Rollicking New Book Argues that Zoom is No Replacement for Business Travel

According to a study completed by Deloitte Insights, in 2020, United States companies’ travel budgets plummeted by a shattering 90%, with most business meetings moved online to popular video conferencing apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Falls in other countries were just as spectacular. Is this the “new normal”? Prolific business traveller and now author, Oliver Dowson, hopes fervently it is not.

In his exuberant debut, ‘There’s No Business Like International Business’, Dowson puts the case forward for why business travel enriches the lives both of employees and those they encounter along their way. As Dowson built a multi-national company from scratch, he traversed the globe, traveling an average of 200,000 miles a year! Readers will marvel at not only the uniquely entertaining nature of Dowson’s experiences, but also the revelation that none of these adventures could have been achieved through a video screen.

Synopsis:

First, on a whirlwind business trip around half the countries in South America in just a fortnight, Oliver Dowson faces near-death experiences in planes and cars, meets civil insurrection face-to-face, risks kidnap and must overcome mindless bureaucracy that could derail the itinerary on a daily basis.

Next, follow along as he travels around the Far East for three weeks in the company of an obstreperous, can’t-do-without but can’t-do-with female colleague, learning new cultures fast. Oh, and all in the pursuit of business goals that somehow still seem to be met along the way.

These unique trips may have had a business purpose, but this is no business book or how-to guide; rather, it’s a delightful, off-beat travelogue with an off-beat much travelled narrator. There are plenty of vivid characters to meet en route, an abundance of anecdotal fun, plus an education on local cultures and cuisines to be gained.

“It’s no doubt true that climate campaigners and those most concerned about the pandemic would be relieved if business travel died a quick death,” says Dowson. “But that would be a mistake – not only for the myriad of businesses that depend on it, like car rental companies and hotels, but more importantly business owners and employees who benefit greatly from the chance to get out into the world and meet the offbeat characters who inhabit it. There’s no replacement for actually going somewhere and discussing matters face-to-face. My book is a perfect example of why – readers will be amazed at some of the folks I met on my journeys – and they’ll certainly never be bored!”

Since its release, the book has earned the coveted five-star rating on Amazon, and reviews have been correspondingly positive:

“Exceptionally well crafted, each page illuminated with entertainment, wit, and candour, to categorize it as simply a travelogue seems to do it a great injustice. Here, we have something of true merit,” writes Thomas J Kenny.

Brandon Diehl agrees, writing: “Oliver Dowson has created something I never thought possible: a nonfiction book about business trips that is actually fun and engaging to read.”

‘There’s No Business Like International Business: Business Travel – But Not As You Know It’ is available now:

Amazon UK – https://amzn.to/38RboLE