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One of the Travel Gals Behind ZipSetGo.com & #TNI on Twitter
Twenty Questions with Featured Travel Blogger
When you read @ZipSetRachel’s Twitter profile @ZipSetRachel, she describes herself as a “Travel professional, vegetarian, fun enthusiast, believer in retail therapy and organizer of #TNI.” I actually “met” Rachel through #TNI, an event on Twitter for travel bloggers and enthusiasts. #TNI stands for “Travelers Night In” and she is one of #TNI's organizers. If you’re on Twitter and love to travel, you must join Rachel and her team on Thursdays because you’ll meet lots of fun travel peeps. If you're not on Twitter, then you should join for this event alone.
Rachel has a job that most people would die for. She works in the performance-improvement industry where she scouts out exotic destinations, rates the best hotels, discovers new restaurants, and gets to sample lots of different fun activities to make sure her readers and clients get the adventure of their dreams, wherever that may be.
She is also a culture fanatic and loves to immerse herself in a destination’s culture to experience the richness of what it offers through its people, foods, arts, entertainment, shopping and sightseeing. She personally believes that you simply cannot appreciate a destination without understanding its culture.
@ZipSetRachel likes to jump in with both feet and experience life first-hand. She thinks that traveling the world is the biggest adventure this life has to offer and I have to say that I agree with that. She took my 20 Question Travel Bloggers challenge and I think you’ll enjoy getting to know Rachel as much as I have.
[Photo: @ZipSetRachel, ZipSetGo]
Let's Talk About You:
Tell me a bit about yourself: I started off as a professional study abroad student and graduated to the meeting and incentive industry. Now I travel the world with ZipSetGo!
Tell me about your travel website:ZipSetGo is a virtual sounding board for meeting and incentive planners and travel enthusiasts. We plan trips around the world; share the best hotels, restaurants, activities, venues; and the real deal on over 100 destinations.
How old were you when you got your first passport and where did you travel to so you could “break it in? I was a freshman in college. After competing year-round around the US with my horses, I was ready to get out of the country when I sold them and went to college. Florence, Italy was my first destination. It will always be one of my favorites. I traded one addiction for another!
[Photo: @ZipSetRachel at Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy]
What kind of traveler are you? I have done it all. Volunteered in Central America, budget traveled Europe, traveled for business, and worked luxury incentive trips. My most recent trip I guess would be counted as luxury – a ski trip with friends to fabulous Vail and Breckenridge Colorado. However, my last trip before that was a budget excursion with my entire family to Ecuador. I like to keep it interesting. I like to mold my trips around the destination.
How many countries have you been to and which ones were your favorites? I have been to 12, which doesn’t sound like nearly enough! I have never done a cruise where you visit a country for a day, or been one a whirlwind backpacking adventure. When I lived abroad, I really savored the country I was living in. Everywhere I have visited has changed my view of the world; each has had a lasting impression. Italy is where I gained confidence and independence, El Salvador was humbling, Ecuador made me have even more respect for my family… the list could go on.
Let's Talk About Airports & Packing:
Are you someone who arrives at the airport with lots of time before your departure or just in the nick of time prior to departure and why? I live in Dayton, Ohio – the airport is tiny! The downside there is almost no direct flights. The advantage is I can pull up 30 minutes before my flight and walk through security, grab water, and get on the plane.
What are your top tips for going through TSA lines quickly and with no hitches? Wear shoes that are easy to get on and off, have liquids and laptop ready to scan, and don’t wear jewelry. Follow the rules and be nice.
What is the one item you’ve discovered that changed your airline travel experience for the better? I am a pretty bare-bones traveler – no weird travel pillow for me. I like large scarves to double as pillows and blankets, which you can get from almost any market in the world. Other than that, an iPod can change your whole mood, so keep it fresh and charged!
What are five items you always have in your carry-on and won’t leave home without? If your luggage has ever been lost, you know a change of clothes is essential. I also love sunglasses, a good book, ipod, a pen and notebook, and depending on the destination, at least one cell phone!
What is your best packing tip? My advice would be to roll clothes, pack around one color so that everything matches, leave expensive jewelry at home and only check a bag if you must. Take half of what you need; they will have things to buy where you are going. Plan on spending more than you think.
