of a hassle

 

[doze]

Got to travel every few months at last job but always by myself so it was kinda boring most fo the time. Did get to see a lot of cool places for free though.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I've done it.

It gets old quick.

For me it sure did. Probably better for a single person.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Travelling will get old very fast if you have to do it monthly or more often.

 

[RichieZ]

every wk. here's where i've been on the past yr for projects:

orlando, new york, chicago, sacramento, palo alto, newport beach, san diego, Switzerland, Italy, France.

 

[WildHorse]

travel incessantly for work
that lonely hotel room gets hellish, surreal. Same room follows me around the world, they must pack it up & move it to my next stop
sights & different cultural perspectives endlessly fascinate
eat almost nothing on the road, always lose weight
super hard on loving relationships
nice to have true friends at the foreign places, & a tiny bit of slack time to see a sight or two
always wonderful to get home to loving arms, kisses, back rubs, etc aaaaahhhhhh

 

[kt]

I do it at least once or twice a month. It's fun for me, but don't think I will like it too much if I had to do it more often though. I like it the way it is for me right now, only once or twice a month.

 

[BCYL]

I used to travel for work, like take 2+ flights a week and being away from home Sun - Thurs/Fri...

At first it was cool and exciting, since everything is paid for and you get to see different places.. but it gets old, REALLY quickly...

so after 2 yrs of doing that, i just got out 2 months ago and got a local job... even though no one is paying for all my expenses anymore, this is WAY better (you have no idea how good it feels to sleep in your own bed everynight, or be able to mess around with stuff at home instead of always waiting for the weekend to cramp everything in those 2 days when you are home)...

 

[BoomerD]

I used to travel a LOT chasing construction. Some times, it would be "booming" the big jobs, and being there for several months, other times, (working crane rental) my employer would send me on the road for a few days/few weeks at a time. Don't like it a lot, but it goes with the job. Having traveled extensively when they were young, my kids knew their US geography better than almost any other kid in class, and often had pictures of them in places that the class only saw in books.

 

[mugs]

I only travel for work a couple of times a year... I don't think I'd want to do it more than once every other month or so. For some reason my wife misses me when I'm gone.