Stephen Cook founded Lorandus Meetings & Communications in 2007 and stands as the company’s Chief Inspiration Officer today.
Since its inception, Lorandus has been a provider of non-cash reward and recognition solutions to leading corporations in both Canada and the United States. With over 100 destinations travelled, we sat down with Stephen who answered six travel questions, on the fly.
As a frequent traveller, I log nearly 100 flight segments a year. That much travel in a year brings on some curious and sometimes familiar behaviours when travelling. I’ll admit I’m a mileage junkie of sorts, so I tend to stick to one airline’s alliance. For some time now, driven by what some would say is mild obsessiveness, I have been diligently recording & tracking all of my segments on an excel spreadsheet to see how far I’ve gone.
My team would also tell you I’m a ‘just in time’ traveller, arriving at the airport ‘just in time’ to catch my flight. This can be risky, but in over twenty-five years of travelling, I have yet to miss a flight. Now that’s not to say that I’ve never sprinted to make one.
I have gotten in the habit of making a protein shake at home before I head to the airport. This way I avoid the high sodium airport food. Just before boarding, I always buy a sweet and a salty snack to interrupt the boredom of the flight itself.
For a beverage, I mostly prefer to stick with water, but maybe a glass of wine (or two!)
I am very interested in airplanes and have an in-depth knowledge about the various models to the point that I select my seat based on the plane model. Always an aisle seat, but if it’s a wide-bodied plane, I would select an aisle in the center section if possible. Whether there is any truth to it, I prefer to be away from any radiation that can be present closer to the windows.
Checked baggage is a no-go for me. I only travel with carry on. I have been known to do a quick laundry at the local laundromat or a hand-wash, if necessary. One of the best benefits of carry-on is, an expeditious exit from the airport with said luggage.
These days you can buy most things at your destination, but believe it or not, I always buy a full sized sleeping pillow from Walmart for $4. I have found the pillow invaluable to have on the long-haul, overnight flights. If you have ever experienced the paper-towel covered- tissue boxed sized ‘pillows ‘ on flights these days, you will know what I mean!
