Do You Travel For Work, If So How Do You Do It?

[TheMagicHatter]

Hey All. I am currently in the job interview process for a job that would require me to travel around 50% of time. If offered the position, I will be taking it. I've been working from home for the last 4 years, so commuting to work has taken me less than 20 seconds. Flying will be a completely different story. My understanding is that I would be on the road from Sunday evening through Thursday afternoon when I would return home.

Does anyone have any travel tips to make the process easier? For those of you who do travel for work and have families or a significant other, how do you make it work so that the travel aspect isn't as hard for you? My fiance and I are already talking about Skype/Facetime as a means to keep in touch, but I just wanted to see what other things you all might do.

 

[IrregularPulse]

You do it until it starts taking a till on the relationship and then find a new job. It's only a job.
That said, enjoy it. I didn't have kids yet, but essentially was married. We talked in the evenings on the phone. I'd be gone Monday morning to Friday evening most weeks. Save those flyer and hotel points. Make it to her with some free long weekends away.
I came off the road to have kids, so I can't help if you have kids.

It really comes down to personality types. Some couples strive with this setting, others collapse. Don't let it collapse you. I don't mean to be Debbie downer, just pay attention to your fiancé and do what's necessary if you need to.

 

[TallDan]

I took a job almost two years ago that i was told was 75% travel. It ended up being about 50% travel for the first year, and then the company restructured and since then it's been 0% travel with almost 75% work from home. I was engaged when i took the job and am married now. Honestly, for us it wasn't bad at all, I typically left early Monday mornings and returned home Thursday evenings. We made more of our time together on weekends than we would have otherwise and things worked well. As IP said, it's all dependent on personalities, so pay attention to how things are going and address things immediately. Try to take care of things that you would do separately while you're on the road, there's no sense in paying bills online from home, then having nothing to do in the hotel room and talking on the phone, missing her.

 

[blizzard]

I try to travel with my wife whenever possible (it helps that she gets some cool international destinations) and we add some time before or after to make a vacation of it. Keep your miles and try to bring your fiance with you on a nice trip. Also, try to find something cool in each destination. Whether that is site seeing, or just tracking down a beer you've been meaning to try. Also, try to figure out early on what kind of stuff you can expense. Extra leg-room? Do it. Extra baggage (bring beer home)! Use every convenience you can, because travel will get old, even when it is to exciting places.

As for the relationship, that's a harder one. As said, some make it work easier than others. Make sure you guys have things to look forward to together. Try to make things easier for her where you can. Running a household alone is no fun, even if you don't have kids. Consider budgeting things like eating out more or hiring a cleaner, if you can swing it.

 

[blizzard]

oh, and get a wifi dongle. Hotel wifi is always crappy and usually very expensive.

 

[mbauer013]

I used to travel almost 100% for work. The key to me was when I was home I was really home, you can't be distracted by work worries at home if you are not there that much. Like many of the others here I was able to fly my wife out when I was away on extended trips and some of those places were really fun to visit, our first anniversary was in London due to work. With kids, it just didn't work for me as my boy was growing up while I was away so I switched jobs. If you don't have kids yet, I'd say go for it and try to have fun, but be ready to switch when the kids come along.

 

[Rhumbline]

I did it for seven years and I used to tell my friends that there's nothing glamorous about it.

I didn't have a family to worry about. Here's a few observations...
Biggest one, fly out of your closest, most convenient to you airport.
Customer reward programs, if you'll be using a rental car I found Hertz to have the best program. They have your car ready, keys in the ignition, trunk open and paperwork done and sitting in the car waiting for you. The time and aggravation you save is priceless.
Travel days are not work days.
Cabs are much more convenient than rental cars, try driving and parking in San Fran or Boston.
Wyndham had the best customer reward program for hotels. They had a separate check in desk, your profile was saved and they hooked you up with a few bottles of beer or wine per your request along with some free snacks.
Try to stay with one airline to maximize your points, I found Delta to be the best for me.
As much as I hate to say this, chain restaurants are the safest bets. I've had countless crappy meals by choosing some unknown place. The Outback is consistently mediocre and that's a plus.
When I flew, there were certain classes of tickets that were not open for free upgrades, make sure you don't get one of these.

