Author Topic: Does more work travel equal higher pay?  (Read 9267 times)

ruraljuror

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Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« on: May 12, 2017, 11:55:12 PM »
If you were offered a position with relatively equal responsibilities and authority to your current job, but the new job would require up to 50% travel (whereas the previous job required virtually no travel) how much of a salary increase would you expect? 10%? 20%? 30%?

Destinations are mostly small to mid-sized cities - nothing exciting.

gooki

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2017, 06:24:43 AM »
30%+


firelight

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2017, 06:30:43 AM »
50% or more. Because, after taxes, I'll end up getting half and need to make arrangements for someone to stay/pick/drop-off kids. So a lot of work  for not a lot of money.

Zamboni

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2017, 07:14:01 AM »
They'd have to double my salary to get me to travel that much again . . . I would feel guilty boarding my dog that much, and then there is the kids . . .

nick663

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2017, 07:33:19 AM »
It depends on your life situation.  Single and 25?  I would have done it for 0% and just been happy with the fringe benefits (hotel points, food per diem, etc).  Married with kids at age 35?  I'm not sure I could do 50% travel regardless of pay... it would have to be a FU money that would allow me to be FI in 2 years.

Traveling positions like that typically do pay higher because it's such a small pool of qualified people willing to travel.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2017, 07:35:22 AM by nick663 »

MayDay

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2017, 09:52:59 AM »
With kids at home: double.

Without kids at home: 50% or maybe more.

And I still could only do it for a year or so.

H has a colleague who travels every other week. He negotiated to work long hours while traveling (they tend to work 12 hours when on trips anyway) and then work half time on his home weeks. That is an attractive option. He is near retirement and experienced and I suspect the company knew he'd have just quit if they didn't agree.

ruraljuror

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2017, 12:40:38 PM »
Sounds like most prefer maintaining current lifestyle over increased income when it comes to work travel.

Higher salary, location independence (within US), and ability to schedule own travel are aspects of the role that have lead me to consider the opportunity. Plus it's a strong company with growth opportunities. But, I'm happy in my current role and foresee it being fulfilling for the next couple years - after which I'm not so sure.

Doesn't sound like there are any rules of thump on the salary impacts of a job with travel???

Blackeagle

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2017, 12:50:03 PM »
Higher salary, location independence (within US), and ability to schedule own travel are aspects of the role that have lead me to consider the opportunity.

The ability to live wherever you wanted would be a big deal plus, as far as I'm concerned (one of my motivations for FIRE is to move from Kansas to someplace with mountains).  Not just in terms of living where you want to, but also the ability to choose a LCOL area along with higher salary. So if you aren't in an LCOL area already and you're willing to move, consider that when weighing the costs and benefits.

nick663

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2017, 01:01:05 PM »
Sounds like most prefer maintaining current lifestyle over increased income when it comes to work travel.

Higher salary, location independence (within US), and ability to schedule own travel are aspects of the role that have lead me to consider the opportunity. Plus it's a strong company with growth opportunities. But, I'm happy in my current role and foresee it being fulfilling for the next couple years - after which I'm not so sure.

Doesn't sound like there are any rules of thump on the salary impacts of a job with travel???
Location independence and ability to schedule own travel change things slightly depending on the situation.

Fwiw, I have seen a lot of situations where being the traveling person always out of office has hurt the candidate for internal promotions.  There is a lot to be said for being "seen" and the social side of being in the office.  I'm currently weighing the pros and cons of an offer to work from home due to this.

Dicey

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2017, 02:10:58 PM »
Another factor is what your travel expense allowance looks like. If you can basically live free and bank your paycheck, that could be worth consideration. I had traveling jobs for many years. I could always make money on the per diem. Once they switched to actual expenses, not so much, though I still had a little flex ;-)

Once, I was on a 3.5 month job assignment in San Francisco. The company paid for me to rent an actual (awesome) house, once I showed them it would be cheaper than staying in a hotel. Once I had a full kitchen, two day's per diem more than covered a week's worth of groceries. I managed not to cash a single paycheck the whole time I was there. When I got back to LA, there was a message from HR wondering why I hadn't cashed any checks. It all went straight to the Down Payment Fund.

ruraljuror

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2017, 02:25:23 PM »
I believe it's a straight cost reimbursement rather than a per diem. While we wouldn't plan to relocate, I like the idea of having flexibility. Married with three kids 11 yo and under. Being gone a few nights a week seems like a pretty heavy disruption, but i know families can make it work. We're still thinking through the family impacts, but wanted to work on salary requirements while we figure it out. I appreciate any additional feedback from the group.

