Business travelers say cutback in trips has pluses, minuses

— -- Cutting back on business travel was like taking a rejuvenation pill for Debra Martin.

She says she feels healthier and less stressed. And she loves having more time at home.

"I don't miss the Monday morning rat race at the airport and security checkpoint," says Martin, a safety consultant in Kent City, Mich.

"I enjoy Sundays more, because I don't have to think about packing and preparing materials to take with me."

The recession has sharply reduced the number of days on the road for many frequent business travelers. It's improved the lives of many, like Martin, but left others with difficulty adjusting.

Psychologist Dave Carder, a family therapist in Fullerton, Calif., likens the sudden change in a business traveler's routine to military personnel returning from deployment, spouses home after retirement and many people recently laid off from work.

"Dad or Mom will now be home in the evening more, and that will change family interactions dramatically," Carder says. "The individual who traveled will now need to adjust to a more boring and routine lifestyle — dinners that are mundane with no one to serve them, relationships that are more intimate and interactive, and schedules that don't feel normal."

Daniel Adam of Bryan, Texas, says he's made a smooth adjustment, and it's had a positive effect on family life. Adam, who works for a software company, spent more than 100 nights last year at Marriott hotels, but will stay half that many this year.

"I can make basketball games and Cub Scout events," he says.

Some have trouble adjusting

Less travel can be healthy for a family, says Frank Pittman, an Atlanta psychiatrist. But, he warns, it can be destructive for some.

"At first, being grounded at home with a family they only knew on weekends is a novelty, like a vacation," Pittman says. "But they quickly grow restless and look for something useful to do rather than hanging out feeling incompetent and keeping their TV as their sole companion."

For Deanne Sullivan, a health care systems consultant in Stockton, Calif., the adjustment has been far from rosy. All her business trips are canceled.

"I am used to 50% to 100% travel, but now I'm working 100% from home," says Sullivan, who lives with a teenage son and a boyfriend. "It is driving me insane."

Sullivan traveled every other week for the past four years and every week for 10 years before that.

"After spending so many years on the road, I am definitely out of my comfort zone," she says. "I know exactly what to do in every airport or flight situation but not in real life."

Sullivan says she misses flying, the "me time," room service and the perks.

"I am going to have to get used to actually paying for vacations after 15 years of accruing frequent-flier mileage and hotel points," she says.

Mixed blessing for many

Frank Luppino of Beach Park, Ill., has seen his 200,000 annual frequent-flier miles cut in half.

It's been a mixed bag for the president of a special-effect lighting and audio equipment firm.

"My relationship with my wife has gone down," he says. "We had a great system going. Now, we fight more, because I am around more."

Although it's good to spend more time with his three children, Luppino says, he's also gained weight because he eats more at home.

More time at home has meant a better diet for Chris Shipley of Aurora, Colo.

"Less travel means I eat more healthy and get more, and better, sleep," says Shipley, a manager for a consumer products manufacturer.

He enjoys the extra time at home, but has fewer frequent-flier miles and hotel points to give his wife. "She uses them for solo trips with her sisters," he says. "I travel for work; she vacations."

Shipley also misses "the lack of responsibility" on the road. "I can exercise, eat, work and play golf when I wish on the road, without worrying about taking time from my wife or grandkids," he says.

James Watkins of Seattle says he sometimes misses friends he only sees when traveling. But he's a big fan of less travel.

"I have a better home life," says Watkins, who works in the software industry.

"For the first time in years, I have been able to commit to my community by doing things like coaching my son's lacrosse team and getting involved in school activities."

Taking fewer business trips may have forever changed the future for John Cline, of Houston.

"After many years of traveling four to five days per week, my wife and I have been able to spend more time together," says the manager in the steel industry. "Since this was such a good thing, I have decided to semi-retire this month."