I'm assuming your boss is not expecting you to work on Friday.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Game the system wherever possible.

Air miles are key, so do EVERYTHING you can to stay on your preferred airline and gain status. Once you get to even the base "elite" status level, travel gets MUCH easier. I live in Orange County, CA, and prefer to fly out of John Wayne airport. But if I can't fly American out of SNA, I'll drive south to San Diego or north to LAX in a minute. Whatever it takes to keep status. Seriously. It's that important.

Hotel chain points are less of an issue, but it's probably worth trying to stay at one to maximize those as well. Getting status definitely helps them pay a little closer attention to keeping you happy.

Research restaurants/breweries/etc before you go. Get a hotel near where YOU want to be. Stay in the downtown area of a city if you can find a hotel that meets your company budgetary guidelines. You're often going to be alone, so you might as well go somewhere you can see interesting things. Beats sitting in your hotel in the 'burbs with nothing but the Outback Steakhouse across the parking lot.

Yelp & beeradvocate are good for researching places to eat/see. I disagree with the above poster who says that chain restaurants are your friend. Chains are usually a safer bet than a random local restaurant that you haven't researched, but if you do your research ahead of time, you can find cool local places that are WAY better than chains.

And as I said, game the system wherever possible. In two weeks I'm headed out to Chicago and Seattle in one week -- only one night each place. Even though my customer meetings are in the very western suburbs of Chicago, I'm staying in Evanston, so I can see my Boilermakers play basketball against Northwestern. When I get to Seattle, I'm staying downtown so I'll be close (walking or cab distance) to some great PNW breweries and restaurants, and I don't have to worry about .08 to get back to my hotel...

Travel can get tiring, and it can get old. Make the most of it while you can, and if you get burned out after a few years, you'll at least have a lot of memories and a lot of sights seen during your time.

 

[agrazela]

You do it until it starts taking a till on the relationship and then find a new job...

Got to agree with this.

At my workplace: I'm in the labs and travel to customer sites maybe 3-4 weeks out of the year (perfect for me right now). Then we have the direct customer tech service / face-time folks who spend at least 50% of their time on the road. Then of course the sales folks who spend 75%+ of their time on the road.

(The split-off of the direct customer tech service folks from us lab rats occurred maybe fifteen yrs ago, prior to that half of my job was to do what they do now, I spent 25%+ of my time on the road, missed much of my oldest child's early childhood, and was threatened with divorce more than once. Of course that was before Skype, FaceTime, smartphones, and whatever else you kids are using these days)

Now, of the current customer service and sales folks, EVERY SINGLE ONE of them is divorced, most multiple times, EXCEPT the two old-timers who got into those jobs well after many years of marriage and their kids all moved out, and the one guy who left the company under threat of divorce. And then there's the one young sales guy who is making it work, but only because a) this is his 3rd marriage (he's only 27), but he finally knew what to look for in a spouse; which was: b) she's also in sales (for another company) and understands it's not the glamorous, globe-trotting, girl-in-every-port lifestyle one would think (as was mentioned earlier by another poster).

I expect I'll think about moving to direct customer service in a few years (sort of the expected career progression here, actually), but definitely not until all my kids are moved out!

So yeah, anyway, don't mean to scare you off it here, but you better be sure your fiancee is as well prepared for it as you are. Personally I think it's good you're not married yet, give you both a chance to adjust first to that being-apart lifestyle.

 

[TyTanium]

Make sure you and your company have the same view on what 50% travel means.

 

[The_Dog_42]

Make sure you and your company have the same view on what 50% travel means.

