In one day from Travel Consultant to Business World Traveler!
On a beautiful sunny day in December, I, Esmee Rambach (Business Travel Consultant), started a new workday at the Arnhem office. I find Friday to be a pleasant workday because it's often the busiest day of the week, with last-minute requests for the following week or some changes to implement. And yes, as much as I enjoy my work, the feeling that the weekend is just around the corner always makes this day extra nice.
On Board Courier to Taipei
This time, I unsuspectingly picked up a request from a client who handles On Board Courier services. I had never considered what this entailed before, but it means that packages are delivered to the desired destination by an employee of another company. These are often urgent requests, departing the same afternoon or evening to all corners of the world and/or major cities. It's always fun to start these kinds of complicated requests and solve the puzzle. Because yes, if a request is submitted to us after a certain time and many international flights have already departed from Schiphol, there may be few to no options left. And that's precisely what I enjoy doing the most: searching through our systems until I find a suitable possibility!
This time, a package had to be delivered in Taipei. The direct flight with KLM had already departed. “What a bummer,” I thought. At the same time, my thoughts wandered for a moment, "How is that friend who is studying in Taipei doing?" But back to business. After thorough research, I had finally found a possibility: a flight via Seoul, departing that same evening at 9:20 PM with KLM, followed by Eva Air. Then, flying back on Sunday, just after midnight, directly with KLM, arriving on Monday morning. I sent the proposal to the client and waited with great curiosity for their response.
Spontaneous actions are the most fun, right?!
Less than 10 minutes later, the customer returned with an answer. I was thanked for, among other things, the quick approach and the pleasant travel itinerary, but the customer still had one problem: there was no courier yet to take the package to Taipei for him. Because of the good relationship this customer and Uniglobe have with each other, he jokingly asked: “And Esmee, what are you actually doing this weekend?” To which I innocently replied: “Nothing special, actually. No particular plans, at least.” “Oh...”, he said, “Doesn't Taipei sound appealing to you?” Hmm, for a brief second, I thought of that friend in Taipei again and said without thinking: “Well, that sounds like fun!”.
And so, no sooner said than done. The ball started rolling, and by 5:00 PM I had printed my own ticket, after consulting with my manager, of course, and I sprinted home like crazy to grab my suitcase. Because yes, my flight to Taipei departed at 9:20 PM.
On the way to the airport, I called my mother, who was at a Christmas market in Germany at the time. “Mom…” I said. “I’m on my way to Schiphol. I have to drop off a package in Taipei.” The answer I got was: “What are you doing? A package? Where is Taipei?” I had to chuckle a bit and realized that it must indeed have sounded strange, dropping off a package to almost the other side of the world. I briefly explained to my mother where Taipei is, what kind of package it was, and hung up. At least she was a little reassured.
Once on the plane, I realized that this was the first time I would be flying in a Jumbo Jet Boeing 747 half cargo, that it would be my first time outside of Europe, and that I would be seeing my girlfriend.
Eva Air, also known as Hello Kitty Air.
An exciting taxi ride and mini city trip
Upon arriving in Taipei, I looked for a taxi and had myself dropped off at the address where I had to drop off the package. I asked if the taxi driver could call another taxi for me so I could be taken to my girlfriend. So far so good.
I had done 0.0% research on Taipei and the country, so I didn't know that the taxi drivers didn't speak English, and English is a hardly spoken language in Taipei at all! I gave the address, which was in Chinese characters, to the taxi driver and he started driving. Strangely, he didn't know where he was going and I started to get a bit anxious. Eventually, in a panic, I asked him if he would stop. I'd rather walk than stay in the car with this crazy driver for another second. And as if fate had decided it, I got out of the taxi and stood face to face with my girlfriend! What a relief. Relieved, I went inside. It was evening by then, so we talked a bit and went to sleep.
The next day (Sunday), she showed me some of the city where a marathon was taking place at that moment. We ate noodles, walked through shopping malls, and bought some cheap Chinese souvenirs. In the evening, we did some more shopping on a main street and ate in a hall where 100 different scents and flavors mingled. After this packed day, I said goodbye to my friend and headed back to the airport, where my flight back to the Netherlands departed just after midnight.
Noodles for breakfast!
Back to business!
At the airport, I suddenly realized how a business traveler must feel. Traveling to a destination for a short period, working there, and then traveling back in no time. I was, to say the least, knackered. Fortunately, I flew back on a direct KLM flight and landed in Amsterdam the next morning at 7:00 AM. I went straight home to freshen up, and by 10:00 AM, I was back at the office, refreshed and ready to book the next trips for our clients. It was quite a weekend!
The tired look after 24 hours in Taipei.
Thanks to this trip, I've certainly gained a lot of experience, I can empathize better with business travelers, and I've seen my girlfriend, in short! Curious about more special stories, like those from my colleague Anne-Marie Koopmans who spent a number of days in the world city of SingaporeInterested in current events regarding business travel, new developments, and a behind-the-scenes look at Uniglobe Alliance Travel? Then follow our LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook Page to stay up-to-date with the latest blogs!