Of work and travels

17:47 Hanna Tantoco 0 Comments Category : , , , , ,

My Instagram account is a good testament for my love of travel. I see to it I see at least 3 new cities or countries every year. Reflecting back on 2016, my top 3 new favourite places I visited are - Instanbul, Turkey; Boston, USA; and Lucerne, Swtizerland. Instanbul is in fact my favourite city (to visit) now, that tops Vienna and Tokyo which are next on my list. Thankful for a job that allows me to travel and takes me to places, I would not even think of visiting. This post is dedicated to my last business trip for the year to Atlanta, Georgia (USA) for my team offsite. Often called "hotlanta" to locals, not to describe the people who live there but because it's relatively warm compared to the other parts of the state.

I went to Atlanta via Doha, Qatar and flew with Qatar airways. This is not my first time to layover at Doha. The last time was in 2011 when I flew to Madrid from Manila for business school. The airport was truly impressive, but I have to say nothing beats Changi airport for the efficiency and Hong Kong airport for the shopping. It's my first time flying Qatar airways business class and I have to say, I am impressed. You can literally order hot meals anytime, there's freshly squeezed juice, a mammoth variety of cereals and the super comfortable jammies you can change in. After leaving Singapore at a 2:00 am, my bloodshot eyes are ready to call it a night but I couldn't resist the plethora of food menu. After having a snack and watching half of a movie (I could not even remember what!) I slept through the next 7 hours. After my good rest, my colleagues and I reached Doha and got ourselves all over the Al Mourjan Business Lounge.




Marble tables I'd love to take home



I am not really a travel connoisseur, but just a simple fashion blogger with an appetite for travel so forgive my immature-ish travel lingo and opinions. The lounge itself at first is impressive due to the sheer size and - greenery. I haven't seen a lounge more green than this. But the food selection is meh and the taste of the food is okay. For me, nothing beats the Turkish Airlines lounge in Instanbul. I swear, it's like Disneyland for me - there's a movie theatre, library, spa etc. and the food - crazy delicious. That lounge was too posh, I was even shy to take a photo.

After our 3-hour layover, we're now ready for the real thing - a 17-hour flight to Atlanta. Thankfully, the trip from the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Chateau Elan Winery and resort only took 1 hour, but with the jetlag and all, I fell asleep after 10 minutes of chatting up with the chauffer. A handful of movies and TV series were actually shot in Atlanta - The Walking Dead, Selma, Anchorman 2 and true enough there's a film shooting happening right smack our hotel.





During the first day of our offsite, we went to the World of Coca-Cola. What better way to learn about brands and marketing but with the most recognizable brand in the world - Coke. Coke is sold in every country except in two - North Korea and Cuba. Who knows? With the rate of progression and globalization, in 2 years perhaps?





Love,
Hanna

Instagram: @hannatantoco
E-mail: hannatantoco@gmail.com

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