Travelling abroad for your employer

[flatflr]

With one company I went to a few conferences in the USA.

With another firm I was managing a system around Europe so covered Spain, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Germany, Czech, Hungary, Romania, Holland and Bulgaria. In 2008 I sent 43 weeks away and spent every other weekend in Moscow for 3 months (sometimes I forgot which country I was in).

With another firm I managed Moscow (spent a whole January there, chilly), Hong Kong and China.

These days it's just Northern Ireland..

 

[Brandane]

Furthest I got from home in the dibble as Moss Side.

We used to get regular"ish" trips to recover "wanted on warrants" from various exotic destinations. I remember going to Blackpool quite a few times to bring back some of our quality residents who had decided to emigrate prior to their scheduled appearance in front of the Sheriff. London was another favourite. Furthest I went was Weymouth to retrieve a lorry driver on minor traffic offences. He wouldn't fly, so 2 of us were dispatched by train to bring him back... So 2 return fares plus 1 single Greenock/Weymouth - overnight in a Weymouth hotel for us escorting officers - plus a load of overtime over the 2 days we were away. Rough cost to the public about £800 at the time. When the accused appeared in court he got a £50 fine .

 

[arranandy]

Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, Brasil, Singapore, China, South Korea, Ghana, Nigeria (horrendous). Currently working long term in the Netherlands for a Dutch subsidiary of a US multinational. Great country

 

[Timtrain]

Luckily for me the RAF paid for most of my 'trips'. USA, Canada, and most of Europe, having been stationed abroad for 15 out of 22yrs.

Now get to travel worldwide for the company I know work for, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Dubai, Bahrain, South Africa and South America to name a few.

 

[Spinney]

Scotland, Munich, Accra, Ulaanbaatar (with a stopover in Seoul)

 

[Beebo]

I have traveled extensively with work. I am now in a purely UK based role which I prefer, as family life takes precedence. I’m sure once the kids are older I will travel again.

My two worst trips were Armenia and Libya.
I got terrible food poisoning in Armenia and was puking everywhere whilst trying to sit in meetings.
Libya trip was just after they killed Gadaffi. I had armed guards because it was very dangerous. We work up at 3am to the sound of machine guns about 200m outside our camp. I have never been more scared.

 

[Globalti]

Been travelling for export, mostly around Africa, for about 34 years and I'm starting to find the trips quite tiring as well as a big interruption to my home life.

It's horrible being wrenched away from family, especially if you have children. The trips are boring, sometimes stressful and you lose fitness and put on weight. There is no incentive to go to the hotel gym because the machines are so rubbish and a fit person can easily injure themselves by exercising hard on a machine that's badly set up.

The only real joy is the people I meet and the friendship and hospitality I receive. Believe it or not, one of the most enjoyable countries I visit is the dry one, Sudan. Sudanese people are charming and friendly and very funny and you realise that you don't need to drink alcohol to enjoy yourself.

 

[MiK1138]

Does Wales count as abroad?

 

[Slick]

Does Wales count as abroad?

Were you inoculated?

 

[MiK1138]

Were you inoculated?

I was inebriated, Those Welsh can fair drink

 

[Dave 123]

I live just down the road from Scotsdales...

I’ll blow you a kiss next time I go!

 

[User169]

I go to Scotsdales garden centre about once a month, it's an Great Shelford.

Mrs Dave goes to Germany, Poland, Serbia, Romania and Yorkshire. The glam world of potato breeding eh?

Mrs DP was in the plant business for a while. She came home to say that she was going to Manhattan for a month. NYC here I come I thought.

Turned out to be Manhattan, Kansas.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

I was offered the chance to go to Johannesburg when apartheid was still in force. Coincidentally a British businessman had been given tyre and petrol necklace the week before after being dragged from his car. Being a sensitive young thing at the time I politely refused to go.