For Inspiration, Choose a Window Seat - Wall Street Journal
Road Warrior provides travel tips from those who know best: busy executives and other globetrotters.
Bill Roedy retired from MTV Networks International as chairman and chief executive last January after 22 years with the company.
But as chairman, envoy or board member of seven global health initiatives -- including UNAIDS, Global Business Initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunizations -- he continues to travel the globe regularly.
The 63-year-old, who now lives in London with his wife and four children, spoke to The Wall Street Journal about why he loves airplane food, his favorite line from "The Godfather" and landing in Mumbai in the dead of night.
Interviewer: How often are you up in the air?
Bill: I can still travel about once a week. It's been pretty much nonstop for the past 30 or 40 years. During my time with MTV I would occasionally do some unfortunate itineraries. My record was six cities in one day.
Interviewer: Where do you go most in the region?
Bill: Over the years, Singapore has been my most-visited Asian city... But I get everywhere.
Interviewer: What frequent-flier plans do you use?
All of them. It's nice how they're all so connected now. But I'm a member of everything, from South African Airways to Emirates to ANA.
Interviewer: Which Asian carrier offers the best travel experience?
Anybody who says they'd rather fly private probably hasn't flown first-class with Singapore Airlines on the A380. That's the height of air-travel luxury as far as I'm concerned. And by now it's legendary, but when you fly into Changi Airport on Singapore Airlines, your luggage actually beats you to the baggage claim.
Interviewer: Favorite airport in the region?
I remember one week several years ago, when I got to see the new airport in Beijing, Bangkok and Terminal 3 in Singapore all in the same week. I'd put those three at the very top. I loved affectionately Kai Tak, the old Hong Kong airport, because there was no city approach like it.
Interviewer: Best hotel in Asia?
For those with the budget, the Ritz-Carltons in Hong Kong and Tokyo are pretty stunning. But my favorite hotel anywhere is the Four Seasons in Singapore... And everyone has to put the Okura in Japan on their list. It's like a microcosm of Tokyo -- tiny rooms that are an intricate mosaic of everything fitting together and working perfectly.
Interviewer: Favorite airport-to-city journey?
It's hard to beat the beauty of the ride from Changi in Singapore. But what's actually more interesting for me are those airport-to-city trips where you can look out the window and see the diversity of the local street culture. I like to get a real taste of the place where I've just landed. So I just love Mumbai, especially when you land in the dead of night and have to travel across town. I just came from Dhaka and that was pretty extraordinary, too. One of my least favorites is Narita to Tokyo, because it's so long and you can't see anything.
Interviewer: How do you beat jet lag?
Bill: The simple answer is, you don't. You just have to accept that you're going to be tired a lot. That's the nature of global business. To quote my favorite line from "The Godfather:" "This is the life you've chosen."
Interviewer: Preferred luggage?
Bill: When Samsonite invented these four-wheelers, that was it for me. After back surgery, there's nothing that beats those.
Interviewer: Which airline serves the best food?
Bill: I've always gone counter to type on this -- I happen to love airplane food. I eat the food on just about every airline. We all complain, but think about it: You're flying in this steel contraption at 36,000 feet, going from continent to content at an unbelievable speed, and yet they still have the capability of serving you a warm meal? I'm pretty thankful for whatever I get in that context.
Interviewer: How do you keep up with exercise while on the road?
Bill: I actually exercise less on the road because my time is so limited. I like to convert my gym time into walking. If it's doable -- say, 45 minutes to an hour -- I'll walk back to my hotel from my meetings. This does two things: it gives you more of a vertical connection to the local culture—which I firmly believe is an important part of doing global business—and you get your exercise.
Interviewer: Essential travel gadgets?
Bill: My iPod is critical. I've encountered every turbulence situation or air-travel scare imaginable—landing on ice and sliding down the runway in Moscow or once being ushered onto a plane in Russia that was entirely empty except for me. I find that when you're in these uncomfortable positions, you can somehow endure them better with a soundtrack.
Interviewer: What city has the best taxis?
Bill: London still beats everybody. The cars are classic and comfortable, and the drivers have to take a two-year course, so they'll never get baffled. Tokyo is a close second.
Interviewer: How long does it take you to pack?
Bill: I can do it in about 15 minutes. You've got to be methodical. Ninety percent of people take too much. I actually try to under pack and leave space for gifts and accumulated paperwork that's going to be too heavy to carry it in my briefcase.
Interviewer: Other than music, what does a retired MTV exec do for in-flight entertainment?
Bill: When I'm on the way there, I tend to focus on reading and preparing for the visit, whether it's cultural prep with travel guides and the local newspaper, or getting things clear on the business side. Coming back, it's the exact opposite: I dig into the in-flight entertainment. I avoid the big action movies -- because you want to see those in the cinema -- go for the smaller films that I've missed, which are often the most meaningful.
Interviewer: Takeaway travel tip?
Bill: Some people say they have their best ideas in the shower. I find my best ideas come to me on the airplane. I try to sit by the window. When you have those views, combined with that solitude, it can be so inspiring. So, make sure you always have a piece of paper and a pen -- in my case, it's a favorite green ink pen -- to jot down ideas before they float away.
