Decoding Airport Chaos: Making the Journey Smooth

Ever wondered what goes behind the scenes of creating a luxury travel experience? Join us as we pull back the curtain with our guest, Ashish, as we delve into the world of luxury adventure travel and hotel stories. From the opulent facade to the chaotic back-of-house operations, we share our insights from a recent encounter at a luxury hotel in Philadelphia. It's a fascinating glimpse into an often unseen side of the industry, and we assure you, it's okay to appreciate the effort that goes into crafting these experiences. 

We also tackle the familiar chaos and frustration of airport experiences. With Ashish's expert insight, we aim to make sure that these are aspects you won't have to worry about when planning your travels. But it's not all about the logistics. We also discuss the unique experiences of traveling with children. Ashish's personal story of surviving a flight to Costa Rica with my one-year-old daughter will resonate with many parents out there. Amidst the judgmental stares and challenges, we emphasize the importance of patience, understanding, and not letting others dampen your travel spirits.

As we wrap up, we consider the value of teaching our children respect and understanding towards others. This isn't just about creating better travel experiences; it's about shaping their character and worldview. We also touch on the intricacies of the airline industry and how people from various countries and backgrounds communicate effectively while ensuring passenger safety. Stay with us as we look forward to more enlightening discussions about the travel industry in our upcoming episodes.

Thanks for joining us on today’s episode of The Intrepid Traveler podcast! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please rate and review our

show to help us reach even more aspiring travelers. Don’t forget to check out our website, visit us on Facebook, Instagram or follow

us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on our latest epic travel adventures!

Use the following links when planning your own travel!

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Have you ever wondered how the pros put together epic, tailor-made travel adventures? Welcome to the Intrepid Traveler Podcast. I'm your host, robin Klein, and I'm going to explain to you just how that is done during my conversation with today's guest. When it comes to luxury adventure and expedition travel, the possibilities are endless. In each episode, you'll hear from an expert in his or her field about how these experiences, and more, are created.

Speaker 1: 0:37

This episode of the Intrepid Traveler is brought to you by Klein and Co Travel Consulting, a luxury adventure and expedition travel planning company specializing in un-Googleable experiences. You can find us on the web at KleinandCoTravelcom. On Instagram at Klein and Co Travel, we have a private Facebook group you are welcome to join. You can find us on LinkedIn or catch the video version on YouTube. With that said, let's welcome today's guest. So Ashish and I have decided we're having so much fun doing these episodes together that we're going to do it somewhat regularly, and I hope that you'll enjoy listening to them as much as we enjoy recording them. We'll have one of these about once a month, and the subject matter will be what not to worry about in travel.

Speaker 2: 1:30

Enjoy. Welcome back. This is Ashish and time for another episode of what Robin, what's it called? What you shouldn't freak out about? Absolutely right, this is part of our monthly episodic feature on our podcast. I love having Robin as a guest. Those of you who watched the first one, you saw that we had a lot of fun.

Speaker 1: 1:51

Wait, wait, wait. I'm going to interrupt you here. This is not a guest thing, this is like no this is not. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:58

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right, that's right. Get it right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, she's just right. This is not even this point, not even a guest. I mean, robin's been on this podcast so many times. I've been on her podcast so many times that, this point, we might as well be co-hosts, which we technically are, so don't freak out, right right, exactly.

Speaker 1: 2:17

Well, let's wait for this one monthly thing. We still have our. We each still have our own separate things as well, but this is a great co-hosting opportunity and I love being on Robin's podcast.

Speaker 2: 2:28

Robin's got a podcast. What's it called Robin again.

Speaker 1: 2:30

The.

Speaker 2: 2:30

Interpreter Traveler. I love her podcast. Those of you who did their listening should check it out. Her podcast is really cool because she gets a deep dive into the inner workings of the industry, Just kind of give you a backstage view of the industry. We see this beautiful, polished product at the front. It's sort of like walking through a four seasons. Right the front is amazing. You're at the back of the house and you go wow, this doesn't look anything like the front.

