Interview with Author & Travel Expert, Gina Henry

Travel Expert, Gina Henry

Q: You had a successful career in advertising in New York City but decided to give that up to pursue your passion in travel. What led to this decision?

A: I left my advertising career temporarily to "de-stress" after working 60 hours a week for six years. I needed to escape the cubicle office routine and I knew I loved to travel and wanted a life full of travel and adventure. Corporate America didn't offer me enough vacation time, only 2 to 3 weeks per year!

Q: Did your family travel while you were growing up?

A: Yes, domestically. We did a lot of family vacations in the station-wagon to Florida, Colorado, Washington D.C., North Dakota, New Orleans and more.

Q: You've seen over 80 countries and 40 states. Which are your top 5 destinations?

A: Thailand is my favorite destination due to the kindness of the people (it's the "Land of Smiles"), Thai food, landscape, Buddhist temples and Thai massage (a one-hour Thai massage costs only $5!). Next is Nepal, India, Italy and Peru. Here in the USA, my favorite places are Florida and Northern California!

Q: With an abundance of online resources available, what is the best way for people to start researching a vacation?

A: To help you decide where you want to go, visit www.spectrav.com. Specialty Travel offers loads of tour company itineraries. To help with airfare choices, go to www.itasoftware.com. You don't purchase your airfare via this website, but it helps you to know your airline choices and pricing. Then go to the airline website and book your air.

Q: Do you have a favorite travel resource online?

A: To get motivated on where I want to go next, I look at the weekly Top 20 Deals on www.travelzoo.com. Even if you can't travel in the next few months, you can at least drool over your computer keyboard!

Q: Your upcoming class at Learning Exchange on January 20th is called "Free Vacations: Travel Free Plus Make Money Doing It!" How is it possible to travel for free?

A: I offer over 40 different ways to make vacations free so individuals in my classes will have lots of choices based on their background and interests. I have personal experience with all of these ideas. My goals are for individuals to turn these ideas into a new travel lifestyle, including new careers offering more travel or part-time money making vacations. My hope is that it will help open the doors to the travel world in this challenging economy for those in mid-career transition, retirees, or even new graduates struggling to find a job.

Q: What should students expect to learn in this class?

A: They will learn many new ways to save on travel, make their vacations free, and even new career options. Learn how to make your vacations free - for the rest of your life!

Q: On January 24th you have a class called "Teaching English Oversees". Can you explain what this class is about?

A: Teaching English, either here in the USA or overseas, is the easiest way to pay for your vacation. English is the world's business and travel language and American English is the most sought-after form of English, so all of us here in the USA are very marketable. In this class, I'll show individuals how to look for a job, get some experience, get certified, and where to go for work opportunities.

Q: What is the best way to explore a culture when you travel?

A: Meeting people is the secret! The more people you meet, the more you learn about the destination and culture. This includes both meeting locals and other travelers. You can book a homestay with a local family, learn to negotiate when you shop (great way to get to know local artists), volunteer, study, or spend an extended time in a destination. I love staying in one place for a month or more – it's a great way to really get to know it!

Q: What do you love most about traveling?

A: I love to learn. I think being a student is the best way to stay young and that travel is the best university in the world. I love meeting people, discovering new places, figuring out how to get around and where to stay, and the many different ways to do things. You discover that there are often more than one or two ways to do something!