5 Things I Hate About Business Travel

While I typically do not do a great deal of business travel, last month was anything but typical as I started with a trip to South Beach and then spent a long weekend in Vegas.

In the very near future, I will be traveling again although this time it will be with my family as we head off for a much needed vacation to Disney World. As we prepare for that adventure, I had to pause and think about the differences between traveling with my family and traveling solo for business.

5 Things I Hate About Business Travel

Initially, many people think a solo trip for business is nothing but good times. While I will admit that there are things that I love about business travel, there are also things that are not very enjoyable.

1. Missing out on family time.

One of the most important things in my life is spending time with my family. Whether it be spending an afternoon at the ballpark or something as simple as reading bedtime stories, family time is something that I truly cherish.

When there are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles between you and your family, spending time together is clearly a challenge. As noted in these 5 tips to stay in touch while traveling, there are things you can do to ease the physical separation and still share some special time. However, there really is no substitute for being with your family and doing things together.

2. Sleeping alone.

Don’t get me wrong, sleeping alone isn’t all bad as it can be nice to stretch out in a comfortable king size bed without someone elbowing you in the back or stealing all of the blankets. The first night or two might seem like complete bliss.

But then you start to miss the warmth of your spouse lying next to you in bed, rolling over and wrapping your arms around one another. Waking up in the morning and not seeing your special someone curled up in the bed leaves you feeling a little lonely.

After an extended business trip, having an arm smack you in the head or waking in the middle of the night shivering without any covers never felt so good.

3. Packing the suitcase.

Part of this is likely a result of infrequent travel, as I know that there are people out there that can pack a month of clothing into a toiletry bag, but I think that packing a suitcase is one of the most difficult things to do.

First, I always try to fit my things in one of those small, trendy suitcases that you can easily tuck away in the carry-on compartments on the airplane. Yeah, that never works. Being a big guy, I put one pair of pants, socks, and underwear in one of those suitcases and I am lucky to get the thing closed!

Resigned to using my gigantic suitcase, I am then faced with the realization that no matter how I pack my items in the suitcase, everything will be a wrinkled mess once I arrive at my destination. Packing the suitcase is something that I despise about travel, so much that I have given serious consideration to packing nothing and buying all new clothes upon arrival.

4. Flying.

Generally speaking, I really enjoy flying. However, there are a few things that turn me off about flying and one of my biggest complaints is being stuck in the middle seat on the airplane.

On some airlines you have a good shot of securing an aisle or window seat, although my preferred airline, Southwest Airlines, using an open seating policy. Unless you check-in as early as possible, chances are you might get stuck in the middle seat. If you’re lucky, the person in the window seat will only ask you to let them out a half dozen times over the course of the flight.

In addition to my aversion for the middle seat, I find that the flight always leaves me congested and miserable. My ears are plugged, I cannot breathe through my nose at all. Ugh! Now this might be a symptom of not traveling very often, as I found my recent trips were not so bad, but it is something that I do not look forward to when flying.

5. Eating out.

Neither my wife or I are gourmet cooks by any means, but we can both prepare a pretty good home-cooked meal. When traveling for business, you will be eating out at restaurants (or the hotel) for every meal. Just like sleeping alone, initially this sounds enticing but it can quickly become old as you long for burnt meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Also, depending on the nature of your travel, you may find yourself eating your meals alone. While this isn’t really a big deal, it can feel somewhat awkward if you are not accustomed to it.

What about you?

Whether you are a regular at the local airport or only travel a couple of times per year, I’d love to hear what things you dislike the most about business travel.