Author Topic: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?  (Read 39487 times)

Unique User

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 718
  • Location: NC
I just spoke with a new contact about a job with a consulting company that would says it requires up to 50% travel.  Right now I travel once a year and work from home, but I am bored stiff with my current job and the politics are beyond annoying since we were acquired.  New job would also be work from home with up to 50% travel at a much bigger company so hopefully more opportunities.  For those of you that travel, what at the cons and pros (if any)?  Also, are salaries higher for those that travel?  Thanks in advance!
« Last Edit: February 06, 2015, 04:35:32 PM by Unique User »

lise

  • Guest
Re: Potential new job with 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2015, 04:38:31 PM »


I travelled 50% for 2010-2013 to different cities around the US (Tues - Thurs, 3 times a month, so I got a full week at home each month).  I have colleagues that travel 80% and they seem to get a lot more depressed about it than I ever did.  50% is an ideal number.

Pros:
1. work the air / hotel / credit card points to your advantage.  You end up with free vacations.
2. If expenses included, splurge on meals you would not normally buy, while being frugal at home.

Cons:
1. you have to plan your social life so people know when you're around back home.  If you're lucky, you end up with a social life to the places you travel to.  I was travelled to LA, San Francisco and Chicago where I had friends.  I also travelled to Seattle, Rochester and St Louis and didn't know people in these towns and ended up just watching hotel TV a lot of nights (which is a bonus since you get to watch all these weird cable shows you don't normally get too!).
2. airports and planes are the pits, but once you get where you're getting to, make the most of it and explore where you are and pretend you are on vacation!
3. could be a strain on relationships.

FoundPeace

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 199
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2015, 04:42:19 PM »
50% is an ideal number.

I disagree. I have 2 young children at home and I've been doing a lot of traveling this year. I would be ok with 25%. The actual work does tend to be more engaging for me when I travel, but "coming home" to a hotel at night really sucks.

cavewoman

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 521
  • Age: 37
  • I'm a woman who likes caves
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2015, 04:50:14 PM »
I love airports!  Such a prime people-watching spot.  I'd probably get tired of it if I was doing it all the time, maybe...

Are you single?  I'd do it if I were single, but now I enjoy being with my caveman too much.

Catbert

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3298
  • Location: Southern California
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2015, 04:53:54 PM »
Make sure you understand how that 50% is configured.  Is it 2 Monday-Friday trips where you are home every weekend and all weekend?  Or does the travel often start Sunday afternoon and end late Friday night?  Or maybe its 2 weeks straight and being gone for a weekend.  Is it a regular schedule of trips which makes it easier to plan the rest of your life?  Or more random trips that average 50% over a year?

The timing and scheduling of the travel can make a big different.   

JLee

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7512
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2015, 05:31:06 PM »
Make sure you understand how that 50% is configured.  Is it 2 Monday-Friday trips where you are home every weekend and all weekend?  Or does the travel often start Sunday afternoon and end late Friday night?  Or maybe its 2 weeks straight and being gone for a weekend.  Is it a regular schedule of trips which makes it easier to plan the rest of your life?  Or more random trips that average 50% over a year?

The timing and scheduling of the travel can make a big different.   

Also, is it hourly or salary?

We have a lot of people who are salary and they travel on weekends to work at customer sites during the week. Basically they're pulling 60hr weeks with travel time, effectively getting paid for 40.

Unique User

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 718
  • Location: NC
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2015, 05:48:36 PM »
Are you single?  I'd do it if I were single, but now I enjoy being with my caveman too much.

Married for 21 years with an 8th grader at home.  But, my spouse is fully behind me if I choose to take a job with travel.   

Make sure you understand how that 50% is configured.  Is it 2 Monday-Friday trips where you are home every weekend and all weekend?  Or does the travel often start Sunday afternoon and end late Friday night?  Or maybe its 2 weeks straight and being gone for a weekend.  Is it a regular schedule of trips which makes it easier to plan the rest of your life?  Or more random trips that average 50% over a year?

