Travelling/staying over etc

[paulinefowlersgrowler]

Chance of a gig BUT its 100 miles away. Traffic wont be too bad I don't think - it'll be half motorway half A road and client is pretty much in a rural area. Google maps is saying 1hr 50 mins drive. Also, theres a few choices of route which take about the same time.

In terms of train, getting there is 2 hours with one change, bit longer coming home and times are not great. Train every day is probably not an option in ensuring I get the hours in. Also, nearest train is 3.5 miles from client (so taxi/bike here).

Rate is decent enough but not outstanding. I've done a gig 60 miles - 1hr 15 away and thats a fair distance so Im not sure about this one. Got a young family at home so staying away mon-fri is not really an option (I want to actually see my kids!)

Toying with the idea of maybe one night away and maybe train once a week. At least then, it breaks down into one train day, two days where I'm just driving one way (there or back), and only two days where I'm doing the long drive twice in a day.
Or stay over two nights (i.e. monday, wednesday) and train on friday. Which would mean only one drive per day and one day train.

But I am concerned that all the travelling is going to:-

A) Do my head in
B) Knacker me totally.
C) Completely screw my motor will all the miles.

Anyone else do similar? Do you get used to it?
Of course, another idea is to ask client straight off if there's any remote working possible. (Sadly not always with the type of work I do). Even one day WFH would make a HUGE difference.

I do sometimes wonder why clients arent more flexible with this.

[The Spartan]

I stay away Mon-Fri, but I make the most of the weekends with the family when I'm back from Friday evenings onwards. You get used to it, at the end of the day it's the nature of contracting rarely do you end up near home unless you live in or near the big smoke.

Regardless of whether you'll be tired or not you still have to provide a top notch service to your client so:


A) Do my head in - Yep
B) Knacker me totally - Yep
C) Completely screw my motor will all the miles - Depends on the car, get a BMW if you don't already have one and the mileage allowance will account for any problems etc

[jmo21]

I stay away Mon-Fri, but I make the most of the weekends with the family when I'm back from Friday evenings onwards. You get used to it, at the end of the day it's the nature of contracting rarely do you end up near home unless you live in or near the big smoke.

Regardless of whether you'll be tired or not you still have to provide a top notch service to your client so:


A) Do my head in - Yep
B) Knacker me totally - Yep
C) Completely screw my motor will all the miles - Depends on the car, get a BMW if you don't already have one and the mileage allowance will account for any problems etc

7 years contracting:
contract 1 - 40mins (25 on train, the rest walking from station, driving to station)
contract 2 - 20 min drive
contract 3 - 50 min drive
contract 4 - 35 min drive
contract 5 - 1 hour drive

I've been lucky I guess, have built up massive warchest and don't seem myself ever having to do a London contract where I'd have to stay over.

Of course the market could plummet etc.

[BolshieBastard]

Chance of a gig BUT its 100 miles away. Traffic wont be too bad I don't think - it'll be half motorway half A road and client is pretty much in a rural area. Google maps is saying 1hr 50 mins drive. Also, theres a few choices of route which take about the same time.

In terms of train, getting there is 2 hours with one change, bit longer coming home and times are not great. Train every day is probably not an option in ensuring I get the hours in. Also, nearest train is 3.5 miles from client (so taxi/bike here).

Rate is decent enough but not outstanding. I've done a gig 60 miles - 1hr 15 away and thats a fair distance so Im not sure about this one. Got a young family at home so staying away mon-fri is not really an option (I want to actually see my kids!)

Toying with the idea of maybe one night away and maybe train once a week. At least then, it breaks down into one train day, two days where I'm just driving one way (there or back), and only two days where I'm doing the long drive twice in a day.
Or stay over two nights (i.e. monday, wednesday) and train on friday. Which would mean only one drive per day and one day train.

But I am concerned that all the travelling is going to:-

A) Do my head in
B) Knacker me totally.
C) Completely screw my motor will all the miles.

