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The Best Newsletter Yet

The Best Newsletter Yet

Vol. 29

Rachel Hauer
August 17, 2024

Happy Saturday Besties,

Since we’re on vacay (Nick in Italy 🇮🇹 & Jack in France 🇫🇷), we whipped up a SPECIAL edition of the newsletter that is your guide to hacking travel, trip money, and this lifetime (for real)…at least that’s what our new millennial travel guru, Jo Franco says.

🧐 As promised, scroll to the end, if ya want a link to the best neck pillow for planes.

👋 FYI — This Monday, the 19th, we’re dropping a fan-fave interview for ya. Then we’re back with new a daily episode on Monday, August 26th. In the next newsletter, we’ll circle back with some #TBOYtakesEurope pics and maybe sprinkle on our Google Maps guides (IYKYK) to our fave places from our trips. Until then…

👀 And for more, watch the ep. on YouTube or listen on Spotify.

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**BEST TRAVEL TAKEAWAYS**

MILLENNIALS: Travel agents can actually be free. Here’s a common Travel Agent biz model: They’re often compensated by hotels, which makes it zero cost to you (what they do charge you for is more bespoke add-ons, like tour guides and restaurant recs). A best practice: Get a referral from a buddy - Reputation is a powerful incentive.
SOLO TRAVELERS: The best way to make a friend at a bar? Bring a journal. It’s an instant convo starter. (Jo’s been journaling for 20 years).
FREQUENT TRAVELERS to one specific location? Download a VPN (Virtual Private Network) — it’ll let you set your location to anywhere so you can snag flight savings (because buying flights outside the US can be cheaper). Example: Delta will think you are booking from Brussels when you’re actually in NYC. Jo found a price to be $30 cheaper which pays off for her regular back-and-forth travel. (Jo’s VPN reco: NordVPN)
PICKING A DESTINATION: Ask yourself: What lights you up in your day-to-day life? If you love poppin’ around cafes, go to Vienna, Austria for its coffeehouse culture. If you’re Nick, go to the Olive Oil Capital of the World so you can put that on everything (literally am just outside Rome right now).
NON-PLANNERS: Book a retreat. All the planning is done for you. (Jo hosts 4 retreats to Europe / year). Or, outsource the planning to a travel agent (read above) or a bestie that likes to plan (like Jack - he’s got your back on public transportation map).
WANT SOMETHING UNIQUE: Consider Phenomena Traveling. It’s when you go to a place at a specific time when an event or phenomenon takes place (see Jo’s picks below).
FEMALES: Jo shared an AMAZING codename system for women who may feel unsafe on dates. If you order an “angel shot,” it informs the staff in a discreet way that you want assistance exiting. The details about the system are here. 🚨 WORTH A READ.

BEST TRAVEL SPOTS

And Jo’s current choice of location :)

DESTINATION DUPES (SECONDARY CITIES): All of these cities are less touristy than their capital counterparts (cheaper), but have so much goodness to offer (same great vibes).

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki, Greece… instead of Santorini, Greece
🇱🇦 Luang Prabang, Laos… instead of Kyoto, Japan
🇧🇪 Antwerp, Belgium (Jo lives there right now)… instead of Paris, France
🇴🇲 Oman (fly to Dubai and take a taxi 2 hours north for stunning sea views)… instead Greece
🇯🇵 Osaka, Japan… instead of Tokyo, Japan
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires, Argentina ($4 filet mignon & 4am nights … instead of Barcelona ($40 filet mignon & 3am nights)
🇲🇽 Mexico City (Jack paid $7 for an Uber aka super inexpensive, and best food he’s ever had)… instead of lovely Los Angeles.
🇮🇹 Apulia, Italy (where Nick’s fam’s from)… instead of Tuscany
🇺🇸 Vermont… instead of Austria (and it’s where Jack is)

PHENOMENA TRIPS: Natural experiences that only happen at that time of year.

🍁 Aspen Trees leaves changing in Colorado (Sept - Oct),
✨ The Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle (Mar-Apr / Sept-Oct)
🪼 Bioluminescence, can be seen all over the world, from New Zealand to the San Diego area).
💃 Galungan Day Festival in Bali (Feb / March)
🏮 Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Caing Mai, Thailand (November)

BONUS HACKS (NOT on the Episode)

Nick has a travel go-bag of “Clones”: He buys 2 of each bathroom item (toothpaste, deodorant, face wash, etc) and keeps the duplicates in a dopp kit that’s always packed to go - It costs more upfront, but saves money long-term because you never forget an item for the trip (plus, saves packing time/friction).
The Faux-tel: Go to the hotel (or Airbnb) next-to the super, fancy accommodation-heavy one. Get the same vibe and prime location of the renowned hotel at half the price - Just because you’re not staying at the hotel, doesn’t mean you can’t use their restaurant/bar/pool (many hotels offer “day passes” now).
For Timezone Math: World Time Buddy is her jam to see who's up, who's asleep, and who I won't be harassed by with work requests. Or to see how much time you’re gaining/losing when you’re jumping timezones.
When to Leave for the Airport Math: This also depends on how long it takes for you to get to the airport, but getting there 2 hours early will give you more time to eat free food at the lounge (don’t sleep on lounges). If you have a morning flight, add an hour buffer for your wake-up and scramble to catch that 3am bus #IYKYK. Our thought? The financial/time/stress cost of missing a flight is just never ever worth the extra 15 minutes of sleep.
⏰ For International Flights = Your departure time - 4 hours
⏰ For Domestic Flights = Your departure time - 3 hours