Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/482797
Q U A L I TAT I V E R E S E A R C H C O N S U LTA N T S A S S O C I AT I O N 27 By Susan Fader President n Fader & Associates n New York, NY n susanfader@faderfocus.com By C. David Gustafson Principal n D. Gustafson & Associates, LLC n Dresher, PA n dave@dgaqual.com By Pat Sabena Principal n Sabena Qualitative Research Services n Fairfield, CT n psabena@qual.com One question QRCs often get from friends and family is, "How do you cope with all that travel?" How do you respond? Susan: I hear less about how do you cope, but get more comments like, "You are so lucky to travel so much and get to go sightseeing." People do not understand that when we are traveling and conducting research, we are generally working 18-hour days with no downtime for sight- seeing. Dave: I find the best way to cope with the travel is to fully embrace it for the adven- ture that it is. I lived abroad in Germany and Japan, so my familiarity with living in other countries helps, and I enjoy traveling which makes it a bonus. When it comes to international business travel, which may involve visiting several countries and continents in a single trip, what tips do you have for making the experience go smoothly? Susan: Only take what can be carried on. You don't want to deal with the extra time you would have to build into your sched- ule to check and wait for luggage. Also, you don't want to worry about the airlines losing your luggage. Chances are it will never catch up with you if you are on a multi-country trip. Try to leave room in your luggage to add things. As you are leaving a focus group facility and dashing to the airport, you might be handed some- thing that cannot be shipped. Also, always check your flight connection and the air- port through which you are connecting. Some airports, like Frankfurt and Amsterdam, are very large and require multiple security checks and lines when transferring planes. You really want to make sure you leave enough time to make your connection. Dave: The key when conducting multi- country or multi-continent travel is plan- ning a realistic schedule that sprinkles in "recovery" days, if possible, throughout the research. Jumping several time zones eventually catches up to you, and the last thing you want is to have the quality of your work suffer. I have three Rules for the Road that I created early in my career that continue to serve as my mantra for "I find the best way to cope with the travel is to fully embrace it for the adventure that it is." I n-person qualitative research requires a tremendous amount of travel. Consequently, many QRCs are true Road Warriors, traveling thousands of miles each year across the US and around the globe to serve their clients. VIEWS reached out to a handful of these busy business travelers to find out what advice they have for aspiring Road Warriors. Our contributors include Susan Fader, President of Fader & Associates, Dave Gustafson, Principal at D. Gustafson & Associates, LLC, and Pat Sabena, Principal at Sabena Qualitative Research Services.