Travelling for work

I remember reading an opinion piece in a local newspaper when I was in my teens, saying something to the tune of following (the whole text was way longer);

"So because they get to travel for work, traveling should be taxable benefit."

I remember chuckling a bit for that, although I didn't have any experience about that kind of traveling (aside seeing my dad occasionally traveling around the Finland and world).


Since then I've traveled a lot. My longest air travel (from leaving hotel, to stepping out from a plane at Oulu) was 36 hours (with two plane changes), second longest around 24 (one change).  And then there's been so many shorter flights I've lost count. And of course numerous train and car travels.

And one thing I've learned is that traveling sucks, big time. Being there (whereever that is) can be great (vacation), okay-ish (with full day's work, assuming you have energy left for sightseeing afterwards) or just plain chore (work from dawn till dusk). But the traveling - moving from point A to distant point B - sucks, almost with no exceptions.

I don't remember even having talked with my dad about travels when I was younger, but apparently I did, or possibly somehow was able to read his moods when leaving or coming back, possibly somewhat subconsciously, as that is just about the only reason I can think why I'd have though about that opinion piece like I did: "This person clearly never has traveled for work. Let's see how he feels after few trips.."

Because really, if work travel were considered a taxable benefit, absolutely no sane person would ever consider of going anywhere as schedule even now is (almost) always too tight (think of red-eye flight there, important meeting and another red-eye back) and often there's no personal time (or energy) left to see what's around there.

Of course, these days I have a bit more liberty to set up my trips to have some personal time, too. But even with that it's still a chore that needs to be done, time away from my family.

But still, there are things that make it all worth the pain and trouble of enduring (air) travel.

Zell am See, Austria, June 2008. Not a work trip, but nevertheless.