Speaker 1: 2:54

Yeah, you figure out what it takes to actually make it all work yeah, that's right. Or when you get to go in a kitchen at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Speaker 2: 3:02

Well, actually, you know what? Let's start there, because this just happened to me. I know this wasn't on our list, but I'm going to add it right now Because we roll like that, because we roll like that so things we shouldn't freak out about. So, general managers of hotels who don't want you to see the clutter behind the scenes, I actually made this mistake and I was on that. I was at a luxury hotel in Philadelphia. I walked in, you know, the elevator had a line to go up to the rooftop terrace. So a couple of us were like we'll just take the stairs. And, you know, lisa Bain was with me and Don Martinsen was with me, and what could possibly go wrong with those stairs? Oh yeah, right. So we went climbing up these stairs and I was like, wow, this is a beautiful hotel. And I opened the door and I literally stopped and I go. What just happened?

Speaker 1: 3:50

Like did you enter the Twilight Zone? It was like bars and everything.

Speaker 2: 3:54

I literally looked at Lisa and I said when did we end up at Alcatraz? Yeah, I was supposed to not. And so we started to hike up these stairs and I think we climbed 20 floors. We walked up 20 floors and got all the way up and we get out on one floor and I guess there was a manager who was there who was mortified that we came in. So we had to explain to him and say, please don't worry. Look, we work in this industry. We know how cluttered the back of the house is. You just want to tell you that the front of the house is amazing. Yeah, it is, it is absolutely amazing, it's great. And he said no, no, no, you can't be back here, you can't be back here. He then proceeds to tell us that he could get in trouble for us having us there.

Speaker 2: 4:32

So I couldn't help myself. I actually have to respond and I say there's a row of metal staircases here and Any one of them I could get, I could get cut on this metal in a technoshop.

Speaker 1: 4:46

But that's not a proge.

Speaker 2: 4:47

That was very nice to do to him, but that's okay, or if I fall off these stairs, be over, hit my head on a rail to here. That's not a problem, but because I saw messing like around you're gonna get in trouble for that. So I feel, lisa, I said do me a favor throw me down that flight of stairs right now that way. Oh, we left it there. Of course she didn't. Thank goodness, you know, we have people on listeners over. Listeners are Industry focus.

Speaker 2: 5:12

Well, and we tell them you know what First thing I learned about social media about, you know, hotels, this it's okay to see people to see you sweat. In fact, it's a great thing it means they can see the effort that goes into it. You know the blood, sweat and tears that goes into the finished product. It's okay to let people see that. It's a great thing. If the back of the house is as clean as a part of the house, there's a problem cleanliness you still want.

Speaker 1: 5:37

a little bit of chaos is okay, hey that's fine yeah. I can't, I'll never forget.

Speaker 2: 5:43

I was. There was a hotel in India that I went into and I went to the back of the house there again. By accident, I see I seem to trespass these places a lot. I Walked into this place and I see VIP. I see my name next to VIP.

Speaker 1: 5:58

So of course, you knew something was wrong right there.

Speaker 2: 6:04

Clearly I was newly married and my wife actually saw that and she's like here's the best part. It didn't say my full name, it said a, she's Patel, because my wife's made me this. But tell so, I'm a VIP and my wife, I parent that took her last name. So of course my wife sees that and she just has an ego trip. She looks at me, she goes that's the way it's gonna be, just exactly it.

Speaker 1: 6:30

Yeah, and you. That's why you've been happily married for so long.

Speaker 1: 6:34

Any hotel hotel stories you've got oh my gosh, listen, I have got so many hotel stories and not not necessarily like bad ones, but my brother is actually a GM of big at one of the bigger hotel chains that we all know and has been in the hotel business Industry since he was in high school, like started as a ballet parking cars at the Ritz Carlton in Tyson's corner in Virginia and has now been in the industry for 30 plus years. So yeah, yeah, we could go down that rabbit hole, but. But maybe we'll save that for another time.

