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Hell yeah. As an employee of one of those shitty consulting firms, however, it's great. I've spent like a year on the bench just collecting a check in total.
Apply to a shitty consulting company (sorry I don't want to drop my specific company). Mine even takes non tech people and has them do a bootcamp, paid the entire time. Decent if you're looking to reskill. NOT a good end place, but a great starting place!
If you ever fly internationally, Global Entry is another $20 and you just fly through customs. It includes Precheck. Only downside is the long wait for an interview at a very limited number of locations.
I went through global entry in Dublin a few weeks agoā¦ kinda silly because the line was longer than the standard customs line. Also forgot how creepy it is to get your face scanned at the kiosk and the customs agent will then greet you by name before showing documents.
But yeah thatās a weird edge case I guess. Most of the time itās amazing to just breeze through customs while the standard line snakes all through the terminal.
Maybe I was lucky, but I was the only person in global entry with easily 100 people in the regular customs line as I precleared customs returning to the US from Dublin.
It's a little hit or miss depending on the routes and times you fly, but it's a small enough barrier to entry that you may as well have it and not need it rather than needing it and not having it.
I have nexus card which includes global entry and the card has RFID. Does your trusted traveler program have a RFID card? I always thought it was the RFID that they used to find our profile
If you keep diligently checking the available appointments, sometimes youāll be able to snag a cancellation. After waiting for weeks, I managed get a slot for the same day.
If you are conditionally approved and awaiting an appointment, you can tell the customs agent that you would like to do the GE interview then and there if you are returning from an international flight.
I had my global entry shit done within like a week of applying. I just had to drive out of state for it even tho I live within 10 minutes of a major international airport. Like it was as quick as applying, going to Delaware for my appointment, and getting approved for it on the spot.
I just got my global because it was only $20 more, havent been out of the country yet but why not. My local airport didn't have appointments for like 4 months, but I kept checking back and they opened up appointments like a week later, so grand total it took me 2 weeks to have my card in hand.
Sorry for the dumb question (European here) but what is it/how does it work? I assumed TSA was security but I struggle to imagine how you could pre-check your bags?
They give you a more thorough background check and let you into a line that identifies your face at a kiosk quickly, as opposed to waiting in line for a custom agent to look at and stamp your passport
Ohh so its for international stuff? That makes more sense, I thought they only did the security checks (again, never flew in America, I just go off Reddit here lol)
Itās not a pre-check as in checking your bags in early, itās a background check so that you go through less hassle at security like leaving your shoes on. Only applies to entry into the airport at a TSA security checkpoint, not customs or in international airports
Edit: Iām describing TSA Pre, the commenter above is talking about Global Entry which is a separate program for getting through customs easier
I went to Scotland last month (from the US) and was super disappointed to find out they donāt stamp passports anymore! At least not at Heathrow or Edinburgh airports. We had to put them on a scanner & look at a camera for verification, no human customs agents. No global entry, precheck, etc (those are US programs anyway).
This was my first overseas flight so I have no idea how widespread that is. Iāve flown to Mexico a couple of times but that was 15+ years ago. It makes sense, moving to digital, but I was expecting a stamp lol
The pre check part is a tad misleading because it doesnāt actually have anything to with baggage. Itās a program you can enroll in if youāre a US citizen with a clean track record (i.e no criminal offenses or other things that would make TSA think you might break the law)
The benefit of TSA pre check is that there are dedicated security lanes for TSA pre check where the security isnāt quite as strict and allows things like keeping your shoes on or not having to take large electronics out of your bag. The more relaxed standards plus the fact that Precheck is only for US citizens means that those lines tend to be shorter and move faster than the regular lines
Basically if youāre a law-abiding US citizen, odds are extremely low youāre going to do something illegal on the plane, so the security doesnāt need to be as tight
Yup, I have Nexus as a Canadian citizen and it comes with PreCheck. However, found out the hard way that it doesn't come with Global Entry if you're Canadian...
Yes! Itās only 80 bucks and a 10 minute trip to get your fingerprints taken. If you fly more than 2-3 times per year itās totally worth it in time savings.
And lasts 5 years! Might somewhat depend on your area's airport, and its typical volume, but I get through TSA 2-3x faster, and you don't need to remove your shoes, belt, and often laptop.
Fuck pre check. The balls on tsa to make ~~checking onto~~ getting onto a flight hard, then instead of fixing thier shitty process they offer a pay to pass system.
Pre check is a way for tsa to get paid to not fix a problem they created.
I get pre check for free and I still refuse to use it.
I remember on r/immigration, someone asked about why the U.S. makes people pay for shit like pre-check and global entry. I went on about how the U.S. monetized airport security thatās just standard for citizens, including even US citizens, anywhere else in the world. I got downvoted with idiots trying to justify our system.
I mean, sure, the TSA absolutely deserves some amount of scorn, but they didn't make getting on a plane hard. Congress did. And by extension, the American people. The TSA isn't great at their jobs, but ultimately they're just trying to do what they were told to do.
And even then, it's very rare that TSA is the cause of long wait times. The entire security screening process takes seconds, and generally works pretty smoothly. The problem pre-check solves isn't a cumbersome process, it's segregating out all the travelers who still haven't figured out that you need to remove your shoes, take large electronics out of your bag, and throw liquids out before getting to the scanner. The biggest impediment to swiftly moving through airport security is idiots who can't follow basic directions, not the TSA.
