What is about leaving on Sunday makes it more depressing. When I leave on a workday I don't really think about missing family, but Sunday is different for some reason.
Traveling For Work
- Thread starter Fijimn
- Start date
True. Spent the morning watching Disney with the little girl and practicing potty training. Then had to pack and head to airport. They were going to come with me to Baton Rouge but I have a trial that I need to prep for so they are going to Grandma's on the island. Trials are a killer on family because you are forced to have a singular focus for long hours and I've had a lot of them this year.
If possible, try to travel on Mondays and Fridays, doing your actual "road work" T-W-Th. This business of flying out on Sunday, or flying back on Saturday, basically means that you are working 6-7 days a week. Of course, I recognize that some traveling jobs do not lend themselves to this kind of compartmentalization, which sucks.
If you must consistently travel on the weekends, make damned sure you are being well-compensated. It's really hard to put a price on missing your kids grow up, having crappy personal relationships, or ending up with a failed marriage. Your employer probably does not care about any of those issues, and will be happy to grind you into the ground....."production" is all they care about.
If you must consistently travel on the weekends, make damned sure you are being well-compensated. It's really hard to put a price on missing your kids grow up, having crappy personal relationships, or ending up with a failed marriage. Your employer probably does not care about any of those issues, and will be happy to grind you into the ground....."production" is all they care about.
The only benefits to leaving Sunday are its typically a light travel day, and since it's the weekend you aren't managing a bunch of calls and emails during your travel.
One of the reasons I quit doing it. Typically if they wanted me there Monday AM, I would leave on Thursday, but it didn't always work out that way. Sucks when you barely have time to unpack and repack the suitcase at home, and spend one tired quality day with the family.
Did it for 15 years. The money, and perks on vacation due to points and status were nice, but not worth it now that I have 3 little ones. I make in a day, what I use to make in a couple of hours, but I wouldn't go back.
Did it for 15 years. The money, and perks on vacation due to points and status were nice, but not worth it now that I have 3 little ones. I make in a day, what I use to make in a couple of hours, but I wouldn't go back.
Yep. And it's not like business travel today is easy or stress-free. You are basically an angus steer being herded through the stockyard. And be sure to stay "connected" the entire time. It's a young man's game.....as soon as you have an option, take it.
Traveling on Sunday's for work is awful. I used to travel to Europe for work about 4x a year and I would leave on the sunday 3-4p flight and land around 6-7am. Work all that monday and Ptfo that night and it made for a long week. I then started going saturday to just give me a day rest in between.
My husband was the President of his company's Canadian subsidiary, and every Monday at 6AM a car would pick him up and take him to DFW. He flew to Toronto and was there all week. Home Friday nite around 8 PM.
Money was very good but in hindsight the price paid too high - I was in essence a single parent to two high schoolers who were a serious handful. Stress affected my husband's health and our relationship.
My advice: try to avoid a career where lots of travel is involved.
Money was very good but in hindsight the price paid too high - I was in essence a single parent to two high schoolers who were a serious handful. Stress affected my husband's health and our relationship.
My advice: try to avoid a career where lots of travel is involved.
Traveling Sundays is horrible and depressing and it actually made me dread and hate a day which should be a fun, care free day. I did it years ago when I worked in Miami and Tampa quite frequently and would sometimes do the 5am Mon morning drive, but that sucks too. Now I'm lucky enough that M and F are my travel days and I actually look forward to it and I have my Sundays back.
I'm in SFO 2 weeks of the month, we'll usually go a full day on Fri and my only direct option to ATL on Delta is the red eye. Puts me in ATL at 630a on Sat, it's straight home and off to my 4 y/o's soccer game. A grind, but you gotta do it.
Go to Ohare on a Sunday after 2pm and get back to me on how "light" of s travel day it is! It's the worst day of the week!!!
True, but O'Hare is the busiest airport in the world, no? You're right though. The lounges are typically packed on Sunday afternoons before the overseas flights depart.
O'Hare sucks every day of the week, IMO. Especially in the summer. I fly UA and will pay more to avoid connecting through there.
Sunday's are insane. I'm gonna be in 4 cities in the next two weeks starting tomorrow. Make it 5 cities in 2.5 weeks. Gonna suck. But at least the cities are gonna be good.
Boston>Chicago>Seattle>Orlando>NYC
Boston>Chicago>Seattle>Orlando>NYC
It must be awkward standing on the sidelines with all the other parents smelling like whiskey and cheap whores.
