Passion for travel

ASIA FOCUS

David Brett always dreamed about travelling around the world to discover new things, learn about new cultures and meet new people.

His dream is one shared by many others, but he has gone on to live it. He has a career that keeps him travelling all the time, with a company whose mission is to make travelling easier for everyone.

These days his home base is in Bangkok, where he heads Amadeus Asia Pacific, the travel technology specialist that helps link everyone from consumers and travel agents to hotels, airlines and airport operators.

Mr Brett's original hometown was Brighton, England, which attracts a lot of foreign students who visit the UK for education. His inspiration started from here.

"I met many foreigners in my hometown. So, I'm so familiar with people coming from different places of the world, and, with different cultures," he says. "That's why I have a passion to go out, discover new things in the big world and meet with people."

His dream drove him to start the first journey when he was only 19. After he left school, he packed his bags, walked down the street alone, put out his thumb and started hitchhiking. His destination: as many European countries as he could get to. He had 200 pounds cash in his pocket and hoped it would last him two months.

"Imagine travelling at that time when there were no credit cards available. I had to put my little sum of money in my socks so that I could be sure that no one could steal it. Unlike today, you can see that the trip was not easy."

Mr Brett also met a friend during his trip, but one day his friend gave up after they had waited hours for a ride in vain. He decided to continue his journey alone.

"I never give up or repeat the same thing. This is my character," he says. "If I have to go back, I won't go back on the same path. I'll find a new way even if it's more difficult and takes more time."

Mr Brett can't remember how many countries he visited during those two formative months, but his travels took him from the Scandinavian countries all the way south to Greece.

No matter how many countries he saw, he got what he expected: to discover, to learn, to share and to meet with people.

Soon, however, it was back to reality and getting on with the rest of his life in England. He enrolled in the University of East Anglia and graduated with an honours degree in economics. Some people might think economics has little relation to travel, but for Mr Brett it was the answer. "Economics is a basis for understanding discovery," he says.

After Mr Brett earned his degree, he worked briefly as a consultant for foreign students in the UK, then in corporate banking, specialising in finance and market research; however, he really didn't like the job. "As I mentioned earlier, I don't like repeating the same thing."

A visit to Spain and an offer to be a financial analyst at Amadeus in 1989 brought him closer to his dream.

He was attracted by the principle behind the Amadeus business, which is dedicated to helping people travel more frequently and easily with the help of a good technological infrastructure.

In 1995, Mr Brett was appointed director of markets for the Americas and Asia Pacific, and became head of Global Customer Support in 1997, before being promoted to president of Amadeus Asia Pacific in January 2000.

In 12 years in his current Bangkok-based position, Mr Brett has helped Amadeus expand its business substantially in the region. Over that time, the Bangkok staff has grown from a handful of people to more than 400.

As the key player in a business where technology meets travel, Amadeus has changed very rapidly during a past decade. The changes it has helped to promote throughout the industry have resulted in making travel easier than in the past.

"I have an optimistic view toward travel. When I think of travel, I find only the positive side of it," says Mr Brett. "People travel to explore and discover new things. They can learn new cultures and understand people. And I do believe that most people wish to travel. The only negative thing about travel I can think of may be just jet lag."

Mr Brett himself now takes as many as 200 flights a year. Most of them are for business and not leisure, but he still hasn't lost his enthusiasm for meeting new people and learning new things.

Some people might think that too many trips per year and a tight schedule may get boring, but Mr Brett doesn't think do. Again, technology makes his life in the air the same as on the ground or in his home.

For example, he says, he loves to listen to his favourite programmes on the radio. When he first came to Asia that was no longer possible because the technology wasn't available. Today, internet applications allow him to tune into his favourite programmes whenever he wants and wherever he is.

As well, technology helps him connect to his family when he's far from home. The peace of mind one gains from being able to stay in touch with home is also an important aspect of the travel experience.

Mr Brett believes that people should pursue their passions and dreams, and he brings this belief to his management style. He trusts in people's imagination and wants them to keep the passion alive. Hence, he allows staff to think freely as long as they can create good work.

Looking back on his 12 years at the helm of Amadeus Asia Pacific, he feels he's accomplished a lot but still has more to do. Ultimately, he wants to make sure that Amadeus's clients such as airlines and hotel operators have the best technology possible to make their businesses run smoothly.

"The word success is difficult to define. People may have different levels to define the word success," says Mr Brett.

"One day I had a presentation with my boss and I told him that something was successful. He asked me 'How did you know that?' Then I realised that it's hard to define this word.

"For me, the word success is not rated by numbers. But if my clients come to me and say Amadeus helped their businesses a lot, I will call this a success for me."

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David Brett

Career
1989-95: Financial analyst, Amadeus
1995-97: Director, Markets, Americas Asia Pacific, Amadeus
1997-2000: Director, Global Customer Support, Amadeus
2000-present: President, Amadeus Asia Pacific

Education
Honours degree in Economics, University of East Anglia

Family
Married

Hobby
Running, listening to the radio, gardening

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About the author

Writer: Nalin Viboonchart
Position: Reporter






Source: http://www.news.thethailandlinks.com/2012/11/20/passion-for-travel/