Speaker 2: 7:14

I just want to find out. Message me which hotel he is, so I can go trespass the back of the house of that hotel too.

Speaker 1: 7:20

Well, I'll say this he is such a neat freak, like like it just you. Probably in his hotel the back of the house looks the same as the front. Wow, he is like one of these people that you know. He walks into my house and he like starts reaching up a way up high and like running his finger along edges and seeing if there's dust and stuff like that, and I'm like just no, no, no, no, not in my house. You know, in your hotel you do it too on.

Speaker 2: 7:45

But so so in here with that stuff in my house. You, you will laugh, as I actually had a friend do that in my house, came in and was like oh well, it was what's happening over here and I don't when look, wow, we keep our house very clean, but it's still, and so he started showing that and I stopped him and I gave him my calendar.

Speaker 2: 8:02

He goes what are you showing me? I said 200 of these days I'm not home. Yeah, my wife works full-time as well, so unless you plan on serving as a housekeeper for us, I'm not sure what you're actually doing with that white right. Right, oh, that was that. Yeah, yeah, you know yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 1: 8:21

Sorry guys, All right.

Speaker 2: 8:23

So okay, let's, let's, let's let's jump in Now that I've got a right. So we've got a phone is completely off.

Speaker 1: 8:29

Let's move on to what we're not freaking out about.

Speaker 2: 8:31

Yeah, in the world of travel this week?

Speaker 1: 8:34

Yeah, and shall I kick us off? Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 8:37

It's clear, clearly I'm I'm off in the weeks, that I yeah, yes.

Speaker 1: 8:43

Well, you know, it wouldn't be the same if you weren't.

Speaker 1: 8:49

We're coming back to. We're coming back to what we're talking about here and that for me today, anyway, it's the weather. Yeah, after. So this is being recorded June 30th of 2023, and last week was kind of earlier this week, I should say, was kind of pandemonium in the airline world anyway, because of storms and things that were rolling through, and you know that is something that none of us have any control over and people absolutely Flip out about it in airports, and you know, I'm gonna get to here in just a second. I had that. I understand like the frustration, the aggravation and all of that is is understandable, but it's it's not anything that anybody can, can do anything about. And when those storms roll through and they ground those planes, you know that's definitely a case of you'd rather be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground.

Speaker 1: 9:52

Yeah 100% that's out, and I had a couple clients that got stuck in Atlanta overnight. You know, not much fun because the hotels fill up really fast and then you're having to sit in the airport all night and then you know there is that overflow right now. Problem with we don't have as many flights back online still as we did, you know, pre Pandemic I had a situation one time where I had spent the night in the Detroit airport and luckily I did get out pretty early the next day. But you know when those flights the next day are already fully booked. And then they're trying to deal with the issues of people that had were canceled from the night before and they're trying the air traffic controllers, we're trying to get it all squared away and they're trying to get everybody rebooked. I mean, it's, it's really tough and tensions run high and sleep deprivation does not help, but it is one of those things that, like freaking out about it is not gonna change it.

Speaker 2: 10:50

No, you know what you know it's, it's, it's funny you says, because I just I was just up in Canada with my, with my family, just quick, get away up to the ice fields in Western Canada. And You're right, I mean you know there was. There were some issues that people flying back to the eastern part of Canada because of, because of weather and because of the Smoke from the fires and different parts the country and what I did. You're right, you can't control any of it and yet the freaking out part is honestly because you saw it happen at the airport. I I draw a direct correlation to this right. So you talk to any airline right now. They cannot find people fast enough to ratify new union agreements. They're hiring people I mean not by the tens, by the hundreds and they're trying to bring it and the line they're trying to skirt is qualified people versus warm bodies.

Speaker 1: 11:42

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 11:43

So the people who freak out the most are the ones who actually complain about the understaffing. But they're the cause, right, they're the cause. I mean yeah it's like seeing, it's like literally it's like Going to somebody's house before you have children, seeing this in children that are basically just, absolutely just monsters and going. Forget it.