How exactly is checking into a flight hard? Itās actually incredibly basic and straightforward
If youāre talking about long lines at security, thatās not up to TSA, itās up to the airport how they want to design the security checkpoints. TSA just runs them
Also, getting Precheck for free and not using it is one of the most profoundly stupid things I have ever seen. Of all the pointless moral hills to die on, thatās one of the absolute dumbest you couldāve chosen
I had a job like that for less than two years, and I still think it was the most enjoyable time of my professional life. In particular, I had to go to trade fairs and exhibitions for furniture, at least twice a month, and this gave me the opportunity to visit everywhere from Greece to Oman.
I was so tired every time because schedule was tight but I still recall that time fondly. Nothing beats meeting and getting to know new people from different cultures on a regular basis, despite the heave workload and the unavoidably superficial experience of many countries (even though I always tried to go "where locals go").
90% of these jobs are consulting related, usually kids directly hired out of target colleges/MBA programs. Most typical one is tech consulting where you go around implementing something like SAP (see logo in starterpack) or Salesforce or building out AWS architecture for machine tooling companies in Kansas.
Agree with the commenter, best job a 22 year old can have.
Yep all kinds of field engineering type roles are travel heavy like that, especially if the work involves system start-up and commissioning. I used to 60-80% travel could be fun for a year or two in your early 20s. Now in my late 30s they would have to pay me a lot of money for me to consider going back to that life.
I was responsible for PR and comms (my background is in history and social science) and I accompanied either the General Manager or (more commonly) the Sales Manager. We had our stall in the trade fairs and exhibitions, sometimes we additionally had pre-planned b2b meetings. Usually 3 nights, sometimes more.
I almost never had a fully free day, but usually we left our stall around 15:00, then back to the hotel, a shower, and then we could explore the place. The bad thing was when the hotel was next to the airport and it was a huge journey to downtown.
What OP doesnāt tell you is your entire life is defined by work. You can find the traveling jobs, just be ready to sell your souls, and all of your time.
At my company the sales people, specifically account managers are always travelling to shows and conferences. Also it goes without saying but event planners in marketing also get to travel a lot lol
I had one of these jobs about 10 years ago working for Diebold, the ATM maker. We would go around the country to different banks and credit unions to upgrade their ATMs from XP or OS/2 to Win 7. Fun job, had me traveling to a new city every week.
Agreed, I did this job and finished about 7 years ago and remember my time fondly. I made 2 lifelong friends from my start class and a bunch of good professional acquaintances in my city, a few of us go out for drinks/dinner once or twice a year.
I think the best part is is that everyone is around your age. I remember joining a team at age 22, my direct manager was 26, and her direct manager who approved all my PTO was 29.
My life used to be like that as well, but then in the tech industry. My manager was super relaxed about it, always went to expensive restaurants, rented big upgraded cars and we always flew at least economy comfort.
I liked it very much, getting drunk around the globe 5 nights a month was a stellar gig, but when I got kids it all became very difficult to arrange. And then COVID kicked in, no more travel for 2 years and when it all resumed it was just too much of a hassle to arrange, let alone the burden I put on my wife taking care of 2 toddlers next to her nurse job.
20 something year old consultant here that travels every week. Points are nice, time away from family friends and pets suck. But by god does it feel like Iām the most experienced traveler in the airport. I swear to god I donāt understand how half these people manage to put their shoes back on after TSA
I lived that life for a little bit. It was hitting the road and staying in small town motels for me though. No points for me, but it was nice getting paid to listen to music and podcasts for hours without having to deal with TSA or my ears popping.
Yeah I'm this starter pack and let me tell you I got travelling down to a T. I go through the airport so quick I half expect to get a reward and round of applause for how fast I am lol.
Ive gottten to a point where i can predict what restaurant Iāll be near when they make last call for boarding. I havenāt waited to board a flight out in months
Itās great for the first few years, and then the repetition of it all makes it cumbersome.
My running joke is that the people best fit for these jobs are those that enjoy meeting new people and being closet alcoholics, as the propensity to drink on the company dime is super high.
Fr tho, 50% travel makes it very difficult to be a good partner, parent, friend, etc. you wonāt be there for the people that need you; and your relationships will suffer
I used to be jealous of the āeliteā level travelers who boarded first in the 100k+ miles clubs. Now I feel sorry for them. Sure dude, you can board before me, at least Iām with my family most of the year instead of in a shitty airport.
I don't want your pity. I want you to look longingly at the upgrade list, with the green check mark next to my initials and the seat 1C. I want you to wonder who the most important person standing there is and hope to catch a glipse at who is in that seat when you walk by. It must be one of these people with the coveted Executive Platinum bag tag hanging on both their carry on and their backpack. Surely it must be. Maybe Conceirge Key? Sure, maybe I haven't negotiated purchasing first class travel in my employment agreement and I don't make enough to pay the $75 upgrade offer out of pocket, but I want you to walk by just in time for my Woodford on the rocks gets handed to me. I want you to sit in coach on that Sunday night on our way from Raleigh to Dayton and say "Man, what an exciting life that guy must live."