It sounds like random trips based on client needs, but the 50% is not definite, it can be up to 50%. 

Also, is it hourly or salary?

We have a lot of people who are salary and they travel on weekends to work at customer sites during the week. Basically they're pulling 60hr weeks with travel time, effectively getting paid for 40.

It's salary.  I work at a consulting company now and work more than 40 hours a week, but no travel.  Since it's only up to 50% travel, it's hard to say whether I'd have to travel on weekends.  It does sound like there is some flexibility though. 


boarder42

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9332
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2015, 05:55:27 PM »
I have traveled 50% most of my working career. Its not on any set schedule. Sometimes gone 3 weeks sometimes 2 days.  It will take its toll on you I love to travel for personal and it made start hating that. So I am switching divisions at my company to 10-15% 

I have no kids but am married and its just rough.

Rural

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5051
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2015, 06:41:05 PM »
There's no amount of money that could entice me to take a job like that.

JLee

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7512
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2015, 06:45:32 PM »
There's no amount of money that could entice me to take a job like that.
Heh I'd love it if it paid well enough. Home 50% of the time, traveling 50% of the time, hotel/airport points on my credit card, assuming per diem when traveling, would live for free half the time!

mama

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 15
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #10 on: February 06, 2015, 07:36:26 PM »
With kids, I think that would be way too much travel.

Hotstreak

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 838
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #11 on: February 06, 2015, 07:47:44 PM »
The devil's in the details!  I suggest you take an interview; if you move to the final stages of their hiring process, ask to speak or meet with other folks in the same position and find out from them what the travel really looks like.


There's a HUGE difference between "gone T-TH 3 weeks a month" versus "gone 20 days strait every other month".  Think of kids activities, date nights, church, friends, etc., and decide if the extra money is worth it.  Yes, they should be paying you more to travel than to work from home all the time!  Also make sure you find out their per diem policy, as you can get some "extra" income from being paid a flat daily rate vs. being reimbursed.


Before you decide you need to have several interviews and get all of the details!

lpep

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 285
  • Location: Hanoi, VN
    • My MMM journal
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2015, 08:07:03 PM »
I did about 25% travel for two years. Usually it was two four-day trips a month, and once it was 23,000 miles in one month. Sometimes I had weeks of notice, sometimes just a few days. I was always expected to be in the office the day after getting back at my normal time, whether we'd gotten in at midnight or not. It was tiring, but I got to go to some really interesting places.

Pros: eating out is fun, hotel rooms can be really relaxing, get to see new places, airline miles = free trips, I came to really appreciate my home, travel days can actually be relaxing if you do it right, going east coast to west coast means you get to feel like you're sleeping in

Cons: eating out is unhealthy and gets old quick, airplanes are the worst (although I built up this travel zen that I still have), travel is often stressful, there's ALWAYS unpaid travel time (and often long days on the road - working), hard to make plans and have much of a life (but not impossible!), hard to exercise consistently

Do you live near a major airport? That could cut down on travel time a LOT (one flight rather than two makes a huge difference). Also, is it predictable? That could affect your social/family life. Is it travel to different, interesting places? That keeps it fun and new - going to Overland Park, Kansas (no offense) all the time would be awful. Will you travel alone? I really liked the coworkers I traveled with - same ones all the time - so that really helped. Will you get comp time for overtime? Will you have to spend hours on the phone with airlines and hotels when plans change?

One thing that made my job mostly fun was that I was a videographer. When I was traveling, I wasn't answering emails or editing video or doing anything other than waiting to get to the new place so I could start working. We always went to new places, saw interesting things, and worked with new people. The hauling of equipment was terrible though.

FabricStache

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 34
  • Location: Sunny Southern California
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #13 on: February 06, 2015, 10:33:32 PM »
I travel 50% on and off throughout my career.  For me personally there were more cons and pros.

