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SCMP Reporter

Michael Roche, executive director, Singapore Formula 1 (above)  
What's your favourite seat on a plane?  
I'm a window guy and I sit as close  to the front as  I can:  it's less claustrophobic, but away from the galley and washrooms.
How can we become more  airport-friendly travellers?
Don't arrive too early, but never too late; don't  take hefty hand luggage;  have a pre-flight foot reflexology massage where possible; shop for things you never have time to get around to in non-airport mode; make sure your luggage is easily identifiable and carries a priority tag.
What's your travel horror story?
There are many. Arriving at the luggage carousel in Hong Kong airport to find my bag with US$7,000 of personal belongings  stolen.  A 42-hour long run of flights from Singapore to Taipei to Los Angeles to Washington to Miami to Rio de Janeiro.  The return was even longer via La Paz, Panama, San Francisco and Tokyo to Singapore.   Arriving in fog-bound Srinigar, Kashmir,  with bullets and bombs going off, and being stuck on a house boat for days with little food  and no flight out.   
How do you get the most out of a  new city in a limited time?
Do your homework  before arriving. Ask friends who have been before to recommend places and introduce you to  people they know who live there. Walk as much as you can -  you'll take in  more.  
What's your most memorable experience when travelling?
Again many: first  time seeing the Manhattan skyline; trekking in the Himalayas, turning a corner and seeing Everest for the first time; first landing  at Kai Tak at night; first visit to the Golden Temple in Kyoto; paragliding off the Rio cliffs and landing on Ipanema beach.
What's your next big trip and why?
End of the month to Los Angeles to work and meet with  artists,  event managers and agents and plan  shows for Asia. Then  on to Orlando for a Trends  fashion meeting with Hard Rock International. Next stop London to meet  my wife, daughter and friends, then on to Yorkshire to see more family and friends and then  Paris to party.
Given HK$100,000 to travel,  how would you spend it?
If I had the time, long and slow.
What kind of traveller are you?
Impatient when travelling by plane. I love to take long driving holidays  in places like New Zealand. Adventurous and intrepid. Totally hopeless, I love to just sit on a beach.
Is there one country or city that has pleasantly surprised you - how?
Cambodia and Nepal for the kindness  of the people and  their enduring hope  in the face  of such adversity.  




Jet Set: Michael Roche