From Attorney to Travel Expert: Jen Ruiz on Maximizing Points for Affordable Travel

In this episode of the Lazy Budget Travel Tips podcast, host Genni Franklin interviews Jen Ruiz, a former attorney turned travel expert who's mastered the art of finding unbeatable flight deals and maximizing points and miles to make traveling more affordable. 

Jen shares her strategies for snagging flights as low as $16 to Ecuador and $38 to New Zealand and her insights into budget travel that doesn’t compromise on quality or experience.

Jen also talks about her bestselling books on affordable travel and gives a sneak peek of her upcoming sequel to her latest book, '12 Trips in 12 Months.'

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:58 Jen Ruiz's Journey to Full-Time Travel
02:23 The Importance of Traveling Now
04:49 Finding Cheap Flights: Budget Airlines
06:58 Using Points and Miles for Affordable Travel
07:57 Flight Alert Programs for Beginners
08:52 Getting Started with Travel Credit Cards
13:56 Maximizing Points and Miles
24:31 Favorite Loyalty Programs
27:01 Starwood and Marriott: A Tale of Two Hotel Chains
28:44 The Value of Loyalty Programs and Travel Credit Cards
30:17 Airline Preferences and Luxurious Travel Experiences
32:21 Travel Tips: Avoiding Common Mistakes
35:38 The Journey of Writing Travel Books
38:59 Upcoming Sequel and Personal Reflections
42:54 Rapid Fire Travel Questions
47:06 Final Travel Advice and Episode Conclusion 

Episode Resources:

• Connect with Jen Ruiz: Learn more about Jen’s adventures and tips by visiting her website and following her on social media.
• Jen's Books: Check out Jen’s bestselling books on budget travel for deeper insights and strategies. 

Transcript

 Interview with Jen Ruiz – Finding Affordable Travel & Maximizing Points and Miles
===

[00:00:00] 

Welcome back to the Lazy Budget Travel Tips podcast I'm your host Genni Franklin from the Traveling Franklin's blog and today we're talking about Scoring ridiculously cheap flights and making travel more affordable without sacrificing experiences Joining me today is Jen Ruiz an attorney turn travel expert who set out to take 12 trips and 12 months while working full-time and ended up traveling even more finding flights as low as $16 to Ecuador and $38 to New Zealand We're diving into her best flight booking strategies how Points and Miles play a role in her travels and the secrets behind her bestselling books on budget travel So let's get into it Hey Jen thanks for being here

Hi, Genni Thank you. 

For having me.

So what [00:01:00] inspired you to kind of start traveling and leave your full-time job as an attorney

Sure. I think so many people, I had worked hard to get to a place professionally, gone to college, did all the things right. And then when I was about to turn 30, I realized that I had just worked all through my twenties. I hadn't really taken the time to be young and wild and have these memorable experiences, and I didn't want to wait until retirement to do that.

I wanted to be able to have really fun experiences now while I had full mobility and strength and energy to go on these long flights and, overnight trips of camping or things like that. 

Take a 12 trips and 12 months challenge the year before my 30th birthday, one trip a month while employed full time. And I ended up taking 20 trips, 

to 41 cities across 11 countries. I had experiences like descending into a volcano [00:02:00] in Iceland. 

In Ecuador. I swung off the edge of the world at this really famous treehouse that they have there on the edge of, 

A volcano. 

But when I was there, it was more of a foggy abyss, which was a whole story in and of itself. And there's so many wonderful experiences that I've had now since I've decided after that year to, 

Transition to being a full-time travel blogger and content creator.

Yeah That's so interesting that you bring that up too about traveling now while you can take those long flights Because I think people fall into that tradition of okay I'm gonna work until retirement and then that's when I'm gonna have a life And you know what Life is just really too short My mom just retired actually and she says the same thing She's like you know She did a little bit of traveling but she's like I really wish I would've traveled more when I was younger because now that she's retired yeah she has the time and thankfully she has [00:03:00] the means to travel but it's a little harder for her to get on those long flights do the things she wants to do like hiking or going into volcanoes and stuff like that Like she was like that's just kind of not gonna happen So I really love that you have that perspective and I think that's something that we really should be talking about more because more and more people should really start living now and not waiting you know

I agree, and I think it's twofold. It's not just even your ability to be fully present, to have the energy to sustain all that travel takes out of you, to be able to go through, the long economy flights if you're flying economy. There's a reason why people get to upgrade as they get older, right?

They just prioritize comfort more, and they'd rather pay for it. They're like, you know what? I'm paying for the extra leg room and things like that. But I think it's also the fact that you don't know that these sites and these places that you wanna see are even going to be available or accessible by the time that you get around to them, right?

Especially some natural sites, like some [00:04:00] arches in these, beautiful natural settings by the water. Things like that have collapsed. And so maybe something that you wanted to see originally is no longer even there. Reefs, maybe the way that you would've dived in, or, gone scuba diving in the natural reefs in Australia, the world's greatest barrier Reef, the Great Barrier Reef, would have looked completely different. 20 years ago than it does today, and it probably will look different, 20 years from now, unfortunately, if things keep going the way that they are. so many things are not guaranteed to be there, and I do recommend for all of those reasons that there is somewhat of a time crunch, right? It is important to enjoy now and not just postpone your enjoyment and your life and the things that you really for that nebulous someday.

