Hey Sales People, Business Travel Is Bad For Your Health

IPVM

Harvard Business Review: Just How Bad Is Business Travel for Your Health? Here’s the Data, key quote:

those who spent 14 or more nights away from home per month had significantly higher body mass index scores and were significantly more likely to report the following: poor self-rated health; clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression and alcohol dependence; no physical activity or exercise; smoking; and trouble sleeping.

I think it's obviously true and even worse especially for salespeople that need to travel from city to city vs just going to a single place and staying there for a week.

What do you think?

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Brian Karas

Pelican Zero

I don't think many heavy travelers (pun intended) can argue with that. It takes a lot of discipline to do regular travel and stay healthy.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #1

Agreed. Add to that the relentless need meet quotas and the persistent fact that one can never say , "I'm finished." On May 31, one day later it starts all over again. It's pressure packed, either real or perceived, and personal habits are constantly tested.

One thing surely remains; business doesn't happen until something gets sold.

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Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified

HBR’s use of “Business Travel is Bad for Your Health” implies a causal relationship when only a correlation is being reported.

No mention that people who are traveling 21 nights a week might disproportionately consist of those in higher pressure positions (often sales related) than those lucky enough to stay home more often.

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Undisclosed #5

In reply to Undisclosed #2

"HBR’s use of “Business Travel is Bad for Your Health” implies a causal relationship when only a correlation is being reported."

agree. and even the correlation is weakly supported.

this is a classic editor blunder (as they generally are the ones responsible for writing headlines).

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John Honovich

IPVM

So are you saying that, everything else equal, those traveling for business are just as healthy as those staying at home?

I personally can't see how traveling regularly would allow for the same health habits (eating, exercising, relaxing, sleeping, etc.) of heavy business travel. If someone does this, please share, because it would assume to me that you either have terrible at home habits or you have some extraordinary road conditions / strategies to cope.

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Undisclosed #5

I'm actually just saying that the editor got the headline wrong - for the reasons stated by UD2.

There could well be a correlation... but the headline states the causation as fact rather than a 'potential' conclusion based on the evidence.

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Undisclosed Integrator #4

How are “all things being equal”?

I fly on a private jet, have meetings in restaurants where chefs prepare food to my liking and travel extensively (aka Oprah Winfrey),

I travel by car 12 hours a day, eat at every greasy spoon and have a boss on me 18 hours a day (Road Warrior deluxe),

I stay at Marriotts/Hilton’s, eat well, use the gym and have enough points to fly business most of the time, rent good cars, eat in great places, plan my schedule.

Are all these equal?

I would trust reports based on the stress of the job as well is all I’m saying.

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John Honovich

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #4

IPVM

For this industry, scenario #1 is simply comical and most everyone is somewhere between #2 and #3. People might eat in 'great places' (i.e., fancy, high-end liquor, rare foods, etc.) but I doubt they are healthy (e.g., almost everything in the Venetian).

I am genuinely curious how many people can sleep even in a Marriott/ Hilton/ W and still be able to consistently get as good rest / recovery as being in their own home.

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Undisclosed #5

My primary issue with the 'results' of that study is that they link too many things together and blame them all on simply the number of days spent traveling in a month.

" poor self-rated health; clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression and alcohol dependence; no physical activity or exercise; smoking; and trouble sleeping."

that is a lot of @#$! to drop on just 'hotel vs house' each night.

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John Honovich

IPVM

Your primary issue is that you spend many days on the road each month and disagree, correct? Let's be clear.

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Undisclosed #5

Because you know who I am, you know that I spend lots of time on the road.

"Let's be clear."

I am 35 pounds heavier than I ever was in 40+ years of my life before finding the perfect job for myself that requires pretty heavy travel.

However, all things equal, I sleep just as well in hotels as I do at my house, and I do not have poor self-rated health, nor suffer depression - though I do smoke, drink alcohol (which some might classify as dependence) and get little physical exercise - because I am kind of lazy. But I was already that before I got the road job.

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John Honovich

IPVM

My point is more the type of travel one does. If you go from city to city each day it is going to be a lot harder to handle than to go to a single city for a number of days, etc. In the later case, you at least get to settle in for a few days and not have to figure out new places to eat, new places to sleep each day, etc. Agree/disagree?

