A LOOK INSIDE THE DIARY OF AMERICAN
WAY'S ROAD WARRIOR WINNER
We wanted a peek into the mind of a true Road Warrior, so we asked
Grand Prize Winner to keep a travelogue on a recent business trip.
American Way's judges chose him from more than 8,000 entries
as this year's ultimate Road Warrior, so we knew he had the travel
credentials. As senior vice president of sales at the nationwide
Spanish-language radio company, Radio Unica Network, Meyer goes on
the road almost weekly to meet with current advertising clients and
pitch new ones. From his base in
Los Angeles, he might hit St.
Louis,
Dallas, and
Phoenix all in one trip, as he did on the trip
he chronicles below, and as you'll discover from this diary, he
makes friends at every stop. (For more on the contest and Karl
Meyer, see
"The New Jet Set" ).
Without further ado, here's one day in this Road Warrior's life,
sunup to sundown. We're betting that it will give you business
travelers a bit of déjà vu - and something to show people when they
ask what you do when you're gone all the time.
TUESDAY 5:00 a.m. (PST) ARE WE READY YET? The alarm clock
never goes off before a road trip. It's not broken, but I always
manage to wake up one hour before it goes off. Today I embark on a
four-day, three-night trip, L.A. to St. Louis to Dallas to Phoenix
and back to L.A. Piece of cake. I'll manage with a meticulously
packed carry-on.
I stare at the ceiling and review my checklist …
-I still need to make those last-minute changes to the
presentations …
-Did my assistant arrange for Rick Washington to pick me up at the
office or am I driving myself?
-I'd better pack an extra shirt and tie just in case …
-I hope I wasn't too hard on Alyssa after reviewing her report card
…