Work Travel Is The Best

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Entry level work, as we all know, borders on soul-sucking, but putting in your time is a must to climb the ladder. I’m not one to find anything remotely close to happiness at the workplace, but when I do, it’s almost certainly on the road. One of the coolest things about my gig is that I get the opportunity to travel a pretty substantial amount. In the next six months, I have trips scheduled to Honolulu, Paris, Miami, and Singapore, all on my employer’s dime. That’s actually complete bullshit, but I do have a conference in Detroit next month, which I have heard is absolutely gorgeous this time of year. In all seriousness, though, traveling for work is a pretty killer experience if you do it right, and here are some reasons why.

A Break from the Office

This one’s important. I don’t care how much you may or may not like your coworkers, slaving away in your cube next to the same cast of characters every day is enough to drive anyone insane. The other day I left my headphones at home (#PGP) and had to listen all about Darla from human resources’ trip to Sandals, Jamaica. Even for working in Human Resources, that woman sounds like less fun than a trip to the DMV on a Saturday morning. Don’t even get me started on that bastard Eric from accounting. Contrary to popular belief, nobody wants to hear about your overweight Beagle’s bowel problems.

When you hit the road, you don’t have to deal with the office regulars. Instead, you meet with your clients, check into that Marriot Courtyard, and eat those Olive Garden leftovers on your king sized bed while catching some reruns of Parks & Rec. Sounds a lot better than the alternative, right?

Per Diem

Everybody likes free money, and you can expect a decent bit of it on the road with the majority of companies. You can do most anything with this Per Diem, like eat Outback on a daily basis, kill some drinks at the hotel bar, or perhaps even add a little something into that Roth IRA you’ve been neglecting. If you’re like me, there’s also something to be said for seeing the town in the area you’re visiting, no matter how underwhelming. Hitting the local bars, restaurants, tourist traps, and other locations are a must on every trip, and a hearty Per Diem makes that possible. Who am I kidding? Every extra penny of that per diem is probably headed straight to that bitch Sallie Mae.

Reward Points

Frequent flyer miles, hotel rewards, and enterprise points. All of that money you’ve been saving for your next vacation can now go directly towards booze and gambling, which is where it was truly meant to go all along. On average I spend about 5-6 weeks a year in Marriott hotels, which comes out to around 5 free nights depending on the hotel. Not a bad deal. Frequent flyer miles are pretty kick ass, too. I mean with the exception of the occasional writer, who doesn’t love flying? I still get that sense of excitement when I take off on a plane, even if I’m going to Indianapolis for work on Tuesday. Flying is awesome.

Travel Shenanigans

This one’s a necessity. There’s something about hitting the road for work that gives you the inspiration to relive some of those college glory days. Hit the bars with the staff from the Cincinnati branch, flirt with your server at the Brazilian Steakhouse (Or in my case, Applebees), maybe even find that one night stand you’ll be in a different state from by weeks end. For many of us, office happy hours have the potential to become a perilous occasion. Sort of like the time where that extra jack and coke led you to make an (unwanted) move on Jessica from sales, or when one too many glasses of wine causes some spur of the moment raise negotiations with the boss (PGPowerMove). When you’re on the road, though, you’re free to get a little rowdy and avoid (most of) the consequences you would otherwise face at an office function.

Now is the Time

YOLO, live your dash, all the other cliché millennial sayings that generally support poor decision making all apply here. Like most of the visitors on this site, I’m hovering on the brink of my mid-twenties, well aware that marriage, and God forbid children, could be a possibility in the next ten years. If there’s any time to go out and see the country, or in some cases the world, now is the time do it. Get out there, see new places on the company dime and perhaps even find that old childish glee you once felt when hopping on that Boeing 737. Enjoy, friends..

Image via Shutterstock

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