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Undisclosed #5

I gave you an agree. :)

Normally, I travel to places and stay there for a few days then go home - but I also sometimes travel like a sales person (usually when I am with a sales person covering a region for a week).

But my Google Maps app gives me the same results-info if I search on the first day of any road trip that it gives me no matter how many days I've been on the road.

If you seek to find healthy food choices on the road, it aint that hard to find them.... though the unhealthy options are certainly more heavily represented in any geographic search and must be ignored if you don't wish to put on the pounds that I have.

Further, it is all the other stuff that this study claims is caused by travel that I see no evidence for (unlike the food thing).

All hotels have exercise equipment... the same stuff that one might find in their own health/fitness clubs - so lack of exercise is a variable owned by the individual, not the scenario.

Also, anxiety and depression are results of frequent travel? This is hard for me to believe without any actual evidence beyond what may be ascribed to the jobs themselves - as others have alluded to in this string.

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John Honovich

IPVM

If you seek to find healthy food choices on the road, it aint that hard to find them....

It's harder though than getting something out of your own refrigerator. And if you need to travel, it depends how much time you have. And what the other people are eating. If everyone else or the decision maker says lets go to beer garden / steakhouse / ribs joint, that's where you are going.

All hotels have exercise equipment... the same stuff that one might find in their own health/fitness clubs

Where do you lift bro? ;) Hotel workout areas tend to be tiny and limited in equipment.

Also, anxiety and depression are results of frequent travel?

I see your skepticism there. There are certainly many reasons for that, not just travel. I do think, to the extent that one is predisposed to anxiety or depression, that frequent travel is likely to exacerbate that.

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Undisclosed #5

"It's harder though than getting something out of your own refrigerator."

'not the same' does not always mean 'harder'. you can shop for healthy things just as you can choose healthy things from menus.

"Where do you lift bro? ;) Hotel workout areas tend to be tiny and limited in equipment."

deflection. A goal of health does not specify specific tools to achieve health.

"I do think, to the extent that one is predisposed to anxiety or depression, that frequent travel is likely to exacerbate that."

unless, of course, that predisposition is based on members of one's own family. ;)

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #9

I gotta go with U5 here. I've been a hardcore road warrior for 15 years. When I started it wasn't a brutal schedule but I gained weight, smoked heavily, routinely drank in hotel bars for a 'night cap', ate all the worst food etc.

These days my travel schedule is far more brutal. Never-ending travel up and down the west coast, routine overseas travel in endurance-test level economy seats, access to sub-par food etc. But I'm in the best shape of my life and a non-smoker now.

Living healthy is a choice and you either make it or you don't. A great workout can be had inside your hotel room. Salads are available at every cheap cafe that ranks as a 'greasy spoon'. Yogurt, granola and fruit are a part of even the cheapest plastic breakfast offerings of the cheapest ghetto hotels.

Is living the right choice harder on the road? Not for me. It's actually easier than doing it home for me. Just ask George Clooney:

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Undisclosed #5

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #9

"routine overseas travel in endurance-test level economy seats"

Mental preparation is key. You have been sentenced and must serve your sentence (that's how I look at it).

I once sat in a window seat for 12 hours without getting up once during a coach flight from London to S. Africa. The two ladies in my row were looking at me as we were deplaning like I was David Blaine.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #10

I see your points but I don't necessarily agree that it's a "house vs hotel" argument as much as it is a "person needs stability in their life to be happy" - the road doesn't offer that - certainly not to those who spend 2-3 weeks gone from family and friends.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #10

How many sleep well and still sleep well at home?

For me? Never. I travel all over the US and I've never had a good night sleep at a hotel. Is it something one can break ? Sure/possibly. But the "unhealthy" aspect of the job comes from a few things:

- travel (you eat what's around you)
- plane anxiety (believe it or not - many hate flying)
- windshield time (sitting for hours at a time)
- hotels (no gym or too tired after a 12 hour day to hit the gym)
- spouse problems from traveling too much
- no/very little social life

These all seem petty to most sales managers but again - you have to have a balance. I've turned down many jobs where the MGMT basically wants you to sacrifice your life for the betterment of the monthly numbers only to have them reset 12 times a year.

