What Is Your Definition of a Road Warrior?

noun

Informal

A person who travels frequently, especially on business.

 

Exactly what defines a Road Warrior came up in a conversation with a seat mate on a recent flight and it got me Googling as to the definition. I’m not surprised that I did not find an objective definition. However, being a numbers person, I would have been more comfortable with a definitive criteria. Since I couldn’t find an objective definition, I’m coming to you my fellow road warriors (at least that’s who I think you are!) for help.

What do you think the objective definition of a Road Warrior should be?

Is it 50% or more of a person’s working days in a year being away from home?

Or a certain percentage of weeks per year no matter how many days of average travel in a week?

One week a month traveler? 3 or 4 weeks a month?

If a person travels to conferences quarterly, does that constitute a road warrior?

Whether a person drives, flies, rides a bus or train for their business travel … is that a component in this definition?

Such disparate criteria – does it really matter? You may think it doesn’t matter now, but I can just hear your harrumph the next time someone tells you that they’re a road warrior because they travel once a quarter while you’re hitting a new city several days a week – and we’ll all hear your scream when they get a first class upgrade and you don’t!

Keep reading the definition. Based on the ‘especially on business’ part of the definition, does to a great extent indicate that a frequent solely-for-pleasure traveler could also be considered a road warrior for the lesser extent? Really? I do not put pleasure travelers in the road warrior category, unless of course they first fit the definition due to their business travel – which I’m still trying to figure out what that is.

So help me out here. If you tell someone that you’re a road warrior, and they ask what that is, how would you answer when they keep drilling you for specifics?

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4 Comments

  1. Rather than think about the frequency or type travel, how about defining Road Warriors by their attitudes or behaviors?

    Road Warriors are a culture of like-minded individuals that have experience in the art of traveling well – RWs have the wisdom that comes from a deep knowledge of themselves, of their travels, and of the travel industry.

    Thoughts?

  2. This is a good definition although there are key parts your missing out on a roadwarrior or roadman embarks on travel ona daily basis in one way or another to get what needs to be done be it business to leisure or a full on straightener there’s no statistical figure to put ona road warriors travel e.g you could cover a great distance to a next manor one day and the next you might only need travel up the road the next.
    Being a roadwarrior from a young age you come to learn the ways of man on road (which can be tough) but more importantly learn what constitutes as a road warrior remember just because you hop in your car and go to work everyday regardless how far doesn’t make you a road warrior.
    True real road warriors don’t wear suits that’s jus where they hope to end up

  3. I don’t believe there can be a definitive definition for what a road warrior is. It’s simply a person who travels frequently for business – whether that be a salesman who drives everyday or a business person who flies internationally every week. It’s certainly not someone who goes to a conference once a quarter, but I think it’s difficult to define “frequently” in terms of a specific number. But if you were to press me to do so, I’d say they would need to be away from their home office for more than 50% of the time to earn the title of “road warrior”.

  4. A regular traveler who is comfortable navigating the travel routine. Such a traveler knows the ins and outs of booking deals for travel, negotiating the right connections, transportation, accommodations, regulations, meals, socializing, and meetings that go with being on the road. A road warrior wears their travel abilities as a badge and is ready to travel on short notice and knows how to make the most of each trip.

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