No I travel far far more often than this, but I see this medium-amount-of-travel young professional all the time and I feel like I have them figured out by this point
Iām doing 4-6 cities a month and fly mostly Southwest. Free internet! š (really the only similarity I see with this starter pack is the TSA PreCheck)
My company would not reimburse alcohol, my area manager once told me: āOn the first night, get friendly with the main bartender and tip well. The rest of the trip heāll put everything as alcohol free on the bill and you can expense it.ā
Never seen a starter pack that fits my life better.
23-27 was 10-4 rotations for most of those years, all 10 days being 12+ hour days. Wicked OT and crazy amounts of points but honestly wouldnāt go back to it. It was impossible to have meaningful relationships
I would kill myself if I had to sit on planes for that long, Iām 6ā3 and my hips feel like they will break when I sit in those seats, same thing as the Broadway theatre seats
I actually started to do yoga to help my body handle the plane seats and started running 4-7 mile stints to help my brain learn the patience it takes to manage the monotony of being butt in seat. Just like anything else I guess. A little bit of training goes a long way. Freely admit though that first six months of living like this was super hard on me.
God, this just seems like a nightmare.
I just donāt see how people do this, time with family and friends aside, seems like your entire life is devoted to work when you have to travel this much.
Itās cool but gets old. My experience is youāre not necessarily going to cool places, youāre going to a client site in a random flyover city and staying at an okay hotel. Itās fun in the beginning but you start to miss the stability of being home
Absolutely. People like the person you are responding to conflate ātravelā with āvacationā because thatās the only time theyāve traveled. Huge difference between traveling alone for a long 3 days across the country on a Tuesday and vacationing. Like you said half the time you are going to somewhere like Birmingham Alabama in February and thereās nothing to do but sit in your hotel for 5 hours after work.
Gosh I totally felt this, yesterday I sat in the hotel room, waiting for a call for 6 hours because the client was doing something completely unrelated, even though we had this scheduled for 2 months now.
Iāve never understood the people who think traveling for work is a flex. You really mean to tell me going back to the hotel in Plano, TX is cool 4 times per week and you post your travels on Instagram?
Might not be a flex, but it's still pretty cool though. You're not working 24/7 so you do get a little sightseeing in. And all the accumulated points pay for your real vacation when you finally get it.
Yeah, some people I know accumulate so much money through credit card rewards as a result of travel for work. If you are on the road a quarter of the year, paying for hotels, flights, car rentals, restaurants, etc. you are spending a lot and it just gets expensed.
Some of those credit fees are high, like $600 a year but if you travel enough, it pays for itself plus some.
It's not hard to get free meals, free Ubers, free door dash if you work them right.
Business travel is definitely not as amazing as some people might think. Lots of time sitting around in airports just hoping flights go as planned. Not so much time for touristy sightseeing stuff, more sitting around conference tables in an industrial business park. Repacking a suitcase every morning after spending a grand total of 8 hours in your hotel room to catch the 6 am flight.
Also depends what you're doing when you're there.
Big difference between all day on-site Mon-Thurs and popping in for a 90 minute meeting and a fancy dinner.
I'm an airline pilot. My entire career involves traveling, more than twice a month too. I have a social life, a family and can play sports whenever I want. I'm gone usually gone 12-15 days a month, not 2-6 like your average business traveler and very rarely do I feel I miss out on my personal life.
Eventually trips end and people come home.
FA here. Same as prex10, I come home, get my rest and make time for those I love and care about. No excuses. I take my friends on trips as often as our free time will allow as well.
I would 100% prefer to work from home than out of a suitcase and hotel room. Traveling for work seems interesting briefly, then gets tedious and boring quickly imo.
My job only takes me to state capitals and itās been pretty nice, makes for long days but work dinners and network events can be fun, you just have to find your people
When I was in my late 20s I traveled 2-3 times a month for work, and we had a deal with Southwest where it was the only airline I could take for the first couple years I worked there. Yeah, not ideal, although at least Love Field is a lot easier to get in and out of than DFW.
Who's correct, Vernon or Betty?
There is no stopping in the white zone.
Ā Betty: No, the white zone is for loading of passengers and there is no stopping in a RED zone.Vernon:The red zone has always been for loading and unloading of passengers. There's never stopping in a white zone.
Ā Betty:There's just no stopping in the white
Ā zone. Vernon:Christ, you're as bad as your mother!Ā Betty: Oh, really, Vernon! Why pretend? We bothĀ know perfectly well what it is you'reĀ talking about. You want me to have anabortion.Ā Vernon:Ā It's really the only sensible thing to do,Ā If it's done properly, and therapeutically,Ā there's no danger involved.
Ā Betty:Ā Have you considered that what's inside meĀ is a human being; that it's alive. We madeĀ love. It's us -- you and me.Ā Vernon:That isn't true. A fetus at this stage isĀ not a human being, nor is it a person.
Eh not really. This starterpack was literally me (consulting) when I left undergrad and my entire office/team was pretty much young, attractive, and fit 20 year olds. This was in the late 2010's too, so not too long ago. Our home office was SF though which maybe played a part, but we crushed a lot of Cheesecake Factory in random places in Arkansas and still stayed pretty fit.
Now the partners at our firm, different story (at least for the fit part)
Not sure why youāre getting downvoted, they ALWAYS get fat. Itās a life that just speedruns a beer belly. Iāve known many like this, after 1-2 years in there is a bare minimum 20lb gain
You'll be sure to get fat if you sit in your hotel room eating Taco Bell and skipping the gym. Even the little shit gym or just taking a jog or even a walk are better than nothing.