Yeah absolutely And a big part of that too for most people is affordability Like they may want to take [00:05:00] those adventures but they just feel like they can't afford it So that's one of the big things that you know we talk about in the podcast And then also I wanna talk to you about today because you found flights to Ecuador for $16 or $38 to New Zealand So like how did you find those incredible deals

Sure. So I have three guaranteed ways to find a flight. The first is Budget Airlines and Budget Airlines have came out as an alternative to these legacy carriers. And everybody used to think, that they were inferior because they have an a la carte pricing system. You pay for your base rate, you pay for your seat, you pay for your food.

Nothing's really included. But now all the legacy carriers are getting to be that way anyway, so you may as well be snagging a $99 base rate if you're gonna be adding everything else to it anyway. 

$99 flight to Iceland with wow air back in the day, which is no longer functioning.

But airlines that you can still look into that offer similar deals [00:06:00] include Play, Norse Atlantic Airways, French Bee, Condor, TAP Portugal here domestically in the us JetBlue is a common budget airline, and they have an even more discounted carrier breeze, you have Allegiant, you have Frontier, you have all of these ways that you can find these affordable flights. You just go and you book them for the dates that they have available. 

And I just go on the homepage and I browse the deals. But this is a great way to get overseas in the general vicinity of wherever you want to go and, save a ton of money in doing so.

And even look at it as a layaway program. So let's say you buy the $99 base rate. Now you buy your seat upgrade, a month later that'll be $30 that you're paying for the window seat. And then, you pay for your luggage before your boarding. And so you have, an extra $50 before your trip.

And that way you're also being able to. have your expenses be spread out over a longer period of time, allowing you to pay them off with more ease. 

guaranteed cheap [00:07:00] flights, is I use points and miles. 

and you don't need a travel credit card to use points and miles, but it is the quickest way to get them because here in the US we have bulk where once you complete 

A minimum spend threshold, then you get a bulk award, 70,000 miles, a hundred thousand miles, which you can redeem at least hopefully for a free flight somewhere.

That's how I got to New Zealand for $38. 

and then you don't need, like I said, a travel credit card. You can get 'em through airline shopping portals. So just somebody who's shopping online. But your clicks matter and where you're clicking through matters.

So if, and people get affiliate commissions for those clicks. 

all you're doing is a purchase you'd be making anyway. You're buying your laptop at Apple and now you're getting 3000 extra airline miles just for having clicked originally through the airline shopping portal.

It's such an easy add-on step for somebody who's already gonna I think more people take advantage of it. And then flight Alert programs for [00:08:00] the complete beginner. Somebody who just does not wanna get into spreadsheets, points and miles, is intimidated by searching for deals, doesn't know how to go through, like booking a budget airline point, flight alert. Programs are people that sit there all day and they look for deals, and then they send you the deals. And if you like the deal, you click and you book it and boom, you have a flight deal. It's really for the people who are just like, I do not even know where to start.

I just want to click a magic button and have all this money saved. And so $59 flight to London was the most recent one that I saw on JetBlue, uh, which is now offering transatlantic flights. But I've seen a $73 flight to Japan from Pittsburgh. I myself have booked a $300 flight to Argentina, a round trip, with a flight alert that notified me of that deal.

So great ways. Three guaranteed ways to find cheap flights.

Yeah That's awesome So on this podcast we talk a lot about all different strategies for budget travel but [00:09:00] I like to think of points Miles and loyalty programs as really like the foundation of like a good budget travel strategy It's not everything but it's definitely something that can take you pretty far So if you have a good stash of points and you wanna go somewhere then that's really going to help you Yes Finding great cash deals is awesome as well But if you can do both and take advantage of both then you could probably save a ton of money and also travel a lot more So we can kind of get into a little bit more like how you found points and miles and stuff But I liked how you said like you don't have to have a travel rewards credit card but if you can qualify and get a credit card based in the US then you have access to really amazing welcome bonuses But like you said there are other ways to earn points and [00:10:00] miles like shopping portals which is huge There's dining programs so if you are somebody who Really wants to get into points and miles because it really does open up a lot of doors but you're not really keen on getting credit cards yet I would recommend a joining all the loyalty programs getting into shopping portals and then focus on the travel rewards credit cards maybe later on Start with one credit card In fact which credit

what's your guess? Which one do you think I started with?

I think you started cause everybody does And I did too but I could be so wrong I think you started with the Chase that I preferred Did you

I do love the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and that was my first non-branded credit card, so

Much, credit card trauma that I had to go through, like to like really get past and [00:11:00] understand in order to be able to use it to my benefit. Because I had only grown up seeing credit cards as something that people used irresponsibly.

And it's something that was not recommended. If you were going to be somebody who was, financially savvy, you should be spending the money that you have. Not like borrowing money. And I didn't understand the benefits of a credit card. I think as a Hispanic, family, we were fearful of credit, because of the way that we had seen it been abused by others.

