The loneliness of the export traveller.

[gbb]

I know a bit about the job and I think I'd struggle with it. You travel the world but a lot of the time, you mostly see only workplaces. Most time in any interesting places like city centres is arriving late and leaving early which is tolerable in summer but difficult in winter, when you also have to deal with disrupted travel networks which is a skill in itself.

Disruption ...I'll show you disruption .
Icelandic volcano went the day before I was due to fly back from Cyprus. I arrived at the airport to uncertainty over fights, soon to realise there wasn' going to be any.
Unfortunately as it happened my wife had flown over after me to spend a few days there...hotel etc no problem, just had to pay for flights and meals at the hotel.
But of course, the delays went way beyond my booked time so I had to find another hotel pronto, at various times keep an eye on how my wife was going to get back, later take her to airport to be told no flights today...again. cost us a fortune, around £1000. Had my wife not joined me it wouldn't have been a problem, the companies cost.
I think we got back 5 days late, went via almost any route we could and it was even mooted if I could get to Spain I (we) could ferry it across or something similar.
On the plus side, we booked business class to Prague (I paid but could only reclaim my fare of course...that was £340 for my wife) then the UK the next day but not without a fight at Prague because they initially refused to hotel us due to delays at their end. They backed down after several phone calls.
The whole thing was a mare

 

[Dave7]

I know a bit about the job and I think I'd struggle with it. You travel the world but a lot of the time, you mostly see only workplaces. Most time in any interesting places like city centres is arriving late and leaving early which is tolerable in summer but difficult in winter, when you also have to deal with disrupted travel networks which is a skill in itself.

Fully agree with that.
It can be VERY lonely when you are in a foreign country waiting to go home.... only to find your flight has been cancelled due to weather problems.

 

[mjr]

Disruption ...I'll show you disruption .
Icelandic volcano [...] The whole thing was a mare

Yep. That was epic. The export traveller I know best wasn't away when it hit, but was helping finding creative solutions to get their company's workers back from various places. I think at least one ended up sat in one of those folding seats in the end-of-coach luggage areas on Eurostar.

Have you got your plans B, C and D? It seems a constant worry.

 

[Brains]

I've spent most of my working life travelling abroad several times a year, and in the early 1990's often mutiple times a month.
My most delayed return was a 5-7 day trip to Florida where we got back a month late, however there were numerous trips where I was days late.

My first flat was totally geared up to be left, all lights on automatic, all bills paid by (new fangled idea) of direct Debit. and the only plants were cactii.

Over the years I've been delayed by snow (3 nights in a Hamburg airport hotel comes to mind as well as 2 nights in a Geneva B&B), strikes (48 hrs in Athens airport was the worst), Fires (Paris, Genoa, Athens ), civil disruption (Venezuela, Indonesia, get out, get your head down, say out of the way) and loads and loads of cancellations, delays and mechanicals.

When travelling by plane I go into 'sheep' mode;
I just join the back of the queues and slowly go through.
I do my best to mess up the system where possible and refuse to move fast
I also have a policy of never buying anything at an airport except the (usually compulsory) transport to leave the place.
I loath airports with a passion, they are just places to fleece travelers.

 

[Tim Hall]

I do my best to mess up the system where possible and refuse to move fast

Why on earth would you do that?