I count myself incredibly lucky for many reasons, but here’s one that stands out: my work. Every 3.5 years, my university grants me the rare opportunity to step away from teaching and administrative duties for a research sabbatical. It’s a chance to dream big, launch ambitious projects, and collaborate with brilliant people I might otherwise never meet. And the best part? They encourage you to travel. After all, what better way to connect with those amazing people than to visit them in their own corners of the world?
Armed with this freedom, I put together an itinerary that most would call ambitious—bordering on insane. Over the span of just over a month, I planned to visit Professor Adam Harris at University College London, give a talk at the Association for Consumer Research conference in Paris, collaborate with Professor Renato Frey at the University of Zurich, visit Associate Professor Johannes Müller-Trede at IESE in Barcelona, and deliver a talk at the University of Malta. Oh, and I wasn’t doing this solo—I was bringing along my wife, two young kids, and my mum.
Mixing work and family life in this way was, to put it mildly, an adventure. One moment, I was coaxing two jet-lagged kids out of their seats after nearly 30 hours of travel; the next, I was on the Tube, mentally rehearsing PowerPoint slides. Our time in London was a whirlwind, but we managed to squeeze in a Peppa Pig-themed sightseeing bus tour. Sitting with an old friend while snacking on Madame Gazelle’s Veggie Crudité as we crossed Tower Bridge was a surreal and delicious highlight.
Every few years, the Association for Consumer Research holds its conference in Europe, and this year’s location didn’t disappoint—the city of love, Paris. It was a proud moment to see my PhD student, Nathan Moore, present his first international conference poster, “Nudge Yourself in the Right Direction: Encouraging Sustainable Choices in Online Meal-Boxes“, a project that will anchor the first paper of his PhD. Meanwhile, I presented my talk, “Probabilistic Loyalty Reward Programs Increase Customer Engagement and Purchases“, joint work with Liyin Jin, Ying Zhang, and Linda D. Hollebeek. The conference dinner, held aboard a Seine River cruise, was a highlight. Passing the iconic Eiffel Tower, sparkling in its post-Olympic glory, provided a perfect backdrop for networking with academic friends.
And then there was Rome. Because, let’s face it, no trip to Europe feels complete without waving at the Pope, marveling at the Sistine Chapel (no, I didn’t sneak a photo), and preparing for Gladiator 2 by hauling the kids up the steps of the Colosseum—all while being begged for “just one more gelato”.
As the whirlwind month wrapped up, I reflected on just how special this sabbatical has been. It wasn’t just an incredible opportunity for me to learn and connect—it was a chance for my kids to transform, too. They communicated with people who didn’t speak English, touched monuments most kids only see in movies, tried unique dishes, and mastered navigating planes, trains, buses, and rideshares. Even if their enduring memory is feeling sick after indulging in too much chocolate at Zurich’s Lindt Factory Outlet, I know we’ve all flourished in ways that matter.
Because in the end, the best part of a sabbatical isn’t just pressing pause—it’s the chance to grow, build, and dream a little bigger.