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Interstate and overseas postings and consulting assignments can be exciting and professionally rewarding.

Depending upon what you value as an individual, and your particular likes and dislikes, you may be more or less suited to undertaking consulting assignments away from home.

Consider these ideas, and weigh up the pros and cons for your lifestyle and preferences:

• It’ll look great on your cv. Showing that you have conducted consulting assignments away from home demonstrates your willingness to be flexible in your professional career, and that your skills are respected and needed elsewhere.
• You’ll meet new people. Even though you are travelling for work purposes, you can still enjoy a bit of a ‘holiday edge’ by keeping light-hearted and open to meeting new potential friends.
• You’ll be a stranger. The hotel almost certainly will be unfamiliar, even if the city is not, and you may not see a familiar face at all between finishing the day at the office and getting back to work the next day. See if the hotel has a gym, or facilities to ‘mingle’ with other single travellers before dinner. Ask the concierge about the preferred local walking / jogging routes, or curl up with a great book.
• The weather will be different. Almost certainly the weather in your destination city will be different from home. Make the most of a weather change and bring out the clothes and accessories you’ve stowed in the back of the cupboard.
• Keep track of your expenses. Travelling can be expensive, so make sure you have a solid system (eg put aside an area of your wallet / purse) to store your receipts. It will make the process of making a claim less of a trial.
• Travelling takes time. Specify in your proposal / quote or during discussions with your client if the time it takes you to travel to and from your destination is included as ‘billable’ time. Perhaps you can negotiate by promising to complete some preparation or ‘write-up’ work while you are in the airport / on the plane.
• Getting the laptop through the airport security. Check out your company policy for travelling with a laptop, and the conditions for insurance. Remember that your laptop must be security cleared, will be x-rayed and it is customary for the battery to be removed from the laptop before screening.
• Your client will expect a lot from you. Be prepared. Your client will expect a high level of confidence and professionalism from you. Your client will most likely want you to share your experiences and knowledge, and relevant anecdotes, to add value to your consultancy. Balance this with too many sentences which begin “At home…”.

Overall, we love travelling with work!

What are your experiences on the road?
Feel free to share with us through the contact box below.