Jobs with lots of travel?

Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by Tenderiser, Aug 5, 2016.

  1. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    One year I ended up in the San Francisco area over Thanksgiving. Ended up going into a restaurant alone, but sat with a bunch of people who were traveling as well and we ate turkey and stuffing and talked for about three hours. That kind of thing makes a trip worthwhile IMO.
     
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  2. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    And I tended to be much more of the "order room service and hibernate for the evening" style of traveller. Probably an extrovert/introvert difference, right? After a full day of working with people (I was a trainer for office software) I just needed to recharge with some peace and quiet. It was before I started writing, but I bet if I'd been writing back then, I'd have gotten a lot done. As it was, I read lots of good stuff!
     
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  3. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    If I had worked with people all day I might have done the thing. Mostly, I was just in a truck alone, and having brief interactions with people. So by the time evening rolled around hanging out in a restaurant or pub and chatting was pleasant.
     
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  4. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    The job will be much the same as I do now, except faster paced. I'm pretty good at switching off when I leave the office, but I am really tired in the evenings... mostly because of my commute, which I wouldn't have if I was only walking down the road to a hotel. I think commuting a longer distance twice a week would be easier than commuting 2 hours every day.

    But again, I don't know until I do it! Catch-22.
     
  5. OurJud

    OurJud Contributor Contributor

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    I'm a coward, so I'm going to live the dream through you and say 'Take the travelling / hotels option!' It's a no-brainer in my opinion... but then it's not me having to make the choice.
     
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  6. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    I don't like traveling much. Two or three trips a year are okay, even exciting, but if I had to be in hotels every week, I'd go crazy. I'm very much the kind of guy who likes to be at home. I'd choose the stay-home option for the sake of my long-term sanity.
     
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  7. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    Hmm. Is there any chance at all that part of the appeal of the travel job is that you would NOT be "onstage" with the duty to ease your mother's loneliness every night?

    I ask because it would be unfortunate for you to commit yourself for four years if all you need is a little more alone time.

    On the other hand, it would be unfortunate for you to give up a job that you really want just to keep your mother from having to go out and work harder to make more friends.

    Yes, I'm not fond of mothers. I think that's been established before this. :) But even if your mother is a lovely, wonderful person, I think that these are worth considering.
     
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  8. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    @ChickenFreak Nah, I like spending time with her. Leaving her alone is entirely a negative for the travel job, not a positive. It was my husband I wanted to be away from when I booked into the hotel for a night!

    I know she would say the same as you - that I have to do what's right for me and not miss an opportunity for her. But knowing that she won't blame me doesn't make MY guilt any easier. Ah, mothers...
     
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  9. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    If you both have a good Internet connection (that is, if your hotels will reliably have a good internet connection), there are the various video chat things. Somehow that seems to have less of that "Keep talking or hang up!" pressure. You could have video-dinner together occasionally or something.
     
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  10. Ben414

    Ben414 Contributor Contributor

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    My company has positions where you have to travel elsewhere and stay in that location for days to sometimes weeks at a time. Those people are literally on travel for more time than they are not. Despite having solid pay, good benefits, meaningful work, etc., it has very high turnover because nobody wants to stay in the job for very long. Even the young people who come in without families don't tend to stay in the job for very long.

    That said, I don't want to extrapolate too much to your situation--just trying to give you another data point to consider.
     
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  11. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    When I was a musician, I lived in hotels nine or ten months out of the year. As far as having that as a lifestyle goes, I kind of liked it since all meals were made by someone else and I didn't even have to make my bed. I did miss having my own space, though. I didn't always get my own room, but that likely won't apply for you. If you wanna see two musicians fight, just force them to share a double room for a week. Had some humdingers and I've always been a dedicated pacifist.

    But during that part of my life, I was single and unattached. After I met and married my wife, I've had occasion to travel for acting gigs and it's a very different story now. If I'm more than 150 miles from my wife, I feel like my heart's been ripped out and I'm not whole again until I'm back with her. Why 150 miles? No idea. It's a guess and about as close as I can come to being accurate. And I know it might sound like a lot of romantic hoo-ha (or maybe not since you're a romance novelist), but there it is.

    With that said, I'd say loneliness is something you might want to experiment with if you have a significant other. Maybe take a trial solo trip on a weekend to see how you feel being apart for more than one night. But make sure it's out of town so you know in your gut that you can't just nip home for a cuddle and then go back to your lonely room. Of course, if you have no significant other... well, never mind, eh.

    Another thing to consider (if you haven't already; I confess I haven't read the entire thread yet) is diet. For me, eating in restaurants these days is like playing Russian roulette. Sometimes I come away fine; other times, my digestion is screwed up for weeks. Last Christmas, I went to my brother-in-law's for the big dinner and didn't get myself sorted out until well into February. As a result, I'm not keen on traveling much any more because I never know where—or what—I'll end up eating.

    If I think of anything else, I'll post again.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2016
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  12. SomePenName

    SomePenName Member

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    It sounds like we are in vastly different industries. However, one thing I will have to warn you about from my experience (national and international travel) is to be firm on your travel. If you say you'll go for two days, make it clear it'll be two days. Countless times I've gotten calls late at night in my hotel room:

    "Yeah, that two week tryout you're doing, we're gonna have to add another two weeks to that."

    aaaaaaannnnd suddenly I'm in Mexico or Germany for the month.

    I'll edit to add for effect, I've seen two weeks turn to eight absurdly fast. Long and short of it is you have to draw your own line in the sand.
     
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  13. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    Have you made a decision yet, @Tenderiser?

    I got to thinking about this today and came to the thread to find the outcome. But it wasn't here. :(
     
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  14. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    Not yet. I'm waiting for all the offers to come in before I pick one. Hopefully next week!
     
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  15. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    :pop:
     
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  16. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    :D Should I make a poll?

    Assuming they all offer packages in the same ballpark, I don't know how I'm going to choose. I've narrowed it down to three companies; all the offices had a nice atmosphere, I got on well with my would-be manager, and I'd have the autonomy I like.

    The biggest difference is the size of the companies. Two are large (£2.4bn and £3bn turnover) and one is small (£50m turnover). There's also a slight difference in the job title, with two being a step up for me and one being the same. But with the latter I could move up internally, so it's not a total deal breaker.

    I think I'd be happy at any of the three. It's a nice but difficult position to be in. :)
     
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  17. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    I can think of pros and cons related to size, but none that would make any real difference to your decision without a crystal ball. :)

    I'm gonna :pop:, too. :)
     
  18. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    First offer is in! Small company has made me a shockingly generous offer that I wasn't expecting.

    I've let the other two know and am waiting for counter offers. :pop:
     
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