Hi. I’m Jenny. Thanks for tuning into my episode of Flea Man on the National Geographic channel. I’m happy to know that you enjoyed my story and came to visit my website. I’m guessing my insane travel plans peaked your interested in my story because you too, love to travel. At the end of this post, I will give you a way to get 4 free flights per year, guaranteed. Then you can get on to some worldly adventures yourself! If you think our paths might cross or want to give me your thoughts or questions about the show or travel, be sure to drop me an e-mail at jenny [at] whereisjenny [dot] com (Don’t forget to remove the brackets, I add them to keep the bots from spamming my e-mail.) I love meeting up with my readers around the world. You can find out my current location by liking my FaceBook Fan Page and/or following me on Twitter @whereisjenny. You can also subscribe via e-mail to get posts and exclusive content delivered right to your inbox.
Filming Flea Man
I broke up with my boyfriend, gave up my dogs, sold everything I owned, and left my apartment in December of 2010. The house in the episode was my parents where I was helping them declutter as well as getting rid of the rest of my childhood items stored there, which is what you saw on Flea Man. I’ve been on the road for 205 days traveling through the United States! Life on the road has been an epic adventure!! I’ve crossed a few more off my bucket list and met some amazing people.
As you already know the flea market was a bust. Our 6 am call time was extended to 10am, because of all the ice and snow on the roads. We didn’t even make it in time for that either because it took the entire crew over 4 hours to get to Canton (normally a 1.5 hour drive.) The van that had my items for sale flew off the road TWICE, had to get towed out, and didn’t arrive until after 1 PM. After set-up we only had a few hours to sell and shoot before we had to pack up and be out of the building before 6 PM.
In Canton at the Flea Market
In fact, I don’t think I would have made any money if it weren’t for the pull I got from having a camera crew following me around. I baited a few interested customers by telling them if they bought something from my table they could get on National Geographic. I had about a dozen people total stop by to look at my booth. Seriously. It was that slow. I’m not sure that tactic worked though because many of them really wanted to avoid the camera. Several mentioned fear of Social Security getting word that they were there. Seriously though… who wants to drive on icy roads to go to the flea market anyways? And BTW the host Jimmy Kaplow doesn’t count!
I really wish my episode would of had a more positive ending, but I can’t control the weather. All in all it was a great experience. Not only was the crew awesome, but I realized just how much I love being in front of the camera. :] If you want to hear about how I got cast, go here.
Mapping out my route
During my 205 days traveling all through the United States on my skateboarding road trip I hit Austin, El Paso, Albuquerque, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver (Canada), Salt Lake City, Denver, and a bunch of cities in between. So far I’ve managed to rack up 13,687 miles so far, was tear gassed at the Vancouver Riots (I was good, my hostel was right in front of the riot zone), and crossed 10 items off my bucket list.
What’s Next?
In August I’ll be heading over to Europe to partake in the Ultimate Train Challenge with 5 other bloggers racing for miles from Lisbon, Portugal to Saigon, Vietnam over 30-days. This is an insane goal to accomplish given that it’s likely well over 12,000 miles, 15 countries, and I have to deal with mishaps, train schedules, and border crossings. Not only that I intend to leave my route entirely up to my readers with one exception: Dijon, France. My sister lives there and I’d love to visit France for the first-time and see my nephews in their home country for a change.
Afterwards, I’ll be traveling in South East Asia for a while and then head over to Djibouti in Africa to visit my friend. That’s FOUR continents this year (leaving Antarctica as the only continent I haven’t hit)! For my 30th birthday on October 13th I have something super epic planned, but want to reveal that when more details have been finalized. Trust me. It’s epic.
Rockin' the drums
Next month I’ll be launching another blog, Never North, that will help you find your passion, learn how to turn it into a business, brand it, and live the epic life you’ve always dreamed of. Fun Fact: I’ve never had a real job. I believe everyone has a skill they can market online to earn money and be their own boss. Being your own boss means you get to design your life exactly the way you want it to be. No shitty job or lame bosses around telling you what to do anymore. You’re in control.
Since you’re new here you should check out my About Me page to learn more about my story. Where is Jenny? is a travel blog focused on travel tips, inspiration, destinations, and my debauchery around the world.
You may be interested in these posts I’ve written in the past:
How to Sell Everything you Own and Travel the World
28 Tips for Traveling with a Laptop and SLR Camera
How to Save $1039.70 and Still Have Starbucks
Why Am I Considered Selfish To Travel the World?
World's Greatest Guarentee
How to Get 4 FREE Flights Per Year
Now, like I promised, if you’re interested in travel you might want to check out my friend Chris Guillebeau‘s Travel Hacking Cartel that guarantees you’ll get 4 FREE plane tickets per year by joining.
Who doesn’t want free flights to go on the vacations they dream of?
Chris is on a mission to visit every country in the world within 5-years. He’s already hit 155 of the 192 countries required to meet his goal. He pays for the majority of his flights using frequent flyer miles, is an expert, and can totally help you earn your way to free travel. He only requires that you spend at least 30 minutes per month working deals.
This is a service I have been using happily for 5-months since it launched earlier this year. You can read my review on the Travel Hacking Cartel here or visit the Travel Hacking Cartel site to get your 14-day trial for just $1
If you like what you see consider subscribing via e-mail in the box below! Don’t forget to visit my Twitter @whereisjenny and Facebook Fan Pages.
What was your favorite moment in my episode? Respond in the comments below.
