Comments on: The High Family Costs of Traveling for Work

By: JL Patino

JL Patino — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 03:52:15 +0000

I know, ultimately, it is a personal decision. But what would you call excessive travel? 50%? 75%?

By: Reese Smithson

Reese Smithson — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:19:42 +0000

There are many families who would jump at the chance to have a great job that paid great money, even if it meant that they had to be away from time to time. If it gives you a way to support your family, then you would have to jump at that opportunity How could you NOT take that job?

By: jason

jason — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:22:37 +0000

time away, dinners missed, games missed, life with family missed. none of this sounds appealing to me.

By: Vern

Vern — Sun, 20 May 2012 13:03:04 +0000

I can’t tell you the physical toll that traveling year after year in my job took on me.

I was tired all of the time, irritable, and even when I was at home I know I was so moody that it is not a wonder that my family didn’t really want to spend that time with me.

I missed out on a lot of things that I never can have beack, but it just took me too long to see that what I was working for was actually working against me in the ways that should really matter.

By: Lynne Silva-Breen, LMFT

Lynne Silva-Breen, LMFT — Sat, 19 May 2012 15:32:04 +0000

Thanks to you all for your thoughtful comments, each of you reinforcing my experience in trying to help couples sort out the real costs of the Big Job.

I wish that those who think this is the pinnacle of their career would have an honest conversation with those who have held the job before.

There are high human costs to being out of the home for that much time each month, even when there are no children to raise. Adult attachment relationships need proximity, care-giving behaviors, shared experiences and a sense of “team” for them to function as we all hope they will.

By: Kendall

Kendall — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:46:18 +0000

I have been in this kind marriage before, and believe me, it is tough to maintain a real relationship when one or the other has to travel a lot for their job. My husband and I both had jobs that required a whole lot of travel, and from the evry beginning it became a huge issue for us. It was strange because we had had the very same jobs before we got married, but then it seemed ok, like we loved each other more when we got to come home and be together. But somehow all of that changed when we got married. I suppose that the pressures of having a home kind of did us in, but I think that really we both came to resent one another over things that really were beyond our control if we honestly wanted to keep our jobs. We are separated now and until some of the work travel stops then I don’t think that we will clear this hurdle.

By: dEB

dEB — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:15:07 +0000

We give too little thought to the women (mostly) left at home to do all of the dirty work when their spouses have to travel all the time. I did not sign up to be a single mom, but that’s what this kind of travel by one member of the marriage can cause you to become, and no amount of money will make me accept that.

By: donald

donald — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:16:29 +0000

It surprises me that there are still so many companies that require that much actual travel because of the sheer cost that plane tickets, food, etc cost today. Plus add to that that there are far more productive ways that you can meet now. Between video cams and conference calls and webinars, is there really any need to have so many face to face meetings anymore? You would think that for any company looking for ways to cut back on expenses would have to consider this.

By: TOBY

TOBY — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:03:51 +0000

No matter how great it might seem or how much money it offers,no job or title is worth sacrificing your family life and relationships for.Butthis seems to be becoming an old-fashioned idea now and more and more youngsters including my peers consider their jobs and work to be more important than anything else.I guess that is the reason why all kinds of problems including the ones mentioned here are only increasing.

By: Christie

Christie — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:36:27 +0000

I love it now that we all have face time with our ipods because that gives us a way to keep in real touch even when my husband has to be out of town all the time. There have been times when I know he feels like he misses so much but this allows us to be a little closer than his travel would otherwise allow.