Asia

Not Your Average Gal: Jen from Jen on a Jet Plane

August 30, 2020 By Caroline Peterson

Not Your Average Gals are kickass, blazing-their-own-path, independent-minded, free-thinking, kind-hearted and all around wonderful humans beings. We learn a lot about ourselves from the people we choose to look to for inspiration or friendship. I'm excited to introduce you to some of them.

World, meet Jen of Jen on a Jet Plane. I became kindred spirits with Jen while living in South Florida and following her life back then of balancing being a full-time lawyer while also traveling the world.

She used to live on the west side of Florida and I’d often see her post about her east side road trips to my side of town. She gave me plenty of things to do even in my own city that I didn’t even know about.

But she doesn’t live in Florida anymore.

In fact, she’s not even practicing law full time anymore.

Get this.

She quit being a full-time lawyer, moved to Puerto Rico and (before COVID) travels for a living educating the masses about how they can work remotely and do the same.

She’s now a #1 Amazon best selling author, TedX speaker and TikTok extraordinaire.

I’m so incredibly grateful Jen is sharing her story with me. She’s most definitely a Not Your Average Gal you’ll enjoy learning from. Let’s go!

Jen Ruiz
Jen on a Jet Plane, Solo Female Traveler & Entrepreneur

What's your passion—the thing that makes you a Not Your Average Gal?

I love to travel the world solo and on a budget, and help others do the same.

When did you start this passion?

In 2017, I set out to take 12 trips in 12 months while employed full-time as an attorney before my 30th birthday. While I was professionally accomplished, I felt like I was lacking personally since I had failed to acquire a husband or start a family before the milestone birthday.

I’d tried countless dating apps and websites but the interactions all left me feeling depleted and devalued. So instead, I quit dating altogether and focused on making my travel goal a reality.

I ended up taking 20 trips in 12 months, finding deals that were too good to pass up, like a $38 flight to New Zealand and $16 flight to Ecuador. I wrote a book about finding cheap flights that become a #1 Amazon bestseller and 2018 Readers’ Favorite award winner. After that, I decided to quit practicing law and pursue my passion of traveling and writing. I’ve since given a TEDx talk about the power of flying solo, published a second book that cracked Amazon’s top 150 list overall, and have been feature by The Washington Post, Huffington Post and ABC News.

Do you make any income with your business?

My books provide me with a steady stream of passive income through Amazon royalties every month. I launched a companion course on affordable travel that did well and have also worked to monetize my blog by learning more about SEO best practices and increasing organic traffic to my site.

Do you have a â€œday jobâ€ that is different from your passion or business?

I quit my “day job” but I teach English online in the mornings to help pay the bills. It started out as a side gig and then became ideal when I transitioned to the digital nomad life as the pay is reliable and the hours are flexible. I can teach anywhere with decent WiFi.

What lead you to your current path? (What was your previous job or background or experience that got you to where you are today?)

I used to work at a nonprofit law firm, and I enjoyed my job. I had great coworkers and a sense of purpose. However, I had to fight with people on a daily basis. Not a day would go by that I didn’t get stressed out or irrationally angry, and it didn’t seem sustainable. I practiced law for 5 years before I decided to make the switch.

In pursuing something less than conventional, did you face any pushback from family, friends or even strangers? If so, how did you deal?

Surprisingly, my friends and family were very supportive. I even had a coworker buy me a book for Christmas about the business of being an author with the inscription, “Go ahead, be happy.” I can’t tell you how much that meant to me.

What are 3 things that you've gained from doing what you love and perhaps going against the norms?

I’ve learned to enjoy life in all its stages, instead of wishing I could fast forward to the next.
I’ve learned to be happy for my friends instead of resentful or envious that everyone I know is getting married or having a baby except for me.
Lastly, I’ve learned that the world is filled with experiences that can make you feel whole, and that kindness and a smile can surpass all language barriers.

Tell us something about yourself people would be surprised to hear!

I’m left handed, I took Chinese for three years in high school but can’t speak a lick of it, and I was once invited on stage to be David Copperfield’s magician’s assistance. Hobby-wise, aside from traveling and writing I love to read and get lost in completely non-productive books like a YA series or romance novel. Karen Moning’s fever series got me through law school — it’s a guilty pleasure!

Are there any words of advice you can offer readers who struggle creating their own path?

Focus on what you have instead of what you’re lacking. I didn’t have a boyfriend, husband, children or even dog, but that meant that I had no one to tie me down, no obligations and complete freedom to go wherever I wanted. There’s always an upside if you’re willing to find it.

Any favorite mottos or quotes that you live by?

“The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.”
– Spencer Johnson, author of “Who Moved My Cheese?”

“The best adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.”
– Oprah

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain

Be sure to follow all of Jen's adventures here:

Bolding throughout article is my own emphasis.

How I Found 3 Dresses That Fit My Chest: Hoi An, Vietnam Tailoring

May 13, 2018 By Caroline Peterson

After a brief 3 days in Hong Kong and a whirlwind 4 days in chaotic Hanoi, Vietnam, we headed down the coast of Vietnam to the beautiful coastal town of Danang. We parked our tushes in Danang instead of Hoi An because we had Hyatt points to burn, so we took one for the team and stayed at the Hyatt Regency Danang Resort-it was a steal at 12,000 points a night.