Pros: 
Traveling to places I may never travel to on vacation.
Spending time with friends in various cities without having to take a vacation there.
Free flights and hotel stays from my many flights/stays
Eating out on the company.  I ate at places I would not have on my own dime.
Staying at hotels and not having to make my bed

Cons:
Traveling was on top of my regular job so I was still excepted to keep up with my projects.  That meant working on the plane, in hotel room etc.
Jetlag.  Took me some time to recover especially coast to coast trips.
Traveling from West to East coast took up the whole day due to the time change.
Security lines.
Living out of a small bag.  I never check my bag in case it gets lost.
I miss the dog.  I can talk to my bf on the phone but I can't talk to the dog.
Bad weather.  Living in CA, MN weather is tough.  Flying in it, driving it in, digging your car out of snow.
Airline delays, cancellations.
Learning to navigate a new city every week was stressful.
I didn't have my nights to do things like laundry, grocery shopping so everything was shoved into the weekends.  This also put more of the burden onto my bf.

The traveling just wore on me.  It's like a bad daily commute.

boarder42

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9332
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2015, 06:58:03 AM »
What this ^^^^ guy said.  I mean points are nice but you can travel hack your way to points.


begood

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1013
  • Location: SE PA
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #15 on: February 07, 2015, 07:40:50 AM »
Can you suck it up at your current job until your kid graduates from high school? Like, if you had a timetable, would it help you cope with your current situation?

I think it's important to be available and spend time with kids when they are little, but it's even more important when they become teenagers. Even if they don't seem like they want you around, your presence provides stability and security - and you present a united front with your spouse, who would be 100% parent for 50% of the time if you take this job.

Capsu78

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 765
  • Location: Chicagoland
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #16 on: February 07, 2015, 08:41:03 AM »
It is stated above, but let me focus on one important point- (1) Do you live close to a major hub airport and (2) is the travel mostly to major hubs?  I have never spent a night on an airport chair but live close to ORD, where it happens at least a couple times each winter and I wouldn't want to be those guys/gals.

As for scheduling, it makes a world of difference to know in advance where and when you need to be somewhere.  I would go nuts learning on a Friday I needed to be in X on Monday. 

Who makes your bookings- I have lived in all configurations of this- myself, travel department, department secretary, AMEX outsourced.  For me, I just wanted to make my own damn arrangements-  If I show up at a property thinking I have a reservation and they have no record of it, I want it to be on my head.

Use  the Tripit app to organize all of your trip details- big fan since at least 2007.

Unique User

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 718
  • Location: NC
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #17 on: February 07, 2015, 09:14:10 AM »
It is stated above, but let me focus on one important point- (1) Do you live close to a major hub airport and (2) is the travel mostly to major hubs? 

I do live close to a major airport now (20 minutes away) and while we will be moving this year (although to exactly where I have no idea), we are only looking at areas with major airports (Charlotte, Raleigh, DFW).  To #2, I'm really not sure where the travel is to, it's a manager level role of an integration team, so I'd have to find out more. 

Can you suck it up at your current job until your kid graduates from high school? Like, if you had a timetable, would it help you cope with your current situation?

This just isn't an option.  The head of my department does not value me.  That sounds whiny, but I actually sent an email to "Ask A Manager" detailing my situation and she told me that I needed to leave, which I think I always knew just didn't want to face since I had such a great situation.  I have great relationships and am valued by others in my organization, including leadership, but the head of my department is the one that has control over my job and usually makes decisions for me that are not positive, other than a promotion which did not come with a raise, so it didn't feel positive anyway.  With the acquisition, things keep going from not so great, to progressively worse.   On top of that I am bored, bored, bored with my job. 

If you haven't read it already, run, don't walk, over to Grey Matter's journal to see some of the effects a heavy travel schedule can have on a marriage and a family. 

