I'm a fellow travel podcaster and journalist (The Big Travel Podcast) and came across this podcast when reviewing other travel podcasts for an article I'm writing. Eric has such a lovely way of telling a story and a brilliant voice. Love it. This is exactly what I've been looking for and sounds amazing. Can't stress how great this show sounds enough. Great show + great host = Home Run Podcast. Subscribed! Fascinating! Love indigenous music and listening to Chuck’s vivid descriptions were as close to being there as possible. I am so intrigued with these off the beaten path places and this podcast offers a glimpse into realities otherwise unknown. He really captures the “spirit” and Eric, your podcast connects us to that world. Wonderful! e-travels with e. trules is a very informative and entertaining podcast about Mr. Trules travels across our planet over the past many years. But it's more than just that. It's also about his life beginning in New York and how he created a life for himself, his wife and now their adopted son in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles.
What's especially enjoyable about his accounts of his life is not just what's going on in the present but also the historical knowledge he imparts with a sense of humor.
He probably remembers Gene Shepard from many many years ago on WOR A.M. Radio in New York City and I as a young child back then would listen to him on the equivalent of podcasts back then. Younger people may recall the movie "A Christmas Story" and the famous saying about not getting a Bebe gun because he will shoot his eye out. Well that was written by and voice overhead by Gene Shepard.
Mr. Trules has a similar ability to tell a good story and to do so in such a way as to bring you right there.
I only recently discovered podcasts and this has got to be one of the best ones out there! Well worth a sub, DO IT NOW, i did! Listen to this podcast and the man who makes it. He will rekindle your desire for adventure, knowledge, and just maybe teach you how to catch a ride on the train of opportunity. I love travel and foreign cultures, and it was great to find a podcast that adds an entertaining, offbeat angle to a genre that can quickly become stale. Highly recommended. If you love travel you will certainly love this podcast! Eric is an amazing story teller and he will transport you to another world every time. I definitely recommend this podcast to all travel lovers. This podcast transports me evey episode to a entertaining adventure that lets me leave my current reality and allows me to see this crazy world as told by the euthusiastic, talented, and engaging storyteller, Eric Trules. I find his travel stories enlightening and very relaxing to sit back and listen to. Besides Trules mastery of telling his stories, the podcast is well-produced with excellent audio and sounds that help in making this such an addictive listen. Can't wait for more! This was a delightful and entertaining narrative. I tuned in thinking it was a podcast about one of Eric's wild travels only to find out that this was a piece about marriage, and a damned good one at that. Love the story telling aspect of the early episodes: the score, the performance. It's really engaging. As a podcaster, I love the behind the scenes episodes as well. Looking forward to where this show will go! Trules' voice and the sound design make E-travels with E-trules a lovely soundtrack when working. His stories will transport you to another world while you tap away at your cubicle. I hope he post more and more often! Highly recommend. Love the interplay between discovering new places in the world that are ancient and making new personal discoveries. Yes, he's crazy to be taking some of these trips, but what else is new? He's being truly Trules. His inner clown is always smiling.
Thanks a bunch.
Mark Berger and Rain Worthington A great listen. Transported me. Looking forward to more! I love it! 5+ I was lucky enough to be in Echo Park, Los Angeles this November and heard some of Eric's podcasts before they were even available on itunes. He has the perfect pitch and tone of the seasoned traveller and raconteur, I slipped comfortably away and was lost in distant lands and times. A real treat to hear Eric's voice among hoards of podcasts out there. His point-of-view, cadence, and energy makes for trascendent listening. LOVE it! Trules has such a great radio voice. Truly enjoyed the podcast, as it got me yearning to backpack again. Really high-quality production, with great music (and I dig the whistling at the end). Eric Trules is a natural born storyteller. He also happens to be an ever-searching, wonderfully curious, thoughtful and profound individual, with a unique perspective on the wide world -- a world which he's circumnavigated far more than I could even imagine. Though, after listening to his podcast, it's inspiring me to attempt to catch up someday and ramp up the timeline on my exploration of this mysterious, beautiful world.
