What do you guys/gals do for a living?

[KeithMEL]

You didn't listen to him, I didn't listen to similar people who told me the same thing and I'm sure FlyingDan will not listen to us.

I didn't listen to my dad nor the people on this forum and others who've given me identical advice either.

I don't travel as frequently as some of the hardcore road warriors on here like MAN Flyer or yourself. But the trips I've done have been longer in duration than I'd like - I spend about a month in San Francisco each time I'm there. I suppose I'd be enjoying it a lot more if I was single. The flying is still fun and interesting, the people I meet are great, it's just being away from my partner that gets me a little down each time I'm away. Praise be to skype.

[SQflyergirl]

Careful what you wish for FlyingDan. you're young - and everything seems so glamorous on the other side.

My Dad developed some serious health problems from the travelling. He was in Hong Kong every monday, and Lausanne on tuesday and wednesday every 3 weeks. (from KUL)

When he went I used to love it cause i'd get a new set of jammies every 3 weeks (he was entitled to F for longhaul). Didn't realise my jammies nearly killed him


Just to give you a taste of what business travel is like, I'll tell you a little bit about the last trip I made 2 weeks ago:

I went to Manila, flew MI/SQ J from KUL-SIN-MNL-SIN-KUL , stayed at the intercontinental manila in a club room. Had a driver every day to drive me to the office some 75 minutes away. Ate like a queen every night.

Sounds like the life you want?


What few realise was that on the other side:
1) I had to deliver 4.7 million USD in savings vs my 2010 spend on materials - which is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone.
2) I had to lose 3 heads (which will be the hardest thing you'll ever have to do in your life)

Fail - and i would still have gone home on 9V-SVE, but in the cargo hold in a crate. I slept a grand total of 17 hours over 5 days. Didn't visit the "club". Fell ill halfway through from the stress- and i'm still bearing some of the scars from this flu two weeks later.

[Nick C]

I am coming back as a permanent student in my next life as all they seem to do these days is galivant around the world in J and F.

You mean a professional student?

[FlyingDan]

Careful what you wish for FlyingDan. you're young - and everything seems so glamorous on the other side.

Just to give you a taste of what business travel is like, I'll tell you a little bit about the last trip I made 2 weeks ago:

I went to Manila, flew MI/SQ J from KUL-SIN-MNL-SIN-KUL , stayed at the intercontinental manila in a club room. Had a driver every day to drive me to the office some 75 minutes away. Ate like a queen every night.

Sounds like the life you want?

Yeap .

What few realise was that on the other side:
1) I had to deliver 4.7 million USD in savings vs my 2010 spend on materials - which is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone.
2) I had to lose 3 heads (which will be the hardest thing you'll ever have to do in your life)

Fail - and i would still have gone home on 9V-SVE, but in the cargo hold in a crate. I slept a grand total of 17 hours over 5 days. Didn't visit the "club". Fell ill halfway through from the stress- and i'm still bearing some of the scars from this flu two weeks later.

Ouch! That sounds serious . I knew it was tough but this tough? Is it always like this or is this an extraodinary example? I better start sleeping less! (currently sleep about 10-12 hours a day)

[SQflyergirl]

Yeap .
Ouch! That sounds serious . I knew it was tough but this tough?

I guess what you want is a job that has no responsibility or accountability, yet pays well with lots of business travel Tell me where, and believe me, I'll be the first to apply.

I'd trade every single mile I've ever earnt and every butt in seat mile I've flown in a premium class on work if I could take back or make right some of the things I've done to my loyal colleagues in the name of cost cutting and efficiency.

[iainbhx]

Lots of travel can damage your personal life as well. I've had two jobs with a lot of travel, the first was mainly in Europe, always back at the weekends, sometimes not even an overnight. That was fine, if a bit limiting on my social life, but I was single at the time.

The second was with sites in the US, flying roughly twice a month whY out, J back to the Western US and generally staying for a week. I'd be out on the Sunday and back the next Sunday morning for work on the Monday. Jetlag was a killer. My then partner became increasingly unhappy with this over the years. Yes, we had some killer holidays on the miles and points, but for a lot of those holidays I sat there like a jet-lagged lump. After three years of this and just as we were starting to move onto a new acquisition in Australia, I came back to find that he'd decided to dump me.

I also piled on the pounds in the US and I wasn't a small guy to start with - I've never managed to lose some of that weight.

Mind you, 10 years later, I've only just spent the last of the BA miles.

What I have now, with two "rush" travel short-haul periods (May/Jun, Oct/Nov) suits me a lot better even if it is nearly all in whY.

[iainbhx]

I'd trade every single mile I've ever earnt and every butt in seat mile I've flown in a premium class on work if I could take back or make right some of the things I've done to my loyal colleagues in the name of cost cutting and efficiency.

The worst I ever did was having to go to a site for the first time, spend two weeks there evaluating some staff and halve the headcount at the end of the two weeks.

I felt like scum at the end of those two weeks.

[Pinkfloyd]

I guess what you want is a job that has no responsibility or accountability, yet pays well with lots of business travel Tell me where, and believe me, I'll be the first to apply.

Likewise. In a way I am kinda glad that I do not have to do my weekly trips around Europe to test sites anymore. Does "wonders" to one's health... Long story short, I am now diabetic and almost had to go on high blood pressure medication...

[Lobster]

The worst I ever did was having to go to a site for the first time, spend two weeks there evaluating some staff and halve the headcount at the end of the two weeks.

I felt like scum at the end of those two weeks.

I did two trips in a row where I had to go to inform the office that they were being shut and everyone was going to lose their jobs. I got such a bad reputation after that that everywhere I went they assumed I was coming to shut them.

[andySYD]

Is it just me or a lot of people here work in the same industry as George Clooney in that movie?

Joke aside, I concur that business travels are not easy for health or relationship. It's best when you're single.