Q&A: The advertising government who curates your pre-flight adverts says touring for enterprise is essential to his profession success: ‘I journey to be taught’

Dan Levi is aware of a factor or two about discovering his method round an airport.

As government vice chairman and chief advertising officer at Clear Channel Outside—the largest airport promoting firm within the nation, with a presence in additional than 55 industrial airports nationwide—Levi applies his 38 years of expertise in media and promoting to serving to deliver digital innovation to out-of-home (OOH) campaigns. Throughout his almost 10-year profession at Clear Channel, he has spearheaded the corporate’s mission to be first to market within the OOH sector, with game-changing planning and measurement options going again to 2016. The corporate reaches 130 million People weekly with some 70,000 roadside and airport shows in additional than 65 markets, and noticed income in its airports phase soar 16% in 2024, on the again of record-breaking passenger volumes via U.S. airports final 12 months.

Levi averages two journeys a month, lots of which take him to Clear Channel’s 30 workplaces throughout the U.S. Whereas he’s by no means in a single place for lengthy, having his Kindle and iPad useful and the refuge of an airport lounge on the prepared helps him preserve an excellent keel.

He spoke with Fortune a few singular journey in Cambodia, the virtues of feather pillows, and the affect of journey on each work and life.   

The transcript under has been condensed and evenly edited for readability.

What’s the perfect journey you’ve ever taken?

My spouse and I went to Antarctica final 12 months for our thirtieth anniversary, which was probably the most wonderful journey we’ve achieved just lately. I haven’t got a bucket record, however it was a type of bucket-list experiences. It’s such a special a part of the planet, and in contrast to something you’ve ever skilled earlier than, irrespective of how a lot you’ve traveled.

We left on a cruise from Argentina and crossed the Drake Passage, which is known for being two days of seasickness and really tough seas. We have been actually lucky as a result of it was comparatively calm, which the crew informed us occurs about 1% of the time, so we did it in a day and a half. Since we had that half-day head begin, we have been in a position to go farther south than the cruise had ever gone earlier than. We noticed components of Antarctica that even the crew had by no means seen, and so many penguins, that are hysterical—they only have a look at you and stroll proper by.

My different favourite was our honeymoon in Cambodia in 1993, a couple of months after the U.N. peacekeeping forces—which had been there for 2 years to assist the creation of a functioning democracy—had left. I wish to say that I’ve by no means met anybody else who’s heard machine-gun hearth on their honeymoon. Cambodia was actually unbiased for the primary time in a really very long time, and it was so spectacular not solely to go to Angkor Wat and the close by temples and different websites, but additionally to be there with nearly no different vacationers. We flew on a Russian surplus aircraft from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap with a pilot we have been satisfied was drunk, after which stayed on the nicest lodge in Siem Reap, which was principally a hostel with shared bogs. There are luxurious hospitality manufacturers there now, however this was a really, very completely different time. It’s such an exquisite reminiscence, and marked the primary time I had that form of journey journey expertise. And it laid the muse for a lot of what we’ve achieved since then, together with transferring to Southeast Asia for 5 years.

For those who may go wherever on the earth you have not but been, the place would it not be, and why? 

I’ve this operating joke with my spouse that with all of the journey we have achieved collectively, we nonetheless haven’t been to Eire. I’ve advised it so many instances once we’ve talked about the place we should always go, however we haven’t made it there but, so I’m going with that to maintain the joke going and put somewhat extra strain on her. I really like the U.Ok.–I studied overseas in England, and have hung out in Scotland, Wales, and many different locations there. Between the character and landscapes, and all the things I’ve been informed in regards to the folks, Eire simply looks like a very cool place to hang around for every week.

What’s your favourite/most memorable meal you have had whereas touring?

I used to be working for MTV within the early 90s, and so they requested me to maneuver to Singapore in 1995 to assist launch MTV Asia. India was a vital marketplace for MTV to develop–I ended up dwelling in Bangalore for 3 months to get the enterprise going–however the first time I went was earlier than we had any infrastructure there. My spouse got here with me to Delhi, the place it was greater than 120 levels–no person wished to do something however sit inside and never transfer. However having by no means been there earlier than, we wished to see the websites. MTV had just one particular person on the bottom then, the daughter of a really well-known Indian writer, and we dragged this poor lady alongside to assist us see the Purple Fort and all these different locations. Then we went to her grandparents’ dwelling and had the perfect vegetarian meal I’ve ever had on this cute little home in Delhi, with one air conditioner within the bed room. All of us sat in there on the corners of the mattress and had this unbelievable meal collectively. I’ll always remember it. I really like India.

