Sales reps, sales managers, trainers, project managers, auditors—the list goes on and on for jobs that require travel. Some sales jobs require close to 100 percent travel, which means a life catching planes, sleeping in hotels and driving on unfamiliar roads in all kinds of weather. Most people don’t give it much thought. They choose a percentage from a dropdown box and continue filling out the application. It can affect your quality of life, your family and the ability to enjoy your home and community activities. Here are 10 things to consider before you say yes:
1. Do you like to travel? If you’re a homebody who needs to sleep in your own bed every night, a job with travel may not be for you.
2. Do you have a family? Jim Croce’s song, “The Cat’s in the Cradle,” says it well. When parents are away building their careers and aren’t able to build relationships, the kids learn to live without them and often become just like them.
3. Do you have a support system for your family if you travel? While some great jobs require travel, a strong support system of extended family, friends or church/religious affiliations helps fill in the gaps between trips.
4. Is your spouse on board? Assuming he will support you because of the perks of the job may be incorrect. A long, serious, open discussion can reveal his true feelings. Long periods of separation for a partner who feels burdened or abandoned causes damage to even strong relationships. Is a job ever worth that?
5. Can your spouse handle day-to-day family obligations? It can be a lot to get kids to school in the morning or handle soccer practice and piano lessons after school when dad has a job and mom is on the road. Some people are very organized and detail oriented. Others feel overwhelmed. Can you afford to pay for day care or after-school care with the new job’s salary?
6. Can your spouse handle the finances in your absence? Bills need to be paid on time. If your spouse or partner isn’t a “numbers person,” you may be paying late fees or reconnect penalties when bills aren’t paid on time.
7. Can you handle the stress of today’s travel? After the 9/11 terror attacks, airline travel changed dramatically. Airport security, baggage restrictions and extra fees make travel challenging and frustrating. A type “A” personality may have a tough time waiting at the gate when flights are cancelled or rebooked.
8. Driving late at night in bad weather and then checking into a hotel in a strange town bring up security issues. Find out where you will be traveling, and the class of hotels the company will pay for. Ask if the company pays for travel insurance and roadside assistance.
9. The company’s reimbursement policy may not cover every expense. I worked for a company that didn’t pay for the first $15 for cab rides or parking fees. Two or three of these on week-long trips adds up. Be sure you understand the policy before you sign up.
10. Access to the airport. How much time will it take to get the airport, park the car and get to the gate? Some major airports can add several hours to travel time. Find out if the company will pay for a cab ride to and from the airport or pay for parking your personal vehicle.
What situations would steer you away from a job with a lot of travel? Share these with other job seekers in the comments section.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for BusinessWorkForce.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at businessworkforceblog.com and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.