Its not worth it. One day we're all going to go; personally, I would want to know that the life that flashes before my eyes is one that is more full of times spent with family and friends - not countless dealers and car windshields and hotel rooms.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #6

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #10

I would want to know that the life that flashes before my eyes is one that is more full of times spent with family and friends - not countless dealers and car windshields and hotel rooms.

Are your friends and family paying you to hang out with them?

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #10

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #6

Nope. Are your co-workers @ home waiting for you when you arrive?

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Michael Budalich

Genetec

I used to bring a tempurpedic pillow with me on the road. That was a huge plus :)

I left a role that required extensive travel (flew 51 times with United in 2016). Needless to say, extensive travel is overrated but its not an excuse for not being healthy. Just don't eat fast food and make sure if you're not in the gym you're getting 10,000 steps a day! Its not that hard!

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Undisclosed #12

•Jun 14, 2018

Well I've flown private a few times for work, so...

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Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified

So are you saying that, everything else equal, those traveling for business are just as healthy as those staying at home?

You may be responding to my (U2’s) statement, if so:

I didn’t say that, but it would be interesting to see the study controlled by a group that were subject to the same occupational stresses but with little travel.

Certainly multiple factors are at work here, for instance, these guys might not have a weight problem, but they could have some serious stress and related issues, even without racking many up FF miles:

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Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified

So are you saying that, everything else equal, those traveling for business are just as healthy as those staying at home?

Another answer: No, but the effect might be overstated by the sample.

Would you agree that people that travel 21 days out of the month are more likely to be in a high pressure job than those that don’t?

With just the sheer expense alone of traveling non-stop, one would expect the company would want to insure greater results and continued justification for the position, than other less expensive employees. That’s stress in and of itself.

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Steven Burman

John,

I traveled for about 12 years. It requires a constant level of diligence to maintain a healthy lifestyle while living on the road, but it can be done. However, bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, and poor diet will exact a much higher toll when you're also dealing with the stress of travel, deadlines, budget, etc. It really comes down to personal dedication to healthy living.

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Brian Karas

In reply to Undisclosed #2

Pelican Zero

No mention that people who are traveling 21 nights a week might disproportionately consist of those in higher pressure positions (often sales related) than those lucky enough to stay home more often.

I can see where 21 nights a week of travel would really take a toll on someone...

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

Another consideration...when I'm home I tend to work out every day. When I stay at a hotel, I tend not to work out. My bad, but I end up getting up and jumping on email immediately.

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Undisclosed #2

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

IPVMU Certified

My bad, but I end up getting up and jumping...

A little cardio goes a long way ;)

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Fabian Muyawa

LONTECH SYSTEMS • IPVMU Certified

Indeed as 14 or more away nights can not afford you escape the all of the above self - rated health; clinical symptoms.

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Undisclosed Integrator #4

I think work is bad for longevity, but here’s another study

work and responsibility

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Dean B

Joe Rogan Experience #1109 - Matthew Walker

IPVMU Certified

Check this out with Joe Rogan and sleep expert Matthew Walker...

At the very beginning, Matthew talks about why you don't sleep as well in hotels.

There is actual science behind this...

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Undisclosed #7

In reply to Dean B

Joe Rogan is entertaining and is an entertainer, it ends there. Most people want to follow a subject portrayed by someone's opinion, study or expertise. It leaves you immune to being wrong and walking around touting what you may have heard or scene on the net does not give you a true place of reasoning. It is easy to determine who is bandwagon vs. those that have true skin in the game.

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John Honovich

In reply to Undisclosed #7

IPVM

#7 the person Rogan interviewed for this was "Matthew Walker Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science."

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Undisclosed Integrator #4

Berkeley, that explains a lot. Sleep Center Science, it explains more. Who paid for the study I wonder.

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Undisclosed #8

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #4

The mattress lobby, no doubt!!!

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Undisclosed #5

In reply to Undisclosed #7

"Joe Rogan is entertaining and is an entertainer, it ends there."

That sentence could not be more false - and shows that you

1) have never listened to his podcasts

and

2) think of Joe as a comedian/actor/fighter only

While he is (or has been) all of those things and more, his podcast popularity is spawned by his ability to think and discuss a huge variety of topics intellectually and with as little personal bias as can be had, what with him still being a human and all.

Here is Joe on another thinkers show from just yesterday (Ben Shapiro Sunday Special).

It's long - about an hour - but I just finished watching it, and based on that, I rebuke your 'it ends there' comment with extreme prejudice.