We knew we wanted to go to Hoi An and since the Hyatt Regency Danang Resort offered shuttles to town and back, we swam during the day and headed to Hoi An in the late afternoons to get fitted for some tailor-made clothes. It wasn’t ideal being a shuttle-ride-away from Hoi An, but with views like this, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

The Secret of Hoi An, Vietnam—Tailoring!

I first heard about the wonders of tailoring in Hoi An from That BackpackerÂ and kept it on my travel bucket list for years to come. When the hubster said he was interested in getting some clothes made, it sealed the deal on whether or not we’d be going during our 2-week adventure in Asia.

Hoi An is a beautifully preserved UNESCO World Heritage 15th century city with both French influence, from it’s tumultuous colonization, as well as extraordinary Vietnamese heritage. What I didn’t realize was the tailoring came into play because Hoi An was once a major port on the silk route and served as a trading post. The tailoring tradition continues today where tailors produce beautiful quality clothes for relatively cheap prices compared to what we’d get back home.

How to Choose a Tailor Shop in Hoi An

Where to begin when choosing a tailor in Hoi An? Until you get there, you truly don’t realize how many tailor shops there are in a seemingly tiny town! They line every single street, with the more expensive ones closer to the main drag of hotels and shops by the Thu BÃ´n River.

The hubster narrowed our choices down to about 5 tailors based simply on TripAdvisor reviews. Prior to arriving, I suggest doing the same, as well as looking on Pinterest for bloggers who have their own experiences with tailors in Hoi An. I also asked a couple travel buddies I knew who gave me a few recommendations. You could spend hours and hours looking at reviews to see what’s best, but just do what we did and narrow it down to a few and then visit them!

We went into two different shops before settling on one. What turned us off from the others were the lack of styles already tailored on mannequins in the shop itself. It was mainly just all fabrics and books of pictures of what styles they could do. If you’re sales-person-averse like I am, just know you’re going to feel pressured somewhat, it just depends on your threshold. So just go with what you value when heading into the stores, for me it was having friendly service and some sense of control about how the clothes would turn out.

The Tailor Shop we Chose

Hoi An Vietnam Tailoring — Phong CÃ¡ch ThÃ²i Trang – Hoi An Tailor Shop

We immediately felt at ease by the kindness of Hanh and Linh when walking into Phong CÃ¡ch ThÃ²i Trang tailor shop. They had plenty of styles available for us to take a look and and an extensive collection of fabrics.Â While the hubster was basically getting a new wardrobe, I just casually walked around and Linh showed me plenty of fabrics once she saw that I was drawn to blue. She was very patient as I told her we were basically just getting clothes for my husband, but as I saw women coming in and out getting fitted for really nice dresses, I thought I’d give it a go too. I’m so glad I did!

Since I currently live in Florida and the hubster is in Michigan, we needed different weights of fabric. He got a thick winter coat, I got a lightly lined blazer. It was perfect. I would absolutely recommendÂ Phong CÃ¡ch ThÃ²i Trang if you’re in Hoi An, Vietnam. The shop was professional, kind and definitely a memory I’ll never forget.

Another cool part? This shop keeps your measurements on file, so if you want something made again, you just need to reach out and describe what you like. I actually reached out via email to thank them afterwards and they responded very quickly, so I imagine the process would be just as nice as it was in the store.Â

How the Tailoring Process Works

First, you need to give yourself at least 3 days in Hoi An to have a proper fitting. I’m sure tailors will offer to do it for less time, for a fee, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are okay doing any alterations at home.

One the first day, you’ll choose the style and fabrics you want. Depending on the tailor, they should have the fabric in the store, so you can look and feel it. I wouldn’t recommend just going with something without seeing it. Literally words get lost in translation and I’m also a hopeless control freak.Â Then they will measure you every which way, which is always awesome when you stand a foot taller than most locals and even with 6 years as a Floridian under your belt, you still somehow manage look like a drowned rat, drenched in sweat.

The second day, you’ll come back and try everything on. Nearly all my pieces needed to be altered just a smidge, which was great because how often do we go into stores and just deal with the sleeves being too long or the buttons screaming for dear life over your bust area? Just me?

On the last day, you’ll head back, try everything on again and either give them the thumbs up or ask for other small alterations. All of the hubster’s clothing and mine, except for one dress, were all set and ready to go. Shockingly, after my first round of alterations, my orange dress was a little big in the boobs. (Pigs immediately started flying outside.) She saw what I was seeing, took it off me and did the alterations right there! Now, I’m sure if we had another day in Hoi An she would have told us to come back the next day, but she knew we were leaving on a flight in the morning and quickly accommodated that. How cool, right?

What we Got

Caroline got:

2 mid-length dresses
1 long dress
1 blazer

Husband got:

4 long sleeved shirts
3 short sleeved shirts
2 winter coats
1 pair of pants
The ability to never say I buy too much again.

