Consultant lifestyle - making the most of on the road?

**Fungus** · 13 March 2006, 22:14

Yeah, I get to see exciting places such as Slough and Luton. When I first went to Slough I thought it was the worst place in Britain. Luton has shown me that I was wrong.

Moving around does get rather tedious.

**BoredBloke** · 13 March 2006, 22:30

Slough and Luton have nothing on the delights of Swindon.

**madhippy** · 13 March 2006, 22:31

(not a contractor - yet ... )

currently a permie - I love going to new cities ... great for checking out the nightlife / ladies .... cardiff was nice last year ... helps with the all expenses paid permie perks mind ...

**TinTin** · 13 March 2006, 23:04

Away from home

Travelling is one of the things we contractors do that they (permies) don't have to and in any case hate. I know guys that when they look for the next permie job, top of their list is minimum distance from home, in some cases they can't be *rsed to drive or commute more than an hour away. As long as you are prepared to travel North/South/East/West, chances are you'll never be out of a contract. Just back from another stretch away from home and to be honest with you, if I were to work away again, I'd rather be in Amsterdam, Brussels or Paris as it takes the same to get to from London than, say Scotland or North of England. Need an understanding girlfriend/wife/family to do it though (got to promise them that you'd be back for the w/e, overtime and other work commitments, being the exception)

**darmstadt** · 14 March 2006, 09:19

Next week I shall be in Dusseldorf for a conference and to give a training course. I then go directly to Helsinki for a week to install a system. Back for a couple of days and then off to Chattanooga for another conferences (over a weekend this time) and when I get back its off to Belgium to install a system for a week. Once thats complete its off to Dresden for another conference and to do some work at a customer site. I don't mind too much apart from it all seems to come at once and it always takes a long time to get my expenses back so I tend to be pretty skint at times.

**ChimpMaster** · 14 March 2006, 10:21

I used to love the travel, the high life on expenses, the new and exciting clients/projects/people/places etc etc.

Did it for 8 years and then realised I was missing out on my life at home. I missed out on girlfriends (very hard to hold down a relationship, but on the flipside very easy to get out of one lol), going out with friends, family get-togethers etc etc.

So I quit my consultancy job and took a contract in London, now much happier!

**AlfredJPruffock** · 14 March 2006, 10:40

Somebody once said

Show me man who has left his Town to make a million bucks and I will show you a man without family and friends.

True or False, its you who decides.

There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;

So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.

They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;

Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.

If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;

But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.

They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"

So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,

It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.

And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,

Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.

Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.

Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;

He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.

**threaded** · 14 March 2006, 10:44

I wish to disagree, have a million bucks and you will have more family and friends crawling out'the woodwork than you ever knew existed.

**AlfredJPruffock** · 14 March 2006, 10:47

Originally posted by threaded

I wish to disagree, have a million bucks and you will have more family and friends crawling out'the woodwork than you ever knew existed.

Aye T

There is that , how about then a Man who leaves his Town for a fiver ....

Consultant lifestyle - making the most of on the road?