Pretty sure Atlanta surpassed O'Hare several years ago as the busiest airport in the world.
As for traveling for work, I'm on the road 2-3 weeks each month. I drive as much as I can b/c I loathe flying so much. It absolutely sucks.
As for traveling for work, I'm on the road 2-3 weeks each month. I drive as much as I can b/c I loathe flying so much. It absolutely sucks.
They have been going back and forth for years now. I believe at the present time, Chicago is considered the busiest. I'm sure next year it very well could go back to Atlanta
Yeah, Orlando, but I'll be locked up in the Disney resort for a day and a half.
I traveled for work for about 10 years right out of college. The projects that required sunday travel were always more miserable than the ones that allowed travel on Monday. Even if it was a late Sunday flight, I spent all Sunday watching the clock "4 hours till I leave for the airport" "3 hours till i leave for the airport"....
All the perks of traveling were great, wife and I went to Costa Rica and a separate trip to Peru on points alone, but the travel era was before kids. No way would I do that now. Heck, finally got out of consulting and discovered plenty of companies offer the same salary with no travel requirements.
All the perks of traveling were great, wife and I went to Costa Rica and a separate trip to Peru on points alone, but the travel era was before kids. No way would I do that now. Heck, finally got out of consulting and discovered plenty of companies offer the same salary with no travel requirements.
For me, when I leave on Sunday, I'm constantly thinking about what I'll be able to do with the time before I have to go to the airport. I feel limited.
ATL is the busiest by number of passengers - its not even close with O'Hare.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_world's_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic
O'Hare claims to be the busiest by number of takeoffs and landings, so they must have more but smaller planes coming in and out.
Atlanta connects to Europe, South America, and the West Coast with large planes, in addition to being a regional hub with its share of small planes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_world's_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic
O'Hare claims to be the busiest by number of takeoffs and landings, so they must have more but smaller planes coming in and out.
Atlanta connects to Europe, South America, and the West Coast with large planes, in addition to being a regional hub with its share of small planes.
I live in ATL and always get a chuckle of the busiest airport claim. It may be true, but it's the only option in the region. Not like NYC, CHI, LA, and other large metros that have several intl airports as options.
One reason I steererd away from sales. I admit the job is intriguing but the travel would kill me. I also avoided consulting jobs out of college just for the same reason...
I hate leaving on Sunday and returning on Saturday for work only to do laundry and pack it up again to leave the next day.
But, I don't have kids and the pay and perks are good.
the good thing is my work takes me to some of the most beautiful places in the world. when i travel i am staying at 4 star hotels that can afford my companies software. so, it isnt as draining as staying in a best western on a regular basis.
But, I don't have kids and the pay and perks are good.
the good thing is my work takes me to some of the most beautiful places in the world. when i travel i am staying at 4 star hotels that can afford my companies software. so, it isnt as draining as staying in a best western on a regular basis.
I'm working in ATL, so I don't have to make any connections, and I can leave Monday morning. My company usually arranges 4 day weeks in our contracts, so I go home Thursday night, and have a 3 day weekend. I generally work 3 10 hour days, and 8 or 9 hours on Thursday. My baseline for billing is only 36 hours per week, but I'm also traveling 6 to 10 hours per week if I have to make a flight connection.
i dont know if i can do it for very long, but i am looking to do it for at least the next two years
I've done it now for 12 years now pretty much every week Monday to Thursday. Very rare I have to fly out on a Sunday but I do have to fly into the NYC office (where I'm based) for networking, recruiting, key meetings, etc. Makes for a shorter week home back in Orlando but something I do in order to live in Florida and not in NYC or Chicago. I cannot do the weekend travel except when I'm boondoggle with friends or the wife.
Have traveled for work for ~20 years now. Over the years, I have gotten into the habit of turning off the water to toilets and also checking the water heater in the basement before I leave on a trip (have had friends that have had major damage done when out of town so it's just part of my routine). Glad I do. Was about to head out the door to the airport and water heater was leaking (had started a drip). Whew. First time ever but glad I check.
Agree with the OP too. I will head out on a Sunday too for a business trip but thankfully that is rare (maybe 3 times a year on average).
Agree with the OP too. I will head out on a Sunday too for a business trip but thankfully that is rare (maybe 3 times a year on average).