Anyone else do similar? Do you get used to it?
Of course, another idea is to ask client straight off if there's any remote working possible. (Sadly not always with the type of work I do). Even one day WFH would make a HUGE difference.

I do sometimes wonder why clients arent more flexible with this.

If google reckon its an hour 50min journey you can guarantee real world time will be nearer two and a half hours.

I used to travel 90 miles to leeds all motorway and that journey took 2 hours going and regular 2 and a half coming home. Not do-able.

I used to do another journey that was 80 miles each way. Again, all motorway. That was just do-able but a short working week helped.

My advice will be stay over. Find a good house share and chill. B&B's or hotels are fine for a few weeks but packing \ unpacking gets tiresome (once stayed in hotels 4 nights a week for nearly 2 years!).

Why arent clients flexible? Because most of them are dickheads and want to treat the contractor like a permie.

[The Spartan]

7 years contracting:
contract 1 - 40mins (25 on train, the rest walking from station, driving to station)
contract 2 - 20 min drive
contract 3 - 50 min drive
contract 4 - 35 min drive
contract 5 - 1 hour drive

I've been lucky I guess, have built up massive warchest and don't seem myself ever having to do a London contract where I'd have to stay over.

Of course the market could plummet etc.

I'm happy for you, what area was that? I'm guessing you don't live down south near London. Being from Wales means the contract market there is stuck in the dark ages, it may eventually catch on but decent contracts are few and far between. On the other hand between down here has meant the warchest is getting there a lot quicklier than I had hoped

[paulinefowlersgrowler]

Looks like my choice is gonna be (see my other posts) stay with current gig which is fairly local but is an awful place to work (and its not doing much for my CV) or suck it up and get something else like this one where travel/staying over is likely.

Not sure I could do the mon-fri all week. Must admit I admire those of you who suck this up and do it when you've got kids at home.

[TheFaQQer]

Contract 1 - 240 miles. Away Monday to Thursday, WFH Friday (after a couple of weeks)
Contract 2 - 208 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 3 - 211 miles. 1/3 of the time spent at office near home (15 minutes away)
Contract 4 - 219 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 5 - 236 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 5 - 240 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 6 - 245 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 7 - WFH
Contract 8 - WFH

My younger daughter was born during my first contract. I didn't have a role near home until she was nearly five. There are ways to make up for this situation, though.

[paulinefowlersgrowler]

Contract 1 - 240 miles. Away Monday to Thursday, WFH Friday (after a couple of weeks)
Contract 2 - 208 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 3 - 211 miles. 1/3 of the time spent at office near home (15 minutes away)
Contract 4 - 219 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 5 - 236 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 5 - 240 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 6 - 245 miles. Away Monday to Friday
Contract 7 - WFH
Contract 8 - WFH

My younger daughter was born during my first contract. I didn't have a role near home until she was nearly five. There are ways to make up for this situation, though.

Wow. Well, 200 miles is too far even if you fancy coming home midweek for one night I guess. Fair play to you thats a lot of time away from kids. I guess I shouldnt moan its 100 miles because at least theres the option to go home some nights even if not all of them.

Was there really nothing closer? Or did you do it for more money/better gigs?

[stek]

Wow. Well, 200 miles is too far even if you fancy coming home midweek for one night I guess. Fair play to you thats a lot of time away from kids. I guess I shouldnt moan its 100 miles because at least theres the option to go home some nights even if not all of them.

Was there really nothing closer? Or did you do it for more money/better gigs?

Distance is normal for me, even based in Leeds I've not got anything local, Manchester nearest.

[TheFaQQer]

Was there really nothing closer? Or did you do it for more money/better gigs?

I'm sure that there were other things around, but nothing suitable when I was looking for work. A few things when I wasn't looking, but not much round these parts.

But part of my choice will always be for the challenge / interest of the role, and those kinds of role are unlikely to happen round here. The one that I thought was going to come off next year (and would have kept me going for another couple of years) have decided to replace Oracle with SAP, so there goes that one (although at least I know that there will be something in about 10 years time when they replace SAP with Oracle again )