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I never want to travel for a job ever again if I can avoid it, and it seems that the world has changed enough that's an option (fingers crossed). I spent most

by kjs3 4y ago

I never want to travel for a job ever again if I can avoid it, and it seems that the world has changed enough that's an option (fingers crossed). I spent most of my early career traveling all over the place. Meetings in 3 cities in 2 countries in a day? No worries. Got to be 8 time zones away for lunch tomorrow? My carryon is already packed. I got to see great things; always found a way to eek out a little time here and there to explore. When I could book-end a trip with weekends that let me get out were the best. But, in the end, business travel is about business. The movie "Up in the Air" hits really close to home (tho I didn't lay people off when I got there...usually). I have (had) a job to do wherever I landed that trumped any extracurricular plans I might have. The physical process of business travel has gone from mildly annoying to something out of Camus. Worse...every year older, it's harder and less pleasant. And in the end, with a small exceptions, the inside of an office and hotel room doesn't change much country to country, and on many trips, that's all you see. From now on, when I travel, I want it to be purposeful. It will be about the destination, and not about whatever I can squeeze in around my business obligations.

exabrial 4y ago
Your pace sounds exhausting, that stinks. The big lesson I learned was if the engagement was on a Monday morning, and I had to fly Sunday, that needs to be reflected in compensation somehow. I was forcefully adamant that I flew during the week only without structured and logged PTO compensation. The other company I worked for had no issues with me booking longer stays past the engagement as long as I covered expenses for those. That gave me a day or two in most places and I could hit highlights.
- kjs3 4y ago
  I guess I didn't explain well enough. I got/get paid (well) for everything I did work related. Leave Sunday for Monday meetings? Client paid from the time I left my house. Travel outside work hours during week (the redeye)? Client paid. Work crazy hours because something went nonlinear on-site? Client paid, alot. Never work for free. But that always means my personal plans are secondary to the work requirements. Those 'bookend' weekends I took when I could so I could actually see things? Obviously on my dime, though every company I've worked with was good enough to let me book the hotel/plane tix at the company rate (my regular place in the middle of Dublin is something like 300 Euros a night normally but I think 120 at corporate rate). Good times! But really that 1-2 days you eek out of opportunity and corporate kindness is nice enough to get a taste of things (and recommended)...but not really enough to get what I'm looking for any more out of distant, otherwise very unpleasant travel, especially crammed into the margins of a business trip.

by kjs3 4y ago

exabrial 4y ago

Your pace sounds exhausting, that stinks. The big lesson I learned was if the engagement was on a Monday morning, and I had to fly Sunday, that needs to be reflected in compensation somehow. I was forcefully adamant that I flew during the week only without structured and logged PTO compensation. The other company I worked for had no issues with me booking longer stays past the engagement as long as I covered expenses for those. That gave me a day or two in most places and I could hit highlights.

kjs3 4y ago
I guess I didn't explain well enough. I got/get paid (well) for everything I did work related. Leave Sunday for Monday meetings? Client paid from the time I left my house. Travel outside work hours during week (the redeye)? Client paid. Work crazy hours because something went nonlinear on-site? Client paid, alot. Never work for free. But that always means my personal plans are secondary to the work requirements. Those 'bookend' weekends I took when I could so I could actually see things? Obviously on my dime, though every company I've worked with was good enough to let me book the hotel/plane tix at the company rate (my regular place in the middle of Dublin is something like 300 Euros a night normally but I think 120 at corporate rate). Good times! But really that 1-2 days you eek out of opportunity and corporate kindness is nice enough to get a taste of things (and recommended)...but not really enough to get what I'm looking for any more out of distant, otherwise very unpleasant travel, especially crammed into the margins of a business trip.