Righty

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #11 on: May 16, 2017, 02:54:04 PM »
Destinations are mostly small to mid-sized cities - nothing exciting.

This will kill you.

If the travel was to exciting places (Europe, Asia, etc.) with a generous expense policy, business travel can be quite enjoyable. Traveling through podunk cities in the middle of america will eat your soul - they are never easy to get to and you will be sitting at the Best Western wondering why you missed your kid's t-ball game after eating at TGI Fridays for the second night in a row.

Prairie Stash

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #12 on: May 16, 2017, 03:46:38 PM »
I believe it's a straight cost reimbursement rather than a per diem. While we wouldn't plan to relocate, I like the idea of having flexibility. Married with three kids 11 yo and under. Being gone a few nights a week seems like a pretty heavy disruption, but i know families can make it work. We're still thinking through the family impacts, but wanted to work on salary requirements while we figure it out. I appreciate any additional feedback from the group.
I liked travel when I was single, with kids it makes me sad. Sitting in a hotel and wondering what they're doing isn't too fun foe me. More importantly though, my kids suffer while I'm gone, they miss me. While I agree work needs to get done, travelling is very hard on little ones. Find a family that's making it work and ask the kids how they feel about it, most don't like it.

I get lots of overtime when I travel, I can get it paid out or bank it for time off. Will you be able to put in additional work hours while away and get more time off when you're home? Basically every day I travel accelerates my retirement by a day, that's the tradeoff I make. Short term suffering for the long term gain.

Dicey

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #13 on: May 17, 2017, 12:06:54 AM »
I believe it's a straight cost reimbursement rather than a per diem. While we wouldn't plan to relocate, I like the idea of having flexibility. Married with three kids 11 yo and under. Being gone a few nights a week seems like a pretty heavy disruption, but i know families can make it work. We're still thinking through the family impacts, but wanted to work on salary requirements while we figure it out. I appreciate any additional feedback from the group.
Nope, nope, nope. That's one nope for each kid. Not fair for kids to have a travelling parent unless it absolutely can't be avoided. It's no fun for the spouse, either.

Proud Foot

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #14 on: May 17, 2017, 09:54:54 AM »
Right now it would have to be a lot higher.  Probably 100% or more since I have a wife and kids.  I did this for the first couple years of marriage working as an auditor.  If I was single I would most likely still be doing it.

NextTime

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #15 on: May 17, 2017, 10:16:22 AM »
Anyone with kids at home shouldn't be traveling 50% of the time.

Jrr85

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #16 on: May 17, 2017, 11:35:45 AM »
Destinations are mostly small to mid-sized cities - nothing exciting.

This will kill you.

If the travel was to exciting places (Europe, Asia, etc.) with a generous expense policy, business travel can be quite enjoyable. Traveling through podunk cities in the middle of america will eat your soul - they are never easy to get to and you will be sitting at the Best Western wondering why you missed your kid's t-ball game after eating at TGI Fridays for the second night in a row.

I'm thinking traveling to small and mid size cities would probably be a good bit more enjoyable now than it used to.  Assuming small city means 100k people, you are generally going to at least have some good local food options and hotel options better than Best Western and you'll be able to find them thanks to trip advisor or other sources and the options in mid sized cities will be even better. 

50% would still be a grind (and unacceptable to me with kids in the house), but I don't think the grind would be that much less just by switching out large cities for the small and mid sized cities. 

Gimesalot

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #17 on: May 17, 2017, 11:44:42 AM »
If the travel was to exciting places (Europe, Asia, etc.) with a generous expense policy, business travel can be quite enjoyable. Traveling through podunk cities in the middle of america will eat your soul - they are never easy to get to and you will be sitting at the Best Western wondering why you missed your kid's t-ball game after eating at TGI Fridays for the second night in a row.

