From Engineer to Explorer: Transformative Travel Tales with Ian Scott & Kathy Steffen

Good morning and welcome everyone. My name is Brett Schonzenbach. I'm the president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce.

once again your host today. Work. I'm excited to have with me two guests.

We don't very often get two guests, and one of the things right off the bat that's really cool about my two guests is their job titles. They have, like, the most fun job titles I think I've ever heard. So let me let me introduce them so you can tell me if I'm right or wrong. But first, we have Ian Scott. Ian is with Quest Voyager, and he is the president and chief architect of discovery.

I love that. Chief architect of discovery. We're gonna unpack what that means here in just a second. And then secondarily, we have our very own beloved Kathy Stephan. And as most of our Carlsbad Chamber family knows, she is the director of fun here at the Carlsbad Chamber.

So welcome to both of you. Welcome.

Thank you, Brad.

Thank you, Brad.

Yeah. It's great to have you both. Ian, I'm gonna start with you a little bit. And, our topic, you know, your title is architect of discovery. You've been in the travel world for a long time, over thirty years.

Start with me or or start with us and and kinda tell, how did you get into travel in the first place? What, you know, what got you into this field, this line of work? Because you've been in the world of discovery for a long time.

Great question. How many hours do we have for this podcast?

That was a joke. Right, Ian?

The the abbreviated quick version is I'm an electrical engineer by trade and and, at the height of Thatcherism and privatization, the company I worked for was a private company and it was slimmed down. So, my friends and I, we decided to get a backpack on our backs and we wandered around the world for two years experiencing everything that the world has to offer from Southeast Asia, Africa. Just a wonderful experience.

Wow. And you have this, this accent that, betrays the fact that you probably weren't born in Southern California. So why don't you share with everybody where you, where you hail from?

I'm from Biloxi, Mississippi. Can't you tell? No. His, originally came from, South Yorkshire, England, which I don't have that accent any longer. But for the last thirty years, in fact, over thirty years, I've lived all over the world.

Yeah. There's only one continent that I haven't lived on, and that's Antarctica.

That's the only one you haven't lived on. Oh, wow. Okay. Alright. So you, you were inspired by being, laid off and just started traveling the world.

Now now take us from that experience of a backpack to crafting travel for others because that's what you've really been good at the last thirty years.

Yeah. So I ended up in Australia after my backpacking days, and I happened to work for the Hyatt Hotel Corporation

in Oakville.

And, there was a tour group that kept coming in every week. And then I became good friends with the gentleman who operated, the the programs. He eventually became my best man when we got married, and he got me into the travel industry.

Okay.

So from Australia, we went to the Former Yugoslavia. And I learned the trade of of building programs, operating programs, and understanding what the North American traveling public wants.

Yeah.

In a in a good value priced policy program.

Yeah. Oh, very interesting. And so from Australia, what what brought you to our neck of the woods? Because, you're you're a Carlsbad guy now.

I am. Yeah. Again, we need another three or four hours for this conversation, but the shortened version is, from Costa Rica where I was living, I was offered a a job opportunity for a large Boston Wholesaler, which I took. They they paid for my, my green card. They provide the lawyer, and such.

And and so in a nutshell, that's how I ended up. And I moved that company was bought out by a San Francisco company, who eventually

moved closer now. You you know Northern Cal Yeah. Which we still consider a foreign country, by the way. Well, then

that company decided to relocate

Okay.

To Encinitas originally. So they got smart. They did. They did. The first place I saw in Southern California was the beaches of Yeah.

Of Carlsbad, Ponto, and and, fell in love.

You were hooked as somebody who had traveled the world. That's it. That says a lot. You've you've been all around this world. You've even lived all in almost every continent.

And here, you're choosing to live in Carlsbad. I think we should take some pride in that right now. Just soak that in. So currently, you have your own company, Quest Voyager. Mhmm.

And, you work with us, what we're gonna talk about today, in in doing trips. And, but I I met you, about five years ago, and, we were talking about doing a trip, with you, and then COVID, you know, sidetracked it. But we eventually got back on track. And, but tell people, what is the value to them as a consumer, you know, going on one of these trips that's, all put together, so to speak, you know, like, what what would why should they do a trip with the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce per se?

That's a great question. And and, I think when you get into a group travel program, everything's taken care of. So everything from the the airline, hotels, meals, tours, even somebody to look after you, your own private concierge Nice. On the trip itself. So they are your guides.

If you wanna find out where the coolest beers are Mhmm. In town, where where you can buy the the, the lovely Italian shoes

Mhmm.

On an Italian program. They're there to make sure you have a wonderful program. And and I think one additional thing that comes out is our journey of discovery. Any company can take you to a location like Croatia or Italy, and see the sights and sounds. But it's an important part of our programs is to learn a little bit more about the country, to meet the people, to maybe even maybe even learn a little bit about the economy of family run businesses.