As much as the travel adventures are wonderful to hear on their own though, the real treasure here comes in his thoughtful reflection on humanity in its many garments and idiosyncracies. He certainly could have been a cultural anthropologist if he didn't become a theatre professor...but I'm glad he went toward the stage; now we get the benefits of his runminations on humanity through the vessel of a uniquely gifted, entertaining storyteller.
I've seen him perform many times, but this podcast is a great reminder of how much character and warmth his voice carries with every phrase as a trained performer. Trules is a cultural treasure, and I can't wait to hear more installments of this powerful travelogue. The podcast is a delightful medley of travel, history, and Trules! His voice over the music and sound makes it easy to picture the fantastic stories. The storytelling is as hypnotic as the music. For those who love traveling but don't get to do so as often as you wish, this is the go-to podcast! Eric creates a sense of place like no one else. I felt like I was right there alongside him on all these amazing journeys. What an experience! Love, love, LOVE this! Inspires me to keep exploring the world with our new little family addition. Great first episode. Trules has a natural knack for storytelling, and exploration. Looking forward to the new show! The widely traveled Trules is also a gifted writer, performer and teacher — and this podcast benefits from all those talents Trulles is a unique, funny, and intelligent guide in the world of travel, life, and love. Between the music, sound design, and pleasant low rumble of Trules' voice, this is a podcast that will satisfy that craving for a story that lets you live by your mind's eye. In the introduction of the podcast, Trules begins laying down the different stories and inspirations that he has quilted together over his life. From his natural curiosity in history to his appreciation for the unforeseen, you get the sense that Trules has a narrative that bridges his personal discoveries with the shifts the world has undergone throughout his life.
I'm looking forward to seeing how these stories flesh out. I can tell that we're in for a treat. Really great and entertaining podcast. Hooks you from the first episode. I'm very impressed with the content in this first episode and can't wait to hear more of Eric's stories. I am thrilled that I came upon this podcast. Trules has a wonderful quality for engaging his listeners, and will transcend you from your living room couches to vast corners of the world. The podcast's professional quality, coupled with Trules' creativity and natural skill for storytelling, will keep you coming back for more. It's a must - can't wait for more! Based on the promo episode of this show, I've subscribed and am definitely looking forward to more! This podcast is extremely well-produced, with audio that excites and amuses. I love the concept of unique, personal and engaging travel stories from the host's real-life experiences, combined with audio scapes that bring listeners directly into the story. I have a feeling this show will be one to keep an eye on, as it holds a great deal of promise for future success. Can't wait to hear the many places Eric Trules will take us! Ooooookaeeeeeeeeey! Amazing podcast. It’s so great to hear travel stories and really unique histoires from Eric Trules life.
Welcome “Behind the Scenes” with Travel Hacker, Jen Ruiz
Listen Now
Who’s the Who?
Today I’ll be talking with Jen Ruiz, solo traveler, blogger, and lawyer who has taken 20 trips in the last 12 months… to destinations like Greece, Argentina, Iceland, Thailand, and Cambodia… all while being employed full-time. Jen is the author of “The Affordable Flight Guide”, has been featured in the Washington Post and on ABC news, and she documents her travels on her website, jenonajetplane.com.
Jen believes that too many people put off seeing the world until they retire, save up a small fortune, or find the perfect travel partner. She thinks that’s a mistake because those circumstances might never happen, and meanwhile, the world is out there waiting. So if you want to travel for less, and experience more, then speak to Jen. Or start – by listening to today’s episode.
I’m so impressed with Jen’s story of not buying in to the idea that she had to marry first, but rather that — she’s had the courage and chutzpah to strike out on her own as a solo traveler, even for short periods of time. Even on so-called “vacations”, as opposed to extended trips of cultural immersion. There are many ways to travel. And speaking with Jen clearly reminded me of that. Getting out of one’s comfort zone, routine, and physical living space — is always the first step.
As most of you returning listeners know, I usually don’t talk about the “how to get there” part of travel on this podcast. I’ve always taken for granted that the plane ticket was going to be the most expensive part of my trip. I don’t stay in hotels, I travel frugally. I stay with friends or with an organization called Servas which is free, and back in the day, my end-of-the-year tax return was usually enough for a round trip plane ticket to just about anywhere in the world. But times have changed. I’m married now with an 11 year old son my Indonesian wife and I have adopted from her family in Sumatra. There are 3 of us now. And the cost of things like flights, food, and housing – hasn’t exactly decreased over the years.