This. I'd call Sun-Thurs travel 100%, not 50%. You're away from home 5 days a week with 2 at home. Your weekend just moves to Fri & Sat. Work may not call Sunday a workday but your wife will. I travel 2-4 days every other week and as far as she is concerned, that's close to 50% because of how much time I spend away from home.

 

[govner1]

Hey All. I am currently in the job interview process for a job that would require me to travel around 50% of time. If offered the position, I will be taking it. I've been working from home for the last 4 years, so commuting to work has taken me less than 20 seconds. Flying will be a completely different story. My understanding is that I would be on the road from Sunday evening through Thursday afternoon when I would return home. Does anyone have any travel tips to make the process easier? For those of you who do travel for work and have families or a significant other, how do you make it work so that the travel aspect isn't as hard for you? My fiance and I are already talking about Skype/Facetime as a means to keep in touch, but I just wanted to see what other things you all might do.

I traveled 75-80% for over 15 years. After having a brain hemorrhage I was by necessity off the road for about 16 months. I now travel 40-60%.
Leaving on Sundays & returning on Thurs. PM is a good start. Mondays & Fridays are a PITA!
I call home every night!
Find the hotel & airline you prefer & get in their frequent flyer/guest program. You'll build miles & points you can use to reward yourself & fiancé w/ a nice getaway a couple of times a year that'll let you both recharge your batteries & relationship.
Also you can get in the quick clearance line for TSA (another) PITA. Set up what you're going to carry so you can speed up the process.

Good luck. & congrats on the job.

 

[kevron]

As a touring Musician it can be hard.

Here are some things that work/have worked for me.

Relationship: I have been married 8 years. I would be gone for 3-6 weeks at a time, then home for 3 days - 2 weeks. It is VERY difficult on a relationship. Especially if you have children. (we have 3) Call EVERY NIGHT!!! And say everything you did/plan on doing. That really helps the trust issue that may arise. If you let them know what you are doing everynight while your gone they won't think your at the bar picking up women. Whenever possible bring her with you.

Down Time: Try and fill your down time. The more down time you have the easier it is to get depressed being away from home/family. But fill the downtime with cool stuff. Not just watching TV in the hotel room. Go see the sights or any interesting things that are close by. Explore, the US is really big and there is soo much to see. Enjoy it, and take lots of pictures. Your going to see stuff that very few people get to see. Pictures make remembering the trips so much better. Plus it keeps them from all melding together.

Airports: Get a system together for the TSA. Wear shoes that are easy to get on and off. Keep everything accessible and easy to take out of the bag. Keep bathroom items, and medicines in ziploc bags. The TSA already asks this, but it is not required. But it will make getting through security much easier. Take a clear empty water bottle with you. It must be empty when going through security, but you can fill it at the water fountains once through security. This alone will save you a TON of money if you have long lay overs or delays. Laptops and other electronics must be removed from your bag. So be prepared for that. You will learn quickly how to get through security with ease. After security, remove everything from the totes, and go to the benches to put your belt/shoes/jewelry on. You will quickly understand why. When people put everything back on and in their pockets while emptying the bins it clogs everything up. Batteries are not allowed in checked luggage any more. So your electronics must be in a carry on.

Don't use charging stations. There are usually outlets along the wall you can plug your phone into. You will most likely have to sit on the floor, but free phone charging. If you get a business class/frequent flyer program there are lounges for that airline that only you can get into. That is better than sitting out in the concourse.

TAKE ANTI DIARRHEA PILLS WITH YOU!! Pain pills are also massively expensive in concourse if you need them.

You will learn which airports and airlines to avoid. When I would fly home I would fly into the airport next to my house. The other closest airport was 1 hour away and usually a lot more expensive to fly into. But I was severely limited in my airline choices. American was ALWAYS a 6 hour delay for me. Every time I flew. Didn't matter if I was flying in, or out.