Speaker 1: 12:04

I don't want kids you know or thinking you could do a better job and apparent you know what? I'm the perfect parent. I don't have children, but I'm the perfect parent. So you, yeah, this.

Speaker 2: 12:17

Yeah, yeah, you should do this exactly like this same thing with with this, and it's fun. And again, right, with those same people that that freak out are the ones who sit there just berate this poor gate agent and berate this these. It's not their fault. There's a line that's a mile long, yes, and there, and could you imagine Coming to work and your job for that day is to be?

Speaker 2: 12:39

yelled at by every single person like that Really, I mean for words. Did I tell you my story in Canada from last time about the gentleman that pushed me out of the way, that I mentioned that to you?

Speaker 1: 12:50

I think we did talk about that on the last episode.

Speaker 2: 12:53

So this was time around coming back, it almost happened again and it was not even somebody pushing, but it was just somebody huffing and puffing and whatnot and getting on the plane and you know what. What are you doing? And they were freaking out about, about this and something you couldn't control. You would have had a moment when we were flying back from Columbia, this last trip, that the trip that I wish you were on.

Speaker 1: 13:16

And I wished I was too.

Speaker 2: 13:17

Yes, exactly right, but this is what happened. We're taking off and it wasn't this wasn't even weather, but it could have been right. So weather was rolling in the morning flying back to Florida, and so there was there was a you know, when we're taking off there was a chance of like get delayed a bit. So there was obviously people who were just antsy. You were in Cartagena, flying back and I don't know why you're antsy?

Speaker 2: 13:37

because you're in Cartagena, you're in Columbia. The worst that happened is you get to stay one more day in paradise, right? It's not like it's the other world, right? So I guess one of the one of the people back there so he was. He was in front of us in the line for the you know, getting the back tax back for stuff he bought and he's freaking out opening his bag. Sports spouse is about to cry because he's berating her and whatnot, and he then looks over to Vicki our Vicki yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:03

I speak English, I know what you're saying, don't talk about me. And so I looked at him and said sir, please calm down, she's on your side. Yeah, she's just telling you that. She's just telling us that that she feels sorry for you. She's a sympathetic to your don't, don't, okay? Well, karma's karma. So we were taking off and where we on the runway, this is what happened taking off, about to hit max speed, to take off, and all of a sudden the brakes go on. Okay, I thought something broke on the plane. I literally thought something had broken. I thought that we were about to hit something. Yeah, and all of a sudden the pilot comes on says prepare for a rival. What, what? We haven't taken off yet. Was it that we did? We, I worked to Florida. What happened? Yeah, yeah, it was back the gate. Turns out that that same gentleman was in the back verbally harassing and I think of us Abusing his wife. Wow, he's unacceptable, right?

Speaker 1: 14:54

I mean, yeah, they're acceptable, so good on, the pilot got everybody off and said we're taking him off the plane and I didn't know who he was.

Speaker 2: 15:01

I saw the bags coming out the panel go. Oh, that's him. Wow, that's the same guy. I remember those bags and it was. He was freaking out about the weather Because we're delayed. It manifested itself into this. This just tired at the anti, at the, at the the line to get your, your VAT tax back.

Speaker 1: 15:20

Yeah, and then?

Speaker 2: 15:20

it manifested itself even further into this monster who treats his wife In a way that I can't even imagine. Yeah, on an airplane, in front of everybody thinking there's no repercussions. This man's now removed off the flight. Who knows when he actually gets on another flight to come home. He's now delayed a whole nother day, at the very least because he could, because he freaked out, yeah.

Speaker 1: 15:43

Well, I hopefully let his wife go without him.

Speaker 2: 15:47

I mean so so surprisingly. I mean, if I was there I would have been like see you, sweetie.