And so I had a lot to overcome with that. And so my very first credit card, because I was so nervous and I wasn't my very first travel credit card, not my very first credit card. 'cause my very first credit card was like a Victoria's Secret store card. And that one didn't work out well. 'cause I moved a lot for, school.

Like I moved every year and I never got. billing. And so I had a whole issue with that for an under a hundred dollars

And it scarred me as like a young girl where I was like, oh, these are like, it reinforced that notion that these are dangerous things. That is something that you're like playing with money that you don't, necessarily have to just pay for cash kind of [00:12:00] thing. And then now as an adult, I was really relearning that. So the first thing I did was I went to the library and I took out all the books that I could about travel and points and miles and affording travel. And I came across, Scott Key's book that he's the founder of going and he has written a few books and he helped me understand that there are a lot of benefits to travel credit cards.

So tentatively, I dipped my toes back in the credit card realm and I did so with a co-branded JetBlue credit card because I was in Fort Lauderdale. 

JetBlue flew out of there a ton. I like JetBlue. They have the most leg room in coach, they normally have reasonable, prices.

I liked the routes that they had. I just liked them and so I thought, this is already a brand I have brand loyalty with. 

This is already, a brand that operates quite frequently at my local airport. 

Because I was scared about the language of finance and cards and points and miles, so I just wanted to be very unambiguous.

What am I getting? So it was like [00:13:00] spend, $3,000, get a bulk award of X points. And also I think had at the time, I'm not really sure now, I haven't compared recently a redemption, but I think they do generally have lower numbers in terms of what you're redeeming. Like you're not redeeming a hundred thousand points for a flight, like you can get a flight for 10,000 points kind of thing with JetBlue.

Meeting the minimum spend threshold in the first three months, I was able to redeem that. For a $70 round trip flight to Aruba, which was the price of the taxes and fees. And that was very encouraging for me because it was a clear win. I spent this money as a byproduct of this money.

I got this value in the flight that I now didn't have to pay for, just for money that I was gonna spend anyway, right? Because I just redirected all of my existing expenses. So this is great. It's like an extra flight bonus for paying for things in my life. And that is, I think, how I started to become hooked and encouraged to try. More. 

Chase Sapphire was my first card that had the [00:14:00] ability to transfer points. So I think it was, my first kind of like adulting travel credit card. 

And I love Chase. I think that they're a great company. I love the card. I still use their protections every time I get a rental car. 

I've had to redeem, like I've had incidents and I've had to redeem, I think like twice with Chase one for a rental car incident, which I didn't even see it.

And I felt like it was an easy fix. But, I came back and there was like a part in the bottom front that was dangling down. But they wanted to charge me $2,000 for that. And Chase covered

That's insane But the rental car insurance you got with the credit card covered it

Correct. So Chase has always been really good about paying out things. I also had an incident where, 

We had booked non refundable tour and we had to cancel. 

That tour that was canceled under their policy and their terms because it was eligible for it.they're not necessarily the quickest.

It's not gonna be overnight. It may take a few months to process, but I found that Chase generally is going to abide by their policies. If they say something is covered, it's going to be covered. And that's what I [00:15:00] like about the company.

That's awesome Yeah I'm definitely a big fan of the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem when it comes to points and miles cause there's just like a ton of options to earn those points and it's a lot easier to redeem when you have those options and when you're super flexible with like which airline you can take or what hotel And you mentioned transferring points which is huge but you can also book within the Chase Travel portal as well And that's like probably the biggest difference between like your JetBlue credit card and your Chase Sapphire Preferred is the fact that you have to redeem those JetBlue miles with JetBlue versus the Chase Sapphire Preferred You have so many other choices because they have a ton of transfer partners for hotels for flights and then the Chase Travel portal Just like a ton of more options there So okay so I was half right you your [00:16:00] first like flexible travel rewards credit card was the Chase sapphire preferred but your first one ever was JetBlue which actually that happens a lot with people when they first start to get into travel awards credit cards The first thing they kind of think of is oh well let me get an airline credit card or let me get a hotel credit card because like you said It was like really straightforward to them Like well I stay at these hotels I might as well get the credit card right Or I fly that airline I should get that credit card And I don't think there's anything wrong with that But I do think that going for the cards that have the flexible points are probably gonna help you not you specifically but like anybody who's like a beginner or trying to get into this because they're gonna give you more options as opposed to getting those co-branded credit cards thatwill kind of lock you in and but again there's really no right or wrong way It's whatever works best [00:17:00] for you And I love that that's how you got into you know the credit card game was through the JetBlue card

I totally second that. And

about Chase and booking directly on the Chase portal is that you can book with partial points. So even if you don't have points to cover

Something, they'll apply a credit of what those points are worth to your reservation.

So I think that's a great flexibility, just more to your point of how flexible it is when you have this card.

Yeah exactly And again anybody who's like trying to be lazy or anyone who's a beginner you wanna have all those different options Right Because like for you like you mentioned as well like that's I think what was your first redemption with Jeb Blue Points Was it to Aruba

Yes.

