The double-edged sword of work travel

I’ve been a frequent flyer for the past decade, and travel is something I genuinely love! More recently, my career has often required me to pack my bags and hit the road, both domestically and internationally. While the allure of exploring new places is undeniable, I’ve found myself questioning just how much of a perk this really is.

The not-so-glamorous reality

Let’s face it, work travel doesn’t always mean exotic destinations. More often than not, I find myself in random highway side towns in Connecticut—think a budget hotel next to the off-ramp—or the less-than-glamorous parts of Indiana, where the biggest draw is the 24-hour diner... While these experiences can be interesting in their own way, they don’t exactly spark the same excitement as a trip to Prague or Singapore.

Even when I do find myself in a truly unique destination (Paris! NYC!), the reality is that my workload often leaves little room for exploration. The reality of work travel is that you are generally sent to complete a task in a specific timeframe, working with client schedules and often requiring work outside of those hours. This can lead to long days and limited time for leisure.

• What this workload looks like: My day often starts with a 7:00 AM breakfast meeting, followed by 10 hours of back-to-back client sessions and presentations, and then two or three hours of answering emails and prepping for the next day, all from my hotel room, or at best, the lobby. That means seeing the city for maybe an hour during the taxi ride to and from the office, or venturing out for a bite to eat, but never anywhere too far away, purely as a time-save.

• The exhaustion factor: Instead of having a chance to step out and grab a great meal at a cool restaurant in the destination, I’m ordering room service or Uber Eats at 9:30 PM, too tired to even look at the hotel gym.

The cost of constant travel

Despite the challenges, there are undoubtedly benefits. It can be a great opportunity to network with colleagues and clients, learn new skills in different markets, and broaden your horizons. Plus, there’s something to be said for the thrill of stepping off a plane in a new city.

However, I’ve realized that constant travel can be physically exhausting and disruptive to my daily routine. The impact on my body and my life at home is significant:

• Sleep Disruption: Constantly crossing time zones means I’m waking up at 3:00 AM for no reason, or spending the first two days of a trip feeling fuzzy-headed and unproductive from late night arrivals or jet lag.

• Health and Wellness: It makes it nearly impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I’m trading my usual home-cooked meals for airport convenience food, client dinners often with alcohol I wouldn’t usually have , and relying on coffee to get me through the afternoon slump. My active lifestyle vanishes—that Yoga class I love? Not happening when I’m on the go.

• Isolation from loved ones: Missing date nights, skipping catch-ups with the girls, or having to postpone things in a constant battle of aligning calendars.

Work travel can be an incredible perk, but unlike my brother’s thoughts that my job is nothing but getting on and off a plane, I think it’s important to recognize that it’s not always glamorous and is mostly pretty exhausting. Now that I have set this straight, excuse me while I count my frequent flyer miles ;)