The flight attendants have no control over the delays or the annoying passengers that also fly. They get just as mad about it as you do. If you are nice to them, they will be nice to you. I had one delay that was MASSIVE! After a 6 hour delay we got on the runway and had another delay.. So sitting on the tarmac me and a few other passengers were joking around with the attendant. She ended up giving us anything on the cart we wanted for free. Noise canceling ear buds are nice on the plane too. Noisy kids do happen. Its just part of it. Most parents try and keep their kids quiet, but sometimes it is very difficult with the popping ears and such. Ear buds are amazing for that.

I know photographers that have to check all their gear. When they check their gear they put a starter pistol (The guns for starting running races) in their checked luggage. Anyone can buy them at a sporting goods store on the cheap. $30 You still have to check it as a regular firearm. BUT the last thing the airline wants is to lose someones luggage that has a pistol in it. Luggage with firearms in them are RARELY lost. A cheap way to make sure your checked luggage gets to where you are going. I have never checked luggage though, this is just what they tell me.

Traveling can be really easy, and a lot of fun. I love it. Most importantly... Getting angry with people will do you no good. You can get stern and show your frustration. But once you cross the line, they won't help you if you have an issue.

 

[MaxStout]

As a touring Musician it can be hard.

Here are some things that work/have worked for me.

Relationship: I have been married 8 years. I would be gone for 3-6 weeks at a time, then home for 3 days - 2 weeks. It is VERY difficult on a relationship. Especially if you have children. (we have 3) Call EVERY NIGHT!!! And say everything you did/plan on doing. That really helps the trust issue that may arise. If you let them know what you are doing everynight while your gone they won't think your at the bar picking up women. Whenever possible bring her with you.

Down Time: Try and fill your down time. The more down time you have the easier it is to get depressed being away from home/family. But fill the downtime with cool stuff. Not just watching TV in the hotel room. Go see the sights or any interesting things that are close by. Explore, the US is really big and there is soo much to see. Enjoy it, and take lots of pictures. Your going to see stuff that very few people get to see. Pictures make remembering the trips so much better. Plus it keeps them from all melding together.

Airports: Get a system together for the TSA. Wear shoes that are easy to get on and off. Keep everything accessible and easy to take out of the bag. Keep bathroom items, and medicines in ziploc bags. The TSA already asks this, but it is not required. But it will make getting through security much easier. Take a clear empty water bottle with you. It must be empty when going through security, but you can fill it at the water fountains once through security. This alone will save you a TON of money if you have long lay overs or delays. Laptops and other electronics must be removed from your bag. So be prepared for that. You will learn quickly how to get through security with ease. After security, remove everything from the totes, and go to the benches to put your belt/shoes/jewelry on. You will quickly understand why. When people put everything back on and in their pockets while emptying the bins it clogs everything up. Batteries are not allowed in checked luggage any more. So your electronics must be in a carry on.

Don't use charging stations. There are usually outlets along the wall you can plug your phone into. You will most likely have to sit on the floor, but free phone charging. If you get a business class/frequent flyer program there are lounges for that airline that only you can get into. That is better than sitting out in the concourse.

TAKE ANTI DIARRHEA PILLS WITH YOU!! Pain pills are also massively expensive in concourse if you need them.

You will learn which airports and airlines to avoid. When I would fly home I would fly into the airport next to my house. The other closest airport was 1 hour away and usually a lot more expensive to fly into. But I was severely limited in my airline choices. American was ALWAYS a 6 hour delay for me. Every time I flew. Didn't matter if I was flying in, or out.

The flight attendants have no control over the delays or the annoying passengers that also fly. They get just as mad about it as you do. If you are nice to them, they will be nice to you. I had one delay that was MASSIVE! After a 6 hour delay we got on the runway and had another delay.. So sitting on the tarmac me and a few other passengers were joking around with the attendant. She ended up giving us anything on the cart we wanted for free. Noise canceling ear buds are nice on the plane too. Noisy kids do happen. Its just part of it. Most parents try and keep their kids quiet, but sometimes it is very difficult with the popping ears and such. Ear buds are amazing for that.