Interesting journal and since a lot of people in my company travel 100% (out Monday morning, back Thursday evening) I can see the issues, I truly feel for her.  I'll have to find out more about scheduling and details.  Since I know so many people that travel 100%, I guess I was thinking 50% would be a breeze.  The biggest issue I saw was that DH travels about 10 to 15% (with almost complete control of when he is away) and what would we do if there was overlap, which would be unlikely, but possible.  I'm also realistic and if it wasn't working out, I'd leave.  I'm pretty darn sure I can get a remote job pretty quickly if I didn't care about being a manager and once we move somewhere I can also look for a local job since we'll need to stay there through high school.  We're FI in ~6 years and a bump in salary would certainly help us get there with room to spare, but it wouldn't be worth it if my marriage or daughter suffered. 
« Last Edit: February 07, 2015, 09:50:47 AM by Unique User »

lpep

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 285
  • Location: Hanoi, VN
    • My MMM journal
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #18 on: February 07, 2015, 07:15:33 PM »

I do live close to a major airport now (20 minutes away) and while we will be moving this year (although to exactly where I have no idea), we are only looking at areas with major airports (Charlotte, Raleigh, DFW).  To #2, I'm really not sure where the travel is to, it's a manager level role of an integration team, so I'd have to find out more. 


I flew out of RDU! Raleigh is a wonderful place to live (I grew up there) but not a wonderful place to fly out of. The airport is fantastic but it's not a hub at all. American is the biggest carrier and you'll have to connect in DFW or ORD to get anywhere. CLT is a hub for what used to be US Air, I think (US Air and American merged last year, but they're still in the process of combining). If it's DFW you'll be fine. If ATL is an option, that's a hub for Delta and has lots of international flights.

Capsu78

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 765
  • Location: Chicagoland
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #19 on: February 07, 2015, 07:47:46 PM »
Unique,
I think you have a pretty good working pro/ con list going here so just a couple of random add ons.  As I look back at a 25 year corporate career I have whole periods of time where what I was doing isn't even relevant to todays economy... I couldn't tell you what I accomplished during years X,Y or Z.   However, the years I traveled, sometimes up to 50% I still remember today and might have been where my fondest working memories lie. 
1998 was one such year where I had kids in HS and middle school.  I missed a couple of pre prom gathering and sports awards banquets... But our kids knew it was important to me to be involved in the projects I was working on.  I lost both my mother and Father in law that year to declining health.  I closed out that Thanksgiving with tears in my eyes that both passings came during gaps in my schedule.  I even saw the both of them in their final days because I was traveling close enough to visit.  When I tagged on a couple days to visit my FIL, I could see that despite the reports we were hearing that he was doing OK, I could tell he wasn't the father my wife remembered...when I got home from the trip, my wife asked me what I thought... I told her "I think you should jump on a plane and go see him". 3 days later she was on the plane and spent a week with her parents during her Dads last days.  This is not a sad story- had I not had business in the Bay Area I would have never made it up to see him.
My point is, if you go for the travel, it can be life altering in a number of ways -some good, some less good.  Life can and will go on while you are gone, assuming your "spousal/ family support" is well grounded.  Mrs Capsu started international travel for a world wide position last year.  I support it and keep the cat fed.  I just got back from dropping her off at ORD. In the next 3 weeks she will be in London, Madrid, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney.  This works for us because we are now empty nesters and she thrives on "building teams".  Your mileage may vary, but if everyone in your "core tribe" is supportive it can lead to some amazing adventures, relationships and opportunities.
PS- I am quite social and can strike up a conversation with most anybody.  My wife however finds it difficult on the road to eat alone.  She is coming out of it a bit but understand that many casual people you know and run into will hear about what you are doing is "awesome, I wish I could that" without understanding that heavy business travel can be fun but somewhat less than awesome.  Deep down inside you need to know how you are wired and make sure your internal programing is the most recent version!  Good luck with your decision!

mrsggrowsveg

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 542
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #20 on: February 09, 2015, 10:40:32 AM »
I do not travel, but my husband travels M-F for his job so I will speak for him.  His travel is M-F, but the job was advertised as 75% travel. 

Pros:
*The pay is higher than most jobs in his field
*He loves setting his own hours and the traveling to new places means he is never bored
*Everything is reimbursed.  We save money because internet, his gas, his car insurance and meals are paid for.
*We have tons of travel points which will allow our family many awesome vacations in the future.