What it Cost

We paid $400 in total for everything. Every. thing. She gave me a discount on my dresses after she saw how much the hubster was buying. As I mentioned above, I only thought I’d take a look and see if I liked anything, I didn’t know if I would buy. But, she was very kind and good at her job.

Was it Worth it?

For me, yes. I have a hard time finding clothes that fit in the right places. I can’t tell you how many times I have to size up so it fits over my tig ol’ bitties and then I’m swimming in a shirt or dress. I’m also all torso, so finding blazers or trendy bomber jackets is nearly impossible without it looking like a tube top. So basically, what I’m saying is, this experience was ideal for my disproportionate, T-Rex-with-huge-boobs body.

Plus, we got to wear our new gear in Las Vegas when we saw the one and only, Elton John.

What do you think? Would you ever get your clothes tailored in a foreign country?

Oh, Yes We Did. How We Spent Two Weeks in Asia for Less than $650-including Flights in Business Class

March 27, 2018 By Caroline Peterson

What’s the first thing your little fingers start typing when planning a trip? How to get there, where to stay and how freakin’ much is it gonna cost me? Well aren’t you lucky you landed here today.

I’m going to show you exactly how the hubster and I flew to Asia—in business class—and stayed in fancy-schmancy hotels—that often left us feeling a few tax brackets below the rest of the population—all for under $650. 2 weeks. 2 people. Less than $650.

Why do I care, Not Your Average Gal?

Because travel is more accessible than you believe and it’s something I wholeheartedly think changes your world perspective—for the better.

Ready to dive in? Let’s go!

I’ve organized this little lesson according to our itinerary, so you can see how it all adds up in the end.

Flying to Hong Kong

ORD-HKG
Cathay Pacific, Business Class
140,000 American miles
$11.20 taxes

Since we live in separate states, very often when we leave for international trips, we fly to connect in the same airport, enjoy some bubbly and then jet off to paradise. Did that sound obnoxious? Good.

We redeemed 140,000 American Airline miles to use on their partner, Cathay Pacific, for our long-haul flight to Hong Kong. It also included my flight to Chicago in First Class on American. I have some American Airline miles through credit card sign-up bonuses. Additionally, I transferred 51,000 SPG points to my American account, which gave me a 20% transfer bonus, for a total of 61,000 transferred points. SPG is Starwood Preferred Guest, the mothership company for hotels like Westin, the W and Sheraton.

Staying in Hong Kong

Intercontinental Hong Kong
2 nights
60,000 IHG points
1 Free Night Certificate

The last time I stayed in Hong Kong, I spent 3 nights at the Intercontinental Hong Kong and knew I wanted to show the hubster what killer views it had of Victoria Habour. I redeemed one of my free night certificates I have by being an IHG Rewards Club Select credit card holder. The hubster used points from his 80,000 point sign-up bonus that he got when I encouraged him to apply for the IHG Rewards Club Select credit card last year, when we originally booked our flights for this trip.

Conrad Hong Kong
2 nights
132,000 Hilton Honors Points

While I enjoyed staying on the Kowloon side, I knew I wanted to explore more of Hong Kong Island itself, so we booked 2 nights at the Conrad Hong Kong for 132,000 Hilton Honors points. I’ve built up quite a stash by primarily staying in Hilton brands, like on our trip to London last year, utilizing the sign-up bonus with the American Express Hilton card (formerly Citi Hilton) and making sure I book stays when bonuses are going on. For instance, I got double the points for our 4 night stay in London because I booked during a time when that promotion was going on. That helped with booking on points for this stay. What’s awesome about having the card is you’re automatically given Hilton Gold status which gains you access to the Executive Lounges in Asia. Free bubbly, wine, beer and good eats with a view!

Flying to Hanoi, Vietnam

HKG-HAN
Cathay Dragon, Economy
9,000 British Airways Avios
$65.18 taxes

You don’t think it’s all bubbly and business class all the time, do you? We’re totally fine booking cheap flights in economy and traveling light so we don’t need to pay for checked luggage. I utilized British Airways amazing award travel chart for 4,500 Avios for flights that are less than 650 miles (excluding flights to/from North America). Because Cathay is a partner of British Airways, it was super easy to book through BA online. Wham. Bam. Thank ya’ British ma’am.

Staying in Hanoi, Vietnam

Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi
3 nights
30,000 Hilton Honors Points

It was hard to pass up using our stash of Hilton Honors points for only 10,000 points a night. Basically, our entire stay in Hanoi wouldn’t even cover half the cost of one night of our stay in the Conrad Hong Kong. We had hoped with my Hilton Gold status we would have been upgraded to the suites, but there weren’t any available and we did have a nice balcony view that others didn’t. The hotel manager did provide a nice tip though, he said when booking at a Hilton Garden Inn online, make a note of your room preference because status isn’t necessarily recognized automatically at Hilton Garden Inns (since the rooms are typically the same).

