My Travel CV: Disneyland isn't always the happiest place on Earth

Sydney chef and restaurateur Michael Rantissi travels the world in search of flavoursome gems, but Disneyland left a bad taste in his mouth.

The Sydney chef and restaurateur grew up in Israel and travels the world to see and taste all it has to offer. This is his Travel CV:

The place that didn’t live up to expectations…

Disneyland. Maybe because I stood in a queue for an hour and a half to go on the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, which lasts a few minutes.

I got my first passport when…

I was 12 years old and it was for a trip to Cairo, Egypt, with my family. I remember we stayed in the Marriott Hotel; it was the first time I had experienced something so fancy. Seeing the pyramids was incredible. Egypt is so close to where I grew up in Israel, but a totally different culture. The food and language were familiar to me yet a world away. It was my first overseas experience and it was when I caught the travel bug.

My first holiday memory is…

A camping trip with my family in Tiberias, a 1.5-hour drive from Tel Aviv.

I’ve been to at least 20 countries...

I’m sure I’ve missed one or two off the list.

I got my first passport when I was 12 years old and it was for a trip to Cairo, Egypt, with my family. Picture: iStock.

My holidays are mostly devoted to...

Rest, food (obviously), culture and luxury.

My favourite place in Australia is…

Nelson Bay, a 2.5-hour drive from Sydney. We normally stay in a lovely apartment overlooking the water. It’s amazing to sit on the balcony and watch dolphins swim by. It’s close to Sydney, but far enough away to feel like you are actually having a holiday.

The place I’d love to visit in Australia is…

There are so many places I’d like to visit. Top of the list is Uluru, Alice Springs, Broome and Darwin, as I hear the food there is amazing.

Uluru is at the top of my travel list. Picture: iStock.

The place I’d rather be right now is…

As I was not born in Australia, and as cheesy as my answer sounds, I’d still like to be in our lovely apartment in Sydney. There are so many beautiful places to visit and explore but still so much for me to discover here.

The place I’ve visited most often is…

Israel to see family, but the close runner-up would be Singapore – it’s a convenient flight from Sydney, the food is great, there are excellent hotels, shopping and it’s safe.

The place that most surprised me was…

China. I did not expect the cities to be as cosmopolitan as they were. There was a lot of wealth, especially in Shanghai. The hotels we stayed in were amazing. I was expecting awful smog but the air was fairly clear.

The place that most surprised me was China. I did not expect the cities to be as cosmopolitan as they were. Picture: iStock.

The sickest I’ve been on holiday…

Vomiting on flights used to be a problem that I had to deal with. That’s even before reaching a destination. I also had a parasite from the water in Egypt and that was way more unpleasant than plane sickness.

The worst that’s happened to me while travelling is…

Arriving at the airport in New York and the airline had gone bankrupt a few hours before the flight. I had to sleep at the airport until I could get a flight on another airline.

The best thing I’ve eaten while travelling was...

Hard to pick, but here’s a few of the most delicious things I’ve eaten on recent travels: Peking duck at Duck de Chine in 1949 The Hidden City in Beijing; coconut ice-cream at The Legian Seminyak in Bali; and carrot tartare at Eleven Madison Park in NYC. The carrots were minced, similar to beef tartare.

The worst that’s happened to me while travelling was when I arrived at the airport in New York to find the airline had gone bankrupt a few hours before the flight. Picture: iStock.

My go-to for room service is…

Always a burger. It’s familiar comfort food and it tastes fairly similar around the world.

The best hotel I’ve stayed in…

My top three would be The Peninsula Shanghai, The Legian Seminyak in Bali, and Marina Bay Sands Singapore – the infinity pool is incredible.

My travel tips are…

Eat local food, do a food walking tour, be respectful of the country you’re going to and obey cultural rules.

My favourite place in Australia is Nelson Bay. We normally stay in a lovely apartment overlooking the water. Picture: iStock.

The advice I’d give to young travellers is…

Learn a few words of the local language. One night on a trip to Beijing we had booked a food tour. The guide was able to organise transport back to hotels for most of the tour except my partner, Kristy, and I. She suggested we catch a local bus to our hotel. With screenshots of the route in Mandarin, there we were at 1am boarding a bus and 20 minutes later we were back at our hotel, safe and with a great story.

How many flights have you missed?

One, but only because the airline went bankrupt.

Passports/visas/wallets/luggage lost?

Touch wood, none so far.

Who is your favourite travel  companion?

My partner, Kristy. She invests a lot of time in research for our trips so I know every holiday is going to be organised down to a T. She is great fun to travel with and we both love eating, shopping and staying in amazing hotels – all ingredients for a perfect holiday.

Flight, cruise, car or train?

A flight, wherever possible.

What  can’t you leave  home without?

My partner, because she plans everything.

Michael Rantissi is chef and co-owner of Kepos Street Kitchen in Redfern and Salma’s Canteen in Rosebery.

Originally published as My Travel CV: Disneyland isn't always the happiest place on Earth