Those of you who stay away from home in hotels regularly – what do you do to pass the evenings?

Just curious really – question prompted by the fact I seem to have over-provisioned myself this week. I’ve got my bike natch (road), running gear in case I cba to ride, a portable HD full of photos to catalogue and sort, some climbing gear since a colleague invited me to the wall, some books and a guitar.

Not sure I’ll have time to actually do all this stuff.

How about planning a change of career that doesn’t take you away from you wife and family so much? That should fill a few hours.

Or go to the bar and try every alcoholic drink they have to make sure you’ve exhausted all possibilities.

Wow, that was nasty.

I use to basically waste mine, in the bar.

You’ve finished already?

a self love session?

Dance around like Alan Partridge in your pants or go to the restaurant with your big plate.

My other half is away during the week, and it is quite nice as we can both do our own thing/stress about work/see friends then on Sundays and in holidays really enjoy each others company. We haven’t argued since 2004 because we don’t niggle each other over stupid little domestic stuff.
It’s great.
More on topic- in the evenings he catches up with firends if in London, goes running…or works late so he doesn’t need to on the weekends!

seems a strange existence, not really for those in a relationship….or maybe it is…..

It’s shit basically, especially if you have kids, thankfully I don’t stay away as much as I used to.

What to do?

Read
Work
Exercise
Drink
Go to cinema
Watch telly
Write
Ride bike
Run
Meet up with friends that live nearby that you don’t see very often

seems a strange existence, not really for those in a relationship….or maybe it is…..

Often you can’t pick and choose your job…

i’ve worked away in the past–ruined a relationship as a result, so will not do so again. Jobs are not life or death in this society, luckily, though some peoples’ lifestyles seem to be 😉

I don’t stay away much at all these days but it always seems to be a similar thing with me.

Get in around 6
30 mins power nap because I’m always knackered staying away
Read in the bath for an hour or so
Go eat
Watch TV for about half an hour before falling asleep
Wake at 02:30
Drink tea and read until 07:30
Go eat

start again

I hate it

Does it depend on the grade of hotel at all? As a non-business hotel user, I reckon 4 Seasons spas and bars are lovely and could happily unwind in them evening after evening.

Then again, I think I’d enjoy flying lots whist those I know who do it for work say its just a drag, even if you are flying in the bubble every time. It may be the case that I don’t really understand what business travel feels like!

Do a distance learning course.

LOL @ Druidh

Yeah well we don’t get that much choice of hotel. I worked in Canary Wharf earlier in the year, I was restricted to Holiday Inn Express. When I went to Leeds for one night I got a lovely city centre Mariott, that was nice.

At worst: do all the work (emails, reports and stuff) I would’ve been doing if I wasn’t travelling, until it’s time to take a sleeper to get me through the night. Don’t sleep well away from home.

At best: persuade the local office/client to come out for a drink/dinner, end up getting shown around the town, making new friends, that sort of thing.

can you work 5 days over 4? My wife works longer hours during the week an pretty much takes Friday’s off “working from home”.

She spends plenty of time in central London so meets up with friends and family for meals etc. Suppose it depends where you are. She spent a few months doing 4 days in Warrington – I don’t think the options were as varied there.

Btw I’m not asking for advice, I’m well sorted. Just wondering what other folk do.

Explore local area – either running/walking/driving about. Works for me but luckily I’m only away a few days a month rather than all the time.

Well, I’ve just been to Sainsbury’s to get myself some food and as the predominately Muslim area I’m staying in doesn’t seem to have any bars, I’ve locked myself away in my room to peruse STW and listen to some internet radio – oh and I’ve just discovered that Tia Maria, half a cup full of ice and some Baileys goes rather well together.

This week is a one off, as I’ve had to go and help out on the M1 @ Luton just for a week, so it’s back in hotels. Normally I take my caravan wherever I’m working if it’s for any period of time – I like my own space and it saves me £750 to a grand a month.

I always find a pitch near a pub and despite my sometimes abrasive nature on here, do actually manage to make friends quite easily wherever I go. In my me time, I’ll either do a bit of work, waste time on here, or go and raid the £3-£5 DVD section at the local supermarket for some films I haven’t seen. I keep meaning to take my pub bike away and go for some pootles, but not got round to it yet – will do in spring.

As for family life, it’s not ideal – however, it’s not indefinite working away. Mrs STR isn’t too keen, but accepts it’s how it has to be at the moment – I’m fine with my own company, so don’t mind. It beats my old job before I became self employed, wher I would be out of the house for 14 hours a day anyway and stressed/miserable when I got home.

lived abroad in one hotel for three years.. BORING. but very well paid. tried everything had mates/ girlfriend over most weekends.. who would nt want to stay in a foriegn 5* city centre hotel for a weekend for free..

but day to day it was mind blowingly numb after the euphoria of the first couple of months..

passed the time scheming how to get the most bizzare thing on expences.. i had bradford city overnight me a replica shirt so that i could wear it in the irish bar to watch the football on sky.. thank you.. Tesco.. every little helped

Tia Maria, half a cup full of ice and some Baileys goes rather well together.

aka a baby guiness, looks right if you pour the baileys slowly… normally poured into a shotglass tbh.

oh, i used to the ps1 with me or bell the receptionist

Worst – Work a day in a foreign office, get back to the hotel, work a uk work day as the times line up, sleep, eat, repeat.

Best – Go to watch a match on a Friday with some of the people I was supposed to be training, run into some of their friends, get offered a bicycle tour of the city I was in by a rather lovely dutch girl, make finding her flat to go on the bike ride in the morning far easier by waking up there 😉

Sometimes being single is rather useful!

