Our team is always on the move, which means our Quality Enhancement Specialists have collected quite the collection of travel stories along the way! From memorable mishaps and unexpected encounters, to hilarious moments and experiences that were simply “just plain weird,” (or just “plane” ✈️ weird if you catch my drift) there’s no shortage of stories that happen when you’re traveling for the job!
For this feature, we asked a few of our Quality Enhancement Specialist team members to look back on some of their wildest, goofiest, most unexpected, and downright unusual travel experiences to give everyone a little glimpse into the moments that don’t always make it onto the itinerary.
Angela Rapp Kennedy
Not long after I started as CQL VP of Accreditation and Training in 2017, Katherine, the Director of Accreditation at the time, and I traveled to Australia for accreditation activities with our partners there.
As you can imagine it was quite a trip! We even survived my driving on the “wrong” side of the road. The fun part for this assignment though is to share that Seth got to accompany us on the trip, well sort of 😊 … Seth missed the 2017 CQL conference due to baby Charlie arriving a bit early. We created “Seth on a Stick” (literally, a picture of Seth that we cut out and attached to a stick) to involve him in all our conference activities. Kate had the brilliant idea that Seth should accompany us to Australia! Seth got to see the beach, the penguins, the forest, the koalas and kangaroos, and so much more. He had a great time.
Brittany Brashaw
I was boarding a layover flight at the Atlanta Airport on my way to an accreditation when someone behind me tried to kind of draft off of me to board the plane without scanning a ticket. The woman at the gate caught him and come to find out it was an undercover agent doing gate checks to ensure they would be stopped from boarding without a pass. While slightly alarming to have that happen behind me, it did make the flight feel oddly safer???
Ann Dorsey
One time in Pueblo, Colorado, my colleagues and I were staying at a hotel in the downtown area. The first evening, I settled in to get some work done. After a few minutes I heard what sounded like opera music. I thought “Oh, someone must be practicing.” Well, that same aria continued. All. Night. Long. When I went to the lobby the next morning, I saw Brittany Brashaw and she heard it too (glad I wasn’t alone)! We were perplexed (and irritated to be honest).
Well, leave it to Jacqueline Cooper to come to the rescue—she walked around the corner and said the music was coming from the gas station next door! Apparently, they have surveillance and every time someone stays still for more than 15 seconds, they play opera at ridiculous volumes to attempt to drive away people from loitering! Yep, the music continued the rest of the trip-day and night. 🤪
Eric DesSoye
I’m sitting at my gate in O’Hare International Airport and I look over and noticed Don McLean, of American Pie fame, scrolling his phone! While waiting to board, I decided to have a chat with him. I stood to his left, and said, “I suppose you think you’re anonymous,”
He whirled around saying, “I am anonymous.”
I thought, “Really?”, but I said, “Aren’t you doing a show at the Riviera Saturday?”
“Yes, I am doing that show,” he confirmed.
I asked, “Are you performing solo, or will you have a band with you?”
“Oh, I have a full band with me. We are going to rock out, and we are also going to do some quieter things. I have two guitar players in the band. I love my guitar players. It’s going to be a great show!”
As his group was called, he left to board our plane, and that’s how I met Don McLean!
Kimberly O’Neal
I traveled to Jefferson, North Carolina, and let me tell you—it was so high up in the mountains that I was incredibly nervous just getting there! After driving up the mountain to reach the area I needed to be in, I found out the hotel was still another 32 minutes away. 😳
The next day, I had to travel even closer to the mountain, and let’s just say the expression on my face was definitely: 🙁
But when I tell you this turned out to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, that is truly an understatement. The views were absolutely breathtaking!
So, as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. What started as a nerve-racking trip turned into such a beautiful experience.
Always More to Discover
Our CQL staff are an eclectic bunch with a wide variety in skillsets, passions, and pursuits. We are so grateful for what every team member brings to the table in the services we provide. If you’re interested in learning more about our team, their history in our field, and some fun facts about them, check out our articles highlighting individual team members!
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About CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership
Since 1969, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. CQL offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share our vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.
Planes, Trains, & CQL Adventures