The Truth about Business Travel

Melissa Young
Assurance Intern
Raleigh, NC

When I was little, my dad used to travel for work frequently. He’d go to exotic places like Paris, India and Milwaukee (I was 6 and not great with geography). I was always jealous of his trips. As auditors, we get to travel frequently. It’s true that it’s not the same as going on vacation but it’s still not bad. One manager I worked with on a travel engagement put it best saying “I like traveling for work because I can focus better when I’m out of town. There are fewer distractions.” I completely agree with this viewpoint. On the road, you don’t have to worry about cooking dinner, cleaning your house, or feeling guilty for working instead of hanging out with your friends. I think I’m the most productive on the out of town engagements. It is also a great way to get to know your colleagues better. Nothing brings you closer than trying to brave DC traffic together and sharing three meals per day. Or even trying to brave driving home through an ice storm like another Raleigh intern, Tom Maeser, had to do in January.


Ice storm in January

I have been at my desk approximately 8 days out of my entire internship and I have spent the rest of the time in the field. I really enjoy this because I’m always meeting new people, seeing new clients and offices. The space we work in varies from client to client. I was spoiled at my very first client because they set us up in a beautiful conference room with huge windows and a nice view.


At a client

So far this busy season, I have made it to Virginia, Philadelphia, and DC. I even got to have dinner with some of my family while I was in Philly. It was nice being able to see them since I wouldn’t normally be able to make that trip this time of year. 

The most important part of business travel is flexibility. I know recently some people from the office were snowed in and flights were delayed during the last big snow storm. Another mishap that I’ve heard of from not one, but two people is that they have completely forgotten to pack pants when they go on the road for the week. Oops! Thankfully they were able to laugh it off and go to the local mall to buy replacements. Overall, business travel is different than what I imagined when I was little, but it’s still a great experience. You may even get lucky and get to have this as the view from your hotel room for a week (like a certain Raleigh intern).



View from hotel