If you replace "kid's t-ball game" with "cats' cute antics" it perfectly describes my current business travel!

BlueHouse

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #18 on: May 17, 2017, 11:58:08 AM »
It depends on your life situation.  Single and 25?  I would have done it for 0% and just been happy with the fringe benefits (hotel points, food per diem, etc).  Married with kids at age 35?  I'm not sure I could do 50% travel regardless of pay... it would have to be a FU money that would allow me to be FI in 2 years.

Traveling positions like that typically do pay higher because it's such a small pool of qualified people willing to travel.

+1.

Also, when you're young and single, a job with travel typically makes your future jobs pay more as well.  At least that was my experience.

Pylortes

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2017, 02:20:57 PM »
Destinations are mostly small to mid-sized cities - nothing exciting.

This will kill you.

If the travel was to exciting places (Europe, Asia, etc.) with a generous expense policy, business travel can be quite enjoyable. Traveling through podunk cities in the middle of america will eat your soul - they are never easy to get to and you will be sitting at the Best Western wondering why you missed your kid's t-ball game after eating at TGI Fridays for the second night in a row.

Let me guess- you probably refer to everything between the coasts as "fly-over country".  Nothing better than seeing and learning more about other parts of the country and meeting and getting to know other Americans. I would argue our country needs a whole lot more of this so we can understand each other better. 

As for the original question, I would agree 50% travel with three young kids at home would be difficult.   I think for me it would probably take a salary increase more than 50% to want to do it (probably closer to 75-100% increase).  But traveling can be fun and educational (even for work) so there are benefits if you get away from your Best Western and TGI Fridays to meet some new people and try some new things!

nobody123

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #20 on: May 18, 2017, 11:53:26 AM »
I would expect a 0% raise.  I would negotiate a huge one (my salary would have to double to get me to spend 50% of my time away from my kids), and not accept the job if the compensation didn't match the sacrifices of family time I would be making.  I'd also probably need a decent bonus to pay for the inevitible divorce proceedings.

gaja

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #21 on: May 18, 2017, 01:13:56 PM »
I travel quite a bit for work, and have small children at home. The pay isn't great, but the time off is. All hours I spend travelling are compensated hour for hour with PTO. Sometimes, 2-3 days travelling will give me a week of PTO. Yes, it is annoying to spend time away from the kids, but having endless weeks of vacation time to spend with them later makes it worth it.

Could this be something you could negotiate, instead of increased pay?

AlanStache

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #22 on: May 18, 2017, 02:15:46 PM »
I think it also depends on the structure of the travel.  Getting into the office at 9am and being told you need to drive 200 miles and will be back in 3 days would VERY much suck.  A more predictable two weeks gone/two weeks home would be much more manageable.  That said with three little ones it would take a lot for me to do it even in the best cases.

re getting out and meeting your fellow Americans.  yes and no; I have done the best-western out by the airport off the interstate while working +12hr/day and there just is not the time or energy to get out and see stuff of go on some magical adventure of discovery.  But if there is time you can get out and see some really cool stuff and do some really cool things in most any city; it is 100% depends on work schedule and location specifics.

Also at that level of travel maintaining friends can be hard.  And getting regular exercise can also be hard depending on the hours you are working.  When I was on site for weeks on end exercising three times per week was doing good. 

nick663

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #23 on: May 18, 2017, 04:45:31 PM »
Destinations are mostly small to mid-sized cities - nothing exciting.

This will kill you.

If the travel was to exciting places (Europe, Asia, etc.) with a generous expense policy, business travel can be quite enjoyable. Traveling through podunk cities in the middle of america will eat your soul - they are never easy to get to and you will be sitting at the Best Western wondering why you missed your kid's t-ball game after eating at TGI Fridays for the second night in a row.

Let me guess- you probably refer to everything between the coasts as "fly-over country".  Nothing better than seeing and learning more about other parts of the country and meeting and getting to know other Americans. I would argue our country needs a whole lot more of this so we can understand each other better. 

