people who work away

people who work away

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dieseluser07

Original Poster:

2,452 posts

115 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Who works away/travels round the uk for their job?

Ive had a job offer for more money which would require me to go between different places in my region 3 days per week, i would stay in hotels 1-2 nights a week depending on how long the commute is, the commute is between 1 hour to 3 hours there and same back, i can stay in a hotel whenever i want.

Would i hate it or is it not that bad? I believe they try and put at least 2 of the shifts together

Does anyone do similar and how do you find it?

EDIT: I ONLY ACTUALLY WORK 3 DAYS THE OTHER 4 IM OFF WORK

Edited by dieseluser07 on Tuesday 3rd March 19:24

tomsugden

2,233 posts

227 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
I spend between 1 and 4 nights in hotels most weeks. I knew this would be the case when I took the job, and at the end of the day, it's the job I have worked towards for the last ten years. I love that no two days are the same, I'm meeting new people, and have new challenges regularly, and get to explore some nice places and stay in nice hotels at someone else's expense.

When I finish on client site and go home, I am usually left alone for the rest of the week too, and allowed to manage my own diary without interference. All in all, it suits me well not to have to sit in the same old office, day in day out, and I'm also learning some very marketable skills if I ever find it too much.

dieseluser07

Original Poster:

2,452 posts

115 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Not too bad, i wouldent really meet many other people other than the other person im working with, the job would be a bit monotamous but easy, and it will be at different places within the south region

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
The main downside I found when doing it for a while was that I was that I couldn't ever get away at the weekend as I had to do all my washing and ironing for the following week. Solved that when based in Bristol for 9 months by finding a house share rather than a hotel. Less of an issue if not all week though.

The other problem I had when spending all week in hotels was I'd get home at the weekend and the girlfiend would suggest going out for a nice dinner...after I'd spent all week eating too much in hotels and just fancied a piece of toast biggrin


Yazar

1,476 posts

119 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
dieseluser07 said:
Does anyone do similar and how do you find it?
When single: Good fun.
When in a relationship: Harder but doable.
Wife and kids: Occasional travel including being away is fine, but as a fixed part of the job = no thanks.


Top tip - hotels are crap. It means you packing/unpacking all the time and not having normality e.g. being able to just walk into a kitchen and make something. If you are to work anywhere for a decent period, rent a studio flat/house share etc nearby.

Edited by Yazar on Tuesday 3rd March 12:43

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Yazar said:
dieseluser07 said:
Does anyone do similar and how do you find it?
When single: Good fun.
When in a relationship: Harder but doable.
Wife and kids: Occasional travel including being away is fine, but as a fixed part of the job = no thanks.


Top tip - hotels are crap. It means you packing/unpacking all the time and not having normality e.g. being able to just walk into a kitchen and make something. If you are to work anywhere for a decent period, rent a studio flat/house share etc nearby.

Edited by Yazar on Tuesday 3rd March 12:43
THIS!



DaveH23

3,230 posts

169 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
I have done this for several years now.

Leave the office on a Monday and return either Thursday or Friday.

I absolutely love it, but a lot of that is because I enjoy the Job. I was single when I first started doing it but have got a GF and have completed a house move since with no issues.

Ultimately its personal circumstances.



sleep envy

62,260 posts

248 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all

Have done it, won't go back to it.

Yazar said:
dieseluser07 said:
Does anyone do similar and how do you find it?
When single: Good fun.
When in a relationship: Harder but doable.
Wife and kids: Occasional travel including being away is fine, but as a fixed part of the job = no thanks.


Top tip - hotels are crap. It means you packing/unpacking all the time and not having normality e.g. being able to just walk into a kitchen and make something. If you are to work anywhere for a decent period, rent a studio flat/house share etc nearby.
[quote]

There's only so much you can take of sitting on a bed either surfing or watching TV.

dieseluser07

Original Poster:

2,452 posts

115 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Yazar said:
When single: Good fun.
When in a relationship: Harder but doable.
Wife and kids: Occasional travel including being away is fine, but as a fixed part of the job = no thanks.


Top tip - hotels are crap. It means you packing/unpacking all the time and not having normality e.g. being able to just walk into a kitchen and make something. If you are to work anywhere for a decent period, rent a studio flat/house share etc nearby.

Edited by Yazar on Tuesday 3rd March 12:43
in a serious relationship but not planning on kids for a while, do you still think it would be hard doing 3 days a week as opposed to the usual 5 people do?

dieseluser07

Original Poster:

2,452 posts

115 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Id work at varying locations so would be hotels

JB!

5,254 posts

179 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
I used to live out of hotels for 2 years, wierd start and end hours to my shifts, messes with your head a bit and you have to work harder to keep all your relationships going

FredClogs

14,041 posts

160 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
I'm away 3 nights a week, I've done it for 12 years, and in that time got married and had 3 kids, so it's do able. I do all my "me" stuff in the days I'm away with work, gym, martial arts, golf, washing, ironing, work work, arguing with people on Piston Heads etc... and when I'm at home I'm as close to 100% on my kids (and wife) as practical. It works for me and I think they get a better me than they would if I was coming home at 7 every night and going of to do "me" stuff at weekends, I think my wife agrees although there are times when she's complained. But it's personal circumstance.

The only tip I would have is to avoid hotels if you can, a family run type B&B or lodgings is much preferred. 6 months in the Cheltenham Travel lodge drove me as close to suicide as I can imagine.

jshell

11,006 posts

204 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
dieseluser07 said:
in a serious relationship but not planning on kids for a while, do you still think it would be hard doing 3 days a week as opposed to the usual 5 people do?
It's always hard. I do Mon - Thurs in Norway and Thurs - Mon in UK. Today is birthday, stuck in Norway and central heating has crapped yet again so wife fairly unhappy.

But, the job is great, change of location/cultures is inspiring, salary os commensurate and I have a metric st-load of air miles.

I have an apartment in Norway, I couldn't do hotels like that!

Du1point8

21,604 posts

191 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
oil rig workers seem to do ok.

My folks are still together even though my father has done 4 weeks on, 4 weeks off for 40 years.

Never effected my relationship with him either as I got used to it very early on.

CrispyMK

199 posts

139 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
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If you get to pick your own Hotels make sure you get on Quidco and use Hotels.com. You'll get between 8-10% cashback with Quidco and for every 10 nights booked through hotels.com you get one free! If you have to do it on a regular basis don't just settle for booking something like a Premier Inn every where you go. They all look the same and it'll feel like Ground-hog Day, you'll also wake up and have to remind yourself what city you're in.

dieseluser07

Original Poster:

2,452 posts

115 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
FredClogs said:
I'm away 3 nights a week, I've done it for 12 years, and in that time got married and had 3 kids, so it's do able. I do all my "me" stuff in the days I'm away with work, gym, martial arts, golf, washing, ironing, work work, arguing with people on Piston Heads etc... and when I'm at home I'm as close to 100% on my kids (and wife) as practical. It works for me and I think they get a better me than they would if I was coming home at 7 every night and going of to do "me" stuff at weekends, I think my wife agrees although there are times when she's complained. But it's personal circumstance.

The only tip I would have is to avoid hotels if you can, a family run type B&B or lodgings is much preferred. 6 months in the Cheltenham Travel lodge drove me as close to suicide as I can imagine.
I believe i would get a choice of hotels and i think some have gyms which would keep me busy

As i said i think i would stay in hotels 2 nights a week, the third day id just do the long commute home

FredClogs

14,041 posts

160 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
dieseluser07 said:
FredClogs said:
I'm away 3 nights a week, I've done it for 12 years, and in that time got married and had 3 kids, so it's do able. I do all my "me" stuff in the days I'm away with work, gym, martial arts, golf, washing, ironing, work work, arguing with people on Piston Heads etc... and when I'm at home I'm as close to 100% on my kids (and wife) as practical. It works for me and I think they get a better me than they would if I was coming home at 7 every night and going of to do "me" stuff at weekends, I think my wife agrees although there are times when she's complained. But it's personal circumstance.

The only tip I would have is to avoid hotels if you can, a family run type B&B or lodgings is much preferred. 6 months in the Cheltenham Travel lodge drove me as close to suicide as I can imagine.
I believe i would get a choice of hotels and i think some have gyms which would keep me busy

As i said i think i would stay in hotels 2 nights a week, the third day id just do the long commute home
There was a thread about long commutes on here a while ago and it amazes me some of the commute times people do, I'm 90 miles from home in my current job, the commute ranges from 1.5hours to 2.5 hours depending on traffic, I've tried commuting it and it nearly killed me, apart from the hours on the working day and trying to find time to make up that "dead" time I just found it impossible to make plans or be where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there... I like my car but really don't want to spend 16 hours a week in it, you can do a lot of other stuff in 1 hours a week.

fizz47

2,663 posts

209 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
For the last 2 years I have travelled abroad every month for 2 weeks.

First2 weeks of the month I am at home and the 2nd weeks I am aborad.

If I'm travelling within Europe I fly out on monday and return friday so I still have the weekends at home.

If I am travelling Long haul then it is the full 2 weeks abroad.

Yes it is difficult being away for half the month and you have to learn to adapt and basically cram in 1 months worth of sorting out house stuff, saorting out car stuff, seeing family and friends into a 2 week period. It also means that you will miss a lot of family events and birthdays etc...

If you are in a relationship I think it can go either way- If your other half is independant and has her own activities etc then it will be a lot easier however if the o/h does everything with you then it may be a little tougher. I have seen the traveling away from home works wonders for some people and for others really puts a strain on the personal realtionships.

I love travelling and seeing new places. It also keeps the boredom of being stuck in the same office away. Yes it would be preferable to have your significant other with you but not always possible. Sometimes I hate being away especially when you are in the middle of somewhere like Germany in a small town and nothing but your hotel.

However the positives far outweigh the cons for me.

You get to see places in the world others will never get the chance too.

When you are driving to the office on the West Coast of California overlooking the Pacific ocean in a rental convertible mustang, I normally pause and think to myself- 'I'm gettting paid to do something I enjoy'. The alternative being stuck in my office looking out onto a car park.

For the time being I dont want to give up working away however there will come a time I get sick of it.

The one thing I miss the most..... (apart from loved ones).... Sometimes coming back to your hotel and not being able to have a bowl of cornflakes for dinner. Eating out in restaurants everyday souunds more fun that it is and gets tiresome quickly...





dieseluser07

Original Poster:

2,452 posts

115 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
FredClogs said:
There was a thread about long commutes on here a while ago and it amazes me some of the commute times people do, I'm 90 miles from home in my current job, the commute ranges from 1.5hours to 2.5 hours depending on traffic, I've tried commuting it and it nearly killed me, apart from the hours on the working day and trying to find time to make up that "dead" time I just found it impossible to make plans or be where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there... I like my car but really don't want to spend 16 hours a week in it, you can do a lot of other stuff in 1 hours a week.
Depending on the site i work at depends on the length of the commute it was vary between 1hr to 2hr30, occasionaly 3 hours but they would put 3 days together in that instance.

DickyC

49,549 posts

197 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
As Fizz said above, it depends a lot on your other half, if you have one. My first wife and I had been married for seventeen years when I had to go away to work. She hated it, spread rumours about me drinking and womanising (I was actually teaching myself to juggle with some success) and she started divorce proceedings. Now I have to work away more frequently and my second wife is fine with it.