How to Live on the Road
As a traveling Product Specialist for an accredited car company, I live out of a suitcase more often than not. With that comes sacrifices such as missing holidays, birthdays, and important events in my hometown but the rewards make it all worth it. This article is to teach you how to live on the road, the dos and don’ts, and of course the benefits.
Explaining what my job actually entails is vital to my packing list. As a Product Specialist, I am required to jump from city to city with one checked bag and one carry on bag, packed full of essentials for two or more weeks. The items that I would never leave home without include:
- My iPad. Yes, my iPad is necessary for my job, but also a helpful tool in searching for local places to try out as well as normal on the go entertainment.
- My headphones. They’re such a simple but necessary item and people overlook them because they’re so obvious!
- My laptop. I need my computer to write on the road, but it’s also useful in watching movies when/if my hotel room doesn’t have a smart TV.
- My Harry Potter book. I am always reading the Harry Potter series. When I end the last one, I start the whole series over.
- My running shoes. The hotel gyms may not be super well-equipped, but they have treadmills. Also, going somewhere close to the hotel is cheaper and easier if I walk!
- Face masks and bath bombs. I don’t ever forget to pamper myself when I’m on the road. Sometimes it’s needed after a long day on my feet.
My list of needs doesn’t include socks and body wash, but those are a given!
What does a Product Specialist actually do? It’s simple. We stand on the auto show floor, equipped with an iPad and a well pressed suit, answering questions about our vehicle line up. My passion for vehicles comes into play with this job. However, we only work for eight hours per day, which leaves plenty of time for exploring the new and exciting cities we travel to. Some more interesting things I’ve been able to do while on the road are visit the Museum of Natural History in NYC, explore the downtown area of Chicago, hang out by the beach in Hawaii, and hiking in Boulder.
I’ve learned how to “travel light,” as my friends say. I keep my bag to a carry on size, when possible. When not possible, a big no-no when you travel for work is putting your work suit in your checked bag. I did this at my first show and my bag got lost at the airport. Lucky for me, I was able to purchase some clothes that looked like the suit I was supposed to wear, and nobody noticed, but it’s safe to say I learned my lesson. Also, bring a backpack as your personal item so you can keep your carry on light!
Something that isn’t easy to do is stop eating out every night. Of course, my first year on this job, I ate out constantly, but the years that followed, I realized the money that I spent added up fast. Instead of going out, I use InstaCart to get groceries brought to my hotel. If I have a microwave, I always get frozen meals and popcorn. These are easy to heat up for dinner and who doesn’t want popcorn within arms reach? It’s always okay to binge a couple of times during your stay if you’re in a new and entertaining city, but keeping it to a minimum is smarter and easier. Plus, you can have fun game nights in your room featuring wine and your favorite coworkers!
As I mentioned earlier, living on the road is hard because of everything you miss back home, but the pros outweigh the cons by a landslide. My company pays for travel expenses but I receive the travel miles. I have a frequent flier account set up with every major airline, and they all have enough miles to offer a free round trip vacation. My hotels are no expense to me, either. I stay in high end hotels with hospitable amenities every week. The coolest part about it, though, is the provided per diem. I try to keep my food spending low because what I do not use, I get to keep! (Psst…per diem isn’t taxed, either.)
The experiences I have gained and the people I have met doing this job are second to none. I consider myself lucky to be able to travel the country, collect travel miles, and still have time to pursue my writing career, all while still making money. That’s everyone’s dream, right?