I know photographers that have to check all their gear. When they check their gear they put a starter pistol (The guns for starting running races) in their checked luggage. Anyone can buy them at a sporting goods store on the cheap. $30 You still have to check it as a regular firearm. BUT the last thing the airline wants is to lose someones luggage that has a pistol in it. Luggage with firearms in them are RARELY lost. A cheap way to make sure your checked luggage gets to where you are going. I have never checked luggage though, this is just what they tell me.

Traveling can be really easy, and a lot of fun. I love it. Most importantly... Getting angry with people will do you no good. You can get stern and show your frustration. But once you cross the line, they won't help you if you have an issue.

All THIS.

I used to travel 25-30%, but now it's just a few times per year. I'm an impatient type, but quickly learned to apply a little RDWHAHB attitude toward traveling. Getting along well with flight attendants, ticket counter staff, car rental people, customs officers, even our beloved TSA, helps a lot. I watch people pop off with an entitlement attitude toward them and it usually gets them nowhere, and even some "special treatment" by a not-so-happy TSA employee. Yeah, I've seen a few loud-mouthed jerks get pulled out of the security line.

As others mentioned, try to get the most out of it. Amass frequent flyer miles, hotel points, etc. Cabs are better than shared ride vans (e.g., SuperShuttle) - even better if the company is paying the fare. Better to have a 30 minute cab ride downtown than a 2 hour van ride with 3 or 4 stops along the way. Your time is valuable. If you have a little downtime in the evenings, take time to explore the town. Don't sit around in your hotel room if you can duck out for a few hours.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I'm an impatient type, but quickly learned to apply a little RDWHAHB attitude toward traveling. Getting along well with flight attendants, ticket counter staff, car rental people, customs officers, even our beloved TSA, helps a lot.

This. Travel is unpredictable. You're not in control.

Roll with it, with a smile if you can. And treat the people you come in contact with politely. Not only is it good karma, but they're a lot more likely to put effort into helping you if you're nice to them.

Also, pay attention to what airports have good beer. Layovers are a lot easier with craft beer. I like Sam Adams Boston Lager, but it gets old. BTW Denver is an AMAZING airport for beer!

 

[TallDan]

T
Also, pay attention to what airports have good beer. Layovers are a lot easier with craft beer. I like Sam Adams Boston Lager, but it gets old. BTW Denver is an AMAZING airport for beer!

MSP (Minneapolis) has Surly at one end of the airport. Both times I've been there I've been at the other end and had to settle for something else that was also pretty good.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I thought of one other reason you need status after reading this:

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12221479/1/why-united-is-the-worst-airline-period.html

When you have status, you have a special call-in line for the airlines and hotels. Hold time on those lines is non-existent to short compared to the "main" phone lines.

I had an issue a year or two ago on a flight from SNA->DFW->MSP. On the way to Dallas we were turned back due to a hailstorm in Dallas, and the plane was forced to land in El Paso. Luckily they let everyone de-board, and I headed for the bar which was conveniently within sight of my gate.

While I watched the hundreds of people in line trying to figure out what the heck they were going to do (the delay was obviously going to make me miss my connection to MSP and get stranded in Dallas), I sipped on a nice big beer, got on the phone to American and then to Hilton, got re-booked out of Dallas for the next morning, got hotel cancelled for that night in Minneapolis and booked in Dallas, and never had to leave my seat. The people in line, on the other hand, looked frustrated and miserable...

 

[Rhumbline]

I thought of one other reason you need status after reading this:

...t night in Minneapolis and booked in Dallas, and never had to leave my seat. The people in line, on the other hand, looked frustrated and miserable...

