I was offered a position with perpetual 3 weeks a month overnight travel 3-4 nights each week and then 1 week back in my hometown.

I've never held a position with this much travel demand. I'd like to hear from anyone who has done this or similar to share their experiences or opinions.

It gets old, but it's also kind of exciting. I travel about every other week for 2-4 days. As recommended above, pick a hotel chain, airlines, and car rental agency and stick with them.

I'd also get a Chase Sapphire card and use it for business and expense it rather than use a company card. 3x for travel (flights, hotels, cars) and eating out. All points transfer to 1 for 1 to United, SWA, Marriot, Hyatt, IHG, etc.

We haven't paid for a vacation in the 2.5 years I've been in this role. Been to the Bahamas, Puerto Vallarta, Playa Del Carmen, California twice (backpacking), flown family members around numerous times.

I've traveled at least this much for years, here is what I would care about:

• Do you have any flexibility around when you are traveling? A rigid 3 then 1 schedule is pretty terrible, but if you can pick the 3 or maybe do 5 in a row, home for 2, that is more tenable
• 3 nights out is a lot more palatable and sustainable than 4 nights out. Don't make 4 nights a habit if you can avoid it
• Get a good understanding of what the expense reimbursement and payment policy looks like. If you are floating your own travel and it takes them 4-6 weeks to reimburse you, that can become expensive quickly
• Find out what is allowable vs. not. Staying at the Sheraton or the W is a lot different than staying at Fairfield Inns. The best organizations will be flexible on what you eat, how you get around (Uber), and will cover a local gym while you're out. The cheap skates will do things like require 2 people per room and a fixed pier-diem at a pathetic rate like $40/day.
• Pick an airline and hotel brand to be loyal to
• Understand what your off-time looks like. Traveling for 3 weeks in a row Mon AM - Thurs PM plus having to go to the office on Friday all day is a beating. There should be some allowances for working from home and cutting out early on Fridays
• You should be paid a premium for the sacrifice. Do not discount how difficult traveling makes it to maintain healthy relationships, have a family, or have time for hobbies.

Net net, it comes down to how palatable and easy the company makes it for you. If the policy is written by people that don't have to travel often, it will suck.

Completely agree with all the advice given already. Only other factor I can think of is the variety of places you'll be going. If it's the same place over and over, that could get boring quick if it's not an enjoyable location. If you'e going to different large cities, that is ideal. Regional or smaller cities might not have a decent hotel in your preferred chain. Nothing worse than getting stuck in a bad hotel.

And whatever you do, don't eat at chains. Find the location spots, go out and enjoy/explore the city.

Others have hit it. Family? Where are you traveling to? What does the expense policy look like?

The answers to those 3 questions should help you with your decision.

Going on about 4 years now of 48-49 weeks per year M-TH travel. I'm typically in the same city on a project anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months. Often multiple cities in a week. I still enjoy it. It helps that I go into the office on a Friday maybe once every two months.

The work-life balance is more about priorities and how you spend your weekends than the travel piece. I never thought I would be a guy with a lawn service, a maid service, or let someone else change the oil in my truck.... but I do now so I'm not spending my weekends running myself into the ground at the house. Sure, I call my wife m for 20-30 minutes per night to catch up, but it's the quality time with her on weekends that makes the travel bearable.

We don't have kids yet, so that's the only variable I can't comment on.

There is a lot of really good advice above (on structure, policies to know, status, compensation, and sleep), but the only one I disagree with is "get out and explore the city and eat local." My focus on the road is work. I work my ass off for four days so Friday is light and weekend work is relatively rare and I get to have hobbies and get outside and enjoy time with my wife. I don't waste much time with other stuff or exploring. If I'm going to explore, it's typically on a weekend where I'll fly my wife out instead of going home.

