A CEO’s Idea Of The Perfect Vacation | Verve Magazine
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March 24, 2017

A CEO’s Idea Of The Perfect Vacation

Text by Verve team. Photograph by Sehrish Qureshi

Devita Saraf, the CEO of Vu Televisions, tells us how she balances work and fun while on the move

I don’t look at it as travel; I look at it as life. While work takes me to places like the USA and China frequently, it is the trend of ‘influencer travel’ that piques my interest. Last year was peppered with unconventional spots. I went to Poland to shoot an ad for Vu. Post that, I hopped onto a plane to Korea to speak on Indo-Korean business and technology relations. Then I made my way to Turkey for the Istanbul Talks (which also had Richard Branson as an invitee).

People often ask how I manage to balance my business commitments with holidays. I club my work together with a few days off to explore the location, as I’m not someone who needs to make an exclusive trip to rejuvenate. For instance, my visit to Korea focused on shooting an ad but I spent an additional few days there. I went off to Garosu-gil, a cute shopping street, where I discovered high-end Korean boutiques, got a funky haircut, went around trying native beauty products, and even had bingsu, a traditional dessert. I am usually surrounded by those I have to interact with for work, but I try to lose them and disappear on my own….

My purpose is to discover. I am not fond of doing stuff that people have done before…for instance, eating fancy food and sitting on the beach have never been on my list. I’m always on the move, be it for work, shopping or partying, and I feel my journeys reflect that. My visit to Korea was via Hong Kong and I had a six-hour break between flights. Instead of staying put at the airport, I took a train into the city to IFC mall and Lane Crawford, where I found the most gorgeous pair of Eddie Borgo earrings. I took the train back to the airport, went to immigration and caught my flight to Seoul — so the layover served the prime purpose of jewellery shopping!

The adventure of finding my favourite stores in a city is something that excites me. Four years ago, on a trip to Turkey, I had walked to Carven, a store that does beautiful handmade jewellery. Recently, when I travelled there, I couldn’t recall the name, but I traced the store by memory — winding my way through the streets of Istanbul. Unbelievably, the route was etched in my mind even after nearly half a decade.

I feel that it’s not enough that you connect to a place. The place also has to connect with you. I keep returning to California, as that’s my base away from Mumbai. New York will always remain a favourite destination. The travel list is never- ending, but this year in particular, I’d like to go to Spain and I’m hoping my commitments take me there.

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