Dream job: Travel commissioning editor
Going on holiday for a living might sound like the impossible dream, but it’s not. Meet The Sunday Times Travel Magazine’s Lucy Thackray...
I worked hard to get my job. First, I did an English Literature BA, then interned at Elle, Red and Glamour before doing a Postgraduate Diploma in journalism. My first job was junior content manager on websites for British Airways' magazines High Life and Business Life (uploading travel articles, reviewing hotels, running holiday competitions), before moving up to digital editor. I got commissioning editor at The Sunday Times Travel Magazine three years later.
I know how lucky I am. I pinch myself when I'm pottering somewhere gorgeous and remember it's Wednesday, I'm working, and most people are at a desk. But it is work, honest — I do three to four times more than holidaymakers so I can confidently say this is the tour to take, brunch to book, beach to visit. Admittedly, I also get to stay at hotels like Dubai’s One & Only The Palm, Palais Namaskar in Marrakesh, and Tokyo’s Mandarin Oriental.
Choosing a favourite destination is almost impossible. You can’t compare high-octane New York or Tokyo with serene tropical islands like Bali or Maui. I loved Japan: it was endlessly intriguing, completely alien yet beautiful, and with such hospitable people. I immediately wanted to go back.
Not everywhere I have to go is the dream destination. It's controversial, but I’ve never understood Paris. I've never found a hotel I loved; the service is aloof at best; it's quite rough and ready, and nice sights are completely overwhelmed by crowds.
I still look forward to holidays. It's a luxury to just relax and go at my own pace, not having to see a certain museum or note every course at dinner. My latest was to the Maldives, where I swam, snoozed, and read.
It's not all perfect. I'm not a great flyer and wish I could sleep through but I find flights loud, uncomfortable, and I hate turbulence. I've tried lavender balms, herbal sleeping pills and every eye-mask going.
When you're travelling, always base yourself somewhere busy, but explore. Stay at Hawaii's Waikiki Beach but take the 55 bus to secret beaches and jungly bits around the east and north coast. In Bali, car transfers are a bargain – go dolphin watching and see coffee plantations in the hills of Lovina. Or stay in Stockholm, but take the ferry to Grinda Island’s pine forests and quiet rocky beaches.
Image: Sian Anna Lewis