As for the original question, I would agree 50% travel with three young kids at home would be difficult.   I think for me it would probably take a salary increase more than 50% to want to do it (probably closer to 75-100% increase).  But traveling can be fun and educational (even for work) so there are benefits if you get away from your Best Western and TGI Fridays to meet some new people and try some new things!
Eh, I grew up in and have done plenty of traveling in the midwest.  Unless you're in a major city there isn't much to see or do and the hotel breakfast->work->hotel->local chain restaurant->hotel days get pretty rough if you aren't traveling with a companion.

boy_bye

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #24 on: May 18, 2017, 05:07:45 PM »
Quote from: ruraljuror link=topic=73611.msg1551582#msg1551582 date=1494654912e
Destinations are mostly small to mid-sized cities - nothing exciting.

This will kill you.

If the travel was to exciting places (Europe, Asia, etc.) with a generous expense policy, business travel can be quite enjoyable. Traveling through podunk cities in the middle of america will eat your soul - they are never easy to get to and you will be sitting at the Best Western wondering why you missed your kid's t-ball game after eating at TGI Fridays for the second night in a row.

Let me guess- you probably refer to everything between the coasts as "fly-over country".  Nothing better than seeing and learning more about other parts of the country and meeting and getting to know other Americans. I would argue our country needs a whole lot more of this so we can understand each other better. 

As for the original question, I would agree 50% travel with three young kids at home would be difficult.   I think for me it would probably take a salary increase more than 50% to want to do it (probably closer to 75-100% increase).  But traveling can be fun and educational (even for work) so there are benefits if you get away from your Best Western and TGI Fridays to meet some new people and try some new things!
Eh, I grew up in and have done plenty of traveling in the midwest.  Unless you're in a major city there isn't much to see or do and the hotel breakfast->work->hotel->local chain restaurant->hotel days get pretty rough if you aren't traveling with a companion.

Yes and yes. The worst is when you spend a day flying and then you're delayed and then you have to drive 200 miles to get to the small city hotel at 2 am and have to be onsite solving customer problems at 8 am the next day and then the customer wants to ply you with dinner and drinks after that.I get to travel to fun places sometimes, too, which makes up for it, but if I had to go the small city route all the time, I would be looking for another job.

And I don't have kids ... and I rather like traveling.

Jrr85

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #25 on: May 19, 2017, 08:42:26 AM »
Destinations are mostly small to mid-sized cities - nothing exciting.

This will kill you.

If the travel was to exciting places (Europe, Asia, etc.) with a generous expense policy, business travel can be quite enjoyable. Traveling through podunk cities in the middle of america will eat your soul - they are never easy to get to and you will be sitting at the Best Western wondering why you missed your kid's t-ball game after eating at TGI Fridays for the second night in a row.

Let me guess- you probably refer to everything between the coasts as "fly-over country".  Nothing better than seeing and learning more about other parts of the country and meeting and getting to know other Americans. I would argue our country needs a whole lot more of this so we can understand each other better. 

As for the original question, I would agree 50% travel with three young kids at home would be difficult.   I think for me it would probably take a salary increase more than 50% to want to do it (probably closer to 75-100% increase).  But traveling can be fun and educational (even for work) so there are benefits if you get away from your Best Western and TGI Fridays to meet some new people and try some new things!
Eh, I grew up in and have done plenty of traveling in the midwest.  Unless you're in a major city there isn't much to see or do and the hotel breakfast->work->hotel->local chain restaurant->hotel days get pretty rough if you aren't traveling with a companion.

If you are in small cities and eating in chains, I would say you're doing something wrong.  If your travel schedule doesn't allow you time to do anything other than eat at the chain restaurant in front of the hotel, then that seems like a schedule issue and not something that would be made better by being in bigger cities, although I guess maybe you'd have better hotel restaurants. 

Or maybe the midwest is really that different from other areas of the country?  The little time I've spent there, the cities/towns do seem to be a little bit more bland for their size compared to other areas of the country, but I wasn't sure if that was me just not having a good feel for them or if that was reality. 

Pylortes

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #26 on: May 19, 2017, 11:14:52 AM »
Yeah, my point is for all these people who seem to be arguing that traveling to the big city or Europe is so much better- your complaints seem to stem around "there's no time to go see anything" because of all the work hours needed.  Now how exactly is that much better in a big city?  I guess if you're flying in and close to a major airport there is some time savings there that you could spend elsewhere.  But if you're driving even in a big city going 5 miles can take as long as going 30 miles out in a smaller area depending on traffic. 