Cons:
* We have a child and the time away is really rough for all of us.
*Sometimes important events are missed.
*Making doctor, dentist, car repairs or any appointment is a nightmare.  He has to take a day off.
*Work is way more than 40 hours a week making hourly pay low.

In summary, this job is great for him right now.  There is no way this lifestyle is sustainable for us.  His company expects most employees to stay 2-3 years.  He plans on staying 5 years total in hopes that a job close to home presents itself.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3053
  • Location: Emmaus, PA
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #21 on: February 09, 2015, 11:54:52 AM »
I would only take on that much travel if it was my only option to feed and house my wife and daughter. But other people are built differently.

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #22 on: February 09, 2015, 12:06:48 PM »
Keep in mind the tax implications of working with travel.

Here is a good article about states that require you to file non-resident personal income taxes, many after only ONE day of work in the state.

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2013/12/12/road-warrior-state-income-tax-laws-vary-widely

If the states do not have reciprocity, it can add up. Not to mention the cost to file...

My job is salaried. It really annoys me to have to travel on weekends, and it happens a lot. 

rmendpara

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 610
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #23 on: February 09, 2015, 02:12:37 PM »
So long as you feel you'll be happier, I don't see any issue with it.

I'd follow up to make sure you understand all the facts so you have an accurate understanding of what the job will entail. Make sure there are no bad surprises.

I currently work in a job with advertised "up to 50% travel". It ends up being occasional international trips for1-3 weeks (including weekends), which only ended up being ~30% last year, but felt like a lot more. I don't mind this now, but definitely not what I want longer term. This is very different from "100% travel" that you described above being almost exclusively Mon-Thu... point is to just verify with the hiring manager what the travel looks like and how it could vary.

Pros: You'll save a little money, although in the grand scheme it's not that much.. maybe a few thousand per yr which obviously reduces over time as your salary increases. You'll also get to see a few new cities. Nice if you have friends to see, but if they have families and are otherwise busy, that may only be once a week when you're in town.

Cons: Tiring... even a short flight will add 5-10 hrs total to your work week between going to/from airport, waiting at gates, flight time, etc. Unless you're a party animal, after a while you don't want to go out all the time in a new city, and many nights you'll just want something quick to eat and can't really spend all that time at nicer restaurants (you are a manger, I think, so perhaps you may have a different experience than at the associate or senior consultant levels). Bad locations... you may hope to go to decent cities, but sometimes you don't and end up in a place with sub-par food and accommodations. This gets annoying, fast!

Hopefully the job is a good experience, because even if you dont' end up hating the travel... few people still really love it after a year on the road.

minimustache1985

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 248
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #24 on: February 09, 2015, 02:38:13 PM »
Nope.  And I really enjoyed my 25% travel job in my "single" days when H (then BF) and I were long distance.  I got to eat out a lot for free so I rarely went out for more than drinks with girlfriends when home, played tourist during the evenings in some neat places, and gathered enough hotel points that the occasional wedding I traveled to didn't cost me lodging.  But I would only do it now if it paid a lot more, and wouldn't be willing to do it with young kids at all, a high schooler I'd consider it if the job and pay made it worth the trouble.  I was also one of those people who flew Sundays, mostly for me- I was a groggy mess Monday afternoon if I'd been up early for a flight and on a plane for a few hours, being single I much preferred getting there Sunday night and waking up refreshed and ready Monday morning.  How do you feel when you travel for vacation?  Exhausted getting off the plane, or ready for the mental equivalent of a site visit/meeting/whatever?

Being single then it saved me money on food since travel meals were on the company tab, earned flights and hotel points to use, etc.  On the flip side my coworker who traveled 50% was married (SAH) with 2 HS boys and him being gone didn't make a dent in their grocery spending since their two teenage boys were eating 80% of the food (it would now that his kids have both left the nest).  Even with that much travel he and his wife flew free/cheap and hotels were free, but he still had to pay for the kids flights.  Plus the non-traveling spouse has to be more flexible since sick kids, after school activity chaffering, etc all falls to that parent when the traveling spouse is out of town- if that is something that could hinder your spouse's career it definitely belongs on the con list.

