Lauren Ho, travel editor of Wallpaper* magazine, checks in with Kuba Wieczorek, co-founder of Eve Sleep.
As the co-founder of Eve, a direct-to-consumer sleep brand, Kuba Wieczorek is as seasoned a traveller as you get. Known for its innovative mattress-in-a-box concept, the start-up expanded rapidly into a public company in just 18-months and now includes a range of products from pillows to bed frames and home and travel accessories. Travelling as much for investor meetings as he does for personal reasons, Wieczorek, who previously worked in the advertising industry and is also an accomplished photographer, says the key to travelling well is good organisation and making sure to find the time to calm your mind and exercise your body.
What has been the most unexpected experience you’ve had on your business travels?
When our Chairman, Paul Pindar, flew us from London to Edinburgh on his four-seater private jet, because we didn’t have enough time to get to a meeting with a big Scottish investment fund on public transport. It was my first ever private jet experience – and maybe my last!
How has travel impacted your life and your business?
Being away from family and friends on business trips is difficult, so I like to be organised and make sure every work trip is as fruitful as possible. When not travelling for work, I love to travel with my family as this has been where some of our favourite life experiences have been and where memories are made.
Eve started out making a mattress-in-a-box and now designs a range of sleep products
What are the three things that help you achieve a good work-life balance while on the road?
I always call home in the evening to say goodnight to my wife and kids and to chat about our day; I always travel with my camera; and I make sure to take some time to actually see the place I am visiting – even if just for a short walk – as, I feel, learning something about a the destination I am in helps to ground me.
Describe your travel style in three words
Pared-back, classic and never-without-a-gadget.
What travel destination has been the most important to your business and what have you learnt about it?
San Francisco. We had ambitions to enter the US market, so we used to have an eve office there. We soon realised that we couldn’t conquer the whole world at once, so we made the decision to focus our efforts closer to home in the UK and Europe.
Kuba is also an accomplished photographer, and was both in front and behind the camera for this campaign
What are the most important factors in a good piece of luggage?
Great design is about functionality as well as aesthetic. A good piece of luggage will ideally look good and function well and, for me, be simple, but with every last detail considered.
What is the one surprising thing that is always in your hand luggage?
I travel with a miniature porcelain dachshund that I inherited from my grandma.
What is the ultimate packing tip?
Packing cubes—they changed my life.
What makes a trip a journey?
As soon as you discover something new, it becomes a journey. It has nothing to do with distance or time—a trip is functional, while a journey is an experience.
Where are you off to next?
Amsterdam on a three-day trip with friends.
Kuba was part of our Founder Journeys campaign to launch our Stirling collection of business luggage designed for business travel.
