What is ageist about a workweek-long company trip? I went on them in my 20s, my 30s and now in my 40s. I’ll do them in my 50s as well. I went on them when I was single, in a relationship, and married. I went on them before kids, with infants, toddlers, and now with elementary school age kids.
My fellow attendees at these events are in their 30s through 50s (and for all I know, some might be in their 60s or 20s).
I don’t see ageist discrimination around business trips to be honest. If business travel isn’t for you for whatever reason, there are an enormous number of jobs that don’t require or even offer business travel.
At the extreme, there are some jobs that are 75% (or whatever) travel to customer sites. Not my thing--though I travel quite a bit. But it's silly to suggest that such jobs shouldn't exist. Just don't take them if they aren't for you.
For distributed work, I actually think it's really important to budget and plan for F2F events. Again, if you prefer more of a 9-5 5 days limited travel job, maybe don't do that.
Requiring travel is not an ageist policy, it’s an attribute of a job. I know many people with kids who are on the road constantly with demanding jobs, this is a trade off they’ve made in order to provide their desired lifestyle for their family.
My fellow attendees at these events are in their 30s through 50s (and for all I know, some might be in their 60s or 20s).
I don’t see ageist discrimination around business trips to be honest. If business travel isn’t for you for whatever reason, there are an enormous number of jobs that don’t require or even offer business travel.