Flying to Da Nang, Vietnam

JetStar, Economy
$133.12

It was a super quick and super cheap flight into Da Nang from Hanoi. Remember, these costs are for two people. So the individual ticket price is less than $67. This is when it makes much more sense to use cash than points. Discount carriers are plentiful in Asia (and Europe) and this flight fit perfectly in our itinerary. Plus, we played the middle seat game and scored by having no one book the seat between us in the front row.

Staying in Da Nang, Vietnam

Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa
3 nights
24,000 Ultimate Rewards points transferred to World of Hyatt points
1 Free Night Award

Oh how I wished we could have stayed one more night in this glorious resort! I transferred 24,000 points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt for 2 nights of our stay and utilized a free night award at the Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa.

A majority of points earned are by using our Chase Sapphire and Chase Freedom cards. The points earned with Chase are Ultimate Rewards points and can be transferred 1:1 to many travel partners. We pay for nearly everything with these cards, utilizing their bonus categories. See my tips below on how to maximize. Then, because I have the Chase Hyatt credit card, I get 1 free night each year, which I utilized for this stay. It may not have been the best redemption because it costs “so few” points to stay here as compared to other Hyatt resorts. For instance, our regular stays at the the Hyatt Zilara Resort are 25,000 points/night. But, we don’t anticipate traveling a ton this year while I build my business, so I say, USE AWAY!

Flying to Siem Reap, Cambodia

DAD-HAN-REP
Vietnam Airlines, Economy
45,000 Delta SkyMiles
$62.40 taxes

The hubster and I have been “saving” our SkyMiles for quite a long time and honestly, they are getting impossible to redeem for a good value, as many travel hackers will tell you. The last time we redeemed SkyMiles was on our flight to Seoul, South Korea in the upper deck of their now retired 747. *Let’s pour one for the Queen of the Skies* We could have dropped close to $400 each to fly into Siem Reap, but we thought it was a good opportunity to use those SkyMiles. Plus, with my Delta Gold Medallion status, I get free lounge access on international flights, so we I did enjoy some bubbly.

Staying in Siem Reap, Cambodia

The Amazing Residence
2 nights
$76.80

Our main goal was to see and explore Angkor Wat again, so we just were looking for a nice, clean place to lay our heads. We saw The Amazing Residence had a pool and were sold. You really can’t beat the rate and it was in a central part of town. Plus, their employees were so gosh dang friendly. It certainly made our stay.

Flying to the United States

REP-BKK
Bangkok Airways, Economy
$197.20

If you do nothing in life except get the Citi Prestige Mastercard, you’ll be one happy camper when flying out of Siem Reap. With Citi Prestige, you are automatically given a Priority Pass Select membership which gives you lounge access in many airports. We really enjoyedÂ Siem Reap International Airport’s Plaza Premium Lounge—it was easily my Top 5 of lounges I’ve been in.

We flew on Bangkok Airways, which is known as the “boutique airline” of Thailand. It was perfectly nice, except the flight attendant at check-in eye-balled my luggage that I was carrying-on and asked me to put it in the dreaded carry-on bag size tester on display. I knew it would fit because my bag not only fits domestic standards, but international as well. Meaning, I lose 1 inch of space each time I fly, just for moments like this when they want to test my travel prowess. I took my slim toiletries bag out of my luggage (which I keep in the front), put it in my backpack and watched that puppy slide right into the display. Passed with flying colors.

“Take that,” an immature world traveler thought to herself.

BKK-ICN-JFK
Asiana, Business Class
160,000 Ultimate Rewards Points transferred to United
$94.32 taxes

From there, we had an 8-hour layover in Bangkok and had we not been so darn exhausted from hauling our butts around 3 countries, we would have left the airport to explore Bangkok again. But, instead we ate mango sticky rice and waited for check-in to open before we busted it to the lounge for bubbly. Are you sensing a trend?

We transferred 160,000 Ultimate Rewards points that we earned using our Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom cards to United. United is a partner of Asiana and you can book directly on United.com if you find availability. The transfer usually happens immediately, so you can book right when they hit your account. I always recommend Asiana Business Class, it may not be as fancy-schmancy as some redemptions, but the hard product and customer service are always consistent and friendly.

Bottom Line

To give you an idea of how much a trip like this would cost, I’ve placed the approximate retail costs of each flight and hotel next to what we actually paid. Since I didn’t look at the actual prices the day I booked, the retail costs are a general average based on a basic search and other travel bloggers findings. Your mileage may vary, but it gives you a pretty dang good idea.

Travel for 2 Persons	Approximate Retail Cost	Paid
Cathay Pacific Business Class	$8,500.00	$11.20
Intercontinental Hong Kong	$600.00	$0.00
Conrad Hong Kong	$950.00	$0.00
Cathay Dragon Economy	$65.18	$65.18
Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi	$200.00	$0.00
JetStar Economy	$133.12	$133.12
Hyatt Regency Da Nang Vietnam	$675.00	$0.00
Vietnam Airlines, Economy	$62.40	$62.40
The Amazing Residence, Siem Reap	$76.80	$76.80
Bangkok Airways, Economy	$197.20	$197.20
Asiana Business Class	$6,000.00	$94.32
Total	$17,459.70	$640.22

Not bad, eh?