So, for example, in Croatia, we we go to one of the best European olive oil plants, meet the family. We learn about olive oil. We go to a and we always try to put a bit of alcohol in those journey of discoveries. Sure. Just to spice things up a little bit.

We go we learn about, local schnapps. What it's made from, and have a sample or two of it as well.

Of course.

And things such as that to to learn a little bit about the country.

Nice. I love that. Kathy, let me let me pivot over to you because as our director of fun, one of your fun roles is you've been our chamber liaison on these trips. And, and so you've got to help, coordinate to a certain at least on the Chamber side, coordinate the the guests and the trips, and we've been to some fun places. My notes say, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain.

That that That's it. Yeah. So tell us some of the fun things that you've experienced, you know, on these chamber trips and and why you're looking forward to the next one.

So one of the things to me that stands out are the people. Getting to know the different people on the trips. They are amazing people who have come together. We get to know each other. We get to learn about each other.

We travel. You know? And most of these people, a lot of them have been on multiple trips now, which is really fun because I get to see them once a year when they come on the trips, and it's great. So, that to me is my favorite thing is getting to know the people. But the trips in itself, it is so nice to be able to get on that plane, travel to the country, have somebody meet us there, and everything's taken care of.

I mean, we don't have to think about where we're gonna stay, how we're gonna get there. And it that that to me is is great. I mean, it's one of the best things.

I love that. So I love what you said about the people. So it sounds like, you know, we're kinda getting a following, groupies, if we could use that term, like, who have come, you know, year after year. And and I know because I get to work with you behind the scenes. I mean, we'll frequently, meet with some of the ones who have been going multiple years and say, hey.

Here's three ideas for next year. Where do you wanna go? Right? Is that right?

And that's basically what I do is I pull our people that have been on these trips and ask them, you know, I'll I'll give them, like, five choices and Yeah. And wait to hear back on what where they wanna go next year. So

Love that.

We get to go to, a great location that people wanna go to. So it's a lot of fun.

And I also I thought, the part that you said about just not getting off the plane in a foreign country and then not having to worry. Everything's taken. Like, somebody's gonna be picking you up. They're gonna be taking you to that hotel.

You know, it it's it's amazing, and these the tour guides on the trips are absolutely fantastic. One instance, we had someone leave their passport in the hotel, safe, and we were, you know, half a day away.

Oh my.

But they were able to arrange, getting back to that hotel, picking up that passport, and bringing it to the person that left it. So it was all seamless. I mean, just little things like that that makes such a huge difference.

Huge difference. And I know if I were to ask Ian about the accommodations, I'd hear all kinds of glowing reviews. But I'd let I wanna ask you as somebody who's stayed in the places that you've stayed in.

The one thing that's really nice about these trips, in in some instances, we get to stay at one hotel, and, I mean, they are gorgeous hotels. Mhmm. The one in, Spain, right on the water. I mean, I wish I could have stayed a week just to enjoy the hotel

Yeah.

Because it was so absolutely beautiful. And from there, we travel to our destination so we're not having to unpack our suitcase every single day and and repack for the next couple days at different hotels. So that's a really great thing about some of these trips is we don't have that constant in and out of hotels.

Mhmm.

The hotels are beautiful. In some instances, they're small boutique hotels, but first quality all the way comfortable, and breakfast is included, which is really nice. We don't have to think about that. And then a lot of these trips too, lunch or or dinner could be included too. So

Very nice. So yeah. And I I remember, I mean, every trip's a little different. We're gonna talk about where we're going this year here in just a second. But I think if I recall, when you guys went to Ireland, you're trying to see the whole island.

So you did switch hotels a little bit more. Switched hotels. A little bit more.

But Yeah. Every couple of nights, which was fine.

Yeah.

But and the hotels were all beautiful, all nice. And, again, small boutique hotels, but,

And Ireland was just last year in 2024. So tell me one thing that was super memorable about Ireland for you.

So on our last night, we had a dinner, and we had some of the Irish dancers come out and dance for us. And I would say half of our group were up on that dance floor dancing. I have video.

So Blackmail video. I love it. Okay. Super fun. Alright.

What we're gonna do is we're gonna take a brief pause. We're talking to Ian Scott, the chief architect of discovery from Quest Voyager, and Kathy Stephan, our director of fun at the Chamber. When we come back, we're gonna talk about where the Chamber is going in 2025. So stick with us. We'll be right back.

So, Kathy, before we took a break, we were talking about all the fun you've had in some of the different places that you've got to go. But tell everybody where we're going this year, and when's the trip and a couple of the details.

Sure. So this year, we are going to Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast, which is a dream of mine. I've always wanted to go there, so I'm so excited. The dates are October 11 through October 20, and then we also have a three three day, extension that you can do if you choose to. So, the base price is, $3.09 $9.09, and that is for ten days, nine nights.