Speaker 2: 15:52

I know I was like I exhaled her, but the kids were there were kids there that have her kids were watching him do this as well. So they all were taken off and I was like, yeah, you know what, I think I'm, I think you're staying in Columbia, or I'm staying in Columbia, you go ahead and go, yeah, right, but but it was, yeah, it was it, but it all, it all manifested itself, brought a simple plan of not having self-control. So think you're spot on, like you know, yeah, what you? You said the key thing you can't control it, yeah, and if you can't control it, I tell people all the time you're going through airports, just ask yourself two questions If you can control it, then control. What actions can you take to fix it? Right, if it's something in your control, then do something about it. But if you can't control it and nobody around you can control it, unless you've got a direct dial to the almighty, I think you kind of have to just sit back and say you know, I mean, it's there.

Speaker 1: 16:48

That's exactly right, that's exactly right. The lack of planning on your part does not constitute the emergency on my part. So when that kind of person calls their travel agent or the airlines or the person at the desk, or whatever. So either they might have cut their trip too short going home, or might not have allowed them enough time getting there, or whatever the case may be, then yeah, yeah Well, that's a good phrase, say it again.

Speaker 2: 17:17

That's a really good phrase. Say it again.

Speaker 1: 17:20

The lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

Speaker 2: 17:26

I'm using that If you haven't trained my friend I am.

Speaker 1: 17:29

I wish I could say that I came up with that, but I didn't.

Speaker 2: 17:32

Well, I'll tell you what On this podcast, we're saying you came up with it. Now we haven't recorded it into evidence. You came up with it. It is now officially entered into evidence.

Speaker 1: 17:42

Well.

Speaker 2: 17:42

I'll take credit for this yeah look, if you trade market, you need any kind of evidence for the patent. Just let me know we have this reporting All right, sounds good.

Speaker 1: 17:51

Okay, so what's on your list? What's on your list? What are you not freaking out about Mind's traveling?

Speaker 2: 17:56

with families. Mind's traveling with kids, with families. Okay, so I travel with my kids, so I travel with my kid, with my wife and family, right? So I'll take you back and my kids are great travelers now, but I have zero tolerance for people who pretend like they were doing something horribly wrong because our kids are crying on an airplane. Okay, you know that person who just looks at you with disdain as if I have like a little key chain in the back of my kids.

Speaker 1: 18:23

They're like turn on the crying.

Speaker 2: 18:25

You know, here we go All right, yeah, let's go and wait those people over there. So I'll take you back to when my daughter was one. We were flying to Costa Rica and the air pressure was bothering.

Speaker 1: 18:36

It was the first time on her plane.

Speaker 2: 18:37

Now my son mind you was a pro at this point. Now when I say pro, here's what I mean. Okay, If you fly on JetBlue right now, they charge you for your headphones. My son is single heavily responsible for that. They used to give headphones for free until they handed back a whole bunch of headphones in pieces and then, after that point, they're like okay, we charge my headphones, look at them and I go this is all you're doing. This is your problem when you get older. I am making sure everybody knows that this is your doing. If you're paying two dollars for headphones.

Speaker 2: 19:04

It's because of you, and he was proud of himself, yeah. You know, but when you travel with kids, they're curious. You know we think about when we were growing up. Planes were a novelty, meaning they were new, it was getting on a plane. It still is a novelty, right it?

Speaker 2: 19:21

still is something really cool, but it was something like. You know, air travel is not as what was, something like it was more reverence than it is today. Right Today, it's like almost like an air taxi in certain cases. For kids, it's not just the air travel, it's the free wifi, it's the, it's the entertainment, it's everything around, and then there's just so much going on they're taking in.

Speaker 1: 19:42

And so you know, you have this but when you have a young child.

Speaker 2: 19:45

So I had my, my one year old daughter flying to Costa Rica. She's this is years ago, she's 11 now, and she was crying on the flight from Miami to San Jose. She's screaming on the plane because then I'm trying to comfort her my wife is almost in tears because she's mortified so I said, let me have her. And I'm holding her and she's, you know, trying to comfort her, trying to give her something. You know you make them just, you know, suck on a bottle or something. You can't just give them a piece of gum and say, here, chew this, you know, especially when they're one, yeah, I mean I'll try.

Speaker 2: 20:17

I'll try, but I mean I would I'm the guy. I'm the guy who gave my daughter hot sauce when she was like one by accident. So so I mean I did by accident, it wasn't on purpose.

Speaker 1: 20:29

I promise so that's good, that's a good thing.

Speaker 2: 20:32

Yes, that was like. It was like it was touching her gums and whatnot and rubbing her rubbing her gums because they were hurting her and then I realized that my fingers were in hot sauce.

Speaker 1: 20:40

And I was like, oh yeah, they're only going to hurt, yeah, so back to the ears, back to the ears, so yeah.

Speaker 2: 20:47

So so the this woman this must have been in her fifties, I think. She looks over at me, just keeps staring like oh you know, and I'm looking at her and I'm looking at my wife.

Speaker 1: 21:00

Now my wife is basically crying.

Speaker 2: 21:01

At this point, you know, and I'm like, okay, hold on. So I picked my daughter up, I hand her to. This girl does lead. I go here, you go. She goes. What are you doing? I go. Clearly, you know what.

Speaker 1: 21:12

No, how to fix it.

Speaker 2: 21:14

So here, oh my gosh, this oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I said no, you keep looking at us and you keep looking. My wife is not crying because of how you're staring at her. It's not. I'm sorry that she's bothering you. I'm sorry that my daughter, my one-year-old daughter, who still has no control over emotions, is bothering you. I'm sorry that I brought her on this airplane, but since you are an experienced mother here and she just goes no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I said okay, well then, all right, if that's the case, then do you mind? Yeah, you know, and I explained to her. I said you know, kids, adults, we all sense judgmentalized.

Speaker 2: 21:52

We can sense it comes off like like a spear through you know, a knife through butter or spear through Whatever, and I said kids experience it as well. I said her pressure is there. The minute I started doing that, the amazing thing the men I started, you know, talking to this lady and getting her to stop looking at us. All of a sudden, my daughter stopped crying.

Speaker 1: 22:13

She started tension, tension eased yeah, which you kids sense it as well.

Speaker 2: 22:18

So traveling with kids, I just I tell people you know, look, when they're older, like I'm pretty strict with with my kids, I you know. Well, just just this last trip it was getting my daughter to say thank you for something because she was complaining about something Like what to say? You have no right to complain, you should be saying thank you, and it was there. But when they're younger and whatnot, it's to not let some of those judgy eyes bother you.

Speaker 1: 22:41

Well, yeah, I mean that's the difference between misbehaving or somebody being ill-behaved and somebody being, you know, in pain or afraid, or it's right, something like that. I mean that's, that's a totally different thing. I mean I'm gonna have a different. I'm definitely gonna have a different reaction to a parent that's letting their kid, like Bang the you know what, out of the back of my seat for six hours. Then I am to one who has a crying child because the pressure is bothering their ears. So your spot you can?

Speaker 1: 23:11

you can control the kid that's kicking the seat. Well, yeah, in theory.

Speaker 2: 23:15

No, no, you can't. I'm gonna tell you how I did, but go ahead Duct tape. I did much better than that I was able, so Well, mm-hmm. So we had this kid that I, and again that that parent, that wasn't paying attention.

Speaker 2: 23:32

Like it's, it's as you said, it's a difference between you know, having your children be autonomous and actually supporting them, and and be with them Then letting them run, run, just completely wild. Well, we were flying from Hong Kong to India 747. This is my mother and my wife and I were flying there and this kid I haven't had kids yet this kid gets up off. To see how this kid was sitting in the exit row was beyond me.

Speaker 1: 23:58

But you know, does that see? That doesn't have anything to do. Yeah, that must have been. That must have been a long time ago. It was a long before they made, before they made those hardened fast rules.

Speaker 2: 24:06

Yeah, which needed to be back then. So this kid gets up, starts hanging on the handle for the emergency door. Oh like and not hanging on the part that says close, hang on the part that says push here to open. Okay, listen.

Speaker 1: 24:19

So that goes in the category of things you should.

Speaker 2: 24:26

Here's what I did. I Basically I basically started flagged off my attendance. Somebody came over says no, no, no, no, no it's, and luckily before.

Speaker 2: 24:34

I could everybody else for me down about it. Yeah, so now this is. This is the part that gets interesting. This kid was probably five, six years old, so now he keeps. You know, he's sitting right across from us and he keeps. Basically, he's a little toy and he keeps putting it on my shoulder and I'm just, I'm trying to mind, I'm busy, I'm like what, what gives you the right to get in my personal space? Yeah, and his mom is just oblivious. Yeah, she's reading something, what not? So now nobody's looking. I, I take the little toy that's in his hand and I very gently smacked out of his hands. So it goes flying the farther, the plane right, and then I put my headphones on open my magazine and pretend like nothing's ever happened nothing is like.

Speaker 1: 25:13

It's like the. What were they in Madagascar, the little? So the lemurs nothing to see here.

Speaker 2: 25:22

Well, this is so. Of course, I have my head for open just a little crack just to see what's about to happen, because I that way, if I Something happens, I'm gonna have to explain to my family why I just got in trouble like I told you why you got arrested by the and then taking the jail upon landing.

Speaker 1: 25:37

I.

Speaker 2: 25:39

Told you last time I am probably I do for some sort of a but whooping in an airport somewhere. I've done enough things to people just just being a smart aleck. When they do dumb things to just you know, if I do ever something ever does happen where I get in trouble, I'm gonna say I probably deserve this. I'm hoping it doesn't, but still. But so all I hear is this mom just going. You know the kid go, mom, mom, that man took this toy and threw my toy over there. What not, I don't know. This kid was like you know, he's touching my shoulders, toys like I can't take 10 more hours of this. I'm like, oh, come on, just stop and I tried telling him to stop and whatnot.

Speaker 2: 26:17

His mom clearly was anything. So all I hear, all I hear is his mom going. What have we said about you lying about people and lying about things? You should not lie. At that point half of me is like and take that.

Speaker 1: 26:34

And half of me was like oh, I feel really bad now. Yeah right, Do I let him take the fall or not? I let him take the fall.

Speaker 2: 26:43

I let him take the fall. You know what? I let him take the fall. I normally wouldn't, but that kid deserved it. That was a kid that wanted to go to the mom and say, when this kid grows up and goes to high school, you should be a bit worried. Like it was, like he's going to be.

Speaker 1: 26:58

he's going to respect Like you've got to have respect for people.

Speaker 2: 27:04

You've got to, at that age, travel the kids, letting kids be curious but, let them be respectful.

Speaker 1: 27:12

Yeah, what a good word for all of us. It doesn't matter what age we are, as soon as you're old enough to understand that, being respectful of those around you, no matter what the situation, because we all know air travel is trying a lot of the time and we just have to do the best we can. That's exactly right.

Speaker 2: 27:37

Nothing more you can do besides that.

Speaker 1: 27:39

That's exactly right Keep your eye on the prize, you're getting where you want to go in a record amount of time. If you lived 100 years ago, it wouldn't be happening.

Speaker 2: 27:49

That's exactly right. No, that's exactly right. And look, we're lucky that we get as you said, we get to fly in these planes or planes, but at the end of the day you step back and you think about how much to come.

Speaker 1: 28:02

These are steel tubes, these are steel tubes with engines in them.

Speaker 2: 28:05

It's one of these things where we have to take a step back and understand just the way we talk about the back of the house on hotels. It's not an easy job to run an airline by any stretch. If it was, everybody would do it. Logistics and you see airlines melt down doing weather patterns where their flights are all stuck somewhere, cruise time out and whatnot. You see now the union contract negotiations. It's not an easy job and we talk about the moving parts of our industry. Imagine the moving parts they have and they have an antiquated air traffic control system to deal with as well.

