What do your
peers and colleagues hope to accomplish this
summer? I asked some of our readers where
they plan to travel and how they hope to
enhance their knowledge of the industry
during the coming months. What I found out
was they’d be—as usual—combining their love
of travel with work, which in many cases,
involves visiting new places.
“Summer, what is
that? I so long to sit in my backyard with a
Mojito and do nothing, but that wouldn’t be
me,” laughs Mary Jean Tully, chairman & CEO of
The Cruise
Professionals. “My husband [Brad]
and I just returned from a month in
Asia. It was part business and part
pleasure. There is such a fine line between
the two, because I love what I do so much.
We get to go back to all of these wonderful
places and yet see a lot of new hotels and
establish relationships with old ones. We
have many clients who live in Hong
Kong and Shanghai,
so there were so many wonderful things
planned for us.
“Next week I
am heading down to Ft. Lauderdale
for Seabourn’s Pinnacle Club Meeting for two days,
then at the end of the month I am heading
out to Santa Barbara for a
wedding of a very good friend who is also a
client.
“In June, I
head to New York for a day
of meetings, then dinners with clients.
Later in the month I head to
Southampton to join the christening
of the brand new Eurodam for
Holland America’s
Centurion Event.
In July, I’ll participate in the
Crystal Gala aboard the
Serenity. Then in September and
October, we are hosting our Chairman’s
cruises in Europe. After
one of the cruises, my husband and I are
flying from Istanbul (where
we will spend a few days kicking back) and
then fly to Cappadocia,
where Brad and I will do hot-air ballooning
with friends and stay a few days. That will
be so nice.
“All in all
it is a very busy summer. But, it is a
combination of what I love best; business
and pleasure are so closely connected. We
are truly blessed.”
