BC Business
Stay sharp in the air and on the road with fresh new thinking in travel health and wellness
Fitness Entrepreneur Nathan Morris, who kicked a career in finance to start Burnaby’s Driftwood Athletics gym, has invented a made in- B.C. workout with Club Row. At the studio on Vancouver’s east side, “rhythm row” group workouts are set to booming hip-hop, reinventing the rowing machine the way spin classes did the exercise bike.
Morris would also like to reinvent the business-travel happy hour. “If you want to enjoy your evening after work on the road and meet new people, the people you want to meet are not at the hotel bar but at the gym,” he says, quipping that hotel gyms are “a last resort.”
Instead, find unique fitness studios or classes using the ClassPass or Mindbody apps: “Exercise is now social, and at certain gyms can be thought of as a form of entertainment,” says Morris, who suggests looking for classes you might not be able to find at home. “Do as the locals do and search for something authentic and original to that city.”
Craving fresh air or a little me time after a long day of meetings? “There is not much more serendipitous than going for a run in a new city,” Morris says. “Don’t be afraid to get lost!”
Maui’s Fairmont Kea Lani isn’t a bad place to set up shop
ON BOARD
Toronto’s YYZ is home to Canada’s first Mamava airport locations: white, egg-shaped pods for nursing mothers that are just two of about 100 in 43 North American airports. Mamava ranked the best U.S. airports for breastfeeding, putting L.A.’s LAX in the top spot.
SOUND OF SILENCE
Causing a hush at a recent aviation trade show was a new passenger seat with white-noise and noise cancelling functions built right into the headrest.
SMELLS GOOD
Turkish Airlines claims that its bespoke cabin fragrance, TK 1933, creates “feelings of trust, peace, happiness, serenity, and pleasure.” Delta Air Lines calls its signature lavender chamomile scent for soap and hot towels Calm, and United’s perky sandalwood cabin fragrance is Landing.
SKY SPA
Canyon Ranch is helping Singapore Airlines passengers relax on some of the world’s longest flights (including L.A. and San Francisco to Singapore), with spa cuisine, anti-jetlag lighting, sleep tips and inflight videos on self-massage and stretching.
ROOM TO IMPROVE
A five-night stay in the Inspire Your Energy Wellness Suite at Maui’s Fairmont Kea Lani upgrades surf and sunset views with sleep-enhancing bed linens, aroma- and vitamin-infused showers, spa treatments, fitness classes and even Knesko facial masks infused with colloidal gold or diamond powder.
BIG WOWLow-cost Icelandic airline Wow Air adds Vancouver departures from YVR six times a week starting in June. Combine a stop in its Reykjavik hub with a flight to Tel Aviv, New Delhi or European destinations for as low as $129 one way.
INSURANCE ON A DIMEVancouver-based startup Goose Insurance Services promises mobile travel and medical insurance for passengers from B.C. and most other Canadian provinces in 60 seconds, via its mobile app, for as little as $4 a day.