Sean’s Blog

Since I’ve come back from India, several people have asked me how I got to travel for business. I thought I’d share some tips that I’ve picked up.

I’ve done some traveling for every job I’ve had.  Most of the places have not been paradises, but I’ve managed to see a good bit of the country and now even places outside the country.  Here, IMHO, is how to position your self to travel:

• Be good at what you do - Nobody is going to send the person who does the bare minimum to represent the company.  Learn your core functions well.  If you can become an expert at something you do (even if it just a subset of your responsibilities), even better.
• Make it known that you LIKE to travel - I’m pretty sure this was a big factor in my getting picked for this trip.
• Not every trip is to Club Med - Most businesses aren’t in great vacation spots.  Plano, TX and Wilmington, DE come to mind. Even these spots have their charm though.  Try to find at least one interesting thing about each place you go.
• When you get there, work your a$$ off - You were sent there for a job, so do it and do it well.  You are almost guaranteed other travel opportunities if you knock the current assignment out of the park.  On the flip side, forget about traveling if you blow the assignment through laziness.
• Take some time for yourself - during your time off, see some of the local attractions.  One of my favorite things to do is to take a walk through Millennium Park in Chicago after work when I used to go there for business.  Just because the company is paying for a hotel room does not mean you have to spend every off duty minute in it.
• Work well with the locals - If you can get along with people there, they are much more likely to ask for you to come back.  Insult them or belittle them (”I’m from corporate headquarters, do as I say”) and don’t be shocked if they don’t want you back (let alone show you the cool hidden little places of there town).

Most of this is common sense, but hopefully it can help a little.