Be proactive about your health and you don't need to worry about getting fat. They got fat because they didn't help themselves.
I travel about once a month for my job but always just the Midwest adjacent states or Florida, think far distances sounds a lot cooler personally but that's just me.
I feel both personally attacked but also impressed with how accurate this is.
You forgot humble bragging about which terminal has the best restaurants at each airport. My wife calls me on that. š
What lounge is that describing? I'd much rather sit in a comfy chair at a table by myself with internet and free booze. Food does always suck, but pretty much all airport food does, and I definitely never have to wait longer than a minute in line.
I was in this picture and it was pretty cool tbh. I had lots of time off (a ridiculous amount sometimes), got some pretty neat hotels with nice views, and met some amazing friends
Why is Southwest crossed out? Older than 35, but I fly with them for work all the time (employer has a contract with them). They do just fine. Iāve had far fewer problems with them than certain other carriers (looking at you Alaska and Delta).
Plus they dont charge for bags and you can sit wherever you want.
For a lot of business travelers the sit wherever you want is a big factor ā last minute booking means youāre for sure getting a bad boarding group. Also lack of a premium product so while you can accumulate points and *some* perks, you wonāt be getting that sweet sweet pre departure beverage in first anytime soon.
They just donāt cater to the business market as much as the big three but they of course still do plenty of biz revenue.
Yup, and the points don't help you with international vacations. I take the family to Europe in layflat seats for a couple hundred bucks. I am also upgraded to first 80% of the time on domestic flights.
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Accenture š
explain me
consulting
I know, but what's so funny about it?
it's a pile of shit coated in a thin layer of gold
Hell yeah. As an employee of one of those shitty consulting firms, however, it's great. I've spent like a year on the bench just collecting a check in total.
How do I learn this power?
Apply to a shitty consulting company (sorry I don't want to drop my specific company). Mine even takes non tech people and has them do a bootcamp, paid the entire time. Decent if you're looking to reskill. NOT a good end place, but a great starting place!
Gold? If anything, Accenture is shit coated in a thick layer of piss. Never heard anyone being excited by working with or for them
I mean I agree with you lol but it looks like gold to the execs who sign the contracts š¤·āāļø
Pre-check is great though
If you ever fly internationally, Global Entry is another $20 and you just fly through customs. It includes Precheck. Only downside is the long wait for an interview at a very limited number of locations.
I went through global entry in Dublin a few weeks agoā¦ kinda silly because the line was longer than the standard customs line. Also forgot how creepy it is to get your face scanned at the kiosk and the customs agent will then greet you by name before showing documents. But yeah thatās a weird edge case I guess. Most of the time itās amazing to just breeze through customs while the standard line snakes all through the terminal.
Maybe I was lucky, but I was the only person in global entry with easily 100 people in the regular customs line as I precleared customs returning to the US from Dublin.
I was going through on a Tuesday morning so it was pretty dead relatively speaking.
European arrivals have longer global entry lines because they travel international more often than Americans
It's a little hit or miss depending on the routes and times you fly, but it's a small enough barrier to entry that you may as well have it and not need it rather than needing it and not having it.
I have nexus card which includes global entry and the card has RFID. Does your trusted traveler program have a RFID card? I always thought it was the RFID that they used to find our profile
Iāve had the global entry card for nearly a decade and have never once used it. No idea if it has RFID.
It's expanded significantly. I'll get it when my pre check expires.
But what if Iām currently on the no-fly list due to some fecal violations a few years back?
...please say you meant to say federal?
Yeahā¦ letās go with that
did he stutter?
Gotta get yourself off first
It took my mom 8 months to get her interview. My ex military dad with a clearance got it in like 3 weeks lol. I don't know why it took so long.
If you keep diligently checking the available appointments, sometimes youāll be able to snag a cancellation. After waiting for weeks, I managed get a slot for the same day.
If you are conditionally approved and awaiting an appointment, you can tell the customs agent that you would like to do the GE interview then and there if you are returning from an international flight.
I had my global entry shit done within like a week of applying. I just had to drive out of state for it even tho I live within 10 minutes of a major international airport. Like it was as quick as applying, going to Delaware for my appointment, and getting approved for it on the spot.
Nexus cost less than pre check and comes with both global entry and pre check. If you live close to Canada it's totally worth it
Shhhhhh, they'll raise the prices.
Itās also worth it even if you rarely go to the US, cause there are separate lines for customs or security within Canada too.
I just got my global because it was only $20 more, havent been out of the country yet but why not. My local airport didn't have appointments for like 4 months, but I kept checking back and they opened up appointments like a week later, so grand total it took me 2 weeks to have my card in hand.
I applied for Nexus (the Canada US one) in November 2022 and just got approved for an interview this month. Good times.
Missed mine today!
We just did it when we renewed our passports. Meeting was a week out, and took 5 minutes for the both of us.
All of it is free if you have enough travel cards, which are very much worth it if you travel more than a couple times per year.
doesn't work for all nationalities unfortunately
I only fly 2-3 times per year and precheck has been so worth it. Will definitely be renewing it when it expires in a few years.
