Welcome to a year that requires grit, strength and a leap of faith
CLOSING out the year, battered by news of yet another Greek tragedy unfolding in our world and the travel industry, I was determined to start 2022 on an optimistic note.
So I listened to an interview with Espen Fadnes, one of the world’s most famous base jumpers, who I think is the most optimi [...]
Here’s to more jetlag and more “defiant soldiers” in 2022
THIS is the longest jetlag I've ever had, and I am enjoying every moment of it.
In my youth, or as we would say in Singlish “when young time”, I reveled in my jetlag. Those sleepless hours in the night, when everyone was sleeping, were the best time for writing – no interruptions bar the o [...]
Ready to be a giddy GOAT? Yes, it’s time to go BIG
Yeoh Siew Hoon feels like a kid in a candy store after a marathon trip across the US and Europe
I’VE always fancied myself to be a bit of an eagle (free, fast and flying high) or an owl (wise and nocturnal) – by the way, my new favourite bookstore is now The Learned Owl in Hudson, Ohio [...]
Letter from Paris: Down here, it’s normal. Out there, it’s not
“I HAD forgotten how much I missed this,” said the passenger seated next to me as our aircraft taxied to the gate at Newark Airport.
“This?”, I
asked politely, even though I was anxious as hell to get off the plane given
the flight had been delayed by two hours and I only had 30 minutes [...]
Letter from Ohio: Rock & roll, small towns and apple pie
CLEVELAND, Ohio, may not be the most obvious destination for a first holiday in 20 months, but it certainly yields the most unexpected discoveries. And perhaps this could be the way post-pandemic travel eventually pans out – that we seek out the not-so-obvious to truly enjoy the serendipity and a [...]
Letter from Fort Lauderdale: The sun rises on global travel
Expedia's Kern says no more “peanut butter” approach to expansion while Concur founder Steve Singh dives deep into corporate travel disruption
WHEN Mark Mahaney, senior managing director of investment banking firm, Evercore, asked the audience at the Phocuswright conference how many had trav [...]
Letter from Miami: Take a deep breath, dive in, viva la vida
WHEN I told my friends in New York I was headed to Miami next, their first reaction was, “Be careful. It’s crazy there.”Coming from Singapore, with its restrictions on social life and crowds, New York is already crazy enough – to be back with humanity again, to be breathing the same air wit [...]
Letter from 41,000 feet: Crying over satay and The Father
I NEVER thought I’d feel emotional at the sight of satay but I am told that at 41,000 feet, cabin pressure does something to your senses so you cry more easily over movies (The Father is best watched when alone) and, in this case, familiar skewers of chicken coated with spicy peanut sauce.
Sa [...]
WiT Experience Singapore: On-site speakers share their perspectives
A TOTAL of six overseas speakers flew from the US and Europe into Singapore under specially-facilitated Safe Travel Passes to take part in WiT Experience. Three of them share their comments on the hybrid experience, and their views on virtual vs hybrid vs physical.
Frederic Barou (extreme right [...]
Case study of WiT Experience: From bedsheets in Luang Prabang to giant drop-down panels at Marina Bay Sands
Business events have come a long way, and there’s a long way more to go
I RECALL once having to host a conference in Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of Laos, and when we arrived at the venue – which was a government’s meeting hall – we realised there was no projector screen in sight. [...]