So… when Jen recently contacted me online and told me about her new book, “The Affordable Flight Guide: How to Find Cheap Airline Tickets and See the World on a Budget”…. I couldn’t resist. Currently a #1 New Release on Amazon, across 9 categories, including travel tips, budget travel, consumer guides and two-hour travel reads, the book is a treasure chest of tips, insights, and techniques to save YOU money planning a trip. Allowing you, instead, to spend your hard-earned cash or credit – in the destination itself. I mean, who doesn’t want to fly inexpensively? And with more and more young travelers these days becoming digital nomads, making their living online as they travel the world, figuring out more and more deals with “travel hacking”, I figured it was time for me… to join the modern world and save some money.
Please listen to Episode 37 by clicking the ARROW at the top of this post – right below “Listen Now”.
What We Covered
0:01 – Weekly Intro, Theme Music by Amanda Yamate
0:27 – Trules welcomes listeners to show and introduces Jen Ruiz
4:43 – Trules asks Jen about her fateful decision to become a solo traveler as she approached the “dreaded year”, 30.
6:00 – Jen talks about the flexibility her job as a lawyer giver her… to travel
7:15 – Trules asks Jen about her “budget travel methodology” and Jen defines “travel hacking”
9:03 – Jen explains how airlines have “partnerships” with certain businesses and recommends getting on their mailing lists
10:24 – Jen describes her going from novice to expert travel hacker by signing up for email “flight alerts” like “Scott’s Cheap Flights”
14:22 – Jen mentions 2 more flight alert
15:39 – Trules asks Jen about not booking round trip flights, but rather one way, “award redemption” tickets
18:45 – The mindset for travel hacking” focused, persevering & patient”.
19:40 – Trules asks about “side hustles” such as “VIP Kids”
22:44 – Jen talks about how, when, and why she created her travel website, Jen on a Jet Plane
23:38 – Jen debunks “some of the common misperceptions about flying” – such as flying business class on a budget – or just traveling for a “long weekend”
26:09 – Is Jen a “conventional travel” or does she prefer traveling “off-the-beaten path”?
29:22:44 – Jen talks about how, when, and why she created her travel website, Jen on a Jet Plane
23:38 – Jen debunks “some of the common misperceptions about flying” – such as flying business class on a budget – or just traveling for a “long weekend”
26:09 – Is Jen a “conventional travel” or does she prefer traveling “off-the-beaten path”?
30:39 – Jen takes “The Trules Travel Quiz”
44:16 – Trules wraps up the interview with links and – thanks
To catch up with all the episodes from Season 1, to listen to my last off-the-beaten path travelogue, Susan, Tim, & Me” about my cosmic encounter with Hollywood celebrity at a cremation ceremony in Bali… or to hear all the episodes thus far from Season 2, please go to the Library on my home page. There you can listen to all the musically-scored, sound-immersive travelogues, as well as to the rest the “Behind the Scenes” interviews with fellow travelers, podcasters, artists, and friends.
Coming up in 2 weeks, “The Hotel Woodward”…. another time travel piece back to The Big Apple, circa 1977, when I ran for Mayor of New York City as clown candidate, Gino Cumeezi, was frequently invited to hang out at Studio 54, and I lived in the seedy, but formerly glamorous, hotel of titular name… where more than once – I risked my life with too many naive and stupid decisions of youth.
Support the Podcast!
We’re still looking to complete Funding for Season 2, so to make an easy, monthly donation to the podcast, please just click HERE – or on the Podbean “badge” on my website. Or…. to make a one time Donation, go HERE. We’re talking SEASON 3!
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Enjoy Behind the Scenes with Travel Hacker, Jen Ruiz!
Please let me know what you think and…
Happy Trails…………
Trules
Production Credits & Episode Links
Recorded by Scott Barber at the Barbershop Recording Studio in Echo Park, Los Angeles
“e-travels with e. trules” Intro and Outro Theme Music composed by Amanda Yamate
Sound design by Alysha Bermudez
Produced by Harry Duran at FullCast
Find Jen on a Jet Plane HERE
On Instagram HERE
Scott’s Cheap Flights HERE
VIP Kids HERE