So, and then you can do the three day extension if you want. Yeah.

And that that price, just so everybody knows, covers everything, their airfare there, their hotels, their transportation while they're there. I think, several of the meals, if not all of them, but several of the meals. Right? Mhmm. Some little excursions.

So Oh, go ahead, Kathy.

I'm sorry. Gonna say, you there are optional excursions you can take as well. Simple

options. Sure.

So you have the choice of if you wanna stay at the hotel and relax and do your own thing, you can, or you can choose to take a couple of the optional, tours if you wish. And I know one of the days we're going to Venice, Italy.

Nice.

I've been to Italy but never Venice, so I can't wait for that trip.

Nice. But That's wonderful. Ian, I know you have a special place in your heart for Croatia. I think, last time we talked, you're finishing off a a second home there. Tell us tell us why Croatia's special, what you're looking forward to for our group that goes to Croatia this year.

Well, Croatia's a wonderful location. It's one of the one of the lesser known countries in Europe, but it has been a a favorite of the American traveling public for for the last decade. If I could say one thing, that everybody that returns off of a Croatia program tells me is I wish I'd have known what it was like before I signed up because I would have taken my family with me.

Oh, wow. It's

the best destination I've been to so far.

Wow.

And it has such a strong culture, such a great history. It has been occupied by virtually everybody in Europe. Mhmm. Yeah. It's been a hotbed of ancient civilizations, and, it's just a wonderful place for great food, great drink, and great history.

And I know you said a little earlier about some of the stuff that, our guests might be able to expect, but you mentioned the, I think it's a 300 year old working olive oil press.

Yes. Yes. That's in a very small town. If I could start a picture in your mind of, of a medieval, fortified town perched high on a hillside overlooking the Bay Of Kuan Air, which is the the ocean. And we wander down narrow cobbled streets to the olive press where we learn about olive oil, but we also learn about the the schnapps that is that is, the made in the town.

And we sample about eight different types of schnapps.

Oh, that's fun. Mhmm. Super fun.

I think I think one of the things that, our travelers and and and and and Carlsbad Chamber travels enjoy is the the the way that the programs are planned. So it's, Cathy mentioned about the the the lack of or the least amounts of packs and unpacked. Yeah. We try and cater to all aspects of travel. Somebody who wants to be on the go all the time with included tours and optional tours, which could be purchased on the program itself, or somebody that would like a little bit of free time.

You've Yeah. You've always got your airfare taken care of. You've always got most of your meals. You've got somebody to look after you on the program. You've got a lot of tours included, but then three days when you can wander off and do whatever you'd like with the advice of your tour director, your private concierge.

You can do whatever you'd like on those days. Nice. Or, again, join other travels with an optional tour with only you in mind.

Ah, it's great. I like that flexibility, but also structure, you know, as a as somebody who wouldn't necessarily be familiar with, the area, getting that insider, you know, tip to go sample this and sample that and experience this. And, I thought I saw didn't I see somewhere? Kathy, you know the trip better than I do.

I wanna hear about the Game of Thrones.

Oh, you know, you you Split and Dubrovnik, they are living, working medieval towns.

Yeah.

You go to the Diocletian's Palace. That's where emperor Diocletian lived and and built the palace. It is not quite the same as when emperor Diocletian was there, but it's not far off. And people live within there. We go underneath the Diocletian's Palace, and we we walk the streets.

And when the Game of Thrones was filmed, there was no need for sets here, sets there. The set was already made and and

and It's a living set.

Was a workable entity there and then. And and Dubrovnik is exactly the same thing, but even more. Mhmm. To see the walled city that is intact, to wander down the narrow cobbled streets, to have a wonderful cup of coffee, a slice of cake, where, yeah, Roman legions have have wandered centuries ago where people have been walking on the cobbles for for centuries upon centuries. Just spellbinding.

Yeah. Oh, it's awesome. I love that that visual. Kathy, I know you're a wine aficionado. I thought I saw somewhere in the itinerary, a wine excursion or something.

I I know with Ian, there's always wine included somewhere.

On the Island Of Cook. Okay.

K R K, but it's like Captain Kirk. It's pronounced like Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. Yes. But it is it's, where Grashovina grapes come from. So we'll pop into a locally family run, vineyard.

Love it.

We'll learn about the grapes. We'll learn about family life. They even have a pasta line, that the grandmother has devised over the years, and the the grandsons have assisted in marketing. So, again, it's part of that journey of discovery, learning about things that you probably wouldn't normally learn on other company and other trips, but also sampling a spot of wine or two along the way.

Very nice. Very nice. Kathy, if somebody wanted to sign up, they're hearing about this, maybe they wanna learn more. But if they're like, no. I'm in.

You guys sold me. I wanna sign up right now. How how do they do that?

