What are the pain points of Business Travel?

The worst part (for my husband) is the long drive or plane trip. The rest is great because the company pays for a nice hotel, and the stores are really happy to see him, because he will fix their problem. He is the Computer Guru.
Many times, I am allowed to go, at our expense.
The year his Mother passed, they sent him every other month to install a new system and he was able to visit her regularly. The home office, where we live, is 500 miles from the majority of the stores they service, and near where his mom lived.
He uses his own credit card and gets to keep the points earned. The company reimburses all his expenses.

Coming up as I travel on business from California to New York on Monday.

I am attending a critical meeting, and will augment my time in NY by being in the NY office for two days. The “pain points” are: flying economy cross country, and having my general schedule disrupted, including dealing with jet lag.

I do all my own travel plans. The company has guidelines on covered expenditures, such as restrictions on class of travel, General hotel accommodations, maximum meal allowances. And no entertainment expenses are covered.

I usually had a hand in planning the flight, even if my company had a travel agent, because I wanted control over it. I often added days, so I could visit or tour, depending on the city.

I’d always work in my extra time or favored flight, by making sure it didn’t cost the company any more. Like staying over an extra night might mean traveling on a cheaper day or cheaper time of day. I benefit, and the company benefits. If it was hundreds of dollars I’d ask them to pay the hotel too.

I like companies to be flexible and logical about the travel and possible perks for me.

I expect to be able to keep all the reward miles and points.

As far as food, most companies gave me a dollar amount per day, which was generally fine. If I’m there three days I like it totaled up, like $40 a day, but $120 for three, and it doesn’t matter if it was $50 one day and $30 another.

I don’t mind flying coach on a short trip, say less than 4 hours. It’s nice to get a seat with more legroom for a little extra.

I traveled quite a bit for business. Part was as a hotel inspector and the other as a trainer conducting workshops out in the regions.

The cons:
– Delayed flights. If it was an inspection, it wasn’t a big deal as they were unannounced. For a training class, which is time-sensitive, it could be a scramble to sort out alternative options.
– Delayed luggage.
– A road warrior doesn’t want to spend time off away from home in yet one more hotel room. Plus, there is too much personal stuff to catch up on.
– We visit a lot of cool areas, but rarely get time out to see anything.

Pros:
– I was lucky to have really great trainers, so by the time I went solo, I felt prepared.
– I was supplied with the tools and resources to conduct my work successfully.
– I was given goals to measure success and had regular reviews with my manager to measure how I was doing.
– We were kept updated on any changes in the pipeline.
– As a hotel inspector, we had our schedule for the whole year. It allowed for holiday planning far in advance.
– Working for a hotel company, we were allowed to use the employee discount at hotels.

Finance:
– The company issued AX credit cards. The company paid the bill each month, and we were responsible for submitting an expense report that supported the bill with receipts.
– We were allowed to keep the frequent flyer and credit card points for personal use.
– We were issued cell phones, paid by the company.

I had just bought a house right before getting a travel job. A friend hooked me up with a guy who needed a place to live. Our agreement was that he didn’t pay rent but all of the utilities. My only expenses were mortgage, which included house insurance, car insurance, and food when home. He mowed the grass, and was my ride to/from the airport for which he was paid and I could expense. It was a win/win situation.