So like for me it was using points for like a three night stay in London And I was like wow this like this actually works But I was hooked after that And I think a lot of people get too scared to get into it because they're afraid like oh am I gonna [00:18:00] not make the best redemption or am I not doing this right And I'm just like just do it You know I probably made so many mistakes

I did I was able to get the confidence you know

I agree completely. I think a lot of people, hesitate and they think they wanna hoard the miles, get the absolute best redemption, absolute best value, and I just think the miles are there to be used. They change in value all the time. Programs change all the time, so take advantage, I take pride in not having a million hoarded miles.

Why? Because I'm constantly using them for free or reduced travel. I always get at least part of my trip comped. And so I think that's, the whole point of them, I don't think that you should hoard them. 

They could devalue as you hold onto them. And so really just use them. The point is that you're getting perks and that's the whole point, right? To be getting something from nothing essentially.

I will look to see if there's a way to use points, at least for a part of the way. So I'm not committed to having the same flight, the same route, the same itinerary one way there or round. I can just book a one [00:19:00] way there and book with a different airline coming back. So I'll look to see where I can fit in, what points do I have where, what airlines can operate there.

Are there any points I can transfer over if I need to meet, a minimum points, redemption. I usually do this a lot when I'm doing domestic travel like New York because I know there's so many airlines that operate to New York, so there really shouldn't be a reason. And it's generally affordable, like $200 or less.

So there shouldn't be a reason why I'm paying crazy amounts of money to get to New York for any business reasons. So I'll look to see What are the points I have available? Where can they be applied? How can they be supplemented and what is the price if I pay cash? Because sometimes the point values for, let's say maybe a particular weekend or if you're booking last minute, could be inflated and, just paying cash could be cheaper.

I feel is worthwhile. 'cause if I can find a hundred dollars flight and you're asking for, 30, 40,000 points, that's not worth it either at that point. So I look to see and compare and look what is the best option and go from there.

Yeah same [00:20:00] I like having the stash of points so I can use them when it makes sense for me Not necessarily like I don't necessarily have like a Threshold I know a lot of people talk about like it has to be 2 cents per point I'm like who cares but I like to have the points there but if the cash price is within my budget and I can afford it and I can save those points for something else then I will totally pay cash Like if I got a $16 flight to Ecuador I would definitely pay cash for that

Yeah, I totally agree. I think that's really smart is like deciding is this not gonna really break the bank and are those points more valuable? Redeeming it for something where I know it's gonna be hard to actually find a good cash price to pay it, so I know I'm gonna want points for it. I deem it for things that I wouldn't be able to access. For affordable otherwise. So all of those free flights that I've gotten from the booking Award points have been to places like Kenya, New Zealand to Japan, to places where I know it's going to be difficult to find a flight deal.

You won't really catch me redeeming points for a flight to Europe [00:21:00] because Europe flights are really accessible with all the budget airlines I mentioned that are offering transatlantic deals now. So they're really, I can find regular Europe deals for $400 round trip, like just the regular price. So I wanna save those points and redeem it for the things that are really expensive.

The Maldives of the world, 

Or like business class flights I like to use my points for business class flights to Europe because I'm not paying that in cash

Yes, absolutely. Business class upgrades are the best. And I like to have those treat yourselves moments, when you're able to. Even if you. Have the points to upgrade. I've used a workaround where I used points to get flight to Japan for free. So I was able to get the points and get the base fare and then paid out of pocket for the seat upgrade. 

That's smart

Yeah Help supplement That's what we do like with our family is we use points for the things that we otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to help supplement But we still have a travel budget Right And I think a lot of people when [00:22:00] they talk about using points and miles they it's this is on social media a lot too It's like oh I'm getting free flights I'm getting free hotels And people think oh well I don't have a travel budget I just need to use points and miles And it's like no no If you're a regular person which most of you are you do need to be able to afford to travel you need to pay for food you need to pay for transportation And unless you are traveling a ton and earning like Tons and tons of points to be able to cover all of your travel expenses It will cost you some to travel but you can use points and miles or other budget travel strategies to at least help you save a lot and like not pay full price for it 

Absolutely. You have enough points to sustain that if you're somebody that's charging everything to your credit cards. But then you have to be set up in a way where every expense that you're doing, all your business expenses, all your household expenses, like everything's going on those cards strategically to maximize and get you those points.

So I think [00:23:00] you do have multiple ways of being able to sustain yourself just on points. But I agree. I think for the average person, I think they're more useful as a way to supplement, to get free nights here and there to get you, just discounts where you need it so it's not, eating up your budget.

And I would definitely take into account where you're going and what's available, because some places just by destination are more expensive. So anywhere in the Nordic countries, Iceland was very expensive. Anywhere, north is very expensive, whereas South America, less expensive, Eastern Europe Less expensive. So there are regions where I think that your money also goes further. So these are all important things to keep in mind because you're right, budget is important. Like you do wanna go on a vacation, but you also don't wanna be so stressed when you come back home recovering from that vacation.

