Duncan and Barbara Stewart at the summit of Mont Ventoux in the Provence region of France.Supplied
Soon after Barbara and Duncan Stewart got together almost 20 years ago, they vowed not to be apart for more than a few days a year. Despite spending about a third of their lives travelling, they have kept their promise to each other.
Barbara is regarded as one of the top researchers on women’s finances and is regularly invited to speak at conferences and events around the world. Her husband Duncan, meanwhile, has spent 40 years in technology research and now serves as the director of research for Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice, a job that also comes with significant travel requirements.
In this series, Reimagining Wealth, we explore the evolving definition of wealth in today’s world. Here, these two globe-trotting business leaders, whose home base is Toronto, share how they manage to stay by each other’s side no matter where their jobs take them.
What prompted you to commit to travelling together whenever possible?
Duncan: In 2004, just weeks into our relationship, I had to go see my parents in Vancouver. We were apart for maybe nine or ten days, and we hated that. We had both been in previous marriages, and we know that when you spend a lot of nights away from a person, it’s easy to grow apart.
Barbara: Getting married at 40 and 43 gives you a bit of an edge that way.
Duncan: We said, ‘Never again will we spend more than three consecutive nights apart,’ and our goal in any given year is to spend less than a week apart. The last time we were apart for three nights was years ago; on an average year we are away from each other for fewer than three nights total.
How much travelling do you do?
Duncan: I travel about 100 to 150 days a year to 30 to 35 countries, and I have for about 15 years now.
Barbara: I do the same. We’re always following whoever has the gig in whatever country it is.
That must get expensive.
Duncan: It does. People don’t always pay for Duncan to fly to where Barbara is, and vice versa. Over the years we’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to be together – the amount of money we’ve spent to never be apart is probably more than the amount in our RRSPs – and neither of us regret that. It also increases our networks; we’re building a global pipeline, which helps offset the costs.
Barbara: I’m meeting high-calibre, super-successful people along the way, which is my target market, and a lot of people come through that network that I wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for Duncan.
Barbara and Duncan Stewart.Supplied
How do you keep all that travel organized?
Duncan: With a spreadsheet that makes my consulting colleagues at Deloitte’s heads explode. It’s colour-coded [and] multi-tabbed, because we are attempting to juggle two people’s schedules, but also client meetings, webinars, keynotes and so forth. It’s a masterpiece.
Barbara: Also, [it includes] our flight times and where we’re going for dinner. We have our favourite restaurants in every city, so we plan this stuff way ahead of time. Everything is on the spreadsheet.
Do you worry about missing things back home in Toronto?
Duncan: I’m sorry, where? (laughs).
Barbara: I have a brother who lives in Muscat [Oman], and we meet up in Europe on a regular basis. Our parents have passed away and I don’t have any kids of my own.
Duncan: I have four adult children, and we see them about as often as we would if we didn’t travel.
What are some of your favourite destinations?
Duncan: If you want to see us fight, give us a glass of wine and make us pick a favourite. It’s such a long list. We love Buenos Aires, Singapore, Taipei, Tel Aviv, Paris, Istanbul. We also adore Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Any favourite activities?
Barbara: We’re both athletic – we love running, hiking, mountain biking and yoga. We organize all of that too; around the world it’s a priority to go do all our favourite runs and bikes and everything else together.
Any places you haven’t been to yet but want to see?
Duncan: We’d love to go to India. We’ve never been.
Where are you travelling next?
Duncan: We’re leaving in a few days for Lisbon, then we’re off to France, then Turkey and Spain for Mobile World Congress. Then Sweden, Denmark, and then home before we’re off to Asia a few weeks later.