What are a couple of of your favourite journey hacks? 

If I can deliver my very own pillow, I’ll. There’s nearly at all times room in a suitcase for a feather pillow—I’ll squish the air out of it and shove it right into a nook, or I’ll put it on high of all the things I’ve packed and power the suitcase closed.

I’ve TSA PreCheck, World Entry, Clear, Digital ID—and if a brand new program comes out that can get me via airport safety sooner, I will register for that one too.

Although I as soon as swore I might by no means pay for a bank card, after getting caught within the Dallas airport for six hours as a result of storms various years in the past, I now have an American Categorical Platinum Card in order that I can entry the Centurion and Delta lounges—I’m a Delta frequent flyer. To have a spot to work and never need to cope with the general stress of the airport expertise makes an enormous distinction.

What three issues do you by no means journey with out?

I am a tech nerd, so this one is simple. I by no means journey with out my Kindle, as a result of I want to have the ability to learn on one thing aside from my cellphone.

Second is my iPad—it is my favourite system, and provides me the flexibility to work in addition to watch video if I need to get on-line.

Through the years, I’ve curated this assortment of chargers and cords that’s the very first thing I pull out once I begin packing for a visit. It is in its personal little case, and I do know that wherever I am going, no matter I want is in there.

Do you’ve gotten any onerous and quick journey guidelines?

I positively try to hold on, however as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that typically it is higher to not spend a lot time on having to pack completely, and I will examine my bag. But when I can, I favor to hold on.

I’ll solely take a connecting flight if there is no different option to get there.

I wish to get to the airport early, and never have the stress of operating for the gate. Once I lived in Singapore, I labored for a man whose mission was to be the final particular person on the aircraft each time. Once I traveled with him, we’d be paged and I’d need to do the stroll of disgrace to the gate, then we’d be the final folks to board—they’d shut the door behind us. I do not like being that man.

What’s crucial life lesson you’ve discovered from journey?

I feel that in life, as in journey, there is no such factor as a foul expertise. You’ll be able to have a superb expertise or a superb story, and for those who’re fortunate, they’re one and the identical. Dangerous journey experiences are those you inform associates about over drinks to a number of laughs.

Certainly one of my favorites is once we lived in Singapore, and have been assembly my brother and his spouse in Chiang Mai after they’d visited us after which traveled a bit on their very own. I used to be in Bombay for enterprise, and the one method I may get to Chiang Mai in time to satisfy them was to fly in a single day by way of Delhi, Hong Kong, and Bangkok in a single journey. I don’t like taking sleeping drugs, so my brother, an anesthesiologist who skilled within the Air Power, gave me a sleeping capsule that’s authorised for pilots as a result of it does not make them groggy. He informed me precisely when to take it in order that I might get the utmost quantity of sleep, which I did as we took off for Hong Kong, however I couldn’t go to sleep. I went to the lounge throughout my two-hour layover there and began getting drained so I put my head again, then fell asleep and wakened 10 minutes earlier than my flight was scheduled to take off. So I turned that man operating via the airport, with my bag bouncing from wheel to wheel behind me and my coat hanging off. It was a bus gate, and the bus had already left, so I one way or the other satisfied them to get one other bus for me. I used to be barely awake, and did that stroll of disgrace onto the aircraft, the place everybody else who managed to get there on time was ready. It was a foul expertise, however an ideal story.

Are there any classes from your personal journey experiences that you’ve got utilized to your work at Clear Channel Outside?

The primary pertains to our airport enterprise. For those who’ve flown via LaGuardia Airport within the final couple years, and likewise earlier than it was redeveloped, you notice the distinction between an ideal passenger expertise and a horrific one. Touring a lot and passing via so many various airports, and particularly having had Changi Airport in Singapore—which for a few years was thought to be the perfect on the earth—as my dwelling airport for 5 years, for me has actually strengthened the significance of the airport expertise, and the way a lot it issues each to vacationers and to the entrepreneurs who’re attempting to achieve them.

The larger one is that journey is about experiencing new issues—it is about studying. I journey to our branches and to our native markets to be taught. Our enterprise isn’t pushed by the folks in New York and the large companies—it’s pushed by our individuals who work throughout our 30 native workplaces, and by our prospects in these markets. If I can not converse to what is going on on in our markets—to what our native purchasers’ and salespeople’s wants are, and the way my crew and I can assist them—then I can not successfully do my job. I give it some thought the identical method I take into consideration private journey, and what I take away from these unbelievable journeys to Antarctica and India and all these different wonderful locations: I journey to expertise our enterprise the place it occurs, in order that I can do my job higher.

This story was initially featured on Fortune.com