Jen on a Jet Plane: Jennifer Ruiz
Before she was known as “Jen on a jet plane” on Instagram, travel expert, award-winning journalist, and TEDx speaker Jennifer Ruiz’s day-to-day leaned more toward office hours than open skies. Ruiz had spent most of her twenties powering through school and work, leaving little room for adventure. With her thirtieth birthday approaching, she decided to close out her twenties with a bang: 12 trips in 12 months, all while touching down in time to be back at her desk Monday morning.
Soon, Ruiz set off on her self-proclaimed world tour. It was already an ambitious goal, but it was one she ended up not only meeting but exceeding. “By the end of that year, I’d been on 20 trips—in 41 cities and 11 countries,” Ruiz says.
But the turning point came when her evening pursuits—exploring travel blogs, mastering self-publishing, and attending industry conferences—proved more fulfilling than her day job as an attorney. She booked a one-way ticket out of her law career and into a new journey: teaching people how to travel.
Ruiz says her message of accessible travel unfolded organically. “So many people think that travel does not apply to them,” she says, pointing to airfare as the biggest barrier that keeps would-be globe-trotters grounded. She encourages travelers to think differently.
“Once you find a cheap flight, you can find everything else pretty affordably,” she explains. That concept formed the foundation of her first book, The Affordable Flight Guide, and remains central to her platform today.
But the journey hasn’t always been sky-high selfies and far-flung escapes. Reflecting on her early days as a full-time travel influencer, Ruiz admits the path came with turbulence. Two years after she quit her corporate job in April 2018, the world shut down due to COVID-19. This greatly impacted her income streams—from travel book royalties to blog traffic.
Ruiz was forced to adapt. She got active on TikTok (which eventually became the first of her platforms to hit a six-figure follower count) and started lending her social media marketing savvy to local businesses until the travel industry rebounded. Ruiz says she has learned to stay nimble, pivot with purpose, and diversify—knowing her skills can carry her wherever the algorithm goes.
A day in her life is anything but typical. Some weeks she’s jetting off on back-to-back press trips, conquering marathon 14-hour days in transit all while on assignment. Others, she’s home in Miami, navigating book edits and reaching out to brand partners.
But amid all the action, Ruiz makes time to pause. Fresh off a 19-stop book tour across the United States and after visiting more than 13 South American countries on behalf of Lonely Planet, she’s embracing a season of stillness. “Anything you love that you turn into work is work. So it helps that it’s fun.”
Evidently, Ruiz’s most fulfilling career milestone wasn’t making partner—it was making Monday mornings optional.
Jennifer’s Travel Journal
Number of countries visited: 51 Favorite hack for scoring cheap flights: Flight alert programs, like going.com Worst layover: Stranded for 24 hours in an Italian airport. Tensions got so high the National Guard was called in to prevent a riot. One place she’ll never go back to: I had a rough time in Argentina. I would go back and make a different memory there. Left her heart in: The South of France. Lavender and sunflower fields…chasing van Gogh and the real-life places he painted. Favorite long weekend trip: Puerto Rico. It’s a short flight from the East Coast, with pink lakes, caves, beautiful beaches, and natural pools. Favorite travel souvenirs: Magnets. They’re easy to pack, and I love seeing my fridge covered in memories from everywhere I’ve been. Window seat or aisle: Aisle for long flights, and window for red-eyes when I just want to knock out and be left alone. One travel no-no: I never post Instagram stories in real time. If I’m posting about a hotel, I’ve already checked out. Trick for making a hotel room feel like home: I use a hanger with clips to keep the curtains shut and the room pitch black. Carry-on or checked bag: I wish I could always fit into a carry-on, but more often than not I go with a checked bag.
Go-to Gear
Packable backpack: If I know I’ll be hiking or shopping, I throw a foldable backpack like this G4Free 20L Travel Hiking Daypack in my carry-on in case I need extra space later. (g4free.com)
Phone charger: This Anker 20K battery pack charges my phone at least three times, which is essential—because if your phone dies while traveling, it’s full-on panic. I once ended up yelling across a canal in Austria to strangers for help! (anker.com)
Refillable water bottle: I fill it before boarding because you get dehydrated fast, and again before leaving the airport. You never know if you’ll land at 2 a.m. and have trouble finding water. (owala.com)
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