What I Pack: Bill Gosden

Bill Gosden. Photo / Supplied

Do you travel light or heavy?

It's the difference between business and pleasure. Light is no laptop.

Cattle or first class?

The airpoints are usually good for an upgrade.

I can't travel without...

Sedative assistance.

What's always in your hand luggage?

Speedos and goggles. I always hope there'll be a swimmable pool at the other end.

What's the best thing you've brought back from a trip?

When I first went to the UK in my 20s I brought back, in my carry-on, a two-quid plaster cast bust of Beethoven from Brick Lane. I still have it and it still weighs a tonne.

Favourite or most exciting airport to land in?

New York La Guardia. It's not about the airport, which is famously cramped and shabby, it's about the yellow cabs lining up outside.

Best packing tip?

Tip to self: create a checklist of all the electronic paraphernalia I need to keep me in permanent multi-media bondage to the office.

Most memorable trip?

For all the worst reasons: missing a connection from Schipol due to weather in Berlin and spending four days in planes and airports making my way home by tiny increments. My luggage took even longer.

What do you do while on the plane?

Catch up on all the Oscar winners that were playing in cinemas while I was watching multifarious contenders for a place in the Festival.

Bill Gosden is the director of the New Zealand International Film Festival, which starts in Auckland on July 9.