I think work travel can wear on you no matter where you go if you are putting in long hours/have little down time, but if you do have some extra time available, anywhere you go can and should be an adventure.  If you are in a "boring Midwest town" I'd argue you may want to do a little homework to find local historical sites, parks, etc.  or other fun things to do.   They are all around you if you look.

Proud Foot

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #27 on: May 19, 2017, 11:20:45 AM »
If you are in small cities and eating in chains, I would say you're doing something wrong.  If your travel schedule doesn't allow you time to do anything other than eat at the chain restaurant in front of the hotel, then that seems like a schedule issue and not something that would be made better by being in bigger cities, although I guess maybe you'd have better hotel restaurants. 

When I was traveling for work I would try to avoid the chains. I'd try to talk with the clients to find out which local places to try.  I found some truly delicious Mom and Pop diners in small towns that I never would have known about any other way.  There were also the towns so small that there either were no chain restaurants or only one or two chain fast food places.

boy_bye

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #28 on: May 19, 2017, 12:44:29 PM »
I think work travel can wear on you no matter where you go if you are putting in long hours/have little down time, but if you do have some extra time available, anywhere you go can and should be an adventure.  If you are in a "boring Midwest town" I'd argue you may want to do a little homework to find local historical sites, parks, etc.  or other fun things to do.   They are all around you if you look.

Different people have different preferences. I love traveling to São Paulo and London but if I never have to see Ft Wayne, Indiana, or Marceline, Missouri, again, I'd be fine with that.

nick663

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #29 on: May 19, 2017, 04:03:35 PM »
If you are in small cities and eating in chains, I would say you're doing something wrong.  If your travel schedule doesn't allow you time to do anything other than eat at the chain restaurant in front of the hotel, then that seems like a schedule issue and not something that would be made better by being in bigger cities, although I guess maybe you'd have better hotel restaurants. 

When I was traveling for work I would try to avoid the chains. I'd try to talk with the clients to find out which local places to try.  I found some truly delicious Mom and Pop diners in small towns that I never would have known about any other way.  There were also the towns so small that there either were no chain restaurants or only one or two chain fast food places.
My issue is that I spent 6 years living in Chicago and most of middle america's definition of "good" places to eat barely move the needle.  I would rather save the 30 minutes of transit time and just eat the Applebee's next to the hotel or get another Marriott burger because usually isn't that different.
Yeah, my point is for all these people who seem to be arguing that traveling to the big city or Europe is so much better- your complaints seem to stem around "there's no time to go see anything" because of all the work hours needed.  Now how exactly is that much better in a big city?  I guess if you're flying in and close to a major airport there is some time savings there that you could spend elsewhere.  But if you're driving even in a big city going 5 miles can take as long as going 30 miles out in a smaller area depending on traffic.
If I'm in a major city, I'll take an extra day (or more) to explore.  Every boss I have had was okay with that and I have seen a pretty significant portion of this country that way.

ruraljuror

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #30 on: May 19, 2017, 11:16:08 PM »
With responses ranging from 30% to "no way in hell", I've landed on 40% not including the possible annual bonus.

BlueHouse

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #31 on: May 20, 2017, 05:18:53 PM »
I travel quite a bit for work, and have small children at home. The pay isn't great, but the time off is. All hours I spend travelling are compensated hour for hour with PTO. Sometimes, 2-3 days travelling will give me a week of PTO. Yes, it is annoying to spend time away from the kids, but having endless weeks of vacation time to spend with them later makes it worth it.

Could this be something you could negotiate, instead of increased pay?
Do you mean all your time out of your city, so you only would have to work half a year! Or do you mean the travel time that is over 8 hours per day?  One would be awesome and the other is pretty standard I think (although I didn't have it in my travel jobs)

Syonyk

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #32 on: May 20, 2017, 10:55:52 PM »
Waking up in yet another hotel bed and trying to remember what time zone you're in today? Eh. Been there, done that, racked up the airline miles and hotel points to not pay for personal travel for a few years after.

With a wife and kid now, not any time soon. Double my salary and I'll consider it. Probably not even then. I travel for a week every few months and that's enough for me.