This is a huge help. I've been in that situation a few times, calmly talking on the phone and getting things straightened out while 175 people were almost killing each other and the agents.

The higher up you move in the FF status, the more they do to take care of you.

Another reason I liked Hertz, they really took care of things.

 

[blakelyc]

Game the system wherever possible.

Air miles are key, so do EVERYTHING you can to stay on your preferred airline and gain status. Once you get to even the base "elite" status level, travel gets MUCH easier. I live in Orange County, CA, and prefer to fly out of John Wayne airport. But if I can't fly American out of SNA, I'll drive south to San Diego or north to LAX in a minute. Whatever it takes to keep status. Seriously. It's that important..

^this x 1000. I spent 5 years traveling 100%. Out on Sunday, back on Friday, Thursday if I was lucky. I was single for the first three years.

But yeah, game it. Pick an airline that works for your departure airport, get the platinum credit card, and fly nothing but that airline or a partner airline. Get miles for the car rental. Pick a hotel chain and get a loyalty card... Get the loyalty points for the stay and pay for it with your miles card.

After my first year traveling, I didn't pay for a vacation for the next 5 years, seldom flew coach, and never paid for an upgrade.

I left that job and didn't pay attention to it any more, which resulted in getting totally screwed on the United/Continental merge. We have only now regained status on another airline (Delta).

 

[blakelyc]

Oh, and the airline club membership.... Get to the right status and they'll throw it in for free, but I have generally found it worth a few hundred bucks a year. The staff are helpful, the lounges are quiet, and open bar don't hurt any.

 

[Cyclman]

I have been a road warrior going on 15 years. I fully agree with many of the above points. Get airline status, get hotel status, keep / use the points for your family, so they get some payback from your absence. If you're employer doesn't let you keep a single airline / hotel chain, or they're going to cheap out on you and make you stay in discount hotels / airlines- don't take the job, this is that important. I have 700+ nights in Marriotts, they're often marginal. If I had spent that much of my life in cheapo hotels, I would have killed myself. If not provided, get a tablet. Load it with videos, books, magazines (mine are 50% brewing related, tons of free stuff out there). It SUCKS being in a hotel room watching "nothing" on TV. You need to be able to entertain yourself in the airport, on the plane, and in the hotel room. Skype your family nightly, it is a big help.

Find local breweries / liquor stores, enjoy a few at night. Use Google ratings, I've never had a bad meal in a place with 3.5+ stars and lots of reviews. Avoid chains, they're very boring. I've met so many nice people in brewpubs. Helps you sleep in a strange place, reduces your stress. But don't get drunk, you don't want to be that "kind" of road warrior. Your employer is paying you to be on the road to do a job, not party crazy.

One thing that is counter-intuitive but works very well (I have trained many other road warriors, trust me on this), work your ass off when you're on the road. Get all the projects, e-mails, reports, etc. done at night in the hotel room. With a beer on the desk, it's easier to do this. That way, when you're not on the road, you can minimize office / work time, still get your job done and keep the boss happy, and dedicate more attention to your family when you're not in a hotel.

And your attitude is key. You're going to find yourself eating frozen dinners some nights because it's too late / restaurants are not close to the hotel / you're too tired. You cannot let flight delays stess you out. If you're wound too tight, it isn't going to work. Crappy hotels, full planes, long days, that's the life. But, you're supporting yourself and your family, and once in awhile you find a cool pub or restaurant. Take the moments you get as they come.

 

[Cyclman]

Two other (little) things I thought about. I am 6'3", so with scores of hours on planes, I developed significant back problems. First, I bought an inflatable back pillow; second, I got one of those inversion tables, helped tons.

 

[rowan57]

Noise cancelling headphones! I travel 4-5 weeks a year for work, all long haul, primarily Africa. Thankfully don't have to deal with crappy hotels (get put up in very plush hotels) but even a plush hotel sucks when you've worked all day and really want a home cooked meal.