The business traveller's diary

Having spent so much of my last missive discussing recent developments in intercontinental jet-setting, it felt fitting to traverse the Atlantic several times during the last fortnight. Naturally I thank my employer wholeheartedly for his enlightened attitude to my mode of travel. British Airways' flagship route has an unfailingly ameliorative effect on my sense of well-being. And my two brief, but thrilling, stays at Manhattan's Mercer Hotel have left me jumping up and down with child-like delight.

The exuberance, however, is by no means exceptional. In fact, my every foray to the US delivers a similarly warm glow; a feeling of contentment and a restless desire for discovery in one fell swoop. I feel completely unabashed in declaring my undying love for the United States of America.

In the current (wholly understandable) Bush-bashing environment, just mentioning the US elicits reactions ranging from suspicion to outrage. Speaking to a highly-educated, successful interior designer in London at the weekend was illuminating. Apart from being troubled by the ridiculous brand of interventionist politics the current US government has engaged in, she was expressing a range of concerns about expanding her growing practice even to New York. Aren't the people stupid and, worse, disingenuous? Are they always so loud? Will they appreciate me or my art? Why would I do business there? Questions abounded, generally with unfavourable instinctive responses.

It was only towards the end of our meal that my dear friend announced that she had never made the short hop to North America; and has certainly never worked there. Many Brits who travel extensively tend to omit the US from their plans. Asia, Australia and Europe dominate but the States remains neglected. How are you ever going to learn the truth about a nation if you never go there?

The "truth" of course leads one to the usual stereotypes and politically-fuelled suppositions. Yet the American people – especially those who reside on the east coast – are marvellous, brimming with genuine warmth, humour and unmatched enthusiasm.

My own enthusiasm for the country may surprise business travellers. Any businessperson who has ever been to the US will tell you that the services provided are wholly inferior to those in Europe and Asia: BlackBerrys constantly fail; 3G doesn't exist; and wireless is a rarity rather than the norm. It's only in the past five years that you've stopped needing a different phone altogether for US usage.

Yet working in the States is thrilling. I remember a survey in the UK and Germany some years ago on our greatest fears: in a poll of 5,000 people, death came second, public-speaking first. The same poll in North America would surely deliver a vastly different result. Confident but modest, outspoken though not brash, knowledgeable without knowing-it-all, American businessmen – in all sorts of industries – are formidable, even intimidating, operators. It's easy to understand how America has built the world's most impressive economy. Every business trip I've made to New York, LA, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago and even Tulsa has delivered a fresh insight, a novel idea or new business.