For today’s business travelers, it’s all about the integration of work and life
“There are always surprises [on the road]so I earned myself time. Kelly Wearstler’s design eyes behind the proper hotel said he might have mint tea before bed or pre-dawn double Macchiato Guapo Betters, wherever she could open up similar struggles, even if she had gone in the morning, and then illuminated a dedication candle, of course her own brand, and walking to the local grocery store (even the unfamiliar shelves) was the key: he wrapped around a jump rope everywhere and stretched in resistance bands between calls.
Illustration: Alex Green
People in the tourism industry can also feel the instinct of this ritual as they work behind the scenes to meet the evolving needs of travelers. Tim Harrington, who shaped boutique hotels on the Maine coastline for Atlantic hospitality, began making every reservation in what he called the “Pre-Concierge,” where he fine-tuned the details before guests even dropped the bag. The cabin pivots into the studio; the pool cabin is a meeting room. When the tour musicians needed to record the setup at the last minute, the team at Harrington picked up an old-fashioned table and some worn lights from the warehouse and then rebuilt the bunk bed room into a makeshift sound booth at dusk.
This flexibility turns warm hospitality into craftsmanship. Personal time also guides David Zipkin’s TradeWind Aviation, a boutique airline that combines booked flights with charter services. While most commercial air travel feels like sprints at checkpoints and waiting areas, Tradewind slows down the clock. “Our guests arrived only 30 minutes before takeoff, so they called at home or lingered with their family for a longer time than wasting an hour at the dock,” he said. On the boat, the rhythm was also intentionally shifted: a seat with breathing space, a playlist prompt, which is the feeling of traveling around them rather than the other way around.
While most business travelers do their best to rebuild their home on the road, Chad Robertson and Liz Barclay stripteases are back. Robertson, co-founder of Tartine and one of the most respected bakers in the United States, is a photographer who stares at neglected details. The couple spent two years moving, bounced between living and field investigations between four continents. Originally surfing and pouring in Costa Rica quickly entered a more active exercise that allowed them to pursue new angles for their craft between home and rural cereal factories in Latin America and between Back Valley bakeries in Melbourne. “Even during work trips, allowing last-minute pivots keep you sharp,” Robertson said.
Regardless of where they find themselves, they build a loose rhythm around what they find- Barclays can center themselves in a quiet corner, and Robertson can knead bread or pound his substitute countertop. “You just need enough structure to make the work real and then open the rest enough to leave a mark on itself,” Barclays said.
