A book, a lavish seafood platter and no tourists, please!
04-08-2015 (10:10) - Appen met
7.25 uur - In een luie strandstoel op Ibiza, backpacken op Bali of op de camping in Frankrijk? Wat doen de vakgenoten terwijl half Nederland op het strand of in de achtertuin ligt? We vragen het in deze achtste aflevering aan Kerrie Finch, CEO en oprichter van FinchFactor.
Are you of the sporting type or more of a lazy/relaxing person?
‘I'm the laziest person you'll ever meet, in terms of not wanting to exercise. I love cycling and swimming, but just for fun, nothing regular or competitive. My brother runs marathons, so he got the sporty genes in my family. I'm excellently skilled at laying on the sofa with a book for hours. I run around like a speed-walker at work and practically bounce off walls with adrenalin. But when I get home, it's a different story.’
What is (till now) you’re favourite holiday spot and why?
‘I love anywhere without tourists, something which is hard to find these days. The Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, Egypt was pretty incredible. I visited during the Egyptian political crisis and the region was desperate for tourists; the hotel had been running at approx. 15-20% occupancy for a year or two. We had the pool to ourselves, service was superb and the view across the Nile really was the best balcony view I've experienced to date.’
Where will you never return? And why?
‘Never say never; places change. I hated caravan holidays in England as a child and would never do that again. Why the Dutch have such a passion for their caravans is beyond me.’
The best holiday meal ever is…
‘I'm a sucker for a lavish seafood platter. The sort which is cascading with shellfish, fresh crab, langoustine and oysters. That, a good view of the sea and excellent company is hard to beat.’
What product is always with you in your luggage because you can’t get it abroad?
‘My Environ skin products. Can't recommend them highly enough. No one would guess I'm 73.’
Are you following the Dutch news daily during your holiday?
‘Nope. Well, maybe a bit online, but only in passing. If Amsterdam sunk into the IJ, I'd want to know, but generally speaking, no.’
Getting a newspaper in the store or simply on your tablet?
‘I have an old-fashioned love of newspapers, so if I saw the UK's The Guardian in a store I'd buy one, but I wouldn't go in search of it. The interwebsuperhighway is a marvelous thing and delivers information right to your fingertips, don’t cha know.’
Do you keep an eye on your work email or are you able to switch off?
‘I run my own company so I find switching off entirely quite tricky. I try to leave the team to it, because they are perfectly capable of kicking ass without me. Instead, I spend too much of my free time emailing, ‘I'm switching off now. I'm turning off my laptop’, followed by seven more emails about thoughts and brainwaves I want to share right that moment. My team love it when I manage to stay offline for more than three days. That mostly involves going somewhere without internet access, though.’
And then to that heated summer fling, how do you look back on that now?
‘With fondness and discretion: what happens on vacation, stays on vacation.’