Freelancing – Josh Trips

2 credit cards for small business owners that will net ~$2,350 in sign-up bonuses

October 27, 2018October 27, 2018Tagged Freelancing, travel blog, travel deals, travel news, wanderlust3 Comments

Some say that Americans are living in the golden age of credit credit offers.

This is especially true for small business owners (including a freelancers), as many airlines, hotels, and credit card companies are offering steep sign-up bonuses to compete for their business.

Right now, there are some especially great offers! Check out my 2 favorites, below:

Hilton Honors Business Card (125,000 bonus points, valued at $750)

This is currently my favorite business credit card. Before signing up for this card I hadn’t stayed at a Hilton in years, but this card offered enough benefits to get me to sign up, including:

125,000 Hilton Honors points for signing up and spending $3,000 within the first 3 months (these points are valued at $750)
Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status (which gets you thinks like automatic room upgrades, free breakfast, late check-outs, and an 80% bonus on all points earned)
Priority Pass airport lounge access (up to 10 free visits per year)
Free weekend night at a Hilton property after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year

This card has an annual fee of $95/year.

Having signed up for this credit card about 4 months ago, I’ve had an incredible experience so far — receiving upgrades on each of my Hilton stays (including to a suite in Philadelphia and to a room with executive lounge access in Budapest). I’ve also been able to use my Priority Pass lounge access twice and have earned a free weekend night (and have confirmed with Hilton that I could use this