Yeah And I think that regardless of how you wanna do this how you wanna travel you just need to figure out a strategy that works best for you to be able to [00:24:00] Sustain that And the only way they'd be able to come up with that strategy is by educating yourself Like you did go into the library looking at books You don't have to do that but you could if you wanted you could listen to podcasts Just make sure you have the info and you'll definitely be able to come up with a strategy that works for you because you know everyone's different Everyone has a different situation and you obviously have found something that works for you And now you're sharing that with the world in your amazing books 

So before we move to talking about your books I do wanna ask you a couple questions do you have a favorite loyalty program that you default to for flights or hotels

I like the Marriott Bonvoy program. It's my favorite. I think that there are perks that are available for any program, but I like the Marriott properties. I like how wide their portfolio is and how, I have options pretty much anywhere I'm traveling and I have options at different budgets and also [00:25:00] point redemption values, right?

So I can have a really high-end Marriott stay or I can have a more affordable Marriott stay. I think they're all under that umbrella, because you have motels that have been acquired by Marriott and you have luxury places. I've used my Marriott points to redeem for nights at Egypt, at the Marriott in. Cairo that overlooks the pyramids from your balcony. 

it was such an amazing experience and I got that, for free with the points that I had from opening my Marriott Bonvoy card. So I think, maybe that made me biased towards them. 'cause that's a pretty hard experience to beat.

But I like the program. I think it's straightforward. I like the Marriott property brand, I think no hospitality brand is perfect. But I know a lot of people are loyal to any one given airline. And I have no any one given airline loyalty because I think every airline has issues.

And I've had issues with every airline. I've flown so much that I've had a problem with every airline, a delay, a baggage loss, like something with every airline. And so I'm not necessarily super enthusiastic about any one airline, [00:26:00] but I am really enthusiastic about Marriott and I don't even know if

Yeah

it right.

'cause I think there's a, there's a way to pronounce, I feel like there's

Marriot

Marriott, thank you. Thank you. I was like,

Yeah

pronouncing it right, but I like them.

Yeah my first career was in hospitality and so I know all about hotel chains and brands and all that good stuff And yeah everyone would still call it Marriott but it's technically Marriott which sounds so weird cause nobody says that

Thank you. I knew I had it wrong, but I didn't even wanna butcher it further, so thank you for correcting me. I appreciate it.

No problem Nobody says it though so you're fine But yeah I really like Marriott as well they have the largest program right now ever since they purchased Starwood Do you remember Starwood Did you ever stay at any Starwood properties back when they were just Starwood

I'm sure I have, because I've stayed

Different places and I remember the name, but I can't think of what [00:27:00] line would've been associated with them. Who was under Starwood? What name of hotels?

Yeah so it would've been like Westin Hotels

A Starwood brand originally The w

Those sorts of brands And it's been a while now since Marriott purchased Starwood but I just heard that the Starwood name is like resurfacing and I'm really interested to see what happens with that Because I love Marriot now I'm so weird saying Marriott I wanna say Marriott so bad instead of Marriott 

anyways so I love that hotel chain And but when they purchased Starwood I felt like Starwood you know was much smaller very much more boutiquey and they had like a little bit more of personality if I May say Marriott was a little bit more corporate so the fact that they're kind of like resurfacing I would like to see the personality come back a little bit you know that would be cool

I have seen personality in, specific brands of [00:28:00] hotels. Like the Moxie brand has a lot of personality every

I think it, it can come back, but it does tend to be the aesthetic of that hotel versus that kind of niche, beige, what everybody expects when they go somewhere.

the standard of cleanliness, of modernness, of all of that. But yeah, I'm so glad to hear you pronounce it correctly. I feel like this was such an educational podcast episode just for that alone. And it makes sense now because, somebody was saying like, it's like chariot,Marriott.

And so now I feel like I'm getting what they meant when they said that. So I was like, I don't know. And so thank you so much. I feel like we've all learned something and I know they want people to pronounce it correctly. So I feel like this was an important episode. We've all learned something here, which is, I did not know how to

Yes

I do.

well you're welcome And for all of those listening you're welcome It is Marriot But there is something to be said about a consistent product even if people will say it's a little bit more corporate or you know beige but there is definitely something to [00:29:00] be said about that But I do like that Marriott has those other brands now that are a little bit more corporate but then also the boutiquey some with a little bit more personality and you know what's sad though is that they did devalue their loyalty program So that was a little sad but you know what All the programs are doing that like one way or another So it's just one of those things that you just gotta Keep on going you know like and that's one of the reasons why I like the flexible points

Exactly, and you don't need, I don't need to book with them. That's why I like having the credit card because I still will get points for having paid for something on the credit card, even if I don't book through their platform. If I can find a way to get a discount elsewhere, like sometimes I'll have Expedia points 

but I dollars of that to different bookings that have been made on there. So if I can reservation night versus booking it through the app, I might use that different [00:30:00] platform so you're not necessarily stuck. And I will pay with my Marriott, my Marriot Bonvoy card and so I'll know that I'll be able to get points, just by virtue of having spent on the card, which is why having those travel credit cards to use is so helpful.

but we're both free agents when it comes to airlines It sounds like 

I have some preferences. I like JetBlue, like I mentioned, they have good leg room. I like,Q Suites was awesome. Very spoiled

Oh my God Q Suites

I wish I could fly Q Suites every time, but unfortunately.