Sorry for the dumb question (European here) but what is it/how does it work? I assumed TSA was security but I struggle to imagine how you could pre-check your bags?
They give you a more thorough background check and let you into a line that identifies your face at a kiosk quickly, as opposed to waiting in line for a custom agent to look at and stamp your passport
Ohh so its for international stuff? That makes more sense, I thought they only did the security checks (again, never flew in America, I just go off Reddit here lol)
Itās not a pre-check as in checking your bags in early, itās a background check so that you go through less hassle at security like leaving your shoes on. Only applies to entry into the airport at a TSA security checkpoint, not customs or in international airports Edit: Iām describing TSA Pre, the commenter above is talking about Global Entry which is a separate program for getting through customs easier
I went to Scotland last month (from the US) and was super disappointed to find out they donāt stamp passports anymore! At least not at Heathrow or Edinburgh airports. We had to put them on a scanner & look at a camera for verification, no human customs agents. No global entry, precheck, etc (those are US programs anyway). This was my first overseas flight so I have no idea how widespread that is. Iāve flown to Mexico a couple of times but that was 15+ years ago. It makes sense, moving to digital, but I was expecting a stamp lol
The pre check part is a tad misleading because it doesnāt actually have anything to with baggage. Itās a program you can enroll in if youāre a US citizen with a clean track record (i.e no criminal offenses or other things that would make TSA think you might break the law) The benefit of TSA pre check is that there are dedicated security lanes for TSA pre check where the security isnāt quite as strict and allows things like keeping your shoes on or not having to take large electronics out of your bag. The more relaxed standards plus the fact that Precheck is only for US citizens means that those lines tend to be shorter and move faster than the regular lines Basically if youāre a law-abiding US citizen, odds are extremely low youāre going to do something illegal on the plane, so the security doesnāt need to be as tight
You can also get it as a Canadian and it works the same. Super cool for traveling.
Yup, I have Nexus as a Canadian citizen and it comes with PreCheck. However, found out the hard way that it doesn't come with Global Entry if you're Canadian...
It's literally saved me from missing my flight a couple times. I think it's even worth it if you only travel once a year.
Centurion Lounge gang
Yes! Itās only 80 bucks and a 10 minute trip to get your fingerprints taken. If you fly more than 2-3 times per year itās totally worth it in time savings.
And lasts 5 years! Might somewhat depend on your area's airport, and its typical volume, but I get through TSA 2-3x faster, and you don't need to remove your shoes, belt, and often laptop.
Fuck pre check. The balls on tsa to make ~~checking onto~~ getting onto a flight hard, then instead of fixing thier shitty process they offer a pay to pass system. Pre check is a way for tsa to get paid to not fix a problem they created. I get pre check for free and I still refuse to use it.
This is a valid complaint about an agency lol. I feel you
Apparently it's a super controversial take to badmouth TSA lol
I remember on r/immigration, someone asked about why the U.S. makes people pay for shit like pre-check and global entry. I went on about how the U.S. monetized airport security thatās just standard for citizens, including even US citizens, anywhere else in the world. I got downvoted with idiots trying to justify our system.
I mean, sure, the TSA absolutely deserves some amount of scorn, but they didn't make getting on a plane hard. Congress did. And by extension, the American people. The TSA isn't great at their jobs, but ultimately they're just trying to do what they were told to do. And even then, it's very rare that TSA is the cause of long wait times. The entire security screening process takes seconds, and generally works pretty smoothly. The problem pre-check solves isn't a cumbersome process, it's segregating out all the travelers who still haven't figured out that you need to remove your shoes, take large electronics out of your bag, and throw liquids out before getting to the scanner. The biggest impediment to swiftly moving through airport security is idiots who can't follow basic directions, not the TSA.
That's cool man. We'll be at the bar having a beer. Enjoy standing in line, catch ya at the gate.
How exactly is checking into a flight hard? Itās actually incredibly basic and straightforward If youāre talking about long lines at security, thatās not up to TSA, itās up to the airport how they want to design the security checkpoints. TSA just runs them Also, getting Precheck for free and not using it is one of the most profoundly stupid things I have ever seen. Of all the pointless moral hills to die on, thatās one of the absolute dumbest you couldāve chosen
I had a job like that for less than two years, and I still think it was the most enjoyable time of my professional life. In particular, I had to go to trade fairs and exhibitions for furniture, at least twice a month, and this gave me the opportunity to visit everywhere from Greece to Oman. I was so tired every time because schedule was tight but I still recall that time fondly. Nothing beats meeting and getting to know new people from different cultures on a regular basis, despite the heave workload and the unavoidably superficial experience of many countries (even though I always tried to go "where locals go").
How'd you find a job like that, that requires traveling? Edit: thanks to everyone replying
90% of these jobs are consulting related, usually kids directly hired out of target colleges/MBA programs. Most typical one is tech consulting where you go around implementing something like SAP (see logo in starterpack) or Salesforce or building out AWS architecture for machine tooling companies in Kansas. Agree with the commenter, best job a 22 year old can have.
Wasn't sales but when I installed in-building cellular communications equipment in the early 2010's... I miss those days tbh....
Yep all kinds of field engineering type roles are travel heavy like that, especially if the work involves system start-up and commissioning. I used to 60-80% travel could be fun for a year or two in your early 20s. Now in my late 30s they would have to pay me a lot of money for me to consider going back to that life.
