Monthly Journeys, a Year of Adventure: Insights and Money-Saving Strategies

Welcome to the Fromer Travel Show.

I'm your host, Pauline Fromer.

Jen Ruiz is a proud solo traveler, and she's written a charming book called 12 Trips in 12 make youe Own Solo Travel Magic.

Hey, Jen.

Welcome to the Fromer Travel Show.

Thank you so much for having me, Pauline.

So the book is based on something I think a lot of us do when we have those big birthdays coming up.

Somehow when you turn 60, 50, 40, 30, it's mind blowing, right?

And so you were about to turn 30 because you're a youngin, and what did you decide to do?

I decided to take a 12 trips in 12 months challenge because I had already gone through law school, worked for five years as an attorney.

I had spent my 20s really doing what was expected of me.

And I realized that that time, one way or another, was about to be gone forever.

And so I had a chance to really commemorate it in a way that felt special to me and that also took away from the anxiousness of feeling like maybe I hadn't achieved everything I needed to by that time.

So being able to plan these trips was both a celebration and a distraction for from that inevitable milestone birthday and a really wonderful way, I think, to ring it in.

Right?

And despite being a lawyer, you were not wealthy when you did this.

I mean, you had a lot of law school debt.

So let's talk about the nitty gritty, which you discuss in the book.

How did you afford to do 12 books?

12 books, 12 trips in 12 months?

Sure.

Well, definitely for me, it was something where I went to the library.

Cause I think books are so important and full of knowledge.

Knowledge and people who have done it before us.

So immediately I went to the travel section and I tried to get every book that I could on budget travel, how to make this happen, you know, travel hacks.

And I learned, I think the first big trick for me was trying to find affordable flights.

Because once you get to your destination, you can find affordable lodging, you can find affordable food.

But the getting there can be the cost prohibitive part for a lot of people if they think they have to spend, spend $3,000, you know, before they even hit the ground.

So for me, my goal was to get flights for $400 or less.

And there were three ways that I did this.

The first was flight alerts.

So I signed up for flight alert programs that notified me when there were mistake fares, when there were, you know, unsold seats.

And they let me know about these special deals that then I could book.

I also learned about credit Cards and miles.

And that's how I was able to redeem those points and miles from.

For deals like a $16 flight to Ecuador or $80 flight to Thailand with points and miles and just paying the taxes and fees.

And then the last one was, let's see, points and miles.

I'm blanking on the third right now, but I would say also just generally picking the destination more so than.

Or picking the deal more so than the destination.

So I would look on Google flights and I would see what would be available, and that's how I would figure out how I would get to these places for less.

Yeah.

And.

And it worked for you.

You were able to do that.

You also took an extra job, right, just to add some of the money?

Yeah, I did.

I started teaching English online.

And so that's how I was able to, you know, make an extra thousand, $2,000 or so a month by earning $20 an hour remotely before work, every morning, on the weekends, at night, because these were students in China.

So I was able to work, let's say 9pm to midn, 4am to 8am and really get in those bulk hours and supplement my income in a meaningful way, rather than a raise.

Because I remember that when I'd gotten a raise, it had always, let's say a $5,000 annual raise come out to maybe an extra hundred dollars a paycheck.

So it really wasn't meaningful enough to be able to support a trip.

So with that extra side hustle, with that extra job that I took on, I was able to direct those funds to a trip and maybe have an extra thousand, two thousand a month for the trips.

And the third trip was budget airlines.

Glad you remembered.

So which ones?

I mean, what.

What did you do?

Where'd you go?

Who.

Which airline?

Sure.

So back when they were still functioning, and now we have alternatives because budget airlines change all the time.

But back when they were still in operation, I flew a $99 flight to Iceland with Wow Air, and then like $129 coming back.

So I was able to get there and back for, you know, less than 300 doll.

Now, it wasn't the most comfortable flight.

I didn't have entertainment on board or food or anything of the sort.

But really it was an overnight as well.

So I was just trying to sleep on the way there, you know, wake up at my destination.

And if you're just trying to get there, budget airlines are really wonderful.

I also found that they are a great hack for when you're already in Asia or Europe.

Specifically because they have so many great budget airlines that operate within countries in that region.

So let's say I found a deal to London, you know, for $300 round trip or.

And then I could connect to Greece on Ryanair for $40 or from Thailand to Cambodia for $80 on AirAsia.

So those were my secrets for finding those affordable flights.

Yeah, I actually talk about that in my speech that I give at the Travel Show.

You're also a speaker at the Travel Show.

So we will both be in Los Angeles next weekend, actually, Long Beach.

And I say you have to do two searches to find those fares.

Often if you just do one search, you'll only see the airlines that have code shares to get you to your final destination.

I would say also the key with these types of bookings, where you find where the cheapest gateway is and then another cheap hop from there is you have to build in a lot of time for a transfer.

Right.

Because you're screwed if you, if you miss your flight.

Absolutely.

And I have had running through the airport moments where I've wondered, even if I make it, will my luggage, because I doubt that the staff is running in the same way that I am to get this on the flight.

So definitely something where you want to allow a buffer customs lines where you don't expect, you know, nobody expects to be trapped in the Amsterdam customs line.

And then they get there and they're like, ah, two hours just to get through even to a connection.

So it can.

I absolutely agree with you.

It helps to leave a significant buffer.

I think like four hours or so and I'd be comfortable with it.

Minimum.

I think I've done the one to two hour ones and they've been tough.

Right.

So you wanted to make these jaunts special because they were celebrating a special milestone.

And you went to some interesting places that I don't think I've ever talked with anybody on the show about before.

Like you went to Athens and then you took a side trip to tell me if I'm pronouncing this right.

Meteora.

I think it's Meteora.

Meteora.

Tell us about that.

Why did you choose Meteora?

So I went in January and the islands, which is what everybody thinks of when they first think of Greece, are closed for the season in January.

There are some that you can still visit, but it's not the same.

And so I knew that I wanted to maybe explore a different side of Greece and see where I could road trip or day trip from Athens.

And I wanted to see something spectacular.

And so I had come across these pictures of these monasteries that were on these impossibly shaped boulder rocks, you know, jutting out really high into the air.

And then they're built, it seems, you know, like, in a way that they can't even be balanced.

And so it just felt like an architectural marvel.

And then mixed with the history.

And then I also learned that they were an inspiration for a Game of Thrones site on the show.

And I love going to literary inspired, you know, TV inspired, film inspired sites, because I just think it's so great to connect it to something that you're already watching and a fan of or reading in modern life.

I just think it's cool to see it come full circle and see it in front of.

So I went there inspired by it being a Game of Thrones site and it being something unique.

Also, I learned in doing my research that the statue of Zeus that I had wanted to see, that I'd seen from Hercules, had long since been lost to time, you know, so it was nowhere to be found.

So I really wanted to see something unique and worthwhile.

And so I went there on a train from Athens, took a few hours, and then I spent the night at a gorgeous hotel where when you open the balcony doors, immediately you see the rocks right in front of you.

I mean, just such beautiful, beautiful landscape.

And then I took a tour with an operating company there that knew all the best sites.

And we went around first.

I took two tours.

So we went around first at sunset, and we took a sunset photo tour of all the best stunning views from above of the monasteries, because they are monasteries that are on top of the rocks.

Six are operational of the original 24.

So still today you can go and visit them.

Of those six, four are male and then two are run by nuns.

The St. Stephen's which is one of the nun run ones, is widely acclaimed as one of the most beautiful ones.

And just gorgeous, gorgeous, scenic views of the whole valley.

So we went there at sunset, and I was able to explore two that evening.

And then the next morning, I woke up early to do a full day tour of the area.

We walked around the foot of the Boulder Mountains so we could learn more about how these were even formed.

So the first person would have had to come climb their way up the rock.

And then through a pulley system, they were able to, you know, get the materials up there, which really also served as a way to protect from invaders, you know, or any attacks moving forward, since nobody could get up there and you're really vulnerable because you have to make the climb yourself.

And so over time, they built these and we were able to see it first on the ground and then we made our way up and we visited two other monasteries on the tour.

And then afterwards, myself and some tour attendants went and visited another one that we could that was still open because they also alternate the days that they are open.

Right.

And were any of the nuns or monks there, as you were visiting?

Did you meet them?

Oh, yes, they are there.

They most certainly are.

They live there.

So they are there.

They're walking around.

You can absolutely ask questions if you'd like.

There's like one monk in particular who's in charge of the candles.

And you know if people are going to be praying or making an offering or anything of the sort, so you can definitely ask.

You'll see beautiful artwork, tile work, just gorgeous religious murals and pieces there that you can appreciate, which our guide took us through primarily.

And at the gift shop, they're very.

They round.

They helm the gift shop at each monastery, so you'll be able to ask them about the items because they're selling handmade items, embroidered items, just really beautiful things that you can get, and ask about how they're made.

Interesting, interesting.

I remember my father went to a monastery in Belgium many years ago, and it broke his heart because he said they made the best beer on the planet and none of the monks who brewed the beer were allowed to drink it.

Oh, no.

So I always remember that he just was such an empathetic person that he.

That he found sadness in drinking the beer at this beautiful monastery.

Anyway, little story.

So there's also some cautionary tales in your book.

You go to Aruba and you use something that I've never heard of before, a sea bob.

What is a sea bob?

So if you've watched any kind of heist or James Bond movie where they're under the water and they have a giant fan of sorts, propelling them quickly under the water that they're holding on to, to do underwater heisty stuff, that.

That's what it was.

So it was essentially this device that propels you quickly.

You hold onto it with both arms outstretched and it's a motor that takes you through the water much faster than you would go on your own.

And how do you breathe?

You hold your breath.

It's like free diving, because you control how deep you go and you come back up.

I see, I see.

And so this was something you did.

You saw some extraordinary sights, but you also ended up with a lifelong condition.

It sounds like just some sensitivity.

And I think it was in general understanding how water activities work and the fact that when you're changing depths that you really need to acclimate more.

So that was the first incident.

And then later in Mexico, I had a scuba diving where I felt like once we got to a point, I was like, oh, that's what I should have been doing with my ears before.

But I think with the C bob, because you're not going super deep, right?

It's just a little bit lower than maybe snorkeling because you're going at your.

What you feel comfortable with.

It would be similar to free diving if you know, however, but you have the assistance in going versus the natural buoyancy that I feel.

I always have when I'm trying to dive down on my own and I get maybe a foot down and come right back up.

And so it really is on onto you to control that.

But I didn't realize that as I was going deeper through levels that my ear needs to be acclimated and that it really does affect how your ears, like your eardrums are very sensitive, especially under the water.

And that if you go down too fast without acclimating, it could actually be very dangerous.

It could blow out your drums.

And so I think even hearing that, even hearing the word acclimate, I was like, well, I don't know what that means.

I guess I'll acclimate as I go down, you know, not knowing, like, what is the actual action that you need to do of like holding your nose, blowing while your nose is, you know, held underwater, actually feeling your ears pop, like there's a whole thing you have to do.

And so I think there was just a couple of things with sensitivity underwater where I didn't know that.

And so as I came back up, I thankfully didn't have the ear drums burst.

But they still do get sensitive in certain situations sometimes in, you know, really throughout the year, routinely.

So they are just more sensitive now.

But I still can hear.

So.

Yeah, well, no, of course it sounds like they should have given you better instruction, but this is just one of the many adventures you had.

You also went on a crazy, crazy sounding hike in Zion national park.

So talk about that.

I did the Angels Landing hike, which is one of the most dangerous hikes in the park.

They actually have signage before you go up there telling you that people have fallen.

Sorry if you heard a slight grumble.

That's my dog napping underneath me.

And he's very content in his dreams.

I'm glad it's your dog.

That's nice.

He's doing good.

It was not me.

And so Angel's Landing is widely known as one of the most perilous hikes because of the incidents that have happened, but also because there's two way traffic on the side of this mountain, but there's only one side of it that has, you know, a chain or rope to hold on to.

And so you have people kind of climbing over and around each other while trying to hold on to parts of the chain or the people who don't want to get that comfortable kind of free walking it along the edge.

And so that's where.

And it's a sheer drop on one side.

Right.

So I'm actually.

And it wasn't my intended hike.

I had intended to hike the narrows, not realizing that they would be closed that day.

We were already there.

I was there with a friend.

She refused to walk that final half mile up to the summit once the chains start.

Up until then it is a pretty regular, normal, non threatening hike.

It's that final half mile that's challenging and.

Right.

Definitely.

I think for me, I think one of the things I always talk about is how people they, they do it to be encouraging.

And they're like, oh, you're almost there, it's right there.

And I feel like that has the opposite effect on me because you've all lied.

It's not right there.

And now I'm feeling like despair because where is the end?

When is this over?

I feel like I'm not getting accurate information from people coming the other direction and they're trying to encourage you but like I just need the real how much longer.

And so I.

It took a while for me.

It took me at least an hour.

My friend was very worried that I hadn't come back from that.

But it was beautiful at the top.

It was gorgeous, unobstructed.

You know, it kind of plateaued out once you got to the top and you had different boulders that people were climbing just to get the illusion of them just in the middle of the sky.

So it was a really scenic, beautiful view.

But I think now they possibly have it more restricted in the way that they're.

That they allow access.

I don't know that you can just walk up now.

You may need reservations.

This was before and I know it's since become very popular, but it was definitely worth it.

I would just probably go with a buddy.

There's somebody to catch you if you fall or start to trip.

I thought that was terrifying on that same trip you also went to a place that I have seen in so many pictures.

It's called Antelope.

Am I.

What is it called?

Yes, it's called Antelope Canyon.

And you have Lower Antelope Canyon and Upper Antelope Canyon.

And it's on Navajo land, so you can only enter with a Navajo approved guide.

So you would be booking through them, you'd be supporting the tribe with your purchase and your visit.

And the best time to visit to see what looks like this, you know, picture perfect screen wallpaper that you've seen probably at some point in time you have to.

It's kind of streaked with brown, brown and white horizontal streaks that it doesn't look like something in nature.

It really looks to me like something that would be wallpaper in a Mad Men epis.

I mean, it's really interesting looking.

I call those caramel swirl walls because it swirls.

They swirl like caramel for me.

And I love candies and sweets.

So for me it felt like going through like this kind of frozen wall of that.

But the colors actually vary in the upper and the lower.

So the upper is where you'll have more of that brown.

The lower has these gorgeous like purples, reds, much more deeper, cooler hues because the upper has access to sunbeams that come in from the openings and shine down in what I call like the beam me up Scotty, where if you throw sand into the sunbeam, it really shows the contrast and you'll see that beautiful beam coming in.

It starts at the spring solstice.

That's when the sun will be high enough to come in through the upper slots of Upper Antelope Canyon.

So starting usually March 21st is the solstice ish around there.

And so that's when you can start to go.

And you'll see them come in like that around noon.

So you want to plan for an 11am tour so that you're in there around noon, 1pm when they're shining in directly from above versus, you know, from an angle.

So you can just see the maximum brightness of that beam.

And then the lower tour you can do afterwards in the afternoon because like I said, it doesn't have the same sunbeams.

It's kind of underground.

It has much more cooler, feels like a cavern, but dry.

Not the same kind of stalagmites, the lactites that you're seeing and just a desert format, but just cool.

It's always going to be significantly colder than it is in the upper canyon because of its location.

And it's kind of mystical.

Magic is a theme in the book.

And I did have a little bit of a spooky moment afterwards where I spotted a shadow on the photo that I took that did not belong to me.

So it's possible, you know, Navajo land, you never know what spirits might be there.

But thankfully, I had no issues passing through.

Whoever it was was okay with my.

And I had a wonderful time.

But you definitely do feel that.

You feel that specialness of the land.

You feel like you mentioned that otherness of this landscape that's unique and unlike anything else that you'd find.

So it really is a worthwhile experience, and it's right here in the U.S. yeah.

Well, I'm glad you brought up the magic, because you point out those moments in your trip, like you're in Florence and you go to a concert and they dedicate a song to you.

