【英语国际】英国设计师的商旅心得

Road Warrior provides travel tips from those who know best: busy executives and other globetrotters.

Designer Michael Young has developed concepts for everything from bicycles to iPhone speakers to Lacoste polo shirts, and his work is included in the collections at the Louvre and Centre Pompidou in Paris.

The 45-year-old, who founded his studio in London, today splits his time between Hong Kong and his family home in Sydney, while traveling throughout Asia and Europe developing new projects ─ such as one of his latest designs, a lightweight suitcase with 35-liter capacity.

Mr. Young shared his thoughts on Shanghai hotels, Cathay Pacific's color scheme and the importance of 'privacy without claustrophobia.'

How often are you up in the air? Since becoming a father I have been traveling a lot less. Nowadays I usually do a quick long-haul once a month and another local flight. My son had been to Australia, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong by the time he was 6 months old.

Where do you go the most? These days I am heading to Shanghai a lot. I am also in Milan and Sydney a good bit. In Sydney I have a hideaway beach hut that I use when I need to escape.

What frequent-flier plans do you use? [Cathay Pacific's] Marco Polo, of course; it is essential if you are based in Hong Kong.

What's your favorite airport? Hong Kong, because it works really well. It is great that you can get a buggy from the lounge to the gate easily. I love the buggy rides, and I always meet characters on them. Also, if you have a Hong Kong resident's card, you are through the gate in seconds and into the city with no traffic in 30 minutes. I don't know any large city like that. If I had to pick a worst I would say I hate London airports. I detest landing from Asia to be greeted by miserable ground staff.

What is the best hotel in the region? In Shanghai I settle for the PuLi Hotel and Spa most of the time, since it's part of Luxury Hotels of the World, and I've been using them for years.

Is there a hotel that you believe incorporates superior design? I stayed in the main suite at the Waterhouse Hotel at the South Bund, Shanghai, with my family. The only problem is that the air-con units are on the outside wall, so the room vibrates when they are on, and the service is like 'Fawlty Towers.'

What's your favorite airport-to-city journey? Sydney to Palm Beach, because once you get to Avalon, you are in your own zone. There is this feeling of, 'It's all over, and it's all going to be all right.'

Who is your preferred carrier? Cathay Pacific. I guess it's just a solid airline. There are no surprises, and the staff are peaceful and nice. The cabins' colors are terrible, though, and so is the majority of the design, but it's better than most.

Best airline food? Cathay Pacific First Class. I just traveled to Milan first class, and they have great caviar with salmon. I don't normally eat the stuff, but up in the air it is fun. I actually don't eat food on planes as a rule, even in business class. I always try to eat prior to flying.

If you were to design an airline seat, what would you change? For me, privacy without claustrophobia is paramount. Also, I would love to be able to put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign up to stop attendants bothering me.

How do you beat jet lag? I don't. I'm not big into sleeping tablets, so I tend to look like a lizard in Milan most of the time. A few glasses of red wine can help with a power nap, but it's a gamble.

What's your advice on scoring an upgrade? I always travel business, so it could definitely be worse, but if I had to say one thing it would be don't order special food, because that really screws your chances up. Otherwise, travel on your birthday or arrive with a walking stick.

Do you have any essential travel gadgets? These days I carry an iPhone and a Macbook Air so I can get online most of the time. I always carry a music magazine for the flight, but generally I don't like gadgets. I don't need them, and I don't like to carry extra stuff. Generally I just need my brain to keep me entertained.

Any packing tips? Do it the day before you leave, or you will end up in Milan with no socks or a warm jacket.

What are the most important things to remember when picking luggage? Don't waste weight on looks. A case should always be light.

What were your main concerns when you were designing your suitcase? Weight and organization. I wanted to make it easy to get at all your bits and have places to organize them all. I designed the pockets in all the right places, put pegs on the underside of the case so it does not drop out of the overhead compartment, and kept it light. Super-light.

Do you have any interest in designing airplanes? Of course I do! We design a lot of cabin equipment at my studio at the moment, so I hope it evolves to bigger projects, but I would love to design a private jet or first class on Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines. I've got the miles, after all.

