We chat with Skyscanner boss Andy Sleigh
After being appointed to Skyscanner in 2013, the worldwide site traffic for the year doubled. Coincidence or brilliance? Either way, the guy knows where to be at the right time, and he’s decided Singapore is it! So where does a guy who works for the fastest-growing travel search company travel to? Glad you asked. It’s what we wanted to know too.
Hey Andy! Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us. What is next on your travel hit list?
I’m off to Margaret River in Australia for the first time soon. Something I’m really looking forward to. And I just returned a couple days ago from my first proper holiday in Europe in ten years – my wife and I drove from Paris down to Provence, which gave us many excuses to drink lovely French wine and immerse ourselves completely in the culture of Southern France. It was a fabulous trip – but I am feeling the jetlag.
Which five places in Southeast Asia should be on everyone’s bucket list and why?
I would definitely put Laos at the top of the list. A few years ago I spent time in a place called Four Thousand Islands there and back-packed up to Luang Prabang. There’s a lovely laid back vibe throughout the country and the people are incredibly welcoming and friendly.
I’m a big fan of Palawan in The Philippines, where you can jump on a boat every day and sail to your own private island. The beaches there are superb and it’s a great place to go and unwind. Angkor Wat is a must see, I was amazed at how just how big the site is- you could spend a week there and still not see everything. I have to include Hong Kong in my top five; every time I go there I discover a new area I’ve never been to before, the food is brilliant and I always come away feeling energised, unless of course I’ve been there for the Rugby Sevens.
My final one for the bucket list is Yogyakarta in Java. Watching sunrise over Borobodur against the backdrop of the volcanoes there is a sight I’ll never forget.
What are your top tips for frequent travellers?
Noise reducing headphones are a must so you can relax and not be disturbed if you have to work on the plane. Pack as lightly as possible so you can get straight out of the airport when you arrive. Maintain a sense of humour when things go wrong or you get delayed. That’s something I’m still working on!
You’re big on hiking. Can you tell us a bit about the most memorable hike you’ve been on somewhere in Southeast Asia?
Does Nepal count as Southeast Asia? I’ve hiked up to the Annapurna base camp which was a seven day hike through Himalayan villages. You meet so many great people along the way, not least the porters that carry your bags ahead of you. Some of the stories we heard about their lives were truly humbling and I’d love to go back and try to reach Everest base camp soon.
I’ve also hiked up to the top of Mount Kinabalu. You usually have to book but we turned up and chanced our arm to see if there’d been any cancellations. We were lucky there had, but we were completely unprepared with no warm clothes. Getting up at 4am, to get to the freezing summit was not the most pleasant experience, but the stunning sunrise and view from the top definitely was.
And when you’re on the ground in Singapore, what do you like to do?
The green corridor is where I go to walk and unwind after a busy week. It’s a little slice of green on the island, which is much needed when you need to decompress. I’m also a big fan of Burnt Ends and Artichoke restaurants and I just recently discovered Sugar Hall, a rum based bar that I suspect may well be seeing more of my Singapore dollars in the future.
You lived in China for a few years, is there anything from there you’d import to Singapore if you could get away with it?
I’d probably import the unpredictability of life in Beijing. Every day there was a total adventure. You’d see things that would astonish and bewilder in equal measure, and of course there were some frustrations too. But I loved that something would make you laugh or cry every day. Singapore is a wonderful place to live, but there are relatively few surprises.
In your opinion, what’s Skyscanner’s killer product? And why?
Definitely our ‘Go Everywhere’ function. If you’re not sure where you want to go on your next trip, you can ask our website and apps to show you prices to ‘everywhere’. It’s a brilliant tool to explore all options based on your budget – and I mean ALL options. It’s all about inspiring your next trip to be somewhere different.
Five quick questions with one (or so) word answers:
Best budget airline? Air Asia
Best airline food? Singapore Airlines
Most under-rated Asian destination? Laos
Best hotel bar? Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Best travel innovation? Skyscanner obviously…though Airbnb is pretty handy too.
What would you most like to see in an airport in years to come?
If you want to know about the future, check out our Skyscanner 2024 site that shows what travel will look like in ten years’ time. Personally I’d like to have my own digital bag tag that would let me drop my bag off at the coffee bar in Changi Airport and still find it waiting for me at the other end in Paris when I go on holiday. I’d like to say goodbye to all those bag-drop queues.
In some places, airports have become destinations in themselves, tell us, what is that about?
Well as they grow in size, in technological sophistication and in terms of the consumer experience – read shopping! – it’s always possible that people spend more time with their travel companions in airports. I remain convinced that nothing beats the adventure that lies beyond the airport.
What’s set to hit the market that you think will revolutionise (once more) the way we travel?
The rise of smart and wearable technology means having our very own Digital Travel Buddy can’t be so far away. Imagine a watch, a contact lens or a small piece of jewellery that’s constantly connected to the web and that has learned to intimately understand our individual travel preferences. It can inspire us to discover, search for trips and even help us with translations once we’re on the ground. In some ways the future’s already here. At Incheon airport in Seoul, South Korea, a self-service kiosk allows people to experience a simple three-minute check-in.
You’re now on your second year with Skyscanner. What’s the best thing about your job?
I feel very privileged to be working at Skyscanner at this stage of its growth. The best thing is getting to build a talented, multicultural team here in Asia. We have over 70 people in our offices in Singapore and Beijing now, and we’re continuing to recruit more top talent on a weekly basis.
What would you like to read about in our travel newsletter Wanderlust?
I’d love to see more articles on less well known destinations that remain undiscovered by the masses.
What’s the travel gadget you simply won’t leave home without?
Skyscanner’s mobile app on my phone. And those noise-cancelling earphones.
Why is travelling so addictive?
I’ll use my favourite travel related quote by Augustine for this one: ‘The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.’
Thanks Andy!
Psst…Download Skyscanner’s award winning app for FREE here.
Thanks to Antoine and Marie for letting us shoot at our favourite French village-y bistro and wine bar Ô Batignolles.