‘I have a different office every day’

IMAGINE waking up in Tokyo one day and Bora Bora the next, and all on your company’s dime? This woman is living the ultimate travel fantasy.

Kat Fahey has a job that lets her travel Australia and the world.

IMAGINE waking up in Tokyo one day and Alaska the next. And all on your company’s dime.

For most people, it’s the ultimate wish fulfilment fantasy but for Kat Fahey, it’s just another day at the office.

Ms Fahey is the global fashion director for Roxy and her job takes her all over the world and across Australia on campaign shoots for the brand. She spends more than half the year on the road in amazing locations all over the world such as Hawaii, Mexico, Ireland, West Sumatra, and New York

But some of her favourite haunts are right in her very backyard, like Byron Bay, Whale Beach, Cable Beach in Broome, Seal Rocks in NSW, Bell’s Beach or Snapper Rocks.

Just working poolside.

“On a Monday, I may be at a studio shoot in Tokyo working with Japanese bloggers and Roxy ambassadors, the next I’m on a flight to Bora Bora to shoot six-times world Surf Champion Stephanie Gilmore,” she told news.com.au. “There is never a dull moment in the Roxy team.

“Travelling has always been a big part of my life and I’ve worked towards careers that have allowed me to do this within my job. I’m not one to spend weeks at a time in the office at a desk, I’d go stir crazy. But I recently relocated to France which meant spending eight weeks in one place which was a record time for me. At the end of the eight weeks, I was very ready to get on a plane again and start the 2016 shooting season.

“Travelling keeps creativity in our team flowing — the cultures, the people, the food, the colours. They are filed away in the inspiration bank for future photo shoots.”

Wategos Beach in Byron Bay. Pic: Ellin Fitzpatrick

Some of the most memorable work trips Ms Fahey has experienced included a photo shoot in Alaska. The crew landed in Anchorage and got a charter flight to Homer just in time to see a baby brown bear appear out of nowhere – prompting everyone to Google ‘What to do if a bear is running at you’.

The most exotic trip she has done was the Mentawai islands in Indonesia. “A few years back, I was on a 10-day surf boat trip with our team of Roxy athletes. Having boarded the boat at night from Padang, when I awoke the next morning to deserted islands, the bluest of blue water you have ever seen, white palm tree-lined beaches with not a soul in sight. It was the closest to paradise I have ever been or possibly will be.”

Waking up in Tokyo. Nice.

The most remote experience she had was actually in Australia. It was in the El Questro Wilderness Park in WA. “I was loved camping but had only ever camped in the true sense of the word — hiking in with packs, cold showers, tea on the billy and baked beans for dinner,” she said. “Then a few years ago, I had a once in a lifetime trip to the beautiful El Questro.

“We flew into Kunanara on a 12-seater plane, picked up some FWDs and off we headed. Eating barramundi under the stars, avoiding snakes on the gorge track and sleeping luxury tented cabins at Emma Gorge — it was all breathtaking.”

El Questro wasn’t the only Aussie destination that sticks with Ms Fahey. Despite having globetrotted everywhere, her favourite beach in the world to shoot at remains Watego in Byron Bay. “It’s by far my favourite beach and I am always suggesting we shoot there. Other than the fact that it is so beautiful, the surf around northern NSW and up to Coolangatta is perfect to capture surf images of our Roxy team.”

Ms Fahey loves that she’s seen so much of Australia and the world and has been on some great adventures that would not have been possible otherwise but said that it’s not about being a perpetual tourist. It’s all “work, work, work” and involves a lot of sleeping on airport floors.

Working away at Honolulu airport.

Last year, political unrest in Thailand meant the team had change the photo shoot location to Taiwan. But unfortunately, mother nature had a different plan for the Roxy team’s summer campaign shoot and Ms Fahey and her colleagues suffered through 10 days of monsoon rain. Flooding in Mexico was another unexpected challenge.

And then there’s missing the comforts of home like her family and friends. “Whether it’s a friend’s birthday dinner or a sibling’s house warming, people always expect that you aren’t going to be able to make it. And more often than not, it’s true.

“I miss my family. They are in Australia and I now live overseas so that is something I miss all the time. But on a week-to-week basis, the biggest thing I miss is being able to go to the gym and eat normal food! It’s seriously hard eating out for weeks on end and having no routine whatsoever.

“When you travel for work, work becomes a larger part of your life. You spend 24/7 with the people you’re away with and they become your work family. Working and travelling with people that are on the same page as you and have the same passion and respect for the job and roll with the punches on a trip is a must.”

Not a baby brown bear in sight.

To try and keep some consistency in her life, Ms Fahey has a couple of luxuries she takes with her everywhere: noise-cancelling headphones and English Breakfast tea.

Could she ever go back to a regular nine-to-five job? “I think about this one a lot. I am very grateful for having a job where I get to travel and see the world this much, meeting so many amazing people along the way. I honestly do not think I could have a job where I was sitting at a desk every day but who knows what the future will bring.”