[Photo: @ZipSetRachel at Sydney Opera House, Australia]
Let's Talk About Travel Brands, Travel Deals & Loyalty:
Are you loyal to travel brands or do you always book the best price and why? I am loyal to some airlines, I have had the best luck with Delta and United - both have had great customer service and gotten me where I need to be. That may seem simple, but unfortunately I can name a few that have fallen short. As far as hotels, I collect Starwood Points, but love to stay in the Four Seasons when I am with work (who doesn’t!?). I usually book through Orbitz.com because they text me flight updates and sign up for AirfareWatchdog.com alerts when I have a particular destination I want to visit, but no tight schedule. I often research flights with Kayak.com so that I can search multiple dates, airports, and websites at once – that site is genius.
What airline do you fly the most and what do you like best about it? Delta. They haven’t lost my luggage and give me free miles when they mess up without me asking. It doesn’t take much to make me happy!
What are your three best tips for maximizing travel loyalty miles, points, etc.? I am terrible at this game to be honest. Obviously try to stick with one airline, and travel a bunch, are there really other tricks?
What’s your best loyalty rewards story or the best travel deal you ever got? Family of four to Ecuador for $50 on Delta. I am starting to sound like a PSA for them!
[Photo: @ZipSetRachel at Pichinchah Volcano, Ecuador]
Let's Talk About Your Travel Experience:
What’s the biggest challenge in finding a fun and compatible travel partner? Often when traveling for work there is no challenge in finding a partner – it’s predetermined. A good rule for traveling in general is to have a good attitude. In fact, I think that can be used about anywhere in life.
When you travel to a country where you don’t speak the language, do you learn key phrases, carry a phrase book, or learn the language before you go? The respectful thing to do is learn how to be courteous in the language. A few words will at least show that you are trying, and are much more likely to get you the advice you are looking for. Pointing at maps and speaking loudly is never a good way to go!
What’s the first thing you do when you get to your vacation destination and why? Throw my suitcase in my room and start walking!
Describe your most memorable travel food experience ever. When I stayed with a family outside of San Salvador, El Salvador, they had a cinder block house, with a sort of lean-to kitchen outdoor eating area. I knew a little Spanish, but not enough to be very conversational, and was feeling very awkward, sitting with the family while the wife cooked corn tortillas and yucca. Things really got uncomfortable when she served an entire chicken – a delicacy that the family couldn’t enjoy often. I am strict vegetarian, and have been since I was young, so it was not an option, but I wanted to be respectful. While trying to explain this foreign concept in broken Spanish a wild boar burst through dinner – flipping over pots and chairs – leaving us stunned! All we could do was laugh, which fortunately is universal.
What’s your favorite souvenir to bring back from a trip and why? I absolutely adore art, and try to make it to a local art museum wherever I go. I try to buy a piece that reminds me of the destination from a local artist. Right now I live in a loft with tons of wall space, so I can enjoy them every day, and art is something you can keep for a lifetime. My favorite piece so far is an aboriginal painting from Australia. My bedroom is all gray, and its bright turquoise colors stand out and remind me of my trip.
[St. Peter's Square, Vatican, Italy. Photo by @ZipSetRachel]
Of all the places you visited, choose one that changed the way you think about life or history… All things renaissance amaze me. I love Bernini and Michelangelo sculptures, visiting St. Peter’s, Caravaggio paintings, the works. The only sites that have rivaled that are buildings and sites that my grandparents built as missionaries in Ecuador. The farm they built is now being used to teach locals life skills, and for reforestation efforts. They left things behind that truly made a difference in peoples’ lives, and are continuing to after they are gone. Definitely inspiring: FBU.com.
I want to thank @ZipSetRachel for a great interview and insight into this interesting travel blogger's background. Don't forget to join Rachel and lots of fun Twitter peeps for #TNI Thursdays. Also, follow her on Twitter @ZipSetRachel.
Marianne Schwab TV Travel Show Producer Best Travel Deals Tips
Admission fees to theme parks and local tourist attractions can really add up and max out your vacation budget, but you can save up to 55% on theme parks with Go City Cards. I've used these for several vacations and saved hundreds of dollars. Just one of my many best travel deals tips you'll find on this website. ~Marianne Schwab
Avoid Jet Lag
You're packed and ready to go on vacation, so now comes the most important issue at hand: avoiding jet lag when you arrive at your destination. A survey by Conde Naste said that 93% of travelers get jet lag but you don't have to be one of them if you use my tips. ~Marianne Schwab
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For over twenty years, TV Travel Show Producer, Marianne Schwab, has been collecting money saving travel tips as a travel producer for high profile television programs. She has flown all over the world and produced live television productions on location from Caesar's Palace on the Vegas Strip to the beautiful island of Oahu. Read more
