Checking in...airplanes, burgers, and Doechii
An inside look at a 24-hour reporting trip.
This is a quickie update as I sit in the Qantas lounge for an hour before I take off for Australia. Appreciate you for following along!
Last week, I spent about 24 hours in Atlanta, flying from my home in LA and back again. It was one of the most efficient work trips I’ve ever had. Let me explain.
As a freelancer, if I’m not working, I’m not getting paid—it’s as simple as that. Therefore, I have to be extra strategic when I travel. Work trips should be worthwhile, and I’ll think about travel through the ability to recoup my time investment in published stories and videos.
My 24-hour trip was a masterclass in freelance efficiency, although it took me basically all weekend to recover, so it’s not like I want to do these regularly.
Let me tell you about the deliverables that this trip helped with…
A video on Delta’s new Shake Shack burger (yum!)
A video on a new Airbus A350 that just got delivered and hasn’t had passengers onboard yet (I guess I was the first one?)
A video on Virgin Atlantic’s new LAX Clubhouse (chic!)
An interview with Delta’s head of onboard services (for a written story)
A Doechii concert. Okay, there was no new story here, but it was a fun launch of Delta and Uber’s partnership (and I got my dance on). I wrote about how Delta SkyMiles members can earn on Uber rides for AFAR back in January
Also, connecting with executives and PR contacts in person is invaluable…I’ve learned that building relationships is so much of what you just have to do in this industry.
Plus, I got to see Delta’s newly renovated Flight Museum (!) at ATL (which satisfied my AvGeek itch and also helped with potential stories in the future).
Finally, I watched Delta employees participate in what is probably my new favorite corporate engagement event: Jet Drag! Essentially, teams across the company fundraise for the American Cancer Society on the tarmac at ATL. The competition? The team that can pull a Boeing 757 the fastest. Yes, they are literally pulling a plane for charity.
It was a doozy of a 24 hours—dancing at the Doechii concert included.
Where I’m headed next
I scheduled this email to be sent out as I whizz through the air somewhere over the Pacific on a WiFi-less Qantas flight to Sydney. My final stop? Lizard Island, set within a pristine national park and part of the Great Barrier Reef chain of islands. I got dive certified in January in Fiji and can’t wait to go below the surface again later this week. (This is a press trip with Relais & Châteaux.)
Speaking of Qantas, the airline is one of a handful that have invested in their double-decker aircraft (these planes are crowd favorites!). Unfortunately, no new A380s or 747s are being made anymore, so what is already out there is all that’s left, as I wrote for CNN Travel.
This one is a short update, but if you made it this far, THANK YOU. I’ll be honest, I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut of late (and looking for more work!), so it feels good to just write freely.
Now, read my latest story (and my first for Thrillist!) about the corporatization of glamping…a deep dive into a topic I’ve wanted to write about for a while. I talked to travel experts about the surge in hotel chains pursuing the outdoors. Think: Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott. It’s mostly a positive development for travelers, but a cautionary tale, too.
That’s it for now, but I have a lot on my mind that I’m sure I’ll share soon.
Checking in from the Qantas lounge at LAX,
Chris