I know I haven't done Q Suites yet but somebody was messaging me about it and they were like do you have any tips and tricks And I was like I haven't done it yet so I personally do not but I was trying to like help them with like some resources and stuff How many times have you flown Q Suites

Twice. So one way

And it was long, so it was like 14 hours each time. So I had the full menu of like breakfast to lunch to dinner kind of [00:31:00] thing. Yeah. And lobster, I ate a lot of lobster. If lobster was on the menu, I ordered

And there was a lot of it on the

Q suite, so

Like the highest level. You have a butler that's there just for you and they set like a candle and you have a full fine dining experience in your cabin. So they have a chef making all that stuff for me.

I was very full and I ate everything that they serve. I had lamb, I had everything. I ate it all.

Wow I have lower expectations when it comes to food in the air But then there are certain things where I'm like if there's fish or seafood versus a pasta I'll always go for the pasta But it's good to know that that changes significantly depending on The class of seat 

With you. I would avoid maybe, possibly if you're in, economy, the meals are altered to suit your palate because like your taste buds and your palate changes when you're midair. And so they're made to be something that appeals to you with the palate that you have in the air.

Like they're tailored, they do a bunch of testing so that they're actually [00:32:00] made to be tasty. There may to not be something that's despicable to you. That being said, I agree. I think, there's a big difference between the economy trays that they have for everybody, that they're just warming up and these custom made things that they have in these really luxurious first class experiences that are limited to, a handful of them in the world.

Yeah that's amazing That's I gotta put that on the bucket list for sure but anyways what are maybe some mistakes things to avoid that you would want people to know if they were just kind of like starting out with this

Sure. I think it's really important to book your airport transportation because I think it's when you're most vulnerable in. your trip, which when you first arrive, you don't know anything. You're getting your bearing, you're tired from a long flight, and it's when you can possibly be scammed. there's a lot of people that wait around the airport for these things.

So it really helps if you have a plan ahead of time. You've researched, where I'm going. What is the best way to [00:33:00] get from the airport to my accommodation? Is it public transportation? If so, what time does a train leave? Where is the train station? How do I get there? Is it connected to the airport?

How much does it cost? do I use cash or car to get in? What all of that? Do I need a ticket ahead of time? If it's gonna be a ride share because maybe a shuttle service is the best way. That was the case for me. When I got to Santiago, Chile, a shuttle service was actually the best way, most affordable way to get to the airport.

From the airport to your hotel. They had like maybe eight people in a van. And if you booked it ahead of time, you could bypass everybody trying to call your attention one way or another, which you didn't know if they were valid or not. 'cause you already had your reservation. You already knew where you were going.

They were already waiting for you. So it was just a really easy way. If you're gonna be taking rideshare, is rideshare allowed where you're going? Sometimes some airports prohibit rideshare, so sometimes they're gonna tell you to get in the backseat. They're gonna tell you to act they're a friend picking you up, and it can get a little bit sketchy.

So just researching, I think your airport arrival is the best way to guarantee that your trip [00:34:00] starts off strong. And it's a way where a lot of people can falter. So if you already have that, you're like, you're one step ahead of most other people. I think another thing is when people are paying for things, you get an option of either paying in the local currency or paying in your US currency and having them, convert it right then and there.

Paying the local currency, it costs you less by the time it's converted by your card or your bank or whatever the case may be. Versus taking that preset USD conversion can save you a good chunk of money, particularly if you're paying higher amounts like for a higher purchase. And so I think those are some common mistakes that are really easy to avoid, to just be a smarter traveler.

Yeah when I travel somewhere I try to use a debit card and grab money from the ATM but I use a debit card that's not gonna charge me an extra fee I don't let them do the conversion for me I just let the bank do the conversion for me And then whenever I'm paying they try to trick you Have you noticed [00:35:00] this they try to trick you into just like selecting that you wanna pay in us by the way that they word it But you never want to you always wanna pay in the local currency So don't get tricked guys Never pay in your US currency Always pay local because they're gonna tack on those fees So good points

And I agree with you too, that the best way I always take out cash right from the ATM when I get there. I don't use a converting, 

service because they charge so much in fees that I'll just take out the cash myself. And, even better bonus, if you have something like a Charles Schwab account that has no fees, no at TM fees.

Right exactly Let's get into your books you are already working on a sequel to your 12 trips in 12 months but before that you also have the Affordable Flight Guide So like what inspired you to get into writing books about travel and like tell us a little bit about that[00:36:00] 

Sure. So I had always been a writer. I had started blogging just on the side when I began practicing law to have a creative outlet. I enjoyed writing and I didn't want it to be boring legal writing. I wanted to do fun writing and what's more fun than travel writing, right? And so I started doing that. I this challenge thinking that at the end of the year I was going to write 12 trips in 12 months. The memoir about the challenge, but not realizing that I had inadvertently been advertising the affordable flight guide because I had been sharing for a year. With my audience, all the flight deals I was finding, like the deals to Ecuador and New Zealand and Aruba and in general, people were asking me, how are you able to take all of these trips?

