Travel for work- what do you do in the evenings?

[Stressedgiraffe]

I need to travel for work. It's a new job only 3 months in so still finding my feet.
It homebased but with a travel element to client sites when needed.
My schedule for end of August to October means I'll be away m-f for 5 weeks at 5 different parts of England.
My company is good will pay for travel and hotel plus meal allowance but it's not great hotels premier inn/ travel lodge usually.
But what do I do in the evening? Budget is limited (dh can't work)
Should I just watch tv?
I enjoy time alone but nearly 5 weeks is going to be difficult.
Anyone got any ideas?

Do you have to stay at a Premier Inn type hotel? I prefer the apartment style rooms like Roomz, which are reasonably priced and you get a small kitchen area, proper crockery and cutlery etc.

I tend to enjoy the time to slob on my own, order a Deliveroo or Uber eats dinner using my food allowance and watch TV, browse the internet etc with a glass of wine!

I love a night on my own in a hotel room….nice shower, face mask, pjs on, get on the bed, chill on my phone with snacks….nothing to do and all evening to do it in …..bliss😊

I guess maybe you could join one of those gyms which you can use in different locations? look up friends in the area? see if any of your colleagues want a night out? learn to knit? Tricky, but you may start to enjoy it?

The room and meal are already paid for so in theory I could go elsewhere and expense it back but don't have the money to do it. I love a hotel room and breakfast. But it's the nights.
I'm also never in a city centre it's been hotel near business park so far

The company isn't 'good' for paying for travel / subsistence, of course they should!

I usually either go for a walk to decompress, chill out in the room for a bit, catch up on emails then have dinner in the hotel restaurant or room service / deliveroo. Take advantage of the pool if there is one, and then read or watch tv.

Are doing five weeks in one block?

I’d go to the gym. Either hotel with a gym or get something like a pure gym membership since they are everywhere. Bound to be one nearby. Gym then shower and chill in front of the telly

Is it just one night at a time, or are you literally away for weeks?

If it's more than a few nights, I would try and get a serviced apartment-type setup so you can at least cook for yourself. I'd also make sure I had access to a gym; otherwise, it gets both unhealthy and depressing.

But yeah. This is why business travel can be lonely and boring. If you are working with other people in the same location I'd try to arrange some after hours socialising with them; if I had a colleague staying away and using my office for a while I'd invite them for dinner some night as I know how lonely it can otherwise be when everyone else goes home to their families. Other than that - maybe take up a craft, like knitting? Take a flexible online class?

I would exercise, so a long walk, swim or gym. Otherwise learn a language on Duolingo, sit in the bar, read or watch Netflix.

I often take a yoga mat so I can do a YouTube workout in my room or bring my swimsuit if I’ll have a chance to swim. When I’m travelling in the UK I often go to the cinema in the evening or head out for dinner with a book for company.

I only get a night away for work rarely. I love it.

Last one, had dinner, Walked down the town high street. I went to the pier and played 2p drop trays for 1/2 an hour. Bought a tiny bottle of wine and a packet of crisps, jumped into bed early, watched tv and Mumsnet, drank my wine in bed. Was in heaven.

You need to ask for a company credit card.
Your company paying for hotel and breakfast is fine. They should also pay for lunch and dinner. You can’t be asked to advance that sort of money for 5 weeks.

Are you going to have a car (either your own - then claim the mileage, rental or company car)?
This will open the doors much more.

BUT having worked like that before, I’ve always felt too knackered at the end of it to do anything. So it was restaurant, TV, bed for me. (Done that for 3 months once).

Agree with the gym suggestion, you need to develop a routine if you're away for 5 weeks. Evening walk or gym or swim, dinner, bit of telly or cinema to break it up, bed.

Are you staying in the same place for 5 weeks or moving around?

If it's the same place, is it possible to get work to book a hotel with a gym/pool? Or a little apartment with a kitchenette so you can at least cook?