Award Travel Tips

Pay for everything with your miles-points earning credit card. Every-thing. Then pay off your balance at the end of the month. (Duh.)
Don’t immediately scoff at how many points we redeemed for this trip as something you could never possible spend in order to earn the points. You will be shocked at how quickly you earn points, especially with bonus categories.
Chase Sapphire Preferred gives youÂ 2X points on all travel and dining. Chase Freedom gives you 5x the points for different categories each quarter. This quarter is grocery stores. Score!Â Â
Having a lot of credit cards does not decrease your credit score.Â Not paying them on time and carrying high balances does!
Sign up for hotel credit cards. Very often, they give you status and Free Reward Night Certificates for a nominal annual fee.
Have a trip or travel focus in mind. For the hubster and me, we like long-haul flights where we can lay down and sleep on our way to Asia. So we know the Chase Ultimate Rewards program is our sweet spot. But if you’re into family vacations to Disney, you may concentrate your spending on an airline credit card that allows you to redeem points to fly the fam for free.
You can see my favorite Miles and Points Programs here. I will be doing an updated post soon to show you what has or hasn’t changed for how we utilize award travel.

Please note: As many of you know, the hubster and I live 1400 miles apart temporarily. This total does not include our positioning flights because most (sane) couples live in the same state. I felt it would misrepresent the costs for a majority of people if it were included. But, in full disclosure and for your nosey information: We paid $331.90 in total for all of our positioning flights.

Traveling and seeing the world is possible. It simply depends on whether or not you make it a priority. Do you need to fly business class or stay at fancy hotels? Heck no! But when you can do it for free, we see the value in it. Our preferences and priorities have certainly changed over time and yours may be totally different. However you want to roll, just know that traveling tens of thousands of miles is away is something you can (and should) do.

What do you think? How did we do?

More Miles & Points Posts:

My Favorite Programs for Earning Miles and Points

The Basics of Earning Miles and Points

Hotels: How I Stayed in Fancy Hotels for 10 Nights for Under $400

Total Costs: Travel to Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong

Airfare: How I Flew in Business Class to Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong for Under $100

Sneak Peek: Two Weeks, One Carry-on and a Full Itinerary

March 8, 2018 By Caroline Peterson

I’m back from the other side of the world!

Real talk: My mind and body are still 12 hours ahead. *cue the espresso*

It’s incredible what 2 straight weeks with your long-distance significant other can do for your heart and sanity. It was the most amount of time we’ve spent together in nearly 2 years. Let that sink in for a bit. And we only argued once while hiking Dragon’s Back Mountain in Hong Kong. After a 3 hour hike turned into 5. After my old foot injury started acting up. After it was balls hot. After we hadn’t eaten in 5 hours. And WE SURVIVED.

We did this trip a bit differently, not having each day planned out other than, “This sounds cool. Let’s do this.” But, man, it was pretty jam-packed from start to finish—and it was great!

Did I mention we paid less than $500 for hotels and flights and we flew business class there and back? Be patient, my little grasshoppers. I’ll show you in due time how we did it.

Here’s a small sneak peak of our itinerary to get your mouths watering before I blog about each city and country.

Flights

On the way there, we flew Cathay Pacific from Chicago in business class on our 15 hour flight to Hong Kong. I had two 3-course meals, got to lay down to sleep and watched the Oscary-worthy, The Emjoji Movie. On our way home, we flew Asiana Airlines from Bangkok with a layover in Seoul, and then onto our 13 hour flight into New York. This time, I ate another two 3-course meals, laid down to sleep and watched real Oscar-worthy movies, The Darkest Hour and Dunkirk—which I highly recommend watching together in one night if you can.

Hong Kong

We stayed 4 nights, splitting our stay between the Intercontinental Hong Kong and the Conrad Hong Kong. Both were spectacular. We explored Kowloon, ate enough Dim Sum to feed an army and, like I mentioned above, did a longer than expected hike of Dragon’s Back. Our last night we did a food tour with WithLocals and weaved our way in and out of local markets and restaurants. Oh yeah, this was after the hike too. I believe I had close to 30K steps that day. Feet, on fire!

Vietnam

Hanoi

We landed in Hanoi early in the morning after a quick flight from Hong Kong. We spent 3 nights at the Hilton Garden Inn, which is only a 15 minute walk from the Old Quarter, where all the fun stuff happens. Hanoi is a game of frogger—don’t look, just cross the street and the scooters will adjust their path around you. It took me 2 days to accept that I wasn’t going to die. We did a historical tour with HanoiKids and a street food tour with Intrepid. Can we talk about my newfound love of Banh Mi and Vietnamese coffee? (Sorry Cuba, Vietnam stole my coffee-loving heart.) Don’t worry, I’ll be diving into this perfect sandwich and coffee in further blogs.

Da Nang

After an hour-ish flight from Hanoi, we landed in Central Vietnam in a coastal city called Da Nang. It was the prefect respite for us from the wonderful chaos of Hanoi. We stayed for 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency Resort Danang and honestly, we probably should have stayed another full night. It was glorious! Each day we’d take the shuttle into Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage city, to sample some local food (Cao Lau!) and get clothes made. YES! Hoi An is known for their tailoring. I bought 3 dresses and the hubster bought an entire new wardrobe. Keep your eyes peeled for an entire blog post dedicated to that experience.

