Life in the time of COVID-19 with Flight Centre’s Darren Wright

This week, Travel Weekly caught up with Flight Centre Travel Group’s global chief marketing officer, Darren ‘Daz’ Wright, to find out how he’s been faring since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

What are you reading?

Lockdown makes you do some funny things, including rereading some classics like Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind, intertwined with some Byron Sharp and Mark Ritson musings.

What are you watching?

Lupin (Netflix) and Good Omens (Amazon Prime).

What are you listening to?

Lo-fi jazz on Spotify, mixed with A Perfect Circle and Velvet Underground

What are you cooking?

Vegetarian everything. Exploring the world of mushrooms at the moment.

How are you staying fit both physically and mentally?

Pilates, MTB riding and when I can, surfing – good for mind, body and soul!

What’s something positive you’ve witnessed or experienced since the coronavirus hit?

The coming together of many different communities and cultures over Zoom and Teams meetings. I feel we are closer and more connected than we’ve ever been.

What have you learned about yourself amid the crisis?

Patience.

What’s your advice for others in the industry on coping with the crisis?

Patience.

Where is your favourite domestic travel destination?

Anywhere there are open borders.

What is the one international travel memory keeping you going through this time?

Just before COVID shut us down, I did a trip that included Cape Town, London, New York, Toronto, a quick ski at Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia, on to LA (which included a 40-kilometre bike ride along the west coast), then home.

Where do you want to travel to once international travel restrictions ease up?

When Fiji opens, I’m going straight over and surfing for a week at Cloudbreak. And when Japan opens, I’m going skiing – accommodation is booked and my finger is hovering over the book button for flights in January.