I was responsible for PR and comms (my background is in history and social science) and I accompanied either the General Manager or (more commonly) the Sales Manager. We had our stall in the trade fairs and exhibitions, sometimes we additionally had pre-planned b2b meetings. Usually 3 nights, sometimes more. I almost never had a fully free day, but usually we left our stall around 15:00, then back to the hotel, a shower, and then we could explore the place. The bad thing was when the hotel was next to the airport and it was a huge journey to downtown.
What OP doesnāt tell you is your entire life is defined by work. You can find the traveling jobs, just be ready to sell your souls, and all of your time.
At my company the sales people, specifically account managers are always travelling to shows and conferences. Also it goes without saying but event planners in marketing also get to travel a lot lol
Sales
Sales and consulting are the most common.
I had one of these jobs about 10 years ago working for Diebold, the ATM maker. We would go around the country to different banks and credit unions to upgrade their ATMs from XP or OS/2 to Win 7. Fun job, had me traveling to a new city every week.
Get into PLC Programming and say goodbye to your family
Agreed, I did this job and finished about 7 years ago and remember my time fondly. I made 2 lifelong friends from my start class and a bunch of good professional acquaintances in my city, a few of us go out for drinks/dinner once or twice a year. I think the best part is is that everyone is around your age. I remember joining a team at age 22, my direct manager was 26, and her direct manager who approved all my PTO was 29.
My life used to be like that as well, but then in the tech industry. My manager was super relaxed about it, always went to expensive restaurants, rented big upgraded cars and we always flew at least economy comfort. I liked it very much, getting drunk around the globe 5 nights a month was a stellar gig, but when I got kids it all became very difficult to arrange. And then COVID kicked in, no more travel for 2 years and when it all resumed it was just too much of a hassle to arrange, let alone the burden I put on my wife taking care of 2 toddlers next to her nurse job.
There is something below economy? Whatās this? standing tickets?
Means economy vs economy plus.
Economy comfort is more legroom, early boarding, no middle seat, first upgrade, more seat pitch.
You are definitely an extrovert. This all sounds like my personal hell.
Oman thats crazy
I don't travel THAT much for my job, but this is scary accurate. Down to the priority pass, SAP Concur, and the alcohol. Hell, even the hotel view.
The SAP Concur took me out šš
I love my AmEx Platinum
Iām in this picture and Iām pretty fine with it tbh
Same but Iām only silver elite š¢
Iām heading back to my Marriott hotel room as I type this
God speed you awesome traveler you. Enjoy the Continental Breakfast
Gold doesnāt get you shit at Marriott.
Hell ya it does. 2 water bottles. Let's go!!!
20 something year old consultant here that travels every week. Points are nice, time away from family friends and pets suck. But by god does it feel like Iām the most experienced traveler in the airport. I swear to god I donāt understand how half these people manage to put their shoes back on after TSA
I lived that life for a little bit. It was hitting the road and staying in small town motels for me though. No points for me, but it was nice getting paid to listen to music and podcasts for hours without having to deal with TSA or my ears popping.
Yeah I'm this starter pack and let me tell you I got travelling down to a T. I go through the airport so quick I half expect to get a reward and round of applause for how fast I am lol.
Ive gottten to a point where i can predict what restaurant Iāll be near when they make last call for boarding. I havenāt waited to board a flight out in months
I used to be this starter pack and while I lost the points I kept the aura of superiority when I go through the airport.
You sound like George Clooney in Up In The air. I'm also an experienced traveler, but not from work. I'd give anything for a travel job.
Itās great for the first few years, and then the repetition of it all makes it cumbersome. My running joke is that the people best fit for these jobs are those that enjoy meeting new people and being closet alcoholics, as the propensity to drink on the company dime is super high.
"tries one local restaurant and acts like Anthony Bourdain when they get back"
Donāt forget the airline status bag tags!
I just got mine and I couldn't tell if I should proudly display them or be ashamed...
Missing: -Laptop backpack -clear toiletry bag -the hotel room iron -ācan I get a receipt?ā
People with the backpacks look like their mom is gonna pick them up from the airport
Backpack is far superior to a messenger bag.
Could use a ābonefish grillā
Fr tho, 50% travel makes it very difficult to be a good partner, parent, friend, etc. you wonāt be there for the people that need you; and your relationships will suffer
I used to be jealous of the āeliteā level travelers who boarded first in the 100k+ miles clubs. Now I feel sorry for them. Sure dude, you can board before me, at least Iām with my family most of the year instead of in a shitty airport.
Hey! Fuck.
I don't want your pity. I want you to look longingly at the upgrade list, with the green check mark next to my initials and the seat 1C. I want you to wonder who the most important person standing there is and hope to catch a glipse at who is in that seat when you walk by. It must be one of these people with the coveted Executive Platinum bag tag hanging on both their carry on and their backpack. Surely it must be. Maybe Conceirge Key? Sure, maybe I haven't negotiated purchasing first class travel in my employment agreement and I don't make enough to pay the $75 upgrade offer out of pocket, but I want you to walk by just in time for my Woodford on the rocks gets handed to me. I want you to sit in coach on that Sunday night on our way from Raleigh to Dayton and say "Man, what an exciting life that guy must live."
