<p>I am a junior accounting major at a good private college and am interesting in Big 4 accounting. I was wondering how often do Big 4 associates have to travel is they are working for a firm located in one of the big cities such as NYC, Boston, Chicago, etc? I am not a very big fan of airplane travel and have a fear of flying and I was wondering if I could still become an associate in audit/tax at Big 4? If its allowed I have no qualms about getting into my car and driving for 5-6 hours and would much rather do that than take an airplane. I took a roadtrip with my buddies to FL this summer (22 hours) and it was a pleasant experience. Would working in a big city reduce my travel requirements and make it possible to commute to the client's location by car or amtrak etc. </p>
<p>You have to travel to where the client is. In a really large population center like Chicago, or NY that might be down the street a couple of blocks. In a midwestern state with farm businesses it might be a couple hundred miles away by car. Sending audit staff to a job by air wouldn’t be a very efficient way to do business if there is somebody else to send who is within driving distance.</p>
<p>This will vary by firm and especially by individual office. It’s something you should ask audit staffers about when you get to the interview stage. You can find out what you need to know without letting them know you don’t like flying.</p>