Goldielocks

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #33 on: May 20, 2017, 11:26:05 PM »
Destinations are mostly small to mid-sized cities - nothing exciting.

This will kill you.

If the travel was to exciting places (Europe, Asia, etc.) with a generous expense policy, business travel can be quite enjoyable. Traveling through podunk cities in the middle of america will eat your soul - they are never easy to get to and you will be sitting at the Best Western wondering why you missed your kid's t-ball game after eating at TGI Fridays for the second fourth  night in a row.

Or having the bartender remind you that the drinks are very strong - are you driving?  Thanks to Kansas city for thost one.
Or choosing to eat grocery store food in your hotel room because TGI Fridays is the alternative.

I received about twenty five percent more pay, and then it led to promotions as well as having more interesting work.

chasesfish

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #34 on: May 21, 2017, 06:08:23 AM »
It depends on your life situation.  Single and 25?  I would have done it for 0% and just been happy with the fringe benefits (hotel points, food per diem, etc).  Married with kids at age 35?  I'm not sure I could do 50% travel regardless of pay... it would have to be a FU money that would allow me to be FI in 2 years.

Traveling positions like that typically do pay higher because it's such a small pool of qualified people willing to travel.

This!

Was working with an employee this week.  Work travel is interesting, different, and comes with a ton of of fringe benefits.  However it is difficult as you get responsibilities at home in your life.  At entry level jobs, its worth 0%.  For senior/seasoned people with alternative options that don't require travel, I think 25% - 50% or more is appropriate.  There's just less 10-15 year veterans willing to do that shit.

gaja

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #35 on: May 23, 2017, 12:49:36 PM »
I travel quite a bit for work, and have small children at home. The pay isn't great, but the time off is. All hours I spend travelling are compensated hour for hour with PTO. Sometimes, 2-3 days travelling will give me a week of PTO. Yes, it is annoying to spend time away from the kids, but having endless weeks of vacation time to spend with them later makes it worth it.

Could this be something you could negotiate, instead of increased pay?
Do you mean all your time out of your city, so you only would have to work half a year! Or do you mean the travel time that is over 8 hours per day?  One would be awesome and the other is pretty standard I think (although I didn't have it in my travel jobs)

I can't count the hours I sleep/relax, so I guess it is closer to the last option? To give an example from a travel I'll do later in June:
Day 1: (8.5+3.5 hours) Meetings at office 0830-1700. Leave home at 1900 to catch the train at 1925. Arrive at hotel around 2230. Fall asleep.
Day 2: (12 hours) Leave hotel at 0800 to go to meeting (0900-1700). Arrive back at hotel 1800. Answer emails etc 1900-2100
Day 3: (12 hours) Work at hotel 0900-1100. Leave for meeting (1200-1600). Walk around town, maybe grab some food, until the train leaves 1755. Arrive at home 2100.

My winter time work week is 38.75 hours, summer time is 35. This includes 30 minutes paid lunch break. So when I get back to the kids and family, I have already worked enough hours that week, and can take the rest of it off. Or I can save up the two days for a longer summer break. I could have chosen to work less while travelling, and explored the destinations, but I prefer working longer days and having more time off with the kids.

Goldielocks

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #36 on: May 23, 2017, 03:01:13 PM »
I travel quite a bit for work, and have small children at home. The pay isn't great, but the time off is. All hours I spend travelling are compensated hour for hour with PTO. Sometimes, 2-3 days travelling will give me a week of PTO. Yes, it is annoying to spend time away from the kids, but having endless weeks of vacation time to spend with them later makes it worth it.

Could this be something you could negotiate, instead of increased pay?
Do you mean all your time out of your city, so you only would have to work half a year! Or do you mean the travel time that is over 8 hours per day?  One would be awesome and the other is pretty standard I think (although I didn't have it in my travel jobs)

I can't count the hours I sleep/relax, so I guess it is closer to the last option? To give an example from a travel I'll do later in June:
Day 1: (8.5+3.5 hours) Meetings at office 0830-1700. Leave home at 1900 to catch the train at 1925. Arrive at hotel around 2230. Fall asleep.
Day 2: (12 hours) Leave hotel at 0800 to go to meeting (0900-1700). Arrive back at hotel 1800. Answer emails etc 1900-2100
Day 3: (12 hours) Work at hotel 0900-1100. Leave for meeting (1200-1600). Walk around town, maybe grab some food, until the train leaves 1755. Arrive at home 2100.