Staying fit on the road is about structure. Force yourself to do two workouts. A good rule of thumb is "seafood and salads keep you skinny on the road." Don't be afraid of ordering off-menu room service of grilled chicken breast or salmon. Just tell them you have dietary restrictions if they question it. I do one meal out so my team has some face time each week. I typically drink one glass of wine or whiskey and that's my cheat meal. This is the only time I venture out of a routine.

Just find what works for you, acknowledge the stresses and trade offs, and address them. There would be certain deal-breakers for me (not keeping points, if I had to float expenses, having to stay at a courtyard-type every week, etc.), but other than that, just look for trade offs.

Sounds like a consulting engagement manager position, Buck. Which one?

I'd ask your company what can be expensed if you decide to stay over a weekend instead of flying home.

Are you going to have a company CC or are you going to be able to book your own stuff? If you can book your own, I'd suggest looking into an Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Yeah, they have a a hefty fee each year, but the perks if you're traveling are worth it. My cousin has Platinum status on AA due to being a road worrier, but he also gets to put everything on his personal cards. He's able to fly his son and wife to Europe each year first class and to pay for hotels by cashing in those points.

Just a funny off topic story about him...you may remember about 20 years ago hearing about a plane that skidded off a snowy runway during landing. He was on that flight and it was his first flight ever. Instead of taking the return flight home, he rented a car and drove back to Dallas.

$30,000 Millionaire said:

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Sounds like a consulting engagement manager position, Buck. Which one?

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Yep. Joined out of business school. Didn't go MBB, went to "uncle D".

Had a few offers to leave but haven't found the right one yet. I don't have any partner aspirations.

A lot of good info above. I traveled for consulting pretty much all the time for 6+ years. I found it good for focus and routine, but it can be draining, especially when there are travel disruptions. It's easy to get behind on things on the home front as they are out of sight out of mind. Your 1 week at home a month would help with that some. I managed to get Marriott lifetime status, which also gets me minimal status on United, so though I don't travel much now I'm still getting some of the perks.

Questions for you:

Traveling alone or with coworkers?
it's generally more fun with a team so you have someone to grab drinks/dinner with instead of folks just going home after he workday.

Traveling mostly to the same destination or various?
Same destination can get old but you can also build a routine better.

Does the company do a per-diem for meal expenses or do you submit actual expenses? With per-diem you might be able to save some money and are less incentivized to eat big/expensive meals all the time. Per diem also is less receipts to track for meals.

Here are some tips - some pertain to going the same place each week:

-Stick to a loyalty program for air, car, hotel. Marriott/Bonvoy has the biggest portfolio for hotel
-Pay with own credit card (hotel or some other travel-focused card) if allowable. Downside is co-mingling personal and business expenses can make home budgeting more of a pain. Upside is multiplied points.
-If you have to switch airline or hotel from your preferred option due to limited options, have the new one match your status if possible.
-Hotels may advance you status if you will be staying there a bunch in the future.
-Get to know hotel manager if you are staying in the same place regularly.
-Get global entry if you haven't already to ensure you get TSA precheck.
-Choose a hotel with a good gym or some have agreements for guests to workout free at nearby gyms. Make sure to incorporate stretching to counteract the effects of cramped commute, carrying and throwing bags in the overhead.

-If you are doing air travel, act quickly when disruptions occur. Call travel agent or airline. The airline may automatically re-book you much later. Push them for a better flight or have them move you to a different carrier if they can't get you home timely due to maintenance or crew issues. Ask for cash vouchers or points if you are significantly inconvenienced.

-Travel light. If you are going to the same city repeatedly leave a bag of stuff (jeans, full size toiletries, etc.) that you need every week at the office or in storage at the hotel. Consider doing dry cleaning on the road to avoid ironing wrinkled shirts. Get travel shirts/pants that are wrinkle-free.

-Educate yourself some on points, but don't obsess over them. E.g. Marriott runs promotions where you can earn extra points but you may have to register on the site. Also, if you use points for a 4 night stay, the 5th night doesn't cost any points. Use points vs. banking them forever - travel companies are always devaluing them in some way over time. PointsGuy and other websites can help with awareness and analysis.

