How much do you travel? About three times a month.
Where was your ever first flight? From Luton Airport to Malaga in 1968.
Aisle or window? It depends: aisle if I want to stay awake, window if I plan to sleep.
What’s your favorite airport? Hong Kong and also Heathrow – Terminal 5 is brilliant! My least favorite airport? Calgary! They are overdoing the Airport Improvement Fee and making flying less affordable.
Favorite city? Can I name four? Istanbul, Barcelona, London and New York.
How do you stay fit when you travel? I think staying fit is a lot of little things, like walking, cycling and taking the stairs when you can. One of the reasons I love Fairmont Hotels is because you don’t need to take workout gear – they provide it all including the clothing.
How do you cope with jetlag? Drugs! (laughs) I have a prescription for a medication that helps me sleep and highly recommend it. Also on a long flight I don’t drink and I eat lightly. Plus as soon as I board the aircraft I change my watch to the destination’s time.
What do you do with your downtime when you are on the road? Wander around, explore. What I love about travel is seeing the people: there’s no better way to see a city than at 6:00 in the morning as people start their day.
If you could sit next to anyone on a long haul flight, who would it be? My wife.
Your must-have travel accessory? My phone. And at least 2 or 3 books – real books.
How do you spend your frequent flyer points? On long-haul, business class tickets.
Favorite vacation destination? There are so many! Africa, much of Europe. India is phenomenally interesting.
How many countries have you been to? 105.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for corporate travel in the next 12 months? In some of the busy cities – including Calgary – there’s a space crunch in good hotels.
Favorite travel tip? My wife and I split our belongings between bags in case one goes missing. And we always pack a simple carry-on bag so if need be we can go for a few days without our checked luggage.