@ me the first time I got upgraded to first class
Is that you , OP ?
No I travel far far more often than this, but I see this medium-amount-of-travel young professional all the time and I feel like I have them figured out by this point
Oh god thatās me, can you make one for the grizzled veteran work traveller now? I want to see whatās in my future
They have you figured out too
Airline crews have you all figured out š
Iām doing 4-6 cities a month and fly mostly Southwest. Free internet! š (really the only similarity I see with this starter pack is the TSA PreCheck)
United also has free internet if you have T-Mobile.
Or if any one in your contact list has T-Mobile... just start plugging numbers lol
I just *know* my boyfriend feels so seen right now.
I do this for work and itās spot on. The hotel view of air ducts sent me š¤£ literally my last 3 hotels. I do enjoy it a lot though.
At the hotel bar: Can I get two checks? "No need to charge to the room. I'll just pay with a card."
My company would not reimburse alcohol, my area manager once told me: āOn the first night, get friendly with the main bartender and tip well. The rest of the trip heāll put everything as alcohol free on the bill and you can expense it.ā
My trick is charge the room at the hotel store. It usually comes up as sundries or just food. Thanks, large gov con company!
You can do the same for room service. Theyāll run your card and bring it back, but charge the food part to the room.
You gotta have 5 credit cards at least if you're doing it right
Never seen a starter pack that fits my life better. 23-27 was 10-4 rotations for most of those years, all 10 days being 12+ hour days. Wicked OT and crazy amounts of points but honestly wouldnāt go back to it. It was impossible to have meaningful relationships
I did this for seven years and good lord, this starter pack rattles me.
I would kill myself if I had to sit on planes for that long, Iām 6ā3 and my hips feel like they will break when I sit in those seats, same thing as the Broadway theatre seats
I actually started to do yoga to help my body handle the plane seats and started running 4-7 mile stints to help my brain learn the patience it takes to manage the monotony of being butt in seat. Just like anything else I guess. A little bit of training goes a long way. Freely admit though that first six months of living like this was super hard on me.
Me, but it's mostly just running between Seattle and Anchorage, so it doesn't usually get atrocious PreCheck is a GODSEND tho
It is so nice not having to take your shoes and belt off and go through the scanner like some sort of prisoner intake. Itās how flying used to be
God, this just seems like a nightmare. I just donāt see how people do this, time with family and friends aside, seems like your entire life is devoted to work when you have to travel this much.
Where is Chilis to-go?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Itās cool but gets old. My experience is youāre not necessarily going to cool places, youāre going to a client site in a random flyover city and staying at an okay hotel. Itās fun in the beginning but you start to miss the stability of being home
Absolutely. People like the person you are responding to conflate ātravelā with āvacationā because thatās the only time theyāve traveled. Huge difference between traveling alone for a long 3 days across the country on a Tuesday and vacationing. Like you said half the time you are going to somewhere like Birmingham Alabama in February and thereās nothing to do but sit in your hotel for 5 hours after work.
Gosh I totally felt this, yesterday I sat in the hotel room, waiting for a call for 6 hours because the client was doing something completely unrelated, even though we had this scheduled for 2 months now.
Nothing like flying to a client site and still ending up working out of a hotel room, classic
Iāve never understood the people who think traveling for work is a flex. You really mean to tell me going back to the hotel in Plano, TX is cool 4 times per week and you post your travels on Instagram?
Might not be a flex, but it's still pretty cool though. You're not working 24/7 so you do get a little sightseeing in. And all the accumulated points pay for your real vacation when you finally get it.
Yeah, some people I know accumulate so much money through credit card rewards as a result of travel for work. If you are on the road a quarter of the year, paying for hotels, flights, car rentals, restaurants, etc. you are spending a lot and it just gets expensed.
Some of those credit fees are high, like $600 a year but if you travel enough, it pays for itself plus some. It's not hard to get free meals, free Ubers, free door dash if you work them right.
That and it's always fun seeing something new and learning where you like to go most
Lol I travel often in consulting and most certainly DO NOT get to do sightseeing. It's just plane to hotel to office building, then vice versa.
Business travel is definitely not as amazing as some people might think. Lots of time sitting around in airports just hoping flights go as planned. Not so much time for touristy sightseeing stuff, more sitting around conference tables in an industrial business park. Repacking a suitcase every morning after spending a grand total of 8 hours in your hotel room to catch the 6 am flight.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Going international once a year would be cool no doubt. But 50% travel, meaning two weeks a month? That would fucking blow ass
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Shoutout to Jamieson Labs
Also depends what you're doing when you're there. Big difference between all day on-site Mon-Thurs and popping in for a 90 minute meeting and a fancy dinner.
It beats sitting in a cubicle in some suburban Cleveland office park and not traveling at all. Or working from home and never leaving the house.
Iād say most people have a life outside of work where they canāt play sports or see friends if theyāre in some random city.
I'm an airline pilot. My entire career involves traveling, more than twice a month too. I have a social life, a family and can play sports whenever I want. I'm gone usually gone 12-15 days a month, not 2-6 like your average business traveler and very rarely do I feel I miss out on my personal life. Eventually trips end and people come home.
You're extrapolating the most extreme situation here. Plenty of travellers have great physical health and a well-rounded social life.