-Be organized about tracking expenses/receipts. Do them in real time if your company has an app or at a set time weekly. This plus actually booking the travel if you are booking your own end up taking a good bit of time.

-Take Uber everywhere vs. parking at the airport or renting a car. Saves time and can work in transit if you need to.

-Hire out home services to ensure you have time to hang out with SO, family, etc when home.

-Business travel and status attainment can be a big rat race. Travel companies often only really care about the top-tier customers, so the more you travel, the better the experience. It can sometimes be fine-balance to exert your status/loyalty to get what you deserve without sounding like a jerk.

-Enjoy and get to know where you travel. Hit the restaurants and local attractions. Fly your SO, friend or family out for a weekend there or a short drive away.

-Don't order room service often.

I'll add others if I think of them. Hope it helps.

If you intend to leave, don't spend another minute longer than you need to as a senior manager. It's been a while, but I have done your journey.

$30,000 Millionaire said:

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If you intend to leave, don't spend another minute longer than you need to as a senior manager. It's been a while, but I have done your journey.

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Thats what I've heard. Promotion to SM is a year from now, so I have a decision to make soon.

Can you expound upon the senior manager thing? Does that apply to all areas of big 4, or just consulting? Not for me, I'm in oil and gas.

Also a Manager, but at EY in Advisory (consulting).

Senior Manager is a Big 4 title, i.e. Staff, Associate/Senior, Manager, Senior Manager, PPED. Manager typically exits to industry at Director levels. SM is typically regarded as the earliest exit to executive levels.

I'll be throwing in the towel soon. 8 mo. old kido and a spouse that works full time doesn't jive with being a road warrior. Moving to a local model shop, e.g. Slalom, or exiting to industry.

I did road warrior right after graduation from 1995-2003. 40+ weeks per year. I was single for all of it, and I cannot imagine doing it now with a family and a house. With an apartment and no real assets to speak of (fridge, bed, couch, TV and golf clubs was about it), it was fun - I did enjoy it. I basically lived in airports and you get accustomed to the lifestyle and how to make the most efficient use of your time and how not to wait in line.

It was more enjoyable back then because it was all pre-9/11 travel. Once I got elite status (on Continental), the first class upgrades were endless, and the service was top notch - so it was a comfortable inconvenience to travel full time. If I were to have to do this today - AMEX Platinum for all the club memberships and travel benefits for sure.

I would fly in Friday, go out, spend weekends doing laundry, playing golf, or other weekends visiting family and trying to mix in a social life, then it was back to the airport. That's the routine. Some places I would stay the weekend to do stuff. Hawaii, Vienna, NYC, LA - might as well have fun while you travel.

In addition to having to travel all the time in today's world, I think it would be difficult for me (now in my mid-40s) to have to eat out every freaking meal. I did it young and single, but now I would hate it.

I can't thank you guys/gals enough for all of this excellent information.

I've been traveling 2-3 days to Permian every other week since December 2018, and that hasn't been too bad. As others have said, pick airline and hotel brands.

• If you're going to fly southwest, I would recommend the Chase Southwest Card.
• For hotel, I do hotels.com to get "free nights" after 10 stays. It gives me a little more flexibility on where to stay, as it just gives me a credit of the average 10 stays.

About to move into a BD/sales role that will require me to be away from family 4-5 days every week. It will probably be only for the rest of the year but the idea of being away from my 2 and 4 y/o's just plain sucks; especially when the 2 y/o's personality is changing every minute. I work in the O&G so my options are limited at the moment.

I've done this for years. Usually gone 4 nights a week for 3 out of 4 weeks. I enjoyed it because I don't know what to do with myself in the office. I use it as an opportunity to explore - I don't just sit in my hotel room. I also run and that's an easy way to exercise no matter where you are.

It became a LOT tougher about 2 years ago when we had our baby. I do feel a bit guilty being on the road so much, dropping so much responsibility on my wife, and missing so many moments. But FaceTime is a gamechanger. It's not the same, but at least I can see and talk to her every day.