And I was saying, it's really mostly because of the flight because I do believe in these places that are, not the super expensive places like Iceland. But in most other places you can find affordable accommodations. You can find affordable meals. And so really it's the flight that is [00:37:00] cost prohibitive to getting you there.

And all of these people inadvertently had been already following along, building an audience for that book. And so I think when you're an author and you're writing, it's really important, particularly when you're launching your first book, to think, Am I writing the book that I want to write or am I writing the book that people want to read? And I think it's really important to think about is there a market for this book? I think memoirs are a harder sell, than just a nonfiction instructional reference book with travel tips. And so I was trying to give my audience what they wanted, give the people what they wanted. And so that's how my first couple of books came about.

I was answering the questions that I was most commonly asked, which is, how can you afford to travel? So I wrote the Affordable Flight Guide, not the Affordable Travel Guide, because I thought that was too all encompassing and I wanted people to be really clear and be able to get an outcome versus getting overwhelmed by too much information and then not acting.

But if you can [00:38:00] get a cheap flight like you, you will figure the rest of it out. 'cause you're already booked, you're already going. So now it's a matter of making everything else work. I also got asked, how are you able to travel so much with a full-time job? So my second book was, you Need a Vacation, how to Travel With a Full-Time Job. I was asked a lot about solo travel. My third book is the Solo Female Travel book. And then I pivoted to writing, the 25 Ways to Work From Home, And then the pandemic hit. So it was a perfect time to release it 

how do you make income as a freelancer, as somebody who's working remotely, as somebody whose location independent. So 25 Ways to Work from Home came out. And then having blog in a personal brand into something that can replace your full-time income and be really lucrative. those were my five self-published books before I publish 12 trips in 12 months, traditionally with a book publisher.

why don't you tell us a little bit about 12 trips in 12 months and then give us a sneak peek about the sequel that you're working on

So [00:39:00] my goal with 12 trips in 12 months was to really. with somebody who was in a point of transition in their life. For me it was while I was approaching that big milestone birthday, right? 30, what does it mean to be 30? What does it mean to be a woman at 30 and, have a career but not necessarily be married or with children?

And how could I reconcile that with also at the same time learning to live for myself and learning to travel solo and find joy in myself and with my own experiences, and very much from a perspective of me at 29, right?

with everything I was facing then at the moment. And so this sequel picks up at 35, with a little bit more life experience under my belt. Now, the pandemic, all these major things that have happened. Now having been a full-time traveler and travel writer for many years, and the book opens with, getting dumped by my boyfriend of two years on a sponsored cruise 35th birthday. Now halfway through this really big decade, and [00:40:00] now grappling with similarly, those. Those themes of self-worth, of what a woman's value is of aging. And really putting that now from a different perspective of now we're in it, right?

Like we are, we can't stop this train. It's gonna move forward either way. So how can you really be at peace with yourself, at peace with your surroundings? How can you really make the most of every day that you're given? Because it really is a gift. And as people who travel, we're so lucky to see so many beautiful places of this world.

So how can you take those experiences? For me, it was, a tsui class in Japan, seeing the Easter island, moai statues, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, completely away from all my problems. And finally at the end of the year, seeing, a newborn baby gorilla that was born hours prior to us getting there, and we were the very first humans to see him,

so I had another year long travel challenge that I had taken in an effort to promote my first book coming out, not realizing it was gonna become my second story, but it really took me through that healing [00:41:00] process. I can't wait to share it with you all.

Wow I love how you took getting dumped by your boyfriend on your birthday and just was like I'm gonna write a book about this and inspire tons more women out there to just kind of like you know get out there and live your life to the fullest and like who cares It matters how you take that and actually move on and what you do with it So that's awesome I love that

Thank you. I agree. There's a reason why the book is gonna start from where things with us end, right? Because the story is more about me and my journey, but it's not realistic to think that's not something that is playing in the minds of women. Especially as a woman who's getting older, especially if you've not been married before, you get asked a lot of questions.

People put a lot of judgment on you. Recently we've seen, what do 40-year-old childless women contribute to society rhetoric going around, [00:42:00] right? So what it really is so pronounced and so heavy. And so I hope that with this, women can see that their life can really be joyful and full and have these beautiful experiences that are worth looking forward to.

So you can find everything that we've talked about here today. I just wanna direct you to an easy spot. My website is Jen on a jet plane.com, like leaving on a jet plane. And if you go to Jen on a jet plane.com/start, you can find a ton of resources. You can find links to my books. You can find a free list of 17 flight alert programs.

So if you wanna get started by getting those emails of those deals to you, I give you 17 programs that you can get that we'll send you those deals, and just a ton of other resources. If you're interested in travel writing, I have a free challenge on there as well. So Jen on the jet plane.com/start is gonna be your one place for all those links.

So Let's do some rapid fire fun questions So what's your favorite [00:43:00] airport lounge 

I dunno why I started thinking about a specific airport versus a brand of the lounge. either one Do you have one Do you have a specific airport

I actually, I wanna say, I wanna go weird here and say minute suites 'cause it's not a lounge, but I can lay down and sleep. Yes. And so I love those little minutes, suites. I find them whenever I'm traveling, especially for a late night red eye flight and I just need to rest. I can go and get an hour nap in a private room with a TV and snacks and it's amazing.

