Business Traveler Interview: Carol Margolis

This is part of a new series here at WhyGo Business Travel featuring brief interviews with people who travel for work, asking them about what they do and some of their favorite travel tips. This way, if you’re looking for a career that will require travel, you’ll get to read about people doing some of the jobs you might consider – and you’ll also learn a few great travel tips from the travel pros!

This week, we’re talking with Carol Margolis. Carol’s based in Orlando, and she’s the woman behind the Smart Women Travelers website and the Pearls of Travel Wisdom blog. She’s on Twitter as @smartwomentrav.

What do you do?
In my day life, I am CEO of a consulting firm and I project manage large global system implementations.

In my evening and weekend life, I show women how to travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment. I started doing this in 2008 after I realized that I was answering lots of questions from female business travelers (and guys too) about how to travel when they have kids, how to find a relationship when they’re on the road, and how to keep up with the latest techy gadgets for travel.

And I’m excited about a new business that is launching very soon: Business Travel Success. This business is focused on all business travelers, male and female, and the corporations they work for. I’ll lead seminars sharing tons of advice on how to successfully integrate business travel into your life, and consult with corporations on how to deal with the challenges of business travel burnout. This business combines both my favorites … traveling and consulting!

What kind of travel do you get to do for work? Do you get to choose where you go?
For my consulting firm, I travel within the US and to various other countries where we’re implementing systems.

For Smart Women Travelers, the world is my travel space. I’ll fly to New York or elsewhere to appear on a tv show, to various cities to speak, and to other countries where I’m developing products for women travelers.

How often do you get to travel for work?
Just about every week of the year. In 2010 I traveled some or all of 50 weeks. I’ve been traveling the majority of the years since my kids were 1 and 3 years old (they’re now in their 20’s).

Did you choose your job at least in part because you love to travel? Would you make the same job choice again, knowing what you know now?
Yes, I absolutely choose the consulting lifestyle because of the travel. Back when I was doing system implementations as an employee of a firm in Chicago, we had a consultant fly to our office each week (ironically her name was Carol also). I thought that was soooo cool! I then switched to a consulting job where travel was involved, even though I had two young kids, as I loved the ability to combine my technical skills with travel. My kids traveled with me when it was feasible and they both now have the love of travel themselves!

What are some of your favorite travel tips that you’ve picked up?
Travel with a positive mindset. This has been the greatest factor in me being able to travel for all these years. I don’t let flight delays derail me. I know I’ll always get back home, so I keep myself busy and focus on the positive. I’ve always said I’ve got great travel karma.

What advice do you have for someone who’s interested in doing what you do?
On the consulting side, be comfortable being with yourself as there are many nights in a hotel room away from home and eating alone in restaurants. Always take time for yourself, whether it be site-seeing in a city you’re visiting, a spa treatment at the end of a busy day or just a nice bubble bath in the evening. It’s too easy in this lifestyle to work, work, work. Set boundaries around your own time so that the travel doesn’t become too stressful.

And of course, join our community of frequently travel women at www.SmartWomenTravelers.com and www.PearlsofTravelWisdom.com!

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