December 31
Lately I’ve seen a lot of comments on my blog posts, on other’s blogs and on travel forums criticizing ‘road warriors’ because we have jobs that allow us to earn a lot of miles/points.
A reader recently sent me a note saying that he wasn’t going to my blog anymore because “I couldn’t relate to people like him who don’t have the luxury of having a job that earns them points and miles” and that “I take that luxury for granted.” I wish I had 100 points for every time someone said “I wish I traveled as much as you” because I might be able to retire on points!
There’s obviously some allure to having a job that allows you to travel but I often think people don’t realize what it means to have a job that allows you to travel. There are those jobs that allow you to travel a few or more times a year and then there are those jobs that keep you on the road all the time – and they are quite different. This post is about the jobs that keep you on the road all the time.
If you think the road warrior’s life is glamorous and that we can’t relate to people who don’t have jobs that allow them to earn points and miles then here are a few things to consider:
The Pros
Fact: I have a job that I love. In order to do my job I have to travel – it’s not one that can be done from an office.
Fact: I have spent 250 nights in hotels this year and flown 132,000 miles which has translated into earning a lot of points/miles.
Fact: I’ve seen some amazing places that I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
The Cons
Fact: Spending 250 nights in hotels means that I’ve been away from family and friends for more than 3/4ths of the year. Spending that much time on the road, often by yourself, can get lonely. I’ve also spent holidays and major family events away from home.
Fact: Constant travel is exhausting. Jet lag begins to take a toll on you physically and mentally. My average flight time (for business) in 2012 was 18 hours. My longest flying time, including layovers was 47 hours and the shortest was 13 hours.
The Bottom Line
There was an article in USA Today earlier this year that talked about the change in business travel and how some business travelers are paying more out of pocket than ever before. I was interviewed by CNN earlier this year about the very same subject and as I said then, I frequently pay for things out of pocket that aren’t covered by per diems or allowed travel expenses.
Very few companies pay for business class travel (I’m jealous of those road warriors who have jobs where business class is paid for) and so I use the majority of the miles I earn to upgrade myself on long flights. In 2012, I used more miles upgrading to business class than I actually earned – so I do have to be resourceful and figure out ways to earn miles for my personal travel.
It’s absolutely true that I earn a lot of points and miles because I travel for business. It’s also absolutely true that I have to find ways to earn miles like everyone else and I can relate to how challenging that can be. I realize that some day, when I’m tired of the constant travel, I won’t earn the points and miles that I earn today and that’s the trade off that road warriors have to make.
So, to the people who say “we can’t relate” I hope you’ll consider the fact that just because we have a job that allows us to travel doesn’t mean we don’t have to work for our miles too!
I traveled internationally once this year and the jet lag killed me. I can’t imagine doing that all the time.
I wish those companies that won’t pay for business class, but allow upper mgmt to fly business class, would make them travel coach internationally once to see what the rest of us have to go through. Some companies won’t make their clients pay for business class, but the company itself will pay the difference so that their employees aren’t cramped up all the time. That’s a nice little perk.
Completely agree with everything you write here. The film ‘up in the air’ with George Clooney sums up the loneliness very well.
Hello. I like the blog. What do you do for a living?
My only issue is with those “road warriors” who think they are more deserving of elite status because their employer paid for travel than those who earn elite status by other means (e.g credit card spend, promotions, etc).
Need an assistant ?
Seriously, I imagine the drawbacks can be terrible at times. There is still nothing quits like your ow bed…. And access to your entire wardrobe!
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
Sorry for the typos….that would be ‘your own bed’
I think people are jealous of the perks without realizing all that one must endure to earn them
Great post, Stacey!
…and happy new year wherever you are today
I agree with your post. I currently travel a lot by car so hotels are my “elite” world so I’m jealous of those that fly a lot and can earn elite status in the air. I’ve had jobs in the past that included a lot of flying and it is a pain. I like the idea of using air miles to upgrade. I know I’ve paid out of pocket to upgrade on business flights when a good deal can be found but its usually worth it on a long flight at the end of a long trip.
Stacey thanks for the great post. After flying 200 000 hard miles this year on United I feel older and gained weight. I find it really hard to stay fit and healthy while on the road. My company won’t pay for business class either. This year I am also out of pocket for business travel expenses that I have had to make while on business.
You know, after reading this post I AM going to be nice to road warriors. Thanks for posting this. We owe you one!
I came to this realization myself earlier this year when I had to be on the road every week for 4 months. My flight was a very short domestic one, but taking it twice a week for 4 months was brutal, especially because I had to fly out early enough on Monday mornings to get to my destination in time to work the rest of the day. Traveling for work is NOT the same as traveling for pleasure!
@TravelSummary – great point! Traveling for work is not the same as traveling for pleasure.
@Matt – glad you’ll give road warriors another chance!
@Mark – 200k miles? Holy cow that’s a lot!!
@DaninSTL – I agree, it’s worth it to pay out for long trips. Makes it more tolerable to be in the air that long.
@Angelina – thanks!! Happy New Year to you too. … from Krabi Thailand.
@Susan – if I had an assistant then I wouldn’t get lonely
But then you’d have to pay our own way 
@Chris. I totally agree! I can’t stand people who feel that sense of entitlement. I even wrote a post about it last week.
@Sarah B – great movie reference! I do feel like I’m up in the air sometimes when I look through my frequent flyer cards.
@Doksa I would love to see C level execs fly coach
@Robert P – yes, I totally agree. I would love to trade places with someone for a month so they could try it out.
Traveling on the road is a tough business. Part of the remuneration are the “rewards”. I traveled every week for 6 years and was well compensated on the rewards front. I am just now at the end of the miles and I have had a great time using them.
Those work-points come from a lot of time airborne, in cars, in hotels, etc. and a lot of time away from home/friends/family. Also, depending on profession it can be difficult to take extended vacations using those miles. I’d love to have your freedom to take off weeks at a time for your year-end vacation, but don’t particularly want to spend 250 nights a year away from my wife. I certainly welcome some time at home after the 1 or 2 months out of the year that tend to end up at near 100% travel (say 50% overall).
There’s good and bad in everything. For every massive point haul, someone might be spending 28 days out of the month on the road, in 25 different hotels.
I get this from the offices I visit when working. Someone always sighs about how wonderful it must be to travel. I tell them it’s a whole different world when it is your job. I don’t really care to fly, get zero enjoyment out of it- if I had my way, I’d go by train all over! I’m sitting on over 100K UsAir miles, made CP on Southwest and am wondering when am I going to have time to take someone on a trip with me?
Preach it, sister! People often comment to me how lucky I am to travel so much. They are often clients, so I can’t say what I’m really thinking: “Lady, I got up at 4am, flew 6 hours to get here, won’t go to bed until midnight,and won’t get home until midnight tomorrow night, all to listen to you people complain. Jealous now?” Instead I say something like, “Yeah, I get to see some great places!” or equally lame.