I am writing this week’s column from Sydney, where I am visiting my sister for an Easter holiday with my family.
The reason I mention this is not to show off my glamorous location – in fact it sounds like the weather’s been better back home – but because this trip has demonstrated how easy it is to stay in touch even when you’re on the other side of the world.
In the past week I’ve spoken to colleagues and sent stories via email, carried out a breaking-news interview in the UK on my mobile and kept abreast of everything that’s happening on Travelweekly.co.uk, Twitter and Facebook.
And if I can do it, it makes sense that travel companies can do it too. Some forward-thinking firms have already established satellite operations outside their UK bases, with overseas staff ensuring seamless customer service whatever the time or day.
These initial forays into the logistics of a global workforce have also offered an insight into the opportunities for cross-border selling and standalone offices in different markets.
I remember speaking to Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer when he started in the job about the opportunities for UK travel firms to sell more in overseas markets.
Yet 10 years on, the number of companies doing so successfully is still relatively small.
There will always be regulatory and logistical hurdles to overcome, of course, and any expansion should be both strategic and measured.
But where growth opportunities may once have been in a different region of the UK, now they could well be in a completely different timezone.