Travel Tech Q&A: Symantec's Craig Scroggie
Symantec's vice president and managing director of the Pacific region, Craig Scroggie, revealed to us the importance of carry-on luggage and why internet shopping is better than duty free.
Craig Scroggie (Credit: Symantec)
What tech do you travel with and why?
I travel with my iPhone, BlackBerry, iPad and laptop. Because I spend most of my time on the road and away from home they all have a role to play — iPhone for calls and web; BlackBerry for corporate email (I couldn't ever afford to be without a phone so it gives me redundancy against even simple interruptions like a flat battery); my iPad is the alternative to printing anything any more, which is great — all my books, speeches, whitepapers, all in one easy to manage device [and] also my email is easily accessible and web browsing is simple; laptop for all the work-related tasks that require a little more compute power — .xls, .ppt, etc.
What tech do you love abroad, where and why?
Not necessarily abroad — just give me fast internet access and a good browser (I like Firefox or Chrome).
What's your favourite phone app for travelling and why?
Google maps, I can get around anywhere in the world with little fuss, and Facebook, staying in touch with friends and family whilst I am on the move. I also like my Garmin Forerunner 405 and sync it to their cloud service that keeps all my training history whilst I am travelling.
Personal travel advice or tip?
Pack light, there is nothing you can't buy if you really need it.
How do you deal with jet lag?
When you get to your destination, don't sleep during the day even though you might be tired. Adopt the time zone you are in and you can better adjust to jet lag. Unfortunately, there is no simple way to get your body out of the habit of sleeping when it normally sleeps; however, I have found this definitely helps. If that doesn't work: coffee, red bull, or whatever works for you!
What (if any) travel websites do you use?
None; however, I use twitter to get the most recent news on wherever I land. It provides me with the most recent information in under 140 characters or less so it's fast, easy and relatively accurate pulse on the local community and real-time news events.
What was your biggest travel disaster?
I was once on a flight from India to Singapore but my luggage went to China. Today I avoid my luggage going on holiday without me by packing very light and I only use hand luggage whenever possible.
What is the best airport you've visited and why?
China (Beijing). Despite the massive amount of traffic into Beijing, there is very little waiting for anything.
Where is the best place you've been for duty free tech shopping?
For me there is no need for duty free shopping. My preference is to buy from anywhere in the world on the internet and have it delivered at my door step in just a few days.
What is your dream travel tech to have on planes/in airports/at hotels?
I like the fact that most planes don't have internet access yet. It's the only small amount of down time you get in an otherwise very busy work life and it gives me time to catch up on the backlog. In hotels I like my Apple AirPort device as it allows me to have multiple devices working wirelessly, regardless of my location.