And I, it's a little bit more private than a lounge. So minutes, suites are my jam. I love them.

I like that I think I have access to those with my priority pass and I've never tried it before so I will keep that in mind So thank you for that

what's your favorite travel destination 

yeah, I think like happy, peaceful south of France in summer when it's peak blooms and you have lavender and sunflower fields, and it's [00:44:00] just the most beautiful thing you can ever imagine. Best adventure, like bucket list destination, Jordan. 'cause you can go and see a world wonder, see Petra, you can swim in the dead Sea.

You can be in the wadi rum desert, living out your dune fantasies, and seeing star gazing and having these beautiful night experiences. And then I think in general, just like culture, food. I will always have a preference for Puerto Rico because it's where I'm from and I think it has so much to offer for people who are coming from the us.

You don't need a passport, you don't need a phone plan. It's an easy flight and there's just so much there to experience. The island has so much beyond San Juan. They have 2000 caves, three of the brightest bioluminescent bays in the world. Really beautiful, natural springs, hot springs that theatre Roosevelt used to go to that are debated as to whether or not they're the real life fountain of youth.

Yeah we're Puerto Rican too and I've only been a few times but each time is just magical So yeah definitely agree with that And then what [00:45:00] destination is still on your bucket list Because you've traveled to so many places

Two are really high on my bucket list right now. Vietnam is on my bucket list because I want to go and get a custom wardrobe made for me. And I think that's one

Places where you can have just these beautiful, tailored to you pieces, unique fabrics. No one else has this. So I've been wanting to do that for a very long time, in addition to everything else that there is to do in Vietnam.

But that's been a draw that I've had for a long time. And then also, bolivia, the salt flats, I want to go and play and have optical illusions that make it look like I'm walking into a Pringles can, or like a T-Rex is trying to eat me, even though it's like a little Toy T-Rex. Because the optical illusions make it look like things are bigger or smaller, so

that's so fun

yeah, so somebody could be like holding a spoon and it could be like the people on the spoon.

So it's like you're eating like honey the kids kind of thing, and 

I'm a nerd

I love it I'm with you 100% That's awesome And then what would you say is [00:46:00] the biggest travel mistake you've ever made genni I can't believe I even forgot. In 12 trips, in 12 months, I have a, like a whole disaster thing where I lose the rental car keys. I lose my wallet in Mexico, like cost me $200 to get the rental car keys replaced. Thankfully, I found my wallet like by the grace of God, but I was just sitting there by the ferry, like dumping everything outta my backpack, like assuming it's gonna reappear or it's in some hidden pocket.

If I just. Put everything in and take it back out again, then this will not be the reality, right? Like my wallet will magically show up somehow. And so I think I have had a lot of crazy things happen. I've gotten sick. I've had to, go to the doctor. I had my finger that I cut on a drone in Panama just like two months ago.

And, I, for some reason felt the need to catch it. 'cause I'm on the middle of a volcano and I didn't want my drone to go over. So I wanted to catch it. And in catching it, it got my finger. And then now there's blood blurting everywhere.

So I guess I have had more mishaps than I initially thought, but I,

but like you said,it's just something where you just, as it's, you don't even register it 'cause it's just life and you just keep [00:47:00] going. And so I, I didn't

things didn't even come to mind because that wasn't necessarily what stood out from those trips.

Yeah So if you guys want more disasters definitely pick up 12 trips in 12 months for that whole disaster But yeah I mean stuff happens and you just kind of gotta learn from it and move on but anyways Jen give us one piece of advice that you want people to take away when it comes to traveling more for less

I would say book the flight and figure out the rest later. You are going to feel committed once you get the flight booked. If you can get a cheap flight, you're gonna be so excited. You're gonna be telling everybody, I got a hundred dollars flight to Europe. And that anticipation will allow it, you'll figure everything else out.

You'll find a place to stay. You'll find food that you can eat. There's street food, there's affordable food, fast food, if you need to. fast food outside of the US is actually better than in the us It's not as toxic for you. But so you have options, meals, accommodations, just book the [00:48:00] flight because once you book the flight, you are committed and your brain starts to think about all the things that you're going to do at that destination.

So I really hope that if you're somebody who's just so nervous about taking the leap, that you just booked the flight, and if you're still nervous, feel better knowing that you can always cancel a flight within 24 hours of booking it. So if you're like, I still don't know, I may still have a heart attack, give yourself a 24 hour cushion to see if you still wanna, cancel it, but book that flight.

You have a way out if you absolutely don't want it. But it's going to encourage you to go through with your travel plans and actually turn some day into, a very set date that you put on your calendar and start counting down to.

So book the flight now Figure it out later

Yes ma'am.



so for those listening I hope that you enjoyed this episode and it has given you the confidence to continue your journey to learning how to [00:49:00] travel more for less And if you love this episode please subscribe and leave us a review It really helps people find the podcast And remember keep it simple keep fun and keep exploring See you in the next episode