The life of a TD/PM.

Okay so you may ask what is a TD/PM. I am referring to Travel Director/Project Manager. I actually like to call them traveling project manager's or TPM. Our life is very sporatic and love lives only occur on the road with the people we meet. It is impossible to be in a relationship with the work we do. Many of us are gone 250 to 300 days per year and with that type of schedule, there is little room for romance.

Sometimes we do the unthinkable for peanuts. We rise before most of the world has gone to sleep, we make sure that registration packets are stuffed, collateral is colated and participants of any event are having a great time, and if they aren't, how we can make their lives better. Sometimes we don't sleep much and we wake up at the sound of nextels not really going off. We take the job home with us as we freak out everytime a nextel goes off.

Our naps, if ever, are short and only about 15 minutes. We try to push the limits sometimes and drink until 2 in the morning with a 5 am wake up call. We enjoy the not so good buffett leftovers that the participants get. We hate the soggy french toast and dried up eggs and undercooked bacon. We make friends on the road and we periodically check on them to see how they are holding up.

The friendships we have are long and fulfilling. The years seem to pass by and the wrinkles and the grey hair. Every year we make promises to take the money we earned working every day for 5 months in a row and go on vacation and another year passes that pile up debt and don't travel for our own sakes. We have to fight for every nickel we get and well all is said and done we make about $15.00 per hour.

Why do we do it, because we love it. The idea of a successful event under our belt gets us going. Its the idea of seeing friends that maybe we haven't seen for a year or more. It is the bonding that occurs when the shit hits the fan and the team pulls together to pull off a seemless exhibit.

Why do we do it...Because we love it!

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