My winter time work week is 38.75 hours, summer time is 35. This includes 30 minutes paid lunch break. So when I get back to the kids and family, I have already worked enough hours that week, and can take the rest of it off. Or I can save up the two days for a longer summer break. I could have chosen to work less while travelling, and explored the destinations, but I prefer working longer days and having more time off with the kids.

okay,  for my travel, I had some choice in how I booked my days.  When kids were small, I would work local office 2-3 days a week, and then travel from 5am to 10pm on the other two days, (different cities) so kids would know I was in the house at night.   45 hours / week of work time, plus 20 hours of travelling.

More typically, travel is leave on Sunday afternoon-- get home on Friday by 6pm.   Total hours on the job site would be 4 full days plus 1 half day.   I may do a bit of email from the hotel room, but I guess it was 40-45 hours / wk plus travel time (of 12 hours) each week, plus the weeknights away from home (at hotel rooms trying to relax or sleep).

Your scenario actually sounds like full time pay for only 3 days of work, (830-1700 - 8hr, 900-1700 7.5 hr, 900-1600 6.5hr = 22.5 hrs per week of actual on-duty time) which is pretty nice in comparison, even if your work days were long.  Looks like they are paying you for the travel time, but not the hotel time.

gaja

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #37 on: May 23, 2017, 04:36:38 PM »
I travel quite a bit for work, and have small children at home. The pay isn't great, but the time off is. All hours I spend travelling are compensated hour for hour with PTO. Sometimes, 2-3 days travelling will give me a week of PTO. Yes, it is annoying to spend time away from the kids, but having endless weeks of vacation time to spend with them later makes it worth it.

Could this be something you could negotiate, instead of increased pay?
Do you mean all your time out of your city, so you only would have to work half a year! Or do you mean the travel time that is over 8 hours per day?  One would be awesome and the other is pretty standard I think (although I didn't have it in my travel jobs)

I can't count the hours I sleep/relax, so I guess it is closer to the last option? To give an example from a travel I'll do later in June:
Day 1: (8.5+3.5 hours) Meetings at office 0830-1700. Leave home at 1900 to catch the train at 1925. Arrive at hotel around 2230. Fall asleep.
Day 2: (12 hours) Leave hotel at 0800 to go to meeting (0900-1700). Arrive back at hotel 1800. Answer emails etc 1900-2100
Day 3: (12 hours) Work at hotel 0900-1100. Leave for meeting (1200-1600). Walk around town, maybe grab some food, until the train leaves 1755. Arrive at home 2100.

My winter time work week is 38.75 hours, summer time is 35. This includes 30 minutes paid lunch break. So when I get back to the kids and family, I have already worked enough hours that week, and can take the rest of it off. Or I can save up the two days for a longer summer break. I could have chosen to work less while travelling, and explored the destinations, but I prefer working longer days and having more time off with the kids.

okay,  for my travel, I had some choice in how I booked my days.  When kids were small, I would work local office 2-3 days a week, and then travel from 5am to 10pm on the other two days, (different cities) so kids would know I was in the house at night.   45 hours / week of work time, plus 20 hours of travelling.

More typically, travel is leave on Sunday afternoon-- get home on Friday by 6pm.   Total hours on the job site would be 4 full days plus 1 half day.   I may do a bit of email from the hotel room, but I guess it was 40-45 hours / wk plus travel time (of 12 hours) each week, plus the weeknights away from home (at hotel rooms trying to relax or sleep).

Your scenario actually sounds like full time pay for only 3 days of work, (830-1700 - 8hr, 900-1700 7.5 hr, 900-1600 6.5hr = 22.5 hrs per week of actual on-duty time) which is pretty nice in comparison, even if your work days were long.  Looks like they are paying you for the travel time, but not the hotel time.