So there's several ways you can do it. You can reach out to me. Email is kathy@carlsbad.org, k a t h y at carlsbad dot org, and, I will send you all the information, the links that you need, or you can just visit our website. And right on the main page, there's a slider. You click on that slider.

It'll take you to the Chamber, travel page, and all the information you need is there as well.

Very nice. It's, so it's 3,999, but that's if they sign up by a certain date, I believe. And and and let me clarify. Signing up by certain date's a deposit, not the full amount.

Right.

Okay.

So the deposit for the trip is 800.

K.

And the deadline is March 21 for the early bird special. If you sign up before then, you'll save a hundred dollars. So I hope that you can join us because it's such a a great experience.

And if somebody's like, oh, I'm not sure by March 21, but then come July 1, they're like, okay. I think I can swing this. I'm ready. You know? The the dates are gonna work on my calendar.

They still can sign up all the way basically until when, roughly?

Whenever there's space available, these programs go quickly. Gotcha. So if you know you want to go, you really should sign up as soon as you make that Yeah. Determination. Determination of it.

Yes.

Right.

Got it. Okay. And then I know because I've, you know, had the opportunity to be in some of the presentations, but, you frequently encourage people to get, like, some travel insurance in case their circumstances change because this is far in advance. But and we get it. Things change.

So there's ways they can kinda protect themselves if, they're worried about something changing. So that's great. But, ultimately and will they will will the group fly out of San Diego, out of LA, out of

We'll fly out of San Diego.

Out of San Diego. Great.

Meet there as a group. Now I also wanna say invite your friends and family. Even if they live in another state

Oh, good point.

We can make the arrangements, to have them join us. So, don't be afraid just because you're not in San Diego that you can't do this trip. I I we have lots of family members who join us.

I think if I remember correctly, we have, some some of our original travelers who moved to Utah that keep going with us each year. Yeah. So

They do.

So they can fly out of different major airports and still participate in the trip.

Correct.

Oh, that's great. I'm glad you, brought that up. It sounds like a a fantastic trip. Is there anything we miss? I don't wanna miss it.

Are we gonna get to is the group that goes get gonna get to see your home, Ian?

As long as you bring a a pot of paint and some paintbrushes Yes. You're welcome. Working party? Please come along. You know, there's there's so much.

Yep. Travel is an education and it is a privilege. I may be biased, but I think everybody should travel. Yeah. There's so much you can learn, especially when you're traveling as a delegation with the chamber on what I call an international awareness program.

These are these are wonderful educational, experiences you have. And and again, there's so much we can talk about from Plitvice Lakes, the the first national park of Croatia, which has the clearest, most emerald blue or turquoise, blue waters

Mhmm.

That you've seen in your life, through to the, yes, the Grand Canal Of Venice, through to Hula and its fabulous arc, amphitheater. Yeah. There's so much. Yeah.

Yeah. That sounds amazing.

With the extension two, we get to go to Monctoninaga. Oh, you're right. Yeah.

Go ahead. Talk about that extension.

So there the three day extension, I I'll actually have Ian talk about it because he knows it so well. Sure. But Montenegro Montenegro. Is one of another place on my bucket list. Uh-huh.

Yes.

So we also go to Mostar on the way from Split to Dubrovnik. We stop off in Mostar. So we'll learn about the Turkish history and heritage. We'll see the the famous Mostar Bridge, which is, Mostar's equivalent of the cliff divers of Acapulco. We will learn a little bit about that strong Turkish coffee that puts hairs on your chest.

We'll then continue on down, through to, Dubrovnik and experience Dubrovnik. After that, we've got a program out to, Montenegro, another country, the Bay Of Kotor, 1 of the most spectacular Southern European fjords. For those people who've been to Scandinavia, this is the Southern, European fjords. Beautiful. Mountainsides, cliffs cascading down to the to the, to the ocean below.

Very nice. Very nice. So, again, folks, if you wanna find out more information, our website carlsbad.org, and you'll see, the very home page. You'll see a slider come by. You can click on that and get more information.

Or you can also email our director of fun, kathy with a k, k a t h y, at carlsbad dot org, and she can, help guide you. Guys, thank you for taking the time to come and share about, our Chamber travel in general, but especially our trip coming up to Croatia in 2025. I think it's gonna be a good group. Hopefully, we can get a lot of folks on there and have a great time.

Thank you, Brett.

Thank you, Brett.

Sounds like a lot of fun, and I'm sure they're gonna be flocking. The world has

a lot of fun on a lot of adventures. Join the chamber on them.

Yes. Amen. Thank you. Thanks for joining us today on our Carlsbad People, Purpose, and Impact podcast. If you got value out of our episode today, please hit the follow button on your favorite podcast app, and please tell a friend.

Can't wait to see you next time on Carlsbad People, Purpose, and Impact.