Cambodia

We booked our flight to Cambodia using whatever Delta SkyMiles we had left, which took us back through Hanoi and landed us in Siem Reap about an hour and a half later. It was great use of our miles and we barely lost any time to traveling. Cambodia will forever hold a special place in my heart because it was the first country we explored in Southeast Asia 4 years ago. We specifically came back to Siem Reap for 2 nights to further explore Angkor Wat, the largest religious complex in the world. We used the same thoughtful and generous tour guide, Tep Nat, who took us to quiet, off the beaten path temples that we would have never discovered on our own. If you want to feel like Indiana Jones, be sure to look for my next posts about exploring Angkor Wat.

Those 2 weeks were just what the doctor ordered. (Ha. Pun intended. Dr. Hubster.) I’m incredibly grateful to be able to travel the world and let little nooks of my heart and mind be forever changed by the cultures and people I meet.

What are you most excited to read about on Not Your Average Gal?

My Travel Plans for 2018

January 7, 2018 By Caroline Peterson

I’m often asked, “So, where ya’ off to next?” or “Hey world, traveler. Where’s the next destination?” or “Jesus. Do you ever stay in the country?”

Haters gonna hate.Â

This year is starting off like most, with future travel plans mostly solidified or at the very least set in motion. But there’s a twist, because we don’t have anything set on the docket after May. Blasphemy! Read on to find out (sorta) why.

January – Key West, FL

Hubster was here in Fort Lauderdale for a brief time after Christmas and then me and the gals hit the road down to Key West. We stayed at the Sheraton Suites Key West, right near Smathers Beach and rang in the new year on Duval street downtown. Overall it was a great, well-needed getaway with my close friends.

I’ll be honest, I was shocked at how bad The Keys were between Key Largo and Key West. For those of you unfamiliar, The Keys are a string of tropical islands stretching 120 miles below the Florida peninsula, starting with Key Largo and ending in Key West; 43 keys are connected via bridges all the way down to Key West. The Keys are quite literally still recovering from Hurricane Irma and it broke my heart. How could I live in the same state and not know this? How did it fall off the media radar so quickly? Please keep The Keys and Puerto Rico in your mind when making any donations in 2018. I know we certainly contributed with our tourist dollars in Key West.

February – Hong Kong

As I mentioned last year in My 2017 Travel Plans, we were hoping to string together 2 weeks of vacation to head back to Southeast Asia in 2018. Mission accomplished.

We booked these flights last year, all on miles and points, all in business class, landing in Hong Kong and departing from Bangkok. Up until last month, that was all that we had planned. Ha! My original intent was to go directly to Myanmar via a cheap regional airline once we got to Asia. But the human rights atrocities that are happening to the Rohingya Muslims sealed the deal on my conscience not letting that happen.

As some of you may remember, we had originally planned to go to Myanmar back in 2015, but the entire trip was canceled. I mentioned then that it broke my heart that I wouldn’t get see the temples in Bagan, Myanmar. I guess they will still have to wait.

So we start our adventure in Hong Kong, which I’m so excited to show the hubster. I went there alone in 2015 and knew the first night I was there that he’d love it. We’re staying at both The Intercontinental in Kowloon and also the Conrad on the main island. Both were booked using points. I love travel hacking!

See how little I paid for my last trip to Hong Kong here: How I Stayed in Fancy Hotels for 10 Nights for under $400

Also, can we talk about all the dumplings and pork buns I’m going to eat?!

March – Hanoi, Vietnam; ? & Bangkok, Thailand

From Hong Kong, we fly into Hanoi, Vietnam and stay at the Hilton Garden Inn near the Old Quarter for 3 nights. Yup, you guessed it, both the flight and hotel were all booked on points again. So far, this trip has only cost us a few booking fees and taxes. Yeah, buddy!

See how I little I paid for all my flights in Business Class here:Â Airfare: How I Flew In Business Class To Australia, New Zealand And Hong Kong For Under $100

After Hanoi, we may go to Halong Bay. We may go down to Hoi An. We may take a flight to Cambodia and explore the country we love so much a little more. We know we want some beach time and are looking at beaches in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Who knows where the next stop is?! That’s part of the adventure!

We depart from Bangkok really late at night, so we may stay the night before in Bangkok to see the city that I have a love/hate relationship with. Oh and to also be able to sing, “One Night in Bangkok” the entire time.

Because I’m 13 years old.

April – Las Vegas, NV

Just like last year, I’m heading to Vegas for my nugget niece’s birthday. She’s turning the big 0-4 this year. Oh. And. THE HUBSTER BOUGHT ME ELTON JOHN TICKETS FOR CHRISTMAS! So, I’ll be doing that. Yup. I’ll be heading there to see that man with my man. Yup. Just a little excited.

May & Beyond – ?