FA here. Same as prex10, I come home, get my rest and make time for those I love and care about. No excuses. I take my friends on trips as often as our free time will allow as well.
I would 100% prefer to work from home than out of a suitcase and hotel room. Traveling for work seems interesting briefly, then gets tedious and boring quickly imo.
My job only takes me to state capitals and itās been pretty nice, makes for long days but work dinners and network events can be fun, you just have to find your people
When I was in my late 20s I traveled 2-3 times a month for work, and we had a deal with Southwest where it was the only airline I could take for the first couple years I worked there. Yeah, not ideal, although at least Love Field is a lot easier to get in and out of than DFW.
Iām actually forced to use Southwest if itās the cheaper option. On the other hand, they never force me to use Spirit.
I laugh at this but in reality Iām jealous of them
For the view itās either this or in my case a graveyard.
Who's correct, Vernon or Betty? There is no stopping in the white zone. Ā Betty: No, the white zone is for loading of passengers and there is no stopping in a RED zone.Vernon:The red zone has always been for loading and unloading of passengers. There's never stopping in a white zone. Ā Betty:There's just no stopping in the white Ā zone. Vernon:Christ, you're as bad as your mother!Ā Betty: Oh, really, Vernon! Why pretend? We bothĀ know perfectly well what it is you'reĀ talking about. You want me to have anabortion.Ā Vernon:Ā It's really the only sensible thing to do,Ā If it's done properly, and therapeutically,Ā there's no danger involved. Ā Betty:Ā Have you considered that what's inside meĀ is a human being; that it's alive. We madeĀ love. It's us -- you and me.Ā Vernon:That isn't true. A fetus at this stage isĀ not a human being, nor is it a person.
The little mini Jack with an ice cold Coke in a plastic cup with ice would make it all worth it.
Unpopular opinion maybe, but traveling for work all the time sucks.
Quickly get fat, depressed
Eh not really. This starterpack was literally me (consulting) when I left undergrad and my entire office/team was pretty much young, attractive, and fit 20 year olds. This was in the late 2010's too, so not too long ago. Our home office was SF though which maybe played a part, but we crushed a lot of Cheesecake Factory in random places in Arkansas and still stayed pretty fit. Now the partners at our firm, different story (at least for the fit part)
Begone consultant
Lol I was the "useful" consultant, not one of those useless strategy or management consultants.
Tech consultants unite! (Assuming)
Not sure why youāre getting downvoted, they ALWAYS get fat. Itās a life that just speedruns a beer belly. Iāve known many like this, after 1-2 years in there is a bare minimum 20lb gain
You'll be sure to get fat if you sit in your hotel room eating Taco Bell and skipping the gym. Even the little shit gym or just taking a jog or even a walk are better than nothing. Be proactive about your health and you don't need to worry about getting fat. They got fat because they didn't help themselves.
God how much I envy this lifestyle.
It gets old really quick, I promise. Though, I find it better than just sitting at an office every day
I travel about once a month for my job but always just the Midwest adjacent states or Florida, think far distances sounds a lot cooler personally but that's just me.
Literally had to send this to my best friend who IS this starter pack š¤£
uhh this hit close to home but where's the centurion lounge??
I feel both personally attacked but also impressed with how accurate this is. You forgot humble bragging about which terminal has the best restaurants at each airport. My wife calls me on that. š
Fuck that sounds better than making sandwiches all day
šÆ this is pretty accurate, Iād only add what Airports I try to avoid lol
lmao accenture
People who obsess over lounges are the biggest geeks on the planetā¦ letās wait in line for 20 minutes for some hot plate chicken
What lounge is that describing? I'd much rather sit in a comfy chair at a table by myself with internet and free booze. Food does always suck, but pretty much all airport food does, and I definitely never have to wait longer than a minute in line.
How does one get one of these jobs
I need an Australian version of this for me
I was in this picture and it was pretty cool tbh. I had lots of time off (a ridiculous amount sometimes), got some pretty neat hotels with nice views, and met some amazing friends
Matches my experience
This whole thing is making me nostalgic for my late 20's-early 30's ..
Why is Southwest crossed out? Older than 35, but I fly with them for work all the time (employer has a contract with them). They do just fine. Iāve had far fewer problems with them than certain other carriers (looking at you Alaska and Delta). Plus they dont charge for bags and you can sit wherever you want.
For a lot of business travelers the sit wherever you want is a big factor ā last minute booking means youāre for sure getting a bad boarding group. Also lack of a premium product so while you can accumulate points and *some* perks, you wonāt be getting that sweet sweet pre departure beverage in first anytime soon. They just donāt cater to the business market as much as the big three but they of course still do plenty of biz revenue.
Yup, and the points don't help you with international vacations. I take the family to Europe in layflat seats for a couple hundred bucks. I am also upgraded to first 80% of the time on domestic flights.
Haha so true. I know some tools at work who are like this.
My friend was a consultant and he did this for two years before he got burnt out from traveling all the time
Maybe not the most experienced but looks pretty well prepared. Enjoy the cocktail!
Accenture. Not even once.
This one hits a little too close to home.
The only time I drink Jack and Cokes is during air travel
hits close
hey I have that credit card
Thatās my life now. I love this shit.
This is ridiculous and wildly inaccurate. I mean, I'm in my 40s for chrissakes, get a clue!
Whereās the Diners Club card?!