Yes, I count all hours I'm "locked up" because of work; from I leave the door at home, until I arrive at the hotel (and stop working). But it is also expected that I try to do some work from the train, or answer a phone or two while driving. Sure, for the employer it might look like they only get 22.5 hours that week, but I have used 36 hours of my time, and that is what counts in my book. It is their choice to send me on these trips; they must have decided it is worth more to them than phone/skype meetings from the home office. (The $3-5 millions I've pulled in in grants and project funding, in a large part due to these travels, might have influenced them slightly).

The hours are worth much more to me than cash. I have been offered to change to a different type of position with about 10 % pay increase and one vacation week more, but no PTO for the work/travel you do outside normal hours. That is not worth it. If I was offered 50% increase, I might consider it, but then I would probably negotiate working part time instead.

So for the OP, I would highly recommend negotiating the hours too, not just the cash.

Goldielocks

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #38 on: May 23, 2017, 05:30:31 PM »
I wasn't suggesting you should not consider travel time work time!  Far from it, actually, but I am pointing out that if your employer agrees to this way of calculating hours (which they should), it is a better arrangement than most.  Because of that, any income boost would be quite modest to accommodate the travel / away from home times.   

ruraljuror

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #39 on: January 27, 2018, 10:13:30 AM »
I wanted to thank everyone who provided input into this decision. After 5 months in the new job I'm really enjoying it. Going to visit all the clients back to back to back at the end of last year was difficult, but 2018 has brought a reasonable travel routine. Working from home when I'm not traveling has provided balance and allows me spend time with family and support my stay-at-home wife.

I've spent most of my time in "flyover country" but going in with a positive mindset and seeking out redeemable qualities of each city really helps. I've also found the sweet spot in terms of time on the ground in each city, which enables me to be fairly efficient and minimize time on the road.

Good pay, scheduling my own travel, enjoyable work and supportive boss have made for a smoother than expected transition. If others with kids are considering a role with travel - its certainly doable under the right circumstances.

martyconlonontherun

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #40 on: January 27, 2018, 10:54:51 AM »
Yeah, my point is for all these people who seem to be arguing that traveling to the big city or Europe is so much better- your complaints seem to stem around "there's no time to go see anything" because of all the work hours needed.  Now how exactly is that much better in a big city?  I guess if you're flying in and close to a major airport there is some time savings there that you could spend elsewhere.  But if you're driving even in a big city going 5 miles can take as long as going 30 miles out in a smaller area depending on traffic. 

I think work travel can wear on you no matter where you go if you are putting in long hours/have little down time, but if you do have some extra time available, anywhere you go can and should be an adventure.  If you are in a "boring Midwest town" I'd argue you may want to do a little homework to find local historical sites, parks, etc.  or other fun things to do.   They are all around you if you look.
I worked big 4 where the travel is local small towns for manufacturer s and it sucked. Drive in Sunday night to Beloit wi and drive back Friday. Nothing exciting.

Now I do internal audit and flew to DC area last weekend. Got to meet some friends. Next week going to Shanghai and spending one weekend in Shanghai and another in Hong Kong with very limited personal expense.  Even if the on the job hours are the same, your work with the client is way better because of cultural differences instead of working with a typical Beloit guy who is the same as my uncle.  Add in ability to try new food.

Also, i know it's dumb to care what other people think, but it's easier to talk about a trip to eastern Europe then about Beloit when at social events with friends or family.

I think there are huge benefits to international travel. Still drags on the wife though and end when we have kids.

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Re: Does more work travel equal higher pay?
« Reply #41 on: January 27, 2018, 11:09:47 AM »
I wanted to thank everyone who provided input into this decision. After 5 months in the new job I'm really enjoying it. Going to visit all the clients back to back to back at the end of last year was difficult, but 2018 has brought a reasonable travel routine. Working from home when I'm not traveling has provided balance and allows me spend time with family and support my stay-at-home wife.

I've spent most of my time in "flyover country" but going in with a positive mindset and seeking out redeemable qualities of each city really helps. I've also found the sweet spot in terms of time on the ground in each city, which enables me to be fairly efficient and minimize time on the road.

Good pay, scheduling my own travel, enjoyable work and supportive boss have made for a smoother than expected transition. If others with kids are considering a role with travel - its certainly doable under the right circumstances.

Glad it's working out for you.