Mobile phones boss Jim Hyde has experienced the rougher side of business travel, once jumping off a train and legging it to an airport to catch a flight out of the eastern bloc.

Hyde, 43, is the American chief executive of T-Mobile UK, but 20 years ago he represented the United States at weightlifting in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, although injury prevented him competing. He was also part of a five-man US team that travelled to eastern Europe to live and train with the Hungarian national team.

“Once, we got escorted out of Czechoslovakia for not entering with the correct visa. They sent us back to East Germany, but we didn’t have a visa for there either. On the train to east Berlin, we saw an airport and when the train stopped, we just jumped off, ran to the airport and bought a plane ticket to get back to Budapest, because at least we had the correct visa for Hungary.

“Over there, I saw everything you can imagine as far as taking stuff is concerned. I was surprised at how open it was, but they just got used to us being there. My attitude was ‘better them than me’. If they want to cheat, fine, I’ve got to look at myself in the mirror. Half a dozen or more of those competitors are no longer alive.”

At T-Mobile UK, Hyde has around 6,500 employees reporting in to him. T-Mobile is owned by Deutsche Telekom and is the third biggest player in the mobile phone market, behind O2 and Vodafone, with around 17 million customers. He travels around the UK, Europe and the United States on business.

How has travelling changed since those days?

It was fantastic fun and a great honour to represent your country, but I was a little bigger in those days and we didn’t have many luxuries; I had to cram into economy seats, which was difficult. I was 190 pounds walking and my lifting weight was 182 pounds. Now, as a chief executive, I’m afforded a little more luxury when I’m travelling and I’ve also come down to around 160 pounds. I must be one of the few people who has lost weight as I got older.

How do you get around the UK?

Generally by car and I’ve learnt that there’s no such thing as a straight road in the UK. I didn’t drive for the first 18 months that I was here and I’m only just getting the hang of it. I’m used to the grid systems in the States, which is a lot easier to navigate, although you don’t necessarily get there any quicker. I have got a six series BMW and to environmentalists I will say that I’ve only got one car, so I have to make sure that it’s one I like. I also go on the Heathrow Express and take the tube just for bobbing around London.

Which airlines do you fly on to Europe?

It’s about convenience of schedules, so bmi and British Airways are good for me. I work in Hertfordshire and my home is only 20 minutes away, so the airports I use are Stansted and Heathrow. If I fly from Stansted, I will take the no-frills flights, particularly Germanwings to Cologne. For a short hop, you don’t need a lot of luxury.

What about long-haul travel?