It's 5 separate weeks in different parts of the country. But back to back so I need to travel on Sunday and back on Friday at a stupid time

Thanks for the suggestions but the gym is out of the question due to a arthritic dodgy ankle

She says in the OP that it is M-F for 5 weeks between end Aug to Oct si it looks like she will only be home weekends for those 5 weeks.

I always have a look to see if there's somewhere close I can go for a walk, and look for local leisure centres to see if I can get a swim.
Sometimes I chuck the yoga mat in the car, it can be nice to do 30 mins to de-compress.
Mostly it ends up being iplayer/4od on the laptop.

5 weeks away Sunday to Friday?

That's seriously shit. You should be getting better than a travel lodge when it's that long away. So bad for your health otherwise with no fresh food available.

Other than that I'd look up free activities in wherever you are. What would you be doing if you were at home?

Do you like the gym/swimming?

Lots of companies offer multi site memberships and some offer rolling contracts so you can just enroll for the month if you wouldn't use it when back at home.

I know you're saying no gym due to a dodgy arthritic ankle but honestly are you sure that's not even more of a reason to go to the gym? I'd be looking up physio and gentle exercises and starting with strength building exercises at very low weights and regular stretches. Lots of gyms also have yoga or Pilates classes which might work. Alternatively, could you plan to go for a swim at a local pool a couple of times a week?

Will you have a car? If you will, that helps. Is the food a meal allowance where you can pick where you eat (normal) or one that ties you to the hotel you stay in (not normal and frankly sounds a bit grim for 5 weeks).

When I was away a lot I used to use hotel gyms, drive somewhere and go for a walk immediately after work, study in the evenings, go out with colleagues, or explore as many nice restaurants as I could on my budget - even if that was just having a main course and a glass of water. I sometimes used to go to a supermarket and buy bread and olives etc for tea and eat back at the hotel room.

If I was anywhere near friends I used to sometimes try and see them, but honestly if I was working away I was usually working 8-6 so that plus dinner plus a bit of time on emails and usually the day disappeared pretty quickly.

Go out for dinner. Go for a walk. When I’m in London, I go for walks along the Thames. Go to a museum or the theatre or cinema. If it’s been a long day, I go to bed early, which is a rare luxury.

It might be because I am autistic, but after a day of business travel, I am perfectly happy in a simple hotel room. I bring my kindle and a small craft project (crochet, embroidery) of some sort. I also travel with a Roku stick which doesn’t always work, but does most of the time. That gives me access to my online subscriptions on the tv so I’m not just stuck watching whatever happens to be on.

most of the time I even get dinner as a takeaway and eat it in my room because I just want the privacy and peace and quiet.

Get a kindle and fill it up with books
Do some online learning - try Open Learn
Find a local cinema or swimming pool
Get a yoga mat and do one of those 30 day challenges
Download some box sets

What would you be doing in the evenings at home?

I completely understand how you feel—it can be tough being away from home for so long. I travel a lot for work too, and I've come to see these trips as the ultimate me-time. After a long day, I like to treat myself to some peace and quiet, maybe get a few treats, and then settle into my own little sanctuary for the evening.
I find it’s important to really embrace the alone time and unwind. I always bring along one thing that helps me relax and make the most of that personal time. 😉
When I can, I like to explore the city or town a bit, maybe find something interesting to see. But most of all, I just focus on taking care of myself and enjoying the quiet. Make the most of your time on the road—you’ve got this!

At home I'd be cooking dinner, walking dogs and watching tv maybe going walking via the pub.
I don't drive so it's all train travel. I'm in the SE so it's all north, London, Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff and Exeter. Long travel to hotels next to business parks.
I have a tablet with streaming so will watch tv and probably have an early night.

Where will you eat? There's a lot of Travelodges/Premier inns that do a basic breakfast but have no dining facilities for evenings. How boring for you being on a business park!