Mary Agnew

Michael Young Studio设计师迈克尔•杨（Michael Young）
我们的“商旅达人”（Road Warrior）系列文章为大家提供各种出行建议。这些建议来自这一领域的专家：常年在旅途中奔波的公司高管和频繁往来于全球各地的人士。

从自行车到iPhone扬声器，到鳄鱼（Lacoste）polo衫，设计师迈克尔•杨（Michael Young）为各种各样的东西打造过概念，他的作品已被纳入巴黎卢浮宫（Louvre）和蓬皮杜中心（Centre Pompidou）。

迈克尔现年45岁，安家在悉尼，在伦敦创立了自己的工作室，如今他在香港和悉尼之间来回奔波，同时在亚洲和欧洲到处跑，开发新项目，比如他最新的一个设计：一只35升容量的轻巧手提箱。

迈克尔分享了他对上海酒店和国泰航空（Cathay Pacific）配色方案的看法，并解释了“不会造成幽闭恐惧感的私密性”的重要性。

你大概多久乘坐一次飞机？从成为父亲开始，我出行的次数就少得多了。现在，我通常每月会有一次长途飞行，外加一次本地航班出行。我儿子在六个月大时已经去过澳大利亚、东京、上海和香港。

你去得最勤的地方是哪里？最近我经常去上海。去米兰和悉尼也比较多。在悉尼我有一处僻静的海滩小屋，在需要出去散心时就会去那里。

你使用哪些常旅客计划？当然是国泰航空的马可孛罗会（Marco Polo）；如果你长期在香港的话它就是必不可少的。

最喜欢哪个机场？香港，因为这里的设施真的很好。你可以很容易地搭乘电瓶车从休息室到登机口，这很棒。我喜欢坐电瓶车，能遇见很多名人。还有，如果你有香港居民身份证，几秒钟就能通过登机口，不堵车的话30分钟内就能到市区。据我所知没有哪个大城市是这样的。如果要我选一个最差的，我会说我讨厌伦敦机场。我讨厌从亚洲飞过去迎接我的是糟糕的地勤人员。

亚洲最佳酒店是哪里？在上海我大都住在璞丽酒店（PuLi Hotel and Spa），因为它是世界豪华酒店联盟（Luxury Hotels of the World）的成员，多年来我一直都在用他们的服务。

你认为有没有哪家酒店融入了出众的设计？我和家人住过的上海水舍酒店（Waterhouse Hotel at the South Bund）的大套房。唯一的问题是空调主机装在了外 ，所以空调开着时房间会感觉到震，服务也像是《弗尔蒂旅馆》（Fawlty Towers）里演的那样。

最喜欢的从机场到市区的旅程？悉尼机场到棕榈滩，因为一旦到了阿瓦隆，你就到了自己的地盘。有一种“都结束了，一切都会好的”的感觉。

你最喜欢的航空公司？国泰航空。我觉得它就是一家牢靠的航空公司。没有惊喜，员工也很平和、友善。不过机舱的颜色很糟糕，机舱大部分设计也很差，但比大多数航空公司都好。

最佳的机上餐食？国泰航空头等舱。我刚乘坐头等舱去过米兰，他们有很棒的鱼子酱鲑鱼。一般我不吃这东西，但在飞机上是种调剂。其实我通常不在飞机上吃东西，甚至在商务舱也不吃。我总是尽量在起飞前吃好饭。

如果要你设计一个航空座椅，你会怎么改？对我来说，不会造成幽闭恐惧感的私密性是最重要的。还有，我希望能放个“请勿打扰”的标志，让乘务员不要打扰我。

你如何战胜时差？我不倒时差。我不喜欢吃安眠药，所以在米兰的大多数时间，我看起来会很像只蜥蜴。几杯红酒能帮我打个小盹，但得碰运气。

对获得升舱机会有什么建议？我总是坐商务舱，所以很难升舱，但如果非得说个建议的话，那就是不要点特殊餐食，因为那样基本上就没戏了。要么就生日那天或拄上一根拐杖，那应该会有机会的。

你有没有出行时必不可少的电子设备？最近我带着iPhone和Macbook Air，这样大部分时间就可以上网了。我总是带着一本音乐杂志乘机，但一般来说我不喜欢电子设备。我不需要它们，我也不喜欢带过多的东西。通常我只需要我的大脑给自己娱乐。

收拾行李有什么诀窍？出发前一天收拾行李，否则你在米兰的时候就没有袜子或暖和的外套穿了。

选行李箱时应牢记什么要诀？别为了外观而忽视重量，箱子应该越轻越好。

在设计你的手提箱时，你考虑的主要因素是什么？重量和构造。我想让人很容易就能找到各种小物件，并且有足够的空间放置它们。我把口袋都设计在了合适的位置，在箱子底部装了挂钩，从而避免箱子从头顶的行李架上滑落，同时还要让箱子重量较轻，超级轻巧。

你有没有兴趣设计飞机？当然有兴趣！目前我们在我的工作室设计了很多机舱设备，所以我希望以后能有更大的项目，但我希望能设计私人飞机或者国泰航空或新加坡航空（Singapore Airlines）的头等舱。毕竟我手头积攒有它们的里程。

Mary Agnew

（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）