How far do you/ would you travel for a contract?

[TheFaQQer]

How much more do rates need to be to make it worthwhile doing, for example, a London gig, over a lower rate Manchester one.

Do you have an average calculcation for hotel, travel down, food, local travel while there etc? There will be a break even point where it is exactly equivalent of a low local rate of course. How much more do you need on top to make it worth it?

I have a work from home rate, and then I add on how much I think it will cost to travel and stay away. I then also add on / deduct a premium for whether I'm interested in the work or not.

For example, I'd rather be doing a complex implementation in London where I have to think, rather than being a BoS with no intellectual stimulation. I also find that a lower rate means that when I see things going wrong, I'm ignored because I'm now a low-paid grunt rather than a high-paid consultant.

[d000hg]

Depending where you live you can get out to somewhere in Europe in that time without being knackered from all the travelling.

How can you ever use air transport without being knackered? All that waiting around is just so sapping... if it was like boarding a train the world would be so much better!

[roadsidetree]

Couple of years back, worked in a project in Madrid for 7 months. On site Mon - Thu, working from home on Fri.

Hated hotel so rented an expats apartment.

[SteelyDan]

From my home location I've travelled 2.25 hrs London (rail), North London 2.5 hrs (car), and even as far south as Southampton (train - effing long time, sometime with changes); all involved staying down M-F, but hate the quick turn around at weekends, i.e leaving Sunday evenings. Gotta go where the money flow I'm afraid. Tulip life all this contracting.

[MarillionFan]

Living in the north west, anything south of the west midlands is likely a no, no. The travel is just too awkward ie not good rail links from where I am, motorway a car park from B'ham, too far to travel.

Generally speaking, I'll travel up to 1hr 45mins each way as a daily commute. I'll stay over if I work in Newcastle upon Tyne (great night life, great people).

Besides that, imho there's no point having a rate of £350 - £400 a day if you are paying upto £80 a day in subsistance and lodgings. I dont want to live in one room either if Im working away from home.

I set an amount I want after expenses and decide on that basis. For example I've just been offered a role at £60 a day more than my present rate, but it's 3.5 hours away and I'd have to stay in a B&B. Net result, no better off and time poorer.

[jmo21]

I have a work from home rate, and then I add on how much I think it will cost to travel and stay away. I then also add on / deduct a premium for whether I'm interested in the work or not.

For example, I'd rather be doing a complex implementation in London where I have to think, rather than being a BoS with no intellectual stimulation. I also find that a lower rate means that when I see things going wrong, I'm ignored because I'm now a low-paid grunt rather than a high-paid consultant.

For me, it is more about the money and family, the project is largely irrelevant to me.

It'd have to be a really high premium to make not seeing my kids worth it.

[Logiebear]

For me, it is more about the money and family, the project is largely irrelevant to me.

It'd have to be a really high premium to make not seeing my kids worth it.

Definately have to agree with the above!

[Scrag Meister]

If it was relatively short term, anywhere is possible for the right rate.

But it would have to be stay over, the one thing I hate is a long commute.

When I was in Devon with my previous firm I was about 5 mins from door to door.

Now I'm in London it's about 45-50 mins door to door assuming the tube or bus doesn't mess up.

Anything more than an hour or hour and a quarter each way daily is not good.

[Robinho]

I just add my hourly rate to the commute time. Unless it gets above above 1 1/4 hours then it goes up exponentially.

[kingcook]

In an ideal world, i would do the following:

1) Have a base daily rate - this is what i'd charge if WFH
2) If required to commute, add an extra charge of £x/hr + cost of travel
3) If an overnight stay, add another charge of £y to cover the inconvenience of being away from home.

But it never works out that way. It all depends on how big your warchest is, and how many other gigs are on the market.