Reasons Why I Love London — Italian Gardens in Hyde Park // I’ve take the same photo since I was 17.

As I alluded to in my end of the year post, there’s a big announcement coming. (Nope, not pregnant, dbags.) It’s still something quite life changing. In fact, it will determine if I’m traveling a whole-heck-of-a-lot more after May or sticking close Fort Lauderdale. So, I can’t totally make travel plans as of yet.

Stay tuned.

Now share with me – what are your travel plans in 2018!

Solo Travel: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

October 21, 2017 By Caroline Peterson

As a child, I was painfully shy. I can’t emphasize the word painfully enough. I stuck to my mom’s side so closely when we were out running errands that she would often accidentally step on me, or I would step on her shoes because I was tagging so closely behind. Once you got to know me, I was a bright, outgoing kid, with a cheeky sense of humor. But the outside world, with strangers and the chance of messing up and embarrassing myself? It petrified me.

Well, that grown up kid flew to Spain alone, met up with buddies, then explored Lisbon, Portugal by herself. About a year later, she hopped on a 10 hour flight from Auckland, New Zealand and flew to Hong Kong to explore the city alone, capping off a 12-day trip to Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. When I do travel with the hubster, he understands when I say I’m getting up early to snap some pics and grab a coffee alone.

There’s something soul-satisfying about traveling alone. I fully believe everyone should travel solo at least once in their lives.

Solo Travel: Feel The Fear and Do it Anyway — Lisbon, Portugal

Fun fact: You will get scared.

There’s scene in the movie The Good Dinosaur where Butch, a T-Rex, and Arlo, a Brontosaurus, have a heartwarming exchange. What? Save your judgement for later. It’s a good flick! Arlo tells Butch he must not be scared because he stands up to bigger dinosaurs. Butch sort of laughs and replies in only the way someone with more experience can, â€œIf you ain't scared, you ain't alive.”

I was so nervous stepping outside of my hotel in Lisbon, Portugal that I delayed it by a solid hour just moseying around my hotel room. I FaceTimed the hubby. I redid my hair. I double checked the bus schedule. I knew what I was doing, but I was scared.

When you travel solo in a foreign country, you’re the one with the accent. When you’re the only blonde or western looking person in the bunch, you feel like the spotlight is on you. (The hubster and I were stopped twice in South Korea to have our pictures taken with total strangers.) Everything feels magnified. More often than not, though, people are more willing to help, or chat with you, or take your picture if they know you’re a tourist. They want to show off their little corner of the world, so they will be friendly. Feeling the fear and doing it anyway is essential to learning more about one another.

Some bloggers come across like they are fearless. They aren’t. They are just as nervous and fearful as the next normal person; don’t let the pretty pictures and captions convince you otherwise.

And you know what? In those first few heart-pounding moments alone, when you step outside your hotel, or off the subway or out of the taxi, you will be overflowing with a breathtaking, finger-tingling sense of being alive.

Cause, â€œIf you ain't scared, you ain't alive.â€

You will do something embarrassing, and you’ll survive.

While in Hong Kong I took a food tour with Hello Hong Kong that would give even the snobbiest foodie wet dreams. It was magical. I finished the tour not only with a full belly, but also feeling inspired. I learned so much about the ins-and-outs of Hong Kong. I was staying at hotel in Kowloon, across the bay from Hong Kong Island where the tour started. In the morning, instead of taking the famous Star Ferry across the bay, I just took a taxi to get to the tour because I had just arrived the day before and wanted to get my bearings.

My friendly tour guide, Michael, walked with me back to the subway as he hopped on a train to get home and he pointed me to the ferry docks, right along the way for me to take the Star Ferry to my hotel. I must have misunderstood where the Star Ferry was located, as there are plenty of ferries that take you elsewhere around Hong Kong. I waited at a the wrong dock for probably a solid 45 minutes. I was completely alone, except for a few locals eating lunch that probably wondered what the hell this blonde chick was doing, standing alone, looking at her feet.

In the amount of time that I waited, the Star Ferry probably came and went 3 separate times (it’s a quick ride) before I decided to question whether or not I was in the right place. Duh, Caroline. I definitely wasn’t. I was flustered and embarrassed as I walked around the ferry terminal trying to figure out where the hell I was and which ferry to take. I could see my hotel across the bay—son of a nutcracker! I finally found where I was supposed to be going-the signage doesn’t always have English options-and bumped into a couple I heard speaking English. They were from Florida too! We chatted and I quickly forgot about my embarrassing 1 hour+ wasted. In fact, I ran into that friendly couple in the airport lounge on my way home. Serendipity.

My favorite embarrassing story though was when I did a hop-on hop-off tour in Lisbon, Portugal. It started pouring, so I moseyed my way downstairs on the double decker bus and found the only empty seat next to an elderly woman who didn’t speak a lick of English. I know this because she pointed at the headphone jack for your cheap-o headphones to listen to the tour in your chosen language, and waved it away saying she didn’t want to use it.

So I just listened to the tour in my headphone jack, but in the meantime a British couple had joined the tour and with nowhere to sit, they just stood in the aisle chatting quietly with each other. As you know if you’re a reader here, I love all things British. This couple could have read me bedtime stories and I would have died happy.

