# 18th business trip this year.......

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 6, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178 "2018-08-06T16:34:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![laurieb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/51bf81/32.png) [@laurieb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laurieb)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/1 "2018-08-06T16:34:43Z")

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These business trips are getting exhausting.

Was in Paris for a business trip (18th one this year) over the past week.

Flight landed at O’Hare at 2 this morning. Made the bad mistake of eating perhaps the most McDonald’s I’ve ever eaten in one sitting before going home.

My stomach feels like hell this morning. Oh well, at least I have 2 days off before a busy rest of the week starting on Wednesday. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/2 "2018-08-06T16:49:47Z")

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> [@laurieb](#):
>
> These business trips are getting exhausting.
> 
> Was in Paris for a business trip (18th one this year) over the past week.
> 
> Flight landed at O’Hare at 2 this morning. Made the bad mistake of eating perhaps the most McDonald’s I’ve ever eaten in one sitting before going home.
> 
> My stomach feels like hell this morning. Oh well, at least I have 2 days off before a busy rest of the week starting on Wednesday. 🙂

[I give it a 10!](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Humble%20Brag)

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**Author:** ![laurieb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/51bf81/32.png) [@laurieb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laurieb)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/3 "2018-08-06T16:51:45Z")

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> [@Icarus](#):
>
> [I give it a 10!](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Humble%20Brag)

This isn’t really a humble brag. Except maybe the 2 days off part. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/4 "2018-08-06T21:03:04Z")

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I hope they let you fly business class at least.

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**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/5 "2018-08-06T21:57:41Z")

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When I was young and single and airports didn’t require you to disrobe in security, I used to love to travel. I did my first business flight at 17 as a courier for my dad’s company.

The last few job interviews, I specifically said I didn’t want to have to travel. Fortunately, it’s not an issue. It’s not fun any longer.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/6 "2018-08-06T22:07:42Z")

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My grad school advisor once had to fly a pentagonal trip between conferences and meetings: Home to city A to city B to C to D, before returning home. On another occasion, he had to make two different trips to DC in the same week. He used to joke that his position should allocate him a T-38 to fly himself around in.

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**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/7 "2018-08-06T23:58:00Z")

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I am very blessed that I spent 25 traveling the world on someone else’s dime, I am equally blessed that since I took my present position eight years ago, I’m averaging about two trips a year…in 1985, travel was fun and exciting…by the time I left my previous position in 2010, I was averaging 6 flight segments a week and it was a total drag, 75% of those flights were regional jets to towns in the middle of nowhere…

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**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/8 "2018-08-07T00:53:57Z")

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Per Southwest: 47 flights so far this year.  
For international: 3 international runs so far, and another coming up.

I feel your pain in both travel, and in questionable food choices when either traveling or just after getting home.

Now off to my hotel for the evening.

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**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/9 "2018-08-07T01:46:48Z")

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> [@FairyChatMom](#):
>
> When I was young and single and airports didn’t require you to disrobe in security, I used to love to travel. I did my first business flight at 17 as a courier for my dad’s company.
> 
> The last few job interviews, I specifically said I didn’t want to have to travel. Fortunately, it’s not an issue. It’s not fun any longer.

Exactly.

I remember when airports were fun.

Now, they took the fun out of them.

And, it seems the people feel it.

Of course, if I had a pilot and a jet at my disposal, it could be fun again.

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**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/10 "2018-08-07T12:43:20Z")

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I used to travel a lot, but they were generally short trips. A typical trip would have me flying 500-1500 miles in the evening, meeting with a client the next day, and then flying home that evening. In the 80s and 90s, it was kind of cool. I’d make side-trips and sometimes even enjoyed upgrades that made the flights a bit better.

When I got to be 50, it didn’t seem so great anymore. I’d visited every continental State at least a couple times each and it was tiring. After 9/11, everything was just so much harder…like walking through a muddy field.

I recently started teaching two-day classes in other cities and the travel is back to being sort of fun. (I’m semi-retired, so this is really my only business activity.) Of course, I have a KTN (which helps a great deal) and I’m more mature about the indignities one suffers. I’m also better about simply getting the classes taught, relaxing afterwards, and putting the whole thing out of my mind upon my return.

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**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/11 "2018-08-07T12:46:58Z")

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> [@laurieb](#):
>
> This isn’t really a humble brag.

Oh woe is me! I had to fly to Paris for the week!

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**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/12 "2018-08-07T12:49:02Z")

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Okay, I’ll bite…what’s a KTN ?

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/13 "2018-08-07T13:04:22Z")

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Business travel damn near killed me and for sure was a contributing factor in the end of my first marriage. I gained weight, got sick all the time, and was depressed. Honestly, it’s just awful.

I actually don’t mind the odd trip now, if it’s like once every few months. But I was travelling every week, to multiple destinations. Anyone who thinks it’s glamorous has never done it.

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**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/14 "2018-08-07T14:27:07Z")

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It’s one of those things that sounds awesome on the surface, but the experience is … not so awesome.

I rarely travel for business (except for frequent road trips on the I-95 corridor), but when I do, I hate it. Even going business class doesn’t make up for the suckitude of jet lag.

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**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/15 "2018-08-07T14:31:51Z")

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I used to travel every week (fly out Monday, fly home Thursday). It was fine for a couple of years, but I wouldn’t do it now.

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/16 "2018-08-07T14:45:45Z")

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This thread made me realise I’ve not had an out-of-province business trip in over three years. Haven’t missed it. (Although I really do like the Darcy McGee pub in Ottawa. My go-to for a pint and meal when I’m there.)

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/17 "2018-08-07T15:33:18Z")

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> [@elbows](#):
>
> Okay, I’ll bite…what’s a KTN ?

A baby CAT.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/18 "2018-08-07T18:04:04Z")

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> [@FairyChatMom](#):
>
> When I was young and single and airports didn’t require you to disrobe in security, I used to love to travel. I did my first business flight at 17 as a courier for my dad’s company.
> 
> The last few job interviews, I specifically said I didn’t want to have to travel. Fortunately, it’s not an issue. It’s not fun any longer.

30 years ago I flew so much that I had someone introduce me at a conference as living in Newark Airport. But it was mostly fun. Not now.  
About the only think better today than back then is food at airports.  
When I moved to California I worked at headquarters so people mostly flew to see me.

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**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/19 "2018-08-07T19:25:54Z")

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> [@MoonMoon](#):
>
> I used to travel every week (fly out Monday, fly home Thursday). It was fine for a couple of years, but I wouldn’t do it now.

22 years and counting…

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**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/18th-business-trip-this-year/819178/20 "2018-08-07T20:03:59Z")

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> [@elbows](#):
>
> Okay, I’ll bite…what’s a KTN ?

Known Traveler Number. Folks who cough up about $80 can go to TSA and get all registered and fingerprinted, then assigned a known traveler number. You get to go to the head of the line and skip several of the steps to get through the line. My husband and I have them and it’s great.
