“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Like no other trip I can remember one this past month best represents the love-hate relationship I've developed with my life of non-stop business travel. It was the first time I attended my firm's annual central banks conference in Japan. At it, I met nine standing or former policymakers. I listened to Karl Rove, the evil genius, bash President Obama and his faltering Democratic party. I rode my first Japanese bullet train, a modern technological marvel. The average delay for this train is 35 seconds. When a conductor exceeds it he must submit a report. When I heard this, I thought of the length of the strike UK train workers would stage if asked to meet similar standards. I visited the ancient city of Kyoto in style, culminating my visit at the firm founders' villa, with gardens so beautiful no less than Japan's emperor had stopped by for a private stroll a few weeks ago. At the gardens, I had my picture taken with two (of only 50) Geisha girls in training, called "maiku" (dance child). As I rode the bullet train back to Tokyo, I couldn't help but reminisce at how much this Scranton boy had experienced in the 25 years since leaving home.
Then the bad news began to trickle in. A volcanic eruption in Iceland, this time real rather than financial, had caused an ash cloud to form that was beginning to affect air space in the UK and much of northern Europe. Having experienced what a well-predicted snow cloud can do to UK transport services, I reckoned a once-in-200-year volcanic ash cloud had the makings of a proper mess. Ever the pragmatist, I called my secretary and began booking myself on flights in places as close to London as France and as far off as Hong Kong and New York. I was going to beat this damn cloud and get home to my family. In the end, I won the war but lost a few battles. I did get home to my family, but five days late. To get there, I travelled literally around the world: London to Tokyo, Tokyo to New York, New York to Rome and finally Rome to London. Along the way, the ash clould had its allies, one typical the other unexpected. The typical one was the incompetence of UK authorities. The decision to close UK airspace for the longest period since WWII was made using an error-prone computer model - it turns out the plane that would have been used to test the atmosphere was "in the shop." A less typical one was an all-too-uncommon high pressure system in England. It brought the first warm, immaculately sunny period London for as long as I can remember, but also helped to keep the ash clould sitting above country!
As I reflected on the trip, I realized more than ever how one's perception of things can change with time. After nearly twelve years of constant business travel, my desire to experience new people and places remains nearly undiminished. Few have been able to see the world in the way I have. I've been to 45 countries using no less than 49 air carriers. I have been to nearly every major city around the globe and quite a few minor ones. And many of my experiences have been memorable. I was once propositioned by a horse-riding Ukrainian prostitute in the streets of Moscow. I sped through Gleneagles' world-reknowned golf course in a cart trying to interrupt any serious golfers I could find (including unfortunately, the head of my business). I even interviewed would-be economists at Rio's famous Copa Cabana beach bar - I choose the table that faced the beach! All these experiences while technically "working."
But I also know the bar has been raised for what I view as a new experience. Left with the thought of sitting out my exile in Tokyo, I found myself seeing the city's flaws rather than its virtues. When I first visited Tokyo more than 10 years ago the city seemed so futuristic, so exotic - like a modern-day version of Blade Runner without the persistent rain. And having grown quite fond of a good culinary experience, I think Tokyo offers amongst the best food on the planet. Where else can you enjoy a 3-hour chicken yakatori experience - course upon course of ever-more exotic parts of the bird, with a dose of sake in between each one (persumably to help lubricate the mind for the more adventurous parts.) But after more than a dozen visits to Tokyo, it is easier to spot some flaws. For instance, thanks to the phenomenal success of allied bombing raids and a post-war bout of urban "renewal", Tokyo has lost much of the history and culture that Kyoto still boasts. In its place, Tokyo has transformed itself into a city of neon flash. And while the gaijin (non Japanese) district called Roppongi is one of the more reknowned party districts in the world, there is a limit to its appeal once you reach my age. While colleagues seeing Tokyo for the first time marveled at the city, I knew it held nothing much new for me anymore.
I've also learned the while I love new things, I increasingly crave the familiar. While my initial instinct was to fly somewhere new and hopefully sunny to wait out the naughty (and apparently not very dangerous) ash cloud, I settled on a 13-hour flight to New York City. The main reason was New York offered the best chance I had to get home quickly - no other city outside of Europe has so many flights to London. But I also knew that if I was going to be holed up for days to come, the familiarity of New York - friends, some family and the city itself - felt far superior to experiencing something new by myself.
From time to time I run into people who think my life is glamorous, especially the crazy travel. I suppose there are elements of it, every now and then. But as I wondered through New York City in a pair of overused underwear (my hotel did not do laundry on sundays), my memories of sipping sake and eating sushi in Kyoto's most beautiful gardens were already fading quickly - overwhelmed by my burning desire to get home to my family. And a phone call with my two little boys some ten days into the ordeal, I knew they at least would welcome a tad less glamour and a little more daddy in their lives (although Gideon already sees Tokyo as the place you can get the cool kitty cars.)
A Scranton Boy In Chelsea
P.S. I wasn't being totally honest about my decision to go to NYC. If you want full disclosure, it is still the best place on earth to get some cheap shopping done - my trip home to London included an extra bag or two!
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