Business travel
Boarding pass please
It is the aspiration of many. Have a career that pays for you to travel, explore new cities & take a break from the day-to-day at home.
But is it what it is made out to be? We live in an age where everything can be romanticised- within just 10 seconds, something that can take its toll, suddenly looks care-free through an aesthetic clip on socials.
I’ve always battled with this, and it seems rife in corporate. Employees aren’t always to blame either- the organisations themselves create these rose-tinted traps through glossy websites and recruitment campaigns. In reality, most should come with a health warning.
Anyway, as I sit wearing a gillet on a Brussels Airlines flight made up of mainly solo, suit wearing travellers, here are my reflections on business travel from someone who once used to aspire to this life.
All expenses paid
Undoubtedly the main perk is not thinking twice about abusing FaceID to pay for sustenance while away. Providing you are in line with the all important expenses policy, you can expect a nice refund when you get home. Unless you are one of the lucky ones (read Execs) you’ll have to complete those nightmare expenses yourself, however it’s a small administrative sacrifice in exchange for a few days of fancy restaurant dinners.
You shouldn’t be out of pocket when you travel for work. If you’re savvy enough, you shouldn’t see any impact on your bank statement at all…coming from someone who just spent £17 on miniatures.
Seniority pays
From a particularly grotty travel lodge to 5* spa hotels, I’ve had varying experiences. Unfortunately, we haven’t reached business class yet, but perks like that are usually reserved for execs or in some cases, long haul.
The point here is that as with most things, the more you earn the more you are looked after. I absolutely don’t agree with this but I’m not about to put a wider societal malaise to rights within an insignificant blog post.
The quality of your hotel and travel will drastically impact your time away on business, including to the extent of productivity and how you feel when you land on home soil. Where you can, book your own hotel and fight for the extra budget. It genuinely makes a huge difference.
Culture
It’s true that you don’t get to explore a city in the same way as you would travelling for pleasure. That said, there will be times where you can make the most of being in a new place. Try to choose local restaurants, and where possible, meeting places in hot-spots. There’s no fun in ordering room service to eat alone when there is a city out there to explore. Of course, be sure to stay safe. Making dinner plans with colleagues in advance always pays off.
Depending upon the flexibility of your business, you may wish to pin on an extra days annual leave, or even travel over the weekend in order to experience more of your location. You may need to prove that the flight expense wouldn’t be affected, and of course, pay for your extra night(s) accommodation, but it’s worth considering as an option.
Exhaustion
The pressure will be ON to maintain productivity while away. Your inbox will be chaos when you return. Some colleagues won’t appreciate the fact that you aren’t as available cause, you’re still working, right?
I’m limited as to what I can work on while on public transport. Just having my inbox open is a breach of confidentiality- therefore I inevitably lose time from my working day. And as someone who sets firm boundaries, for my own mental health and others, ironically, t’s tricky to do your job while travelling for business.
There are undoubtedly times where you’ll travel in your personal time. My advice is to limit this though, while achieving the balance that best works for you so that you can get what needs to be done, done.
Is it worth it?
I’m lucky in that I’ve experienced Italy, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, London and more on company time and money. For that, I’m very grateful. After a while, though, wheels touching down on a new runway loses its shine and it becomes just another work trip. For me, the pros outweigh the cons, but as we taxi toward arrivals, I prepare for another few days of being ‘always on’ at my employer’s headquarters.
To my junior self- you dreamed of this. Enjoy the responsibility and carry gratitude with you no matter what you are faced with this week.
Uber please.