Speaker 2: 28:39

Yet it still happens and we can't get passport control unified on airports. But airlines have it down where you get off of one tower, get onto a different tower, the other different tower, contact this tower and the entire time you're flying from Timbuktu to Los Angeles. You're in contact with somebody the whole way and you're talking to people in different countries who are you speaking the exact same coded language and it's just, oh, it's amazing If you ever fly.

Speaker 1: 29:16

It's like a giant machine with a gajillion cogs all running at the same time, and when one of them breaks, then the whole thing starts to.

Speaker 2: 29:26

Yeah, then stuff all apart, it's exactly If you ever fly United. They have this one thing that I wish all airlines had, and it's not a reason to give up loyalty to anyone airline. But and I did this one time I was flying them, I think at where to where? I think it was just somewhere in the US, and so on one of their channels. You can hear the air traffic control. The communication from the between the air traffic control.

Speaker 2: 29:52

I kept that on the whole time. Yeah, I was. I have ADD when it comes to traveling. I'm watching something on TV, I'm doing something, I'm doing work and I'm listening to this all at the same time. Yeah, and I'm listening. And it was literally. I think we're flying from. You know, it wasn't US, it was actually from London. We left London talking to Heathrow Tower, then talking to So-and-So Tower, then hitting some tower in Canada, then hitting some tower in the US, then hitting some tower in Chicago, then hitting some. It was literally one after the other, and every one of them was, you know, united. Da, da, da. And then the pilot responded you know, heading 260, climb to 3,400,. You know, 3,400, climb to 4. Think about that. You're dealing with people, some people in the metric system, some people in the imperial system, and yet everybody's dealing on, you know, 34,000 feet 40,000 feet.

Speaker 2: 30:40

Everybody's speaking the same language. Yeah, we can't even order coffee in that uniform way, and yet these guys are flying these advanced pieces of equipment with uniform language. It's incredible.

Speaker 1: 30:51

Yeah, very good, very good point, very good point. Absolutely, absolutely so. So we will reconvene next month, yes, and we'll see what kind of fodder the travel industry gives us between now and then. And come with our next topics.

Speaker 2: 31:07

I'm sure it's going to be a lot. It's good there's not a shortage of materials. I mean, as David Letterman said, that's exactly right, that's exactly right. And if we run our materials as David Letterman has. If you always have stupid human tricks, we can always talk about that. Oh my gosh, yeah, OK.

Speaker 1: 31:21

Well, let's wait till we run out of stuff before we turn that down that path.

Speaker 2: 31:26

Well, Robin, as always, it is great having you host this podcast. We're co-hosts. We are co-hosts. There you go.

Speaker 1: 31:34

This is our co-episode. So you'll find it on my podcast as well as on yours.

Speaker 2: 31:41

Yes, so the Intrepid Traveler and Sustainable Voice both podcasts, several casts on both places. Check out both podcasts. Check out Robin's podcast as well as, of course, you're listening here as well but check out the Traveler. Traveler it's a really great podcast and really, again, it's about getting behind the scenes. These are the things that this industry deals with in order to make travel seamless. So when you're on your next trip and you're having an amazing time, think about this podcast and all the things that go behind the scenes, Beyond the laughter, beyond everything else, the stress that goes into the scenes with one common goal of just making sure you're smiling. So that's really key, Robin. Any closing remarks before we sign off.

Speaker 1: 32:23

No, I think it's all good. Just think about, just worry about the things you have control over. That's all that's exactly right. Don't give the rest of it rent-free space in your head.

Speaker 2: 32:35

I love it. That's exactly right. Better words than ever spoken. So, as Robin said, don't give it rent-free space in your head. Be respectful. Till next time. Stay tuned, guys. Thanks.

Speaker 1: 32:45

That wraps up today's episode of the Intrepid Traveler. Thank you for tuning in and thank you to today's guests for joining me. I'll be back again in two weeks with another exciting episode featuring another guest with a story that is sure to pique your interest. Please subscribe to the Intrepid Traveler on your favorite listening channel and give us a review. Once again, today's episode has been brought to you by Clining Co Travel Consulting, a luxury adventure and expedition travel planning company specializing in un-Googleable experiences.