businesstraveller.com16
UPFRONT
MARCH 2019AIR
MILES
JAMES NESTOR is a
journalist, freediver and the
author of Deep, a book about
his sport. He has travelled
the world in search of the
best diving spots and lives in
San Francisco. “My research
often requires flying to an
airport I can’t pronounce in a
country on the Department
of State advisory list. Last
year I was on the road for
about six months.”The most unusual place
you’ve been for freediving?
There’s this weird inland grotto
in the west of Florida, called the
40 Fathom Grotto, which was
used as a trash can for decades
and is now a diving hole. In it
there are old cars and statues,
and a lot of beer cans. I learned
to freedive there. Not the best
diving experience, but certainly
the oddest.You must travel with
unusual equipment.
I always pack my mask, fins and
wetsuit. Anything else you can
source wherever you are. When
I was starting out I made the
rookie mistake of travelling with
9kg of diving weights to
Réunion Island, which is about
as far away from San Francisco
as you can get. I had to beg the
ticket desk not to charge me an
extra US$200. I ended up
leaving my weights there. How could international
airports improve?
How about some carpeted areas
to stretch out in, or loungechairs where you can nap? There
seems to be collusion between
the airports to make long
layovers as miserable as possible.
It’s a disturbing trend. How could airlines improve
their in-flight service?
I’m 6’2” and still have to fly
economy for most flights. The
space between seats is so small
that I literally can’t sit up
straight. It’s inhumane.Indispensable travel
gadget?
Kindle tablet. Dozens of hours
of entertainment, and it costs
around US$80. If you lose it, or
it gets dunked in the Indian
Ocean while you’re on the
beach, you can just buy another. In-flight reading material?
A stack of old New Yorker
magazines.Loveliest souvenir?
I once went to this island in
Greece called Tinos to write
about the surfing scene. There is
a strong Greek Orthodoxpresence on the island; it’s the
kind of place where devotees
climb on their knees on
cobblestone paths to hillside
churches as penance. There is a
tradition of painting portraits
of townspeople on the rocks.
I’ve got one up on my
bookshelf now. Pipe-dream destination?
The Solomon Islands. I’m
obsessed with Polynesia and
Melanesia, and would love
to get away from the
constant intrusions and
distractions of modern life –
and reconnect with the grit of
the natural world. ESCAPE TO THE MALDIVES
THE ISLAND OF MURAVANDHOO
saw the opening of the Joali Maldives
in December. A 45-minute seaplane
ride from the capital, Malé, it comprises
73 beach and over-water villas,
four restaurants, and an ESPA spa
specialising in “raw fitness” – expect
a workout involving coconut hand
weights. Sustainability is a big focus
here – produce is grown on a nearby
island and more than 1,000 trees were
preserved during its construction. The
hotel features immersive artworks
curated by No Lab – guests can dine
in the likes of a manta ray treehouse,
or explore an underwater installation
when snorkelling. joali.com