Basically the perks don't outweigh the cons for someone with a family, so you have to consider if the job satisfaction/challenge and pay change are worth the hassle.

Unique User

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 718
  • Location: NC
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #25 on: February 09, 2015, 03:13:42 PM »
I do not travel, but my husband travels M-F for his job so I will speak for him.  His travel is M-F, but the job was advertised as 75% travel. 

Pros:
*The pay is higher than most jobs in his field

That stinks to take a job at 75% travel and end up at 100%.  I've been pretty upfront that I would not be able to do any more than 50%, but people have short memories, I do need to find out more.  Further research looks like a minimum 30% increase in pay to take on the travel. 

Keep in mind the tax implications of working with travel.

Here is a good article about states that require you to file non-resident personal income taxes, many after only ONE day of work in the state.

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2013/12/12/road-warrior-state-income-tax-laws-vary-widely

If the states do not have reciprocity, it can add up. Not to mention the cost to file...

My job is salaried. It really annoys me to have to travel on weekends, and it happens a lot. 

This is great info, I need to keep this in mind.  Some consulting companies have a "making the consultant whole" at the end of the year, but I don't think this is one of them. 

How do you feel when you travel for vacation?  Exhausted getting off the plane, or ready for the mental equivalent of a site visit/meeting/whatever?

I'm must be odd, because the couple times a year I have to travel or when I travel for vacation I'm fine.  Delays drive my daughter nuts, I'm of the pull out a book or laptop because delays will happen kind of traveler.  That could all change if it becomes regular though. 

Plus the non-traveling spouse has to be more flexible since sick kids, after school activity chaffering, etc all falls to that parent when the traveling spouse is out of town- if that is something that could hinder your spouse's career it definitely belongs on the con list.

I've been the primary chauffeur, etc the whole time.  We didn't set out for that to happen, it just did.  DH's travel schedule has fallen way off in the last 6 months, so it seems like the right time to try this out and he is totally on board.  I've either worked for myself part time or from home or only during school hours for all of my daughter's 13 years so I've always been around.  I've only been back in the real world work force for six years and feel that something like this job could make me a bit more legitimate to employers, maybe??

Astatine

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3676
  • Location: Australia
  • Pronouns: they/them
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #26 on: February 10, 2015, 12:12:31 AM »
I was in a job a few years ago where the travel was one or two days every month or two, plus the occasional 3 day conference.

It was probably about the right amount of travel for me at that time, because while I enjoy work travel, it is very exhausting. A one day trip to another city (noting that Australia is sparsely populated and the cities are quite spread out) was usually a 14 hour day for me, door to door, while being "on" all day at the meeting. I'd be pretty trashed the next day, but still expected to come in at the normal time and do my normal work.

The rare occasional trip further afield to one of the more distant Australian cities (think 4-hour timezone difference - maybe the difference between LA/NY?) was much more exhausting. Very long days due to not many flights and very few direct flights (and those were often the "red-eye" specials - flying in the middle of the night). Travel time was quite long and occasionally would intrude into Sunday evening if we had to be there first thing Monday morning.

There is no way in hell I'd take a job that was 50% travel. I am a homebody at heart and I treasure my evenings and weekends at home with my DH and cats. Even now, I suck it up and do the 14 hour day for the occasional one-day travel instead of going the night before, cos sleeping at a hotel is sometimes less appealing than spending the night at home and getting up at 4am to catch the first flight out.

NICE!

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 682
  • Location: Africa
Re: Potential new job with up to 50% travel - cons and pros of traveling?
« Reply #27 on: February 10, 2015, 03:01:40 AM »
Would be a blast if I were single. Now? It'd depend on how long the stints were. I don't like being gone for 6 months or a year like we are in the military. I'd be cool with a month at a time or even 1-2 weeks at a time. Much less than that and I think it'd be exhausting.