Long-haul, done properly
Routing, stopovers and cabin choices that leave you fit to present or negotiate, not wrecked by a red-eye before your session.
Conference & leisure travel for busy professionals
Your conference.
Then your holiday.
Off Duty Journeys arranges travel for doctors, scientists, academics and executives going to international meetings. I handle the flights, the hotel near the venue and the days either side of it, so a work trip turns into a proper break.
Founded by a practising doctor who knows what it's like to fit travel around a packed diary, a rota and a conference programme.
For clients based in the UK, travelling to meetings in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
An Independent Travel Agent of InteleTravel.uk, ABTA member P7384.
What I arrange
Built around the meeting, not the other way round
Most busy professionals book conference travel in a hurry, between meetings, often at the last minute. I take that off you and add the parts that make the trip worth it.
Conference plus extension
A hotel within walking distance of the venue, booked early before the room blocks sell out. Then three to ten days somewhere worth seeing, with your partner or family joining for the second half if you like.
- Hotels near the venue, with flexible rates where they exist
- Before and after stays: coast, countryside, city or cruise
- Rail, transfers and restaurant bookings sorted for you
Teams, departments and faculty groups
Shared hotel blocks, a group dinner and one point of contact for a team, a department, a faculty or a society travelling to the same meeting.
Holidays, not just work trips
Luxury and river cruises, safaris, honeymoons and milestone trips for clients who already trust me with their conference travel.
Conference calendar
Major international medical congresses, 2027
Choose a meeting and I'll come back with venue-area hotels and an extension idea. Please check dates with the organiser before you book leave, because organisers sometimes change them. Going to a scientific, academic or industry conference instead? Just tell me which one.
Long-haul meetings from the UK
Twenty-four hours each way should buy you more than four days of posters
If you fly halfway round the world for ANZCA, CICM, ANZICS or a big US meeting, the congress should be the start of the trip, not all of it. I plan the parts that are hard to fit around a rota:
- A stopover on the way, so you arrive able to work
- Hotels near the venue and an extension afterwards, from the Barossa to Queenstown or the California coast
- Rail passes, river cruises and touring, timed around your sessions
- Planning that fits your study leave, CPD allowance or travel budget
Before you book, I'll tell you exactly what financial protection applies to each part of your trip.
UK & Europe
UK meetings and European congresses with a few days added on, plus family holidays planned around school terms and your leave year.
North America
SCCM, ASA, ACEP, ASCO and AHA, plus a city break, a road trip or a short cruise before you fly home.
Australia & New Zealand
The southern-hemisphere meetings, with a stopover in Singapore, Dubai or Hong Kong and an extension planned so the jet lag pays for itself.
About
Hello, I'm Ganesh
I'm a doctor working in anaesthesia and intensive care. I teach, sit on committees, and have spent more of my career than I'd like in airports, some of it at 35,000 feet looking after a patient on a retrieval or repatriation flight.
I started Off Duty Journeys because the busy people I know, whether doctors, researchers or executives, never have time to plan their travel properly. They book the conference hotel late, take whichever flight fits the diary, and come home more tired than when they left. I plan it the way I'd want it planned for me.
Ganesh Hanumanthu is an Independent Travel Agent of InteleTravel.uk. Off Duty Journeys is a travel service only and does not give medical advice.
How it works
Four steps, one person to deal with
- 01
Tell me the meeting
The congress, your dates, who's coming, and roughly what you'd like to spend.
- 02
Get a costed plan
Usually within two working days: flights, hotels and an extension, with a couple of options.
- 03
Book securely
Payment goes through InteleTravel UK. You'll get your confirmations and any ATOL certificate that applies.
- 04
Travel with back-up
If a flight is cancelled or your session moves, message me and I'll help sort it out.
Plan a trip
Tell me where you're heading
It's free to send an enquiry, and you're under no obligation to book. If anything will be charged, such as a planning fee for a complex itinerary, I'll tell you before I start work.
I'll only use your details to reply to your enquiry. Please don't include any health information.