They mentioned that they’d like to hear the actual tour, but with no seats available, they didn’t have a headphone jack. So I politely told them that they could just listen with the extra spot we had available in our row. Except I said it WITH A FULL-ON ENGLISH ACCENT. I don’t know where it came from, guys. I just, spit it out like I was full-fledged Brit who had just downed a pint and bangers and mash at lunch. I worried the entire time they would ask me where I was from, so much so that I got off the bus a stop early!

You’re bound to do something embarrassing or be in an embarrassing situation while traveling, because it’s not home. It’s not your culture. It’s not your everyday life. Great news though, you’ll most likely never see these people again!

When in doubt, simply ask.

Learning how to ask if someone can speak English in the local language, is key. Lost? No signs in English? Look for a friendly face, smile and say “English?” You will find the more you travel, the better equipped you are to assess who to ask and who to avoid. More often than not, people are far more kind than you assume.

Making use of your hotel concierge or AirBnb host does wonders too! Explain you’re alone and they’ll be happy to provide you options of where to go and where to avoid.

Another awesome option I’ve used is to explore is Trip Advisor or Facebook groups. I usually look for what the best walking or food tour is in the area. I’ve met, hands down, the friendliest people on my food tours. Some have invited me out to gamble with them the next day on the island of Macau, some have met up with me at a bar later and some I’ve emailed afterwards.

While not totally my jam when traveling alone, I know a ton of people who swear by going to a bar each night as a solo traveler. Bartenders are always willing to chat, most likely speak English and can usually, and accurately, tell you where to avoid going when you leave their bar.

I popped into a pub near my hotel when I arrived in Sydney, Australia. I was waiting for my friends to arrive the next day and just explored The Rocks area of Sydney by myself. At the pub, I ordered a cider for my jet lagged self and sort of stared into space, while readjusting my bar stool awkwardly several times. The bartender most definitely took pity on me, sitting by myself, on a Friday, during happy hour as most people were getting off work and meeting up with friends. She offered a warm smile, explained what food was good to order and talked to me a bit about the local cider I was drinking. That was it. That was all that was needed to calm my nerves. So I definitely get why people often say belly up to the bar as a solo traveler.

Solitude is good for the soul.

How many times a week or, heck, even a day do you say to yourself, “I just need time to think!” The hustle of our everyday grind is wearing on our souls. I am 100% not impressed with people who proudly wear a badge of honor that they’ve worked so hard they barely have time to piss (or call their wives or see their kids). It’s not impressive – it’s actually embarrassing our culture admires it.

Solo travel offers the solitude your mind needs. One of my favorite things in the entire world is quietly walking around a new city, camera in hand, shit-eating grin on my face, snapping photographs of everyday life in another culture. It’s almost a zen-like experience.

Your inner namaste may be something different on your solo travel adventures. Here are few other things I’ve done: Sat by the beach reading a trashy book. Gone for a run early enough that the city is just waking up. Treated myself to a social-media-free dinner where I just sat…and ate. (Imagine that?) Shopped for the perfect Christmas gift along rows of sellers at local markets. Took a “junk boat” cruise (a type of ancient Chinese sailing ship) and sat quietly taking in the sites and sounds.

You should travel solo at least once in your life.

When people ask why I go on solo adventures, my retort usually is, “Why not?” But for those who need a bit more than a sarcastic response, hear me out.

The confidence gained when traveling solo is life changing. And I don’t say that flippantly. When you get back from traveling alone, and life throws you the inevitable curve ball, you know you can handle it like a champ. For fucks sake, you just got back from a trip where you were lost and asked twice by a stranger if you wanted to “Smok-ah theÂ marijuan-ah?” (I pretended I didn’t understand, Dad.)

You learn you can depend on yourself. No more asking for validation if your choice is correct. No more debating over making the wrong decision. It’s up to you and you alone, and you learn that you’re pretty darn capable of handling it all and depending on yourself.

When you travel alone, you’re keenly aware of your surroundings that you may otherwise miss with a group or travel buddy by your side. The hubster bought me a “Field Notes” notebook to take notes during my adventures. Looking back on them, I wrote the most incredible details that I probably would have missed or otherwise forgotten. As a solo traveler, you’re somewhat forced to pay attention to these minute details and human interactions. As an armchair sociologist, I love that!

If you’re scared, it’s okay. (Read above.)

If you claim you have no where to go, I shall throw an atlas in you general direction.

If you don’t have the money, utilize travel hacking as I have.

You don’t have to go to extremes and travel to Hong Kong (ah-hem), you can take a weekend trip nearby at a hotel or AirBnb.

You can take baby steps too. Next time you’re on vacation, go visit a museum alone. Go get coffee and sit in a park alone. Tell your hubby and kids mama wants to see the Target in that area and run free down the aisles!

You can do this! I promise.

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Share your stories! Have you ever traveled (near or far) on your own? What did you love or hate about it?

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Get some more solo travel inspiration from my favorite kind of Not Your Average Gals: