Rick Denton: 0:05

You're listening to CX Passport, the show about creating great customer experiences with a dash of travel talk. Each episode well talk with our guests about great CX, travel...and just like the best journeys, explore new directions we never anticipated. I'm your host Rick Denton. I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport. Let's get going. I hope you've had a wonderful holiday period so far. As we come to the end of the year, I want to say thank you to the listeners for your support of CX Passport. I hope you've enjoyed the guests as much as I have. This week, I have another first class lounge compilation for you as I still take a couple of weeks off to recharge. But next week, CX Passport will be back on starting the year with Olga Budieri, a guest from Amman, Jordan. That's the way to get our passport out and active right at the beginning of the year. I hope your 2021 closes out well, and let me wish you a happy new year. Now let's start the compilation today with the very first guest ever on CX Passport, Santhakumaran Atmaligam from Malaysia so a little change of pace here I want you to join me in the first class lounge we're travelers we're customer experience people but we're in the first class lounge so we're going to move quickly here this is just a chance to have a little bit of fun so I want to know what was a dream travel location from your past the place you've been that was one of your dream travel locations. I want to go back to India. India is your dream travel location from your past where specifically India's too big to just say India? 30 Okay. In India sounds interesting. Tell me a little bit more. Well, my last trip to India was one year ago okay,

Santhakumaran Atmalingam: 1:55

right before the first lockdown and I missed two very major temples so I just Okay.

Rick Denton: 2:00

Awesome to go back go to see the temples. Great. So a dream travel location you've not been to yet.

Santhakumaran Atmalingam: 2:09

Greece

Rick Denton: 2:11

Ooh, I like Greece. I would like to get there as some food the beaches the sights. Yes, absolutely. What is your favorite thing to eat? Fried noodles, fried noodles. I like that. On the other side. What is the thing your parents forced you to eat but you hated as a kid.

Santhakumaran Atmalingam: 2:31

Okay, I will share this. Indians we eat Neem leaf, okay named leaf which is bitter to hell. They will force you to eat whenever you have chicken bots. So I hated that. Really?

Rick Denton: 2:47

Interesting. It is funny the things that we're forced to eat brussel sprouts are on my list. Not my favorite at all. So one travel item you will not leave home without.

Santhakumaran Atmalingam: 2:58

I'll take my torch light along.

Rick Denton: 3:00

Santha has always been quite practical so it doesn't surprise me to hear that flashlight was his choice for the one item that he would bring with him. Let's find out about Brooke Bayer's experience here in the first class lounge. Let's keep the travel theme going here. Join me in the first class lounge let's grab a bite and a beverage and let's have some fun. What is a dream travel location from your past?

Brooke Bayer: 3:26

Paris I lived there as a student sounds like a little cliche but it is the most magical city on the planet. And if I could afford to have a second home I would keep one in Paris.

Rick Denton: 3:38

What a beautiful city it's been too long for me as well but great place a dream travel location you've not been to yet.

Brooke Bayer: 3:45

Tokyo I am dying to go to Japan. Love the food loved the Japanese design ethos culture. And I just need to save up to buy a plane ticket to go.

Rick Denton: 3:59

Brilliant. I love that favorite thing to eat.

Brooke Bayer: 4:03

That is the easiest question for me to answer pasta. I don't know if you or anyone listening to this has been watching Stanley Tucci the CNN show where it's like searching for Italy. I have been salivating watching it because basically every episode he's just eating really amazing pasta. And yeah, I wake up in the morning and like if you gave me a bowl of catchy Pepe, I would house it. I I think pasta is the most versatile, tasty, amazing food on the planet Earth.

Rick Denton: 4:38

I think that may be why you introduced me to Eataly when we were in Boston together. Yeah. And it is a it is a an experience that I've shared with others as well. So on the flip side, what is the thing your parents forced you to eat but you hate it as a kid.

Brooke Bayer: 4:53

So my parents are like not regular parents. They're cool parents. They did not force me to eat anything. I know so as a result, I am an adult who is terrified of lunch meat.

Rick Denton: 5:08

Interesting. Now, what if I combined lunch meat with pasta?

Brooke Bayer: 5:14

Okay, so this is what's weird is I love a cured meat, like give me a minute give me a salumi. I'm here for it. You want a little pen cheddar and your pasta? Chef's kiss? Yes. But like bologna. Oh, well, there I am. Turkey cold cuts. I'm running in the other direction. They are terrifying.

Rick Denton: 5:35

How funny. Well, we will avoid that for you in future travels. What is one travel item you will not leave home without?

Brooke Bayer: 5:43

This is very not glamorous. But my answer is Aqua for? Um, yeah, it's great for chapped lips. It's fantastic. If you accidentally have a little scratch or cut. It's great if your feet are feeling a little callous from a long day of sightseeing. And there is truly nothing worse than dry lips after a long flight.

Rick Denton: 6:06

So Brooke tells us how to handle a long flight and what item she would bring for that long flight. Let's depart from the US and head down south. Let's talk to Sebastian in Peru. little change of pace here. Join me in the first class lounge. We'll move quickly here and hopefully have some fun. What is a dream travel location from your past?

Sebastien Munar: 6:34

We'll say Israel, I always wanted to know the technology side of the lobby versus more the more mystical side of Jerusalem.

Rick Denton: 6:44

Yeah. Yeah, that's interesting, right. You know, most people talk about doing the faith tours in Jerusalem. But you're right Tel Aviv has a phenomenal technology base as well. Definitely a great place dream travel location you've not been to yet.

Sebastien Munar: 6:59

Definitely Indonesia. I imagine myself now by the Sakyo beach.

Rick Denton: 7:06

Yeah, I think we'd all like to be on a beach. That's for sure. What is a favorite thing to eat?

Sebastien Munar: 7:13

That's a tough question. Because you know, Peru has the best foods in the world. Right?

Rick Denton: 7:18

And you're not biased.

Sebastien Munar: 7:21

My real food is Savitri, and the most tallow as an international dish. I really like lasagna. And for French dish, a CoCo by a Shiva monkey.

Rick Denton: 7:32

Very nice. You and I are simpatico when it comes to so Vichy and then not related but lasagna, those two are some of my favorites as well. What is the thing your parents forced you to eat, but you hate it as a kid?

Sebastien Munar: 7:49

I will never forget when my parents forced me to eat broccoli. And they did not believe me that that they hid it. After that day, I think they understood.

Rick Denton: 8:00

Perhaps we won't ask how you demonstrated how much you hated it. But at least we'll just know that you did hate it if your parents are working. What is one travel item you will not leave home without.

Sebastien Munar: 8:14

I don't have an item like that. But I have to confess that I'm a person who likes to throw with a lot of clauses in the language.

Rick Denton: 8:22

Leaving South America we're going to jump on a long flight and head back across the Atlantic and north to the United Kingdom as we talk with Gavin Scott. Gavin, you've had some, some great travels there. But let's take a little change of pace. If you're going down to Egypt or anywhere else in the world, sometimes nice to take a little break. I would love for you to join me here in the first class lounge we'll move quickly here and hopefully have some fun. Now the answer this first question you may have already answered. But I'm curious a dream travel location from your past.

Gavin Scott: 8:59

So for me a dream travel location from my past is got to be France. We love going there with the kids. The kids love it. The culture, the food, the sun, the wine every now you know and even when we bought we buy a bottle of wine in the UK now we often joke and I say this one straight from the vineyard. And the kids love it. The kids love it.

Rick Denton: 9:24

I am very jealous of my European friends and colleagues that you could legitimately just take a train and be in France or a quick flight to us. It's a journey of a lifetime but I'm certainly jealous of some of the things that y'all have those dream travel locations. What Uh, what about the future? What's a dream travel location you've not been to yet?

Gavin Scott: 9:43

Well, you know what we we booked a trip to Thailand. Okay. Is it? Is it qassemi or coisa? Mark? I can't even say the name of it. I mean, it was a small island of Thailand. I think it's called coisa Mau or something like that. Right. Quite some movie. Yeah, that's one of them. Yeah, yes, we booked a trip right to go there. And and then and then my wife got pregnant. Right. And we realized which was, which was a wonderful thing, right. But we realized that we were going to be heading across there when she was going to be heavily pregnant. And so we had to cancel. And, of course, yes, the kids have arrived. And we've not been able to go to there just yet. But that's got to be a dream location that we want to get back involved with and go there one day

Rick Denton: 10:30

when you get there. Absolutely. Thailand is one of my favorite places in the world. I've had some family members who have lived there for a period of time. It is certainly some of the best eating and Koh Samui is one of the most beautiful places I've been and so definitely get there get that on your your plans, book that trip, get out there soon. I mentioned eating it is one of my favorite places to eat. But what is a favorite thing for you to eat? You know, I'm, I'm

Gavin Scott: 10:55

someone who pretty much eat anything, Rick. But one of the key things that we do enjoy having with the family is is a curry on a Saturday night. The kids like the comer, Mom and Dad, we have the chicken tikka masala. But, but we live I mean, that would have been an arm breads and poppadoms and some some some little side plates as well. So curry is going to be the favorite at the moment. But yeah, we certainly we certainly enjoy every one of those together

Rick Denton: 11:24

as a fan of it. And I love how you're you're raising global eaters as well and your kids that they're getting to enjoy the globe. But in that vein, what is something that your parents forced you to eat, but you hate it as a kid,

Gavin Scott: 11:36

there wasn't many things I would turn my nose or pat. If we're going to push me I probably say that back in the day. I didn't enjoy bread and butter pudding, right? Bread and butter pudding. Whether you whether you've heard what that is, it's a pudding with with breading, and it just didn't make sense to me. Right. And it's good. It's got raisins in it's got other bits and bobs, but it just didn't he just I just couldn't get it in my head as to as to why this was a dessert and so I didn't really enjoy it back when I was a kid. But I do enjoy having some of it now and I'm a bit older.

Rick Denton: 12:15

It's funny now as described no I've not had bread and butter pudding but as described. Let's see, it's got bread, it's got butter. It's got putting those are three things that I'm on board with, but I guess it's the rest and the bits and bobs as you say that are in there. Yeah, yeah. What is now you can't use your phone. But what is one travel item you will not leave home without?

Gavin Scott: 12:35

Well, this is this is me being completely vulnerable with you, Rick, because I wouldn't leave home without my Johnson's baby lotion. My mum years ago, she said you know if you want to just bring your face up loft and just get a bit of Johnson's baby lotion put on your face, you know, and it makes you look a lot brighter. And that was when I was about 12. And now everyday Rick, if I don't put my Johnson's baby lotion on my face just cracks up so. So there you go. There's one. What's he doing with Johnson's baby lotion but you know what, I love it.

Rick Denton: 13:12

Jumping back to the US. We're going to hear from someone who is on a plane a whole lot and really needs that first class lounge. So let's catch up with Shep Hyken and hear about his first class lounge Shep Little change of pace here you have traveled all over the globe you travel frequently. I know you need to take a little rest from time to time. So join me here in the first class lounge. We will move quickly here and hopefully have some fun. What is a dream travel location from your past?

Shep Hyken: 13:47

I dream for New Zealand. Oh, tell me a little bit about it. Oh, the southern part of New Zealand is the coolest. It's like you take here in the US and North America. You take the Rocky Mountains you take the Canadian you know the lakes, the beauty and all the sport and adventure being able to play golf go into the water ski everything and and by the way adventure you jump out of airplanes you do bungee jumping you know all these crazy it's all in one place. It's really beautiful.

Rick Denton: 14:24

Wait I can see why that's and it's come up a lot before New Zealand has I want to get there have not had the chance yet. In that vein what's a dream travel vacation you've not been to yet

Shep Hyken: 14:35

wow that I've not been to you know what I'm gonna go with the Holy Land. I want to I love religion. I think it's interesting to me. I'm a spiritual person, not a religious person. But I think going and learning and being right there where the religions were born so to speak and just learning more about it. I think that would be really cool place to go.

Rick Denton: 14:56

It is a fascinating place to be that is that is one that I have done and it is true when you're standing in a place that X Y or Z was established or a moment happened and it is it's surreal to think what was happening in those those places. Now I know travel and eating go hand in hand. So what is a favorite thing for you to eat?

Shep Hyken: 15:15

Oh, favorite thing for me. I love Italian food.

Rick Denton: 15:20

Or to walk away from that pizza comes up Italian food comes in that's that's

Shep Hyken: 15:24

a pizza is one thing. Yeah. homemade pie is and an unbelievably tender, you know, you know beef or veal or chicken. You know, I love great, great Italian food. And by the way, pizzas not so bad. Now, as I'm traveling around, I do have favorite airport restaurants. Yeah. And you're not going to get the fine Italian food in an airport restaurant, but I tell you what you will get if you go. I mean, there's some great steak houses that have put their places in the restaurants, restaurants into airports, but I am going to try to say this correct. But it's Cuban food in Miami. There's a great restaurant back care that I believe is how it's it said. And I've actually been to the real restaurant in Miami but they have this and I go to the big one. And I order the skirt steak with chimichurri sauce the plantains and rice in it is I'm thinking about it right now. I may just have to go down to the Miami Airport just for that.

Rick Denton: 16:24

You know, it's a nonstop flight for you. There's a lot of places to get in there. You can just fly and drop and get your meal fly back. Yeah,

Shep Hyken: 16:31

well yep, happened those seafood are Papa goes and Papa Yep. And Papa Cetus pappadeaux seafood Papa sees that's a Texas based chain and they put the restaurants in. Yeah, okay. Because you gotta love In and Out Burger if all you want to burger. And now those are popping up.

Rick Denton: 16:48

I was so happy when they showed up to Texas. And yes, the Papas family does a really good job based out of Houston and enjoy their restaurants that they've expanded to the north Texas area for us. So let's go the other way. What is the thing your parents forced you to eat? But you hate it as a kid?

Shep Hyken: 17:03

Can string beans. Oh, it ruined it for me. I will never the only being I will now eat as a jelly bean.

Rick Denton: 17:14

I feel like the nutritionist might have something to say about that. But I can understand how you got there.

Shep Hyken: 17:18

So like broccoli. I like brussel sprouts. I like spinach, but But there'll be green beans. They ruined it.

Rick Denton: 17:24

They wrote before. That's awesome. Okay, so you got a ton of travel under your belt. Now you can't say your passport. You can't say your phone. But aside from that, what is one travel item you will not leave home without?

Shep Hyken: 17:35

Wow. Um, my dop kit. You know, I have everything I need. You know, if I want to look, click, you know, I got a look at this look, you know, I got my toothbrush, my shaving kit. And without that, who knows what is gonna be like,

Rick Denton: 17:51

I'm gonna bounce us right back across the pond. Let's head over to the UK. We're going to talk to Jo Boswell her years of experience in customer experience with British Airways and global destinations, you know that she needs some time in the first class lounge. So let's hear about her experience there in the first class lounge. Jo, a little change of pace here. Sometimes when those trips have to go wrong, it is nice to have access to the lounge. And so I want to invite you here to join me in the first class lounge. We'll move quickly here and hopefully have some fun. What is a dream travel location from your past?

Jo Boswell: 18:33

Well, this is a really, really tricky one. You've got some, some some tough questions, I think. So I would say I have spent a lot of time in Cape Town, which I truly love as a destination that has great food and wine as well as fabulous scenery, but I think I'm going to have to go instead of that I'm going to have to go with Cuba is where I met my husband.

Rick Denton: 18:59

Yeah, so that's always going to have a special place in your heart. Now, usually, for those that don't know the full context. I am an American Joe is talking to me from the UK. So I don't have access to that destination. So I have a little bit of envy here you and I've talked to my Canadian friends and how they go down to Cuba. I've heard brilliant things there. But I can certainly see why it would be a special place in your heart if that's where yeah,

Jo Boswell: 19:24

you can get there one day.

Rick Denton: 19:26

I do hope for that. I sincerely hope for that. Um, so maybe that's a dream travel occasion that I've not been to yet but what about you? What is a dream travel location you've not been to yet.

Jo Boswell: 19:36

So one that is definitely on the list at some point is the Galapagos Islands. Yeah. So I have friends who have been and come back absolutely raving and I enjoy holidays that are looking at wildlife and you know, and locations that are really, you know, different and unfamiliar. And I think that ticks a lot of the boxes.

Rick Denton: 20:02

It doesn't ever definitely hits all those boxes there. Um, you mentioned the good food and Cuba, what is a favorite thing overall to eat?

Jo Boswell: 20:11

Yeah, that was super tough because I do like food. I ended up I think I just gonna have to pick bread, actually. Because if somebody said to me, you could never have baguette or a really great, crusty sourdough ever again, I would be truly disappointed.

Rick Denton: 20:31

I'm hearing a lot of similarities between you and me. I did not know. I have frequently said to people that if I had to, I would be able to live life solely on French bread, cheese and wine. And I was satisfied for the rest of my days.

Jo Boswell: 20:46

Yeah. That's a very good picnic, I think.

Rick Denton: 20:49

Well, yeah, a picnic. And sometimes when you're a backpacker, in Europe on a college budget, perhaps it's the only meal. True experience. So on the flip side, what is the thing your parents forced you to eat, but you hate it as a kid?

Jo Boswell: 21:04

Well, I have to say I was very lucky growing up, in that I was a picky eater, okay. And my parents were very, I wouldn't say indulgent. But they, they kind of just gave me the time and space to discover, you know, food and, and variety in food, in my own time, and at my own pace. So there was probably about a year of my life when I don't know when I was eight or nine where I survived on megachips. Oh, gosh. And that was after a particularly horrendous shepherd's pie that had been served to me at school that I could, you know, found it very difficult to keep it down and but you know, over time, then I just started experimenting with lots of different foods. And today, I would say there's virtually nothing that I don't eat virtually nothing.

Rick Denton: 22:07

Well, I love the spirit of exploration there and I'm sure that there would be plenty of guides that might say, Hey, let let the let the child explore there. But I've also heard plenty of things that children have been forced to eat so we may call yours Shepherd pie for the category but yes,

Jo Boswell: 22:22

school Shepherd by Oh, yeah, well, that's

Rick Denton: 22:24

true, right school cafeteria can be a totally different experience. So not including a phone of course, but what is one thing that you will not travel without?

Jo Boswell: 22:34

Yeah, that is an easy one. That is my eyeshades. They accompany me everywhere. And they're an absolute godsend.

Rick Denton: 22:43

When you're bouncing between continents, you definitely need those eye shades. Joe is right. We're going to head back across the pond back to the US to the only guest who brought his own drink to the first class lounge. Nick Zeisler you may just hear the cubes in the glass as we get started here in the first class lounge. Nick with that kind of luxury international travel, it's time for you to join me in the first class lounge we'll move quickly here and hopefully have some fun.

Nicholas Zeisler: 23:16

Rick, did that sound incredibly low flying Do you just then

Rick Denton: 23:21

I would imagine that plane maybe just a little bit closer than we want but alright, we'll still enjoy lounge.

Nicholas Zeisler: 23:28

By the way. I hope you don't mind. I brought along one of my own here.

Rick Denton: 23:31

I think that's a wise idea. Sir. What is a dream travel location from your past?

Nicholas Zeisler: 23:36

Partner and I took a round ring road trip. South Island of New Zealand several years ago. Nice. It was about 11 I think 11 or 12 Nights, different town every night. I skied mount Hutt It was August and somehow We willed the most glorious and you know in August it's it's coming out of winter down there. We had the greatest clearest most beautiful day on Milford Sound that you could ever expect you would never in fact expect at that time of the year. We all the sheep we did coast you know all along the coast the whole time it was just beautiful. would absolutely even do that.

Rick Denton: 24:21

That's awesome. What is a dream travel location you've not been to yet.

Nicholas Zeisler: 24:26

Well this is strange because I was actually my dad was in the Navy and I was born in Italy but being a kid of Italy I was just a baby on the way not long after that. I've never been on tour to Italy like gone and vacation in Italy. You know stopped over in the Air Force couple times that Aviano just on the way to the Middle East but never actually gotten to go to Rome or go to Naples or go to Milan and just tour around.

Rick Denton: 24:53

Well, I hope you get there soon. It's interesting how often Italy has shown up in this section in in the past Cast either folks who mentioned it as their favorite of the past, or their dream for the future, it is a delightful place. For sure. What is a favorite thing to eat?

Nicholas Zeisler: 25:09

You know, I know how you want a passport for your meals. But for great Indian food. We walk about three blocks from our house here in Denver to a place called Little India, which is fantastic. Nice. incredibly good. We had actually we had a little bit of saga last night that I made at home. One of the things that's so great about going out to an Indian restaurant, is you get SOG and Tikka and and korma when you make it at home, so much work and have one of those. But you feel like a king when you go or maybe a Sultan when you go there bringing me everything and you get all the different, different dishes. That

Rick Denton: 25:51

is true. It is nice to get all of those i The Indian restaurants that I've gone to it is nice to be able to just sample and enjoy all of those. What is on the flip side of that though? What is the thing your parents forced you to eat? But you hate it as a kid?

Nicholas Zeisler: 26:02

I know you're expecting yet another vegetable answer here.

Rick Denton: 26:06

I've had a lot of vegetable answers. Yes, you have.

Nicholas Zeisler: 26:08

I've been paying attention. But I'm not sure if you have ever heard of brown swagger. No, it's some sort of horrible meet Pat hay thing that people spread on bread. liverwurst of some sort. And when we were a kid, when I was a kid, we would eat that. And I'm not sure why. It may be that brown swagger is a real I should investigate. It might be some sort of, you know, poor kids eat this. Not that we were necessarily that poor. But hey, I were just kids. I'm not gonna spend all the money on the kids dinner. Right? But yeah, that was pretty nasty stuff. And I won't touch it still to this day.

Rick Denton: 26:51

It's amazing what parents have done to us. How did we ever get through all this? Means a lot about where I am. What is what is one travel item you will not leave home without.

Nicholas Zeisler: 27:01

I'm a Colorado guy through and through. I never go anywhere, whether I'm traveling long distance or just to the grocery store without chapstick.

Rick Denton: 27:13

Thanks for joining us this week on CX Passport. Make sure to visit our website cxpassport.com where you can hit subscribe so you'll never miss a show. While you're at it, you can check out the rest of the EX4CX website. If you're looking to get real about customer experience, EX4CX is available to help you increase revenue by starting to listen to your customers and create great experiences for every customer every time. Thanks for listening to CX Passport and be sure to tune in for our next episode. Until next time, I'm Rick Denton, and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.