Does “75% travel” on a job posting turn you off?

After nearly three years at Microsoft as a field engineer, I have traveled over 160,000 miles which is around 250 hours in the air. That doesn’t include the time spent in airports, trains, cars, and taxis. I also spend around 125 night per year in hotels. These past few years are an extreme example but I encourage you to consider the road warrior lifestyle.

Have you ever seriously considered becoming a road warrior (or I guess air warrior?). I suspect the concept either fills you with dread or excitement. In the following article, I will share the pros and cons of my experience as a road warrior.

Why you should consider a position that requires extensive travel?

Skilled professionals that are willing to travel are a special bread. From a hiring perspective, a willingness to travel may be the key to landing your dream job. Employers that require extensive travel may be willing to overlook other hiring requirements. Travel workers are often better paid. Many companies allow travel employees to retain airline points, hotel points, and credit card points. Travel employees often have a budget for food and other travel expenses. Not only do you get to travel and see new places but you are likely to eat for free. Within the first few years you will likely rack up enough travel points for preferential boarding, seating, and hotel perks for personal and business travel.

Travel work translates well to work from home

Travel work translates well to work from home as companies and customers become more technologically capable and open to allowing remote support. Companies that hire travel employees often look to reduce expenses by converting travel engagements to remote deliveries. If you are unable or unwilling to relocate; traveling can greatly expand your available career opportunities. Travel workers often work from home when not on the road.

What sort of jobs am I talking about?

Within IT there are many travel positions available. These positions seem to generally fall under field technician/engineer, sales, consulting, training, or speaking. Travel could be domestic, international, or both. Job postings for these positions will often state a travel requirement of some kind; often in a percentage. I would term true road warrior positions as those in the 50-75% travel range.

Let me share my personal experience as an example. I was hired into a position that was described as requiring up to 75% travel. I travel 2-3 times per month; usually 4-5 days per trip. I work from home when not traveling. Despite being gone roughly 12-15 days per month, I feel like I have more free time than ever before.

You travel 125 days per year and you have more free time?

Company policies vary but in my situation, travel is part of my job. How many people get paid for their commute? I commute 30-40 hours per month. That doesn’t always translate into working 30-40 hours less per month but it certainly takes the edge off. My time at home is more flexible. I also live near a regional airport where boarding is a breeze.

I usually fly out on Sunday or Monday for 4-5 days and return on Thursday or Friday. I am rarely gone over the entire weekend. I plan my travel around key family events and local commitments. I try my best to be gone on unimportant days and home for the memorable events. We all have these days that are limited to work, errands, winding down, sleep, and repeat. Throughout the year there are some heavy travel periods and some slow times. I generally don’t travel when my customers are unavailable; so holidays seasons and early Summer tend to be slower. I try to avoid traveling more than two weeks back-to-back and usually have at least 2-3 days at home between trips.

In comparison to my previous position. I had a 20 minute commute and worked 5 days a week in an office job that allowed limited work from home days. The work week often crept into the 45-50 hour range. I also ran a side business for excitement and some extra income in my spare time. I had a reasonable amount of flexibility and vacation time but often missed important events due to scheduling conflicts.

I now have enough excitement and income as a road warrior that I was able to drop the side business and other extracurricular activities. My time at home is more focused. I am gone when my family is most busy and home more when they are more available. Technology also makes staying in touch with family and managing personal business remotely much easier.

Yah but 75% sounds like a huge commitment.

Keep in mind that the statement “up to 75% travel” is likely referring to 2-3 times per month. That is 75% of your working hours; not 75% of your life. You still work 40-ish hours per week (part of that being travel). You still take vacations and sick days. You still have plenty of time at home.

Let’s do the math. You likely work around 40 hours a week, 250 days, and 2,000 hours per year. So 75% travel equates to roughly 185 days but you are realistically looking at 125-150 days per year tops. Travel is expensive; your employer will likely encourage finding ways to reduce travel.

“Don’t you get sick of traveling all of the time?”

I will say that people seem to have a limited taste for living the road warrior lifestyle. As I mentioned earlier; travel work may be augmented or replaced by remote work. Traveling produces a broader professional network that can be utilized to make a transition later if needed. You will likely find that companies like Microsoft that have a sizable number of employees that travel, also have many opportunities that require less travel or almost no travel. You may find that those years as a road warrior were a stepping stone to a more rewarding position within the same company. You will also have a better feel for relocation opportunities if that becomes an option.

It does appear that many people transition out of the travel lifestyle in 3-5 years. Traveling is my focus time. I try to avoid letting entertainment and activities dominate my flights and free time. I always set aside some fun time but I try to focus most of that time on learning and personal projects. That way when I return home, I am more free to focus on being present and free to let myself relax and refresh.

Vacations do suffer a little. Every business trip has some vacation-like activities. You see new things, sample local food, attend fun activities, and may even do some sightseeing in your spare time. You may be more likely to travel for vacation once you build up travel points. You may find yourself retuning to work locations for vacation; as you seek to share your experiences abroad with family and friends. Even when visiting new locations it can start to feel a bit like work. You find yourself returning from a long work trip only to repack your bags for an oddly similar family vacation.

Potential Benefits:

• More pay
• More time at home
• More work from home
• Visiting new places
• Eating awesome food (usually for free)
• Getting paid or getting credit for commute time
• Rapid growth through highly engaging work
• Increased professional network
• Broader career opportunities (not limited to local employers)
• No need to relocate
• Maxing out travel rewards programs
• Flexibility to reduce travel commitment before burning out

Cons:

• You will likely be away from home 100+ days per year
• Traveling does put a strain on relationships
• Sometimes being there for the small stuff is important
• Managing diet and exercise can be difficult while traveling
• Frequent travel is generally bad for your health
• Returning to a traditional work environment could be difficult
• You are not immediately available if there is an emergency at home
• You will rely more heavily on people back home for help
• Limited support network or oversight if quitting smoking, overeating, drinking, etc.

Is travel right for you?

• Limited local career prospects
• Unwilling or unable to move
• Nearby regional or international airport
• Steady and predictable situation at home
• No major commitments locally or at home
• Being a smaller person since planes are tight
• Being in decent physical condition or health
• No major issues with back, walking, balder, etc.
• Not having too many unhealthy vices (good self control)
• No anger management or anxiety issues

Clearly you need to live or relocate near a reasonably sized airport. Large people have a harder time but that isn’t a major deterrent. You should move up to more comfortable seating within the first year. Flying can be hard on the back and bladder. Obviously you will not be home to care for elderly parents or other dependents. My personal recommendation is to stay home if you have small kids; no amount of money will replace those precious moments. You will have plenty of temptation to drink, smoke, and overeat if that is a concern. Being a frequent flyer is generally considered unhealthy. Traveling will test your patience and tolerance for stress on a regular basis.

Obviously, company travel policies play a big part in determining how much flexibility you have as a frequent flyer. Make sure to fully understand the travel policies and expectations before accepting a travel position.