I would assume because I've met you, it was probably your beaming smile, but you thought it was because you were a solo traveler.

Do you think sometimes solo travelers have a better time than those who travel in groups or in couples?

I think that they can have a more immersive time because when you're traveling with somebody that you know, you're always debriefing after an event with them.

You're talking with them in the language that you're comfortable speaking with them.

You always have somebody to rely on if something goes wrong.

And it's a wonderful, secure way of traveling.

You really bond with that person and experience something new with them.

It's wonderful.

I don't think there's any wrong way to travel.

All methods of travel have their pros and cons.

But when you are solo traveling, one of the pros, many of them include you're going to be debriefing with random strangers, maybe the hotel clerk, maybe the taxi person, right after you get out of the museum.

And you'll be like, oh, have you been there?

What was your favorite piece?

I really love this because you're not you talking to somebody beside you, and you want to share that with somebody.

You're making more of an effort to speak the local language.

Maybe you're sitting alone and participating or being curious about something, and that's when people maybe approach you, invite you to something.

It's a lot easier to invite one person to something than it is to invite a whole group of people or even two people.

So I've always been asked to do many different things, are invited to different places or even gotten gifts or special things that People have given me because they see that I'm there and I'm curious and I'm by myself, and they just want to reward me, I guess, or just kind of give me something to think happily and fondly about their country with.

I find that most people want you to leave with a positive experience of where they live.

They want you to have good memories.

They want you to see something worthwhile.

And so they're going to try to steer you in that direction, particularly if they see that you're there alone because.

And you're a woman alone because they want to.

You know, there's that instinct of.

Especially from all sides, you know, older grandmothers, you know, all kinds of people that just want to protect you and make sure you have a good time and kind of give you little gifts for your journey.

So.

And I think that that's kind of the case of all stories, right?

Where we see the hero's tale or the heroine that goes into the woods and the different gifts that she's given along the way and the different challenges and how she comes out a whole different person.

So it's a tale that we've had for centuries, but this is kind of the modern version and where you can find those people, those kind of fairy godmothers of travel or just helpers along the way that you keep you going.

Sure, sure.

Of all the places, of all the 12 trips and 12 months that you took and then wrote this book about, was there one that was particularly mind altering or heart altering?

Is there one that really sticks with you?

I think, you know, the trip that I took to Toronto with my parents after my grandfather passed, it was a time when my mom, who had already been, you know, really entrenched in the whole process of it all, had been in the hospital, had been with him when he passed, was feeling guilty about taking this trip.

But then ultimately everybody was really happy that we did because we really needed that kind of moment to just relax as a family, kind of have that moment of ease and celebrate each other.

So it was just really wonderful to have those memories that I was able to make with them, to show them my life as a traveler and to have travel be healing, because that was the whole point of the story, is that it can be a way to have presence in the moment, to really be in your body versus in your mind, where so many of us live on a daily basis and just really provide clarity at a time of transition and a way to move forward.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, that's the great thing about travel and that comes through in the book.

So many, many thanks, Jen, for a great read and a great conversation.

Thank you for having me.

And that is it for this week's show.

I thank you so much for listening.

If you enjoyed what you heard, please give us a nice rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

And to those who are traveling, may I wish you a hearty bon voyage.

Sour candy on the table Lazy afternoons in your sweatpants watching cable well it feels so far away all the channels seem the same Trying to remember all the the songs we like to play Cuz those lazy afternoons don't come so frequently these days oh it's been so long and I cannot help but wonder Are you ever coming home?

I like you with your sour candy in the boat house on the lake oh but I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate the way it takes.

I can't get you off of my mind Looking out the window where we spend so much of our time Cause I miss the way it felt But I guess you can't control those damn cards with I know that both of us are happy when we're free but would it be so hard to find your freedom here with me?

Oh it's been so long and I cannot help but wonder Are you ever coming home?

I like you with this sour candy in the boat house on the lake But I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate the way it tastes and I I hate the way it tastes But I love it all the same and I I hate the way it tastes But I love it all the same Sam.