Ha Saccades – I honestly never knew about this drink until I decided to try it. Unfortunately though, the hotel only has cups – luckily I had the foresight to bring a bag of ice from the supermarket though 😉

Somewhere between the bar video editing climbing wall and pool. Used to try and visit friends and meet up with colleagues for dinner.

Apart from that holiday inn for the points.

If I’m on my own then I’ll usually take a walk, find a restaurant and read. The kindle is a godsend as it saves having to use spare cutlery to prop the book open. Most of the time I’m abroad so I really enjoying just walking around taking in the atmosphere. I keep gym stuff and swimming trunks in my suitcase as well. Quite often though there is no real downtime and we are just working or eating or sleeping in the hotel.

Before everything went on demand I also had a useful collection of cables, adapters and a tuner to break into the Pay TV. 🙂

totalshell aka Alan Partridge – Norwich is in the UK 😉

Working canary Wharf at the moment, so it’s either a 3 hour each way on one of the worst train services in the country or hotel, currently doing 1 day commute, 2 nights hotel, fridays working from home. I don’t mind it, although I never seem to relax when staying in hotels, time flies by so quickly once I’ve eaten, had a beer or whatever, checked some mails, watched a bit of tv, I’m so tired I’m reading/falling asleep by 10. I quite enjoy it actually. I’m fully expensed, so that may make a difference.
Edit: I also always pack a gaming laptop, for total guilt free gaming with a beer, in my underpants.

Tia Maria, half a cup full of ice and some Baileys

I remember that on the east coast of Australia as a cock sucking cowboy!

HELLOOOO, I am a family man, And I work away mon to fri every week, and have done for the last 5 years. I have a 3 yr old, who is my world and a a wife that I adore. I wont get into the whys and wherfores about why I do living away thing, but briefly – Great money, gives us as a family, financial security and no money worries. My job involves me supporting our Armed forces to a great extent,- makes me feel like i have a worth, ermmmm I moved to an area, ( for family reasons) where if you are not a sheep shearer, you have no work opportunities! Plus I get most fridays off!

Anyway, back to the OP’s question – I always have my bike in the car, Im lucky enough that most of my work areas are near the classic riding areas of the UK, but this time of year means alot of solo night rides.

Im a very keen swimmer, I always choose hotels with at least 20 meter pools attached.

I;ve attempted to study for various qual’s , none of which have happened! I always end up out on my bike, in the gym, or at the pool! after doing that, and getting my tea, its bed time.

Should mentionj, that despite getting to ride my bike 3 nights a week, swim 4 mornings a week, and eat and drink beer every night of the week, I hate it! Id rather be with my son at his bedtime every night!

Anyone got any sat comms jobs going in Shropshire

Im in Finale Liguria this week 🙂

Sobriety i know that feeling ( the first not the dutch lass)

Just spent 4 weeks on a non english speaking compound in the middle of the turkmen desert doing7-12 in the yard building tools , 12 – 2 lunch and nap and 2-9pm doing a uk shift

Going to houston next week for a week , fly out monday am and return friday night short stints i like. I usually come in from work , hit the gym , have a shower and head over to the brick house for dinner and a beer . Or a restaurant if i meet folk from our office at hotel.

Canary wharf is a decent place to eat out, at least 🙂

+1 kindle
+1 exploring the local area*

I wish I could claim per diem or something – I’m spending over two grand a month in hotel bills, being able to stay in my caravan and trouser the rest would be handy even with tax on it.

* I always bring my bike if I can – if it’s London I’ll be on my commuter with panniers for luggage, otherwise the bike goes in the car. Lately I’m staying 10 miles from the office and commuting on the road bike for fitness. If it’s a short trip I’ll bring trainers for some running. You can track my progress around the country by looking for the threads on which I ask biking route advice on here 🙂

I actually quite like being away, seeing new places and so on – it keeps me interested. I’ve done some cool biking this way and seen a few cities. I hate being away from the family tho 🙁

Oh, forgot to mention – I take the camera and go exploring with it

Bristol

London

None particularly outstanding photography wise, but part of a learning curve for me, some captures of where I’ve been and a way to entertain myself on the road.

Camera is a good one, I do bring it sometimes. I do tend to want to be in the hotel room for much of the evening though, cos I talk to the mrs and the kids online.

One night a week I was doing for about 4 weeks, now getting by with day trips to the smoke on the train.

But generally work late and offset those ours later in the week, then hit the gym, and spa. Then go out of the hotel for a meal and a couple of pints

Then maybe watch some tv before sleep

Anymore than 2 nights a week would do my head in though

I tend to work until 7 or 8 when staying away so buy the time I get back to the hotel and have a meal it is getting on for 10pm so just time for an hour of TV or kindle before going to sleep.

Occasionally I get a customer who finishes at 5pm so I try to force myself to do something different – e.g. cinema (sad bloke on his own) or football match.

I have recently been on a diet so hotel food can be difficult. Buying diet food (e.g. porridge pots) and eating them in your hotel room is very sad but has helped me lose a couple of stone).

been out to Ireland with 2 or 3 night stays 5 times since March, possibly again next week.
If I’m with colleagues from my “home” office, I tend to have to be sociable, to a degree; if I’m on my own, one of my oppo’s in Ireland tends to entertain me at least one night of my stay, which is good.

Last time I was there I fixed punctures on his & his kids bikes, showed him how to remove the wheels from a v-brake bike and from a disc brake bike, how to set up his seat height and how to start/stop. He’s pretty much a novice with the “my bum on the seat at all times including when not moving” tendency, so that was a bit of a surprise to him.

For the remaining time, it’s a mix of work – software development tasks resulting from the day’s visit – or surfing the net, or reading a book. has to be a good one though. Hotel TV in the midlands of Ireland is pretty poor.

good thread. I try to have a few of the local beers if at all possible, though I won’t go on my own. Otherwise it’s emails and phonecalls… fun