The bonus is that most of our vacations are free between my hotel, airline, rental car, and credit card points.

Lots of great comments already.

I spent 2000-2003 flying out of Denver 25-40 weeks/yr. A lot of this will become routine. As others mentioned, pick your brands airline/hotel/car and stick with them as much as possible.

When I was in Denver, the company I worked for during the first 2 1/2 years made me pick the cheapest flights regardless of carrier. And we had a travel coordinator who booked our hotel rooms (usually as cheap as possible). The last 1 1/2 years, I had some leeway in choosing my own flights and hotels. That was better.

The big question I have for you is, will you be going to different / random places every week, or will it be the same places over and over?

During my time in Denver, I went to random places every week (26 states in 4 years). During the past decade, I've been primarily traveling to the same locations - SF Bay Area, Singapore, Bangalore, Boston, Austin, etc.

The kids have left home now so I went back on the road a few months ago. Since May, I've been to Spain, India, Florida, Melbourne (Australia) and I've got a few more Asia destinations coming up. I'm kind of getting too old for this stuff but, hey, it's a job. And I always enjoy going someplace new.

The main thing to remember - as you explain to friends and family - when you're traveling for work, you don't get to pick the destination. Sometimes it's South Beach Miami, other times it's Terre Haute, Indiana.

Traveling is a drag. I work in more of a contract role, consulting light ha, and since I almost always have direct reports not being there on Friday is not an option. Travel can be grueling even if you follow all the tips/tricks above, which I do.

I've been very well compensated the last 5+ years to travel, but it's time to hang it up. It makes it extremely difficult to maintain relationships of any kind, you worry about dumb things you never thought about like "I hope my house is ok" on a Tuesday night, diet can be hard, etc. I don't regret it though.

If you have spouse/kids or are in a new relationship you want to keep I think it's a hard pass.

What are you doing where you can't work remotely one day a week? Even the CEO of a public company can do that.

$30,000 Millionaire said:

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What are you doing where you can't work remotely one day a week? Even the CEO of a public company can do that.

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"even" the CEO

Of course a public company CEO can largely do what they want.

I'm not going to justify my post, you do you.

No, really, I'm curious. I've had roles from entry level through executive management, and I've always been able to work remote if I've needed to. I get it for true construction but not a whole lot else unless you literally cannot trust the people you work with. Company policy that mandates M-F travel is pretty stupid and will create a lot of turn over.

I do know a company that does that with their so called consulting arm, and it is completely over kill plus expensive.

In terms of never being able to work remote, I'd say warehouse workers, assemblers, or someone working retail or other type of customer facing role.

agdaddy04 said:

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In terms of never being able to work remote, I'd say warehouse workers, assemblers, or someone working retail or other type of customer facing role.

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correct, but generally those professions aren't requiring consistent overnight travel - which I think is the question at hand.

Correct... guess I should've stated that I agreed with that assumption.
I don't think I've met someone that travelled 4 days a week and couldn't at least work from home on Fridays.

agdaddy04 said:

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Correct... guess I should've stated that I agreed with that assumption.
I don't think I've met someone that travelled 4 days a week and couldn't at least work from home on Fridays.

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This was the case at my last sales job. Company sucked ass. If I traveled Monday - Thursday, caught a flight home Thursday around 8 pm, I was expected in the office Friday. They also wouldn't let me tack on vacation to trips. Stuck around longer than I should've because I was selling a lot and making good money, plus I was learning a lot. They promoted me (without a raise) to grow the international business. I had a trip to the UK, asked to stay a few days later and the wife come up to meet me. Flight was cheaper, I'd cover extra hotel, use vacation days, etc. They still said no. Said it'd give the message to other employees I was playing not working. I left quickly after.

Wow who was running that company? Mr. Spacely?

I'm away for a week out of town for work and doing this when you have little kids at home really sucks.