It’s the Grim Reality of Frequent Work Travel: Health Problems

Their lives may be portrayed as glamorous. In fact, they’re often the opposite. Pity frequent business travelers.

Doctors at organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Society of Travel Medicine say they are hearing of a range of health problems in frequent travelers, from insomnia and weight gain to viruses. And they said they see a need for more comprehensive research into the health compromises made by business travelers, both short haul and long haul.

“The whole noncommunicable disease side of travel health is something that’s been under-researched,” said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the division of global migration and quarantine at the C.D.C.

Lin Chen, the incoming president of the International Society of Travel Medicine and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said that jet lag, combined with a lack of access to exercise and fresh food while on the road and sporadic engagement at home, needs rigorous study. “Right now, it’s hard to know the impact because not enough research has been done,” she said. “But certainly it’s significant.”

Dr. Cetron said the image of the jet-setter who flies around making million-dollar deals no longer reflects the experience of most business travelers. “The reality is that the full spectrum of the work force now travels. Not just C.E.O.s but the more modest businessperson — think of junior employees at multinational companies, or aid workers who are called to respond to international crises. Some of these people have to travel on really shoestring budgets.” For them, flying business class or staying in fancy hotels is not an option.

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