You must have grown tired of all those corona discussions by now. Will travel return to the pre-COVID-19 level? Is it a W or V shape? Domestic travel in China is almost at the pre-pandemic level, but European flight occupancy is starting to slide. Breathe in, breathe out. In the past few months, we’ve talked…
I enjoy the sound of a plane’s roaring engines during takeoff. The pilot’s occasional updates while I’m reading the latest edition of The Best American Short Stories. The view of a fairylike, miniature city from the window. I love so-so airplane food. Turbulence while typing on my laptop. Small children who go through a roller…
Recently, I asked one of Roadmap’s customer about her objectives for the coming years. She smiled and told me she didn’t have any yet. Her original goals had been to cut cost, travel less, conduct more online meetings, double down on working from home, and reduce her company’s CO2 emissions. Sounds like a five-year plan,…
The summer holidays are knocking on our doors, and Europe is opening up. Italy, Greece, Spain, and France are allowing a number of people to cross their borders again. So, we can go to the beach and have a beer. Like I’ve shared before, I love going to restaurants, bars, and big (sports) events. But…
Last weekend, a team of smart, driven Roadmappers participated in the Trave/Scrum Global Travel Hackathon. Together with my co-workers Patrick, Niels, Micha, Sheruela, and Glenn, I went on a mission to empower business travelers to get back on the road. Find out what happened! Remote: different concept, same adrenaline I’ll be honest with you. I…
I jumped on the train, wearing a face mask like I was supposed to. There were a few reasons why I went to the office. First and foremost, we are in the travel industry, so I need to put my money where my mouth is. And let’s be honest – a train ride is far…
At Roadmap, we have a long history of working remotely. Hopping online from our home offices isn’t new to us. Our team members are responsible for bringing their best to the Roadmap table – which means we attach value to two things. First and foremost: collaboration. Working together is paramount. Second: results. What have our…
After a time of travel bans, we have noticed that our customers are putting travel back on the agenda. Slowly and carefully, but still – some people are traveling for business purposes again. In most cases, we’re talking local (commuting) travel. But one of my friends who lives in Prague actually hopped on flight KL1350…
Last week, I read a great interview with John Rose in The Company Dime. John – or, as I call him, mister Rose – was a program director for the U.S. Department of Defense in Italy, president of AIG Travel Guard Assist, and COO of iJet (now WorldAware). Unsurprisingly, all eyes in the industry are…
These are surreal times. Like many countries, the Netherlands has started to shut down due to coronavirus concerns: schools are closed for the next three weeks, and my wife and I both work from home. Here’s what our morning looked like: after having breakfast together, we helped our three kids create their own little ‘study…