You can travel around the world in 60 days, if you work in the travel industry! It reads like a job description for the best job in the world. Whatever. Don’t be facetious! No, it’s true. If I was to say Las Vegas, Barcelona, Tenerife, Marrakech, Cannes and London, although only three continents, I’m pretty sure that one or two of these destinations are on your ‘MUST SEE BEFORE I DIE’ list.
Well, for plane-loads of travel industry professionals, the arrival of October means a lot of air miles, cold cure, late nights, throat lozenges, Skype, panic email answering, plasters, stamina, mints, love for their job and more stamina.
There are too many to mention, but from 5th October 2015 to 3rd December 2015 I have chosen six trade shows to highlight the lengths and breadths of the world we visit.
I am based in Dunblane, Scotland and distances are as the crow flies, so add on 5% for detours! Here goes. On your marks, get set, go.
Dunblane to The International Golf Travel Market (Tenerife) = 2011 miles
Tenerife to Dunblane = 2011 miles
Dunblane (via London) to IMEX America (Las Vegas) = 5586
Las Vegas to Dunblane (via London) = 5586
Dunblane to the World Travel Market (London) = 360
London to Dunblane = 360
Dunblane to PURE (Marrakech) = 1704
Marrakech to Dunblane = 1704
Dunblane to IBTM (Barcelona) = 1060
Barcelona to Dunblane = 1060
Dunblane to ILTM (Cannes) = 1000
Cannes to Dunblane = 1000
Total = 23,442 miles (+ 5% detours = 24,614). The official circumference of the world is 24,901 miles.
I suppose what I am trying to highlight is that we work hard, the sector isn’t necessarily as well-paid as others, or arguably as well-respected, the hours are long and time away from the family tough. But, if you look at the positives, that’s some list of places to work! We can’t all claim to have relaxed on the beach with a beer after a day of meetings, followed by a quick go on the slot machines at the Bellagio, before eating in the Shard overlooking the Thames, whilst looking forward to a stroll around the souks for some early Christmas gifts, not forgetting a late-night tour of the Sagrada Familia, finishing the 60 days with a well-earned relax on a yacht on the Cote d’Azur.
I, for one, love the industry. It is a pleasure to sell fantastic places and amazing experiences. The perk of seeing some fantastic and amazing places is an added bonus. What’s not to love?
I’d be really interested to hear who travelled around the world (or more!)? There were 55,000 delegates at WTM, so that’s a lot of travel industry professionals over six shows.
For the record, I understand about the carbon footprint, but that’s not what this particular blog is about.