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Undisclosed Integrator #4

I have a Road Warrior friend with new twins at home that sleeps much better on the road than at home. He would never tell his wife that.

For every exception there is a rule.

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Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified

This is just the beginning of a ploy to justify executive perks.

Wait for the headlines

First Class Travelers Healthier Than Coach

Health Benefits Outweigh Cost of Upgraded Travel

;)

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #6

I travel quite a bit for business, and I can agree with this article. I flew about 110k miles domestic last year. If I knew a way I could support my family and now be out of town every week, I'd do it.

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Undisclosed Integrator #4

I agree we should all travel First Class! Make it happen Number 1.

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Undisclosed #7

I think most people are unhealthy so this all these studies can pretty much say anything.

The baseline should be based on healthy people instead of unhealthy people that are already consumed with high sugar, fast food lifestyles.

If you are out of shape, have bad financial burdens the last thing you want to do is add the stress of travel. Is your house in order? the family in order? Too many variables.

I am quite sure there are plenty of long lifespan individuals out there that have no effect from travel and actually thrive from it.

Get Healthy or Die Trying.

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John Honovich

In reply to Undisclosed #7

IPVM

I am quite sure there are plenty of long lifespan individuals out there that have no effect from travel and actually thrive from it.

No, I am quite sure you are confusing that with a George Clooney movie:

In all seriousness, undoubtedly there are some but the question is more, on average, does business travel make health better or worse? And I think it's clear that it's worse. And for many people that is fine, the upsides are worth the tradeoffs.

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Bas Poiesz

•Oct 15, 2018

This is a great movie!

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

I discovered another issue involved with lots of business travel...time away from home & family. When I was just starting my sales career, I had a job as a regional manager, which kept me on the road with lots of overnights. The problem was, when I got home Friday, I was faced with home maintenance and family issues, which had to be addressed only on the weekend. After a year of this, I started yearning for Monday, when road time was more peaceful than home time. Made a decision...quit the job. After 50 years of marriage, I am glad I made the choice I did. Not sure this relates to physical health issues, but it was very good for my mental health.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #10

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #10

Agreed - the ppl I know in this industry that do 50%+ travel look like sh*t.

Overweight - unhappy - drink a lot after events/meetings - smoke - hit the bed late at night, etc.

ISC in Vegas is kind of the exception to a degree.....but when you see it week after week, month after month....well....learn from others.

Find a job that balances work and personal life before you have neither.

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Undisclosed Integrator #13

•Jun 15, 2018

Find a job that balances work and personal life before you have neither.

I think you'll find those are in diminishing supply even outside of sales. There is always someone willing to take advantage of the hard workers.

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Undisclosed #5

Why do people keep adding 'smoking' to the list of the effects from traveling a lot?

While I can agree with lots of the other things mentioned, I've never met someone who took up smoking for this reason.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #11

As someone who knows people who tend to smoke more on business trips, many times it may be an open season for them because their spouse might be trying to get them to quit and they finally have "freedom" from the pressures at home. Also, some people look at it as a social thing that they can be the guy who has a cigarette for the casual smokers on their team after a few beers together.

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Hal Bennick

Linky to post about Skype....

Trafficware, a CUBIC Company

The trick is staying connected with home base. Personally, I use Skype....a lot.

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Undisclosed #2

•Jun 14, 2018

IPVMU Certified

In reply to Hal Bennick

The trick is staying connected with home base. Personally, I use Skype....a lot.

I’ve tried it, but for some reason, I’ve gotten a lot of pushback from my home base...

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Rian Schermerhorn

As someone who's traveled about 50% of the time for the last 12 years, I can say that traveling itself is not the problem. The problem rests solely on the individual's own willingness / discipline to eat right and get some exercise while on the road. Eating right is easy (salads, soups, smaller portions, etc.) regardless of eating out or at home, but it takes discipline. And most hotels have workout facilities. I have friends that love running and simply take their gear with them and always get their run in while on the road, too. Again, it just takes discipline.

I would agree, however, that many who do travel extensively often choose not to make the healthier choices, which likely helps justify the data from the report. Also, I notice that many on the road tend to drink more than they do when not traveling, which leads to more calories, more bad decisions, and less quality of sleep. Again, though, these are all choices.

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Tom Sharples