What is it like to be a frequent flyer for business purposes? Is it difficult to maintain over time?

Answer 1

It has its good points and its bad points, and it also depends a lot on what kind of business you are travelling for. I travel a lot for work (flew about 70,000 miles last year) and I have a mix of trips. Some are short, some are long. Some are planned well in advance, some are short notice. Some are to wonderful cities like Chicago, LA and Atlanta and others are to boring places.

The bad points: hotels get really boring after a few days, especially if you're not in a big city. Watching TV in the room or the hotel bar is fine for a night or two but you really have to plan ahead to keep entertained. Little things that you are used to at home are missing--- personally I miss not being able to get a glass of water when I want it, and I always stock up on bottled water when I get to whatever city. Last-minute travel wrecks personal plans pretty often. Dealing with infrequent travellers in airports can be unpleasant, too; it always seems that I am behind someone who has been living under a rock for the last 5 years and wants to bring a switchblade and a bottle of whisky through security! And when you do finally get home, it seems like there is never enough time to do everything that needs to be done--- I haven't been to the grocery store in weeks because I am never home long enough to use up the tomatoes before they go bad! My lawn is never cut, my laundry stacks up...

I have a generous travel allowance--- my employer has policies that make sure travelling employees are comfortable. We pick our hotels from a list of pretty good ones--- no $600/night suites but we are allowed to stay at Hiltons and Marriotts (Renaissances are awesome) and Doubletrees and Embassy Suites and the like. We pick our airfare (although we are reminded when there are cheaper alternatives but if it's within reason, we're not rejected for selecting a higher fare) and we get a reasonable meal allowance. Many companies are stricter so travelling would be less pleasant. I have heard horror stories about $20/day meals allowances, or only being able to select a Motel 6-quality hotel. I would never travel under those circumstances--- if I am going to be taken away from my home and my family and friends, I want at least a nice room and a decent dinner!

Also a down side is fighting with the Accouting people who never make it easy to get reimbursed for travel expenses! LOL


But it's not all bad. You get to meet a LOT of people, both from the workplace (customers, co-workers, etc) and from the planes, hotel bars, pubs, etc. You get to see a lot of cities and see how the rest of the country and the rest of the world lives. And best of all, most employers let you keep your frequent flier miles and hotel points. That means free travel for me! Last year I had three short vacations (I like short vacations better than long ones) and didn't pay one cent for hotels--- redeemed hotel points for all my stays. And I only paid for one airfare--- the other two I used miles. I always end up being upgraded to First Class, which is lovely, too! And I appreciate my home and my home-life a lot more!

Answer 2

I fly a lot for business and I love it. I'm sure I wouldn't want to do it forever but I do enjoy it for now. Obviously, I'm familiar with navigating airports and being on airplanes so I know the system and it's not a problem at all for me. I live in Boston and travel to Washington DC at least once a week (5-6 times a month) but almost always just for the day - I fly down in the morning and get a flight back the same afternoon. Plus I go to other places domestically as well and I've been abroad a few times for vacation. I love it, and I love being on airplanes. Of course I'm also in my mid 20s and am single with no kids so I don't have to worry about all that.

Answer 3

around the international is amazing no remember in case you are the pilot or the passenger- terrific to take turns at however! in many situations the passenger gets real fidgety and that's whilst it time for the pilot to take a wreck and relax for a on an identical time as. My airline demands no factors- purely which you have heart and soul interior the flight!