The SBT (Seasoned Business Traveller)

Sitting in the lufthansa Business lounge gate C14 in Munich with 3 hours to kill waiting to board a flight to Mumbai, i started reminiscing how it all came about and i started to travel for business…

It was in 2005 that i was initiated to the “joys” of Business Travel. And i don’t mean driving a couple of hours from the office or getting the train down to London to go to an exhibition – I mean the experience of finding flights, hotels, transportation, booking it all, then fighting my way through airports, familiarising myself with security checks, getting visas, and generally y ever
And it started softly. First a couple of trips to Italy, Germany, Czech Republic – I am sure it was on purpose just to tease me and warm me up, and after 2 years I started to progress to India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam,The Philippines. Suddenly and without knowing it I became an SBT – no its not an ailment of sorts but a Seasoned Business TravelerWhat is that you will ask.
What distinguishes an SBT from any ordinary traveler:

Knowledge of all major airports out by heart:

• Fastest ways through security and how to avoid baggage checks
• Quickest way through immigration
• Where all the business lounges are hidden
• Where the best sushi Restaurants are hidden (!)
• If you are a smoker (i used to be) where all the smoking lounges are hidden
• Where the best business lounges are located and what is needed to enter

Knowledge of airlines and their fleet:

• Member of the 3 major alliances in order to get highest possible status
• able to tell a 747-8 from an 747-400 with a glance of the engines alone!
• which are the good seats in every plane as he only ever flies economy
• able to recognise flight crew as you have seen the same people a few times

The reality of business travel
In the very beginning it appears to the “Junior” Business Traveler as an appealing exciting opportunity to do something new, escape the daily routine and shine with success. It is even seen as a sort of romantic and adventurous lifestyle. The JBT now has the chance to see the world meet new people and be the envy of friends. The reality is much different though.

• A third of your nights away you will be sleeping in an economy seat on a long-haul flight or at an airport as you made a tight plan to catch every meeting.
• Conference calls are scheduled for 22:00 due to time zone differences and then changes have have to be made to presentations by 1:00 am.
• Hotels that have ignored a reservation and are full, flights that are delayed or canceled and you need to get home for your childs birthday.
• You manage to get back home exhausted after traveling for 10 days and need some rest, but everyone believes that business travel is a glorified holiday!
• And the best one of all: As soon as you leave for a business trip, everything starts to go wrong. The wifi stops working at home, the car gets a flat tyre, and there is a leak under the sink.

People have written books about business travel, there are even films about it such as “Up in the Air” with George Clooney and Anna Kendrick. But the gist of it is that it unfortunately is something necessary as nothing can bring results more effectively than face to face meetings where you are able to read the situation, scan for alternatives, build momentum, hustle deal to the final handshake. But there is a price to pay – Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney) was spending 300 days a year away from home.

Personally , the maximum i have been away in a year is 184 days – that is a lot.
My stats as maintained by Tripit that use for my trips are:

• No of trips: 124
• Days: 837
• Distance: 1.226.447 km
• Cities: 162
• Countries: 45

And that puts huge strain on your family
So when offered a position that involves business travel, think carefully an weigh the offer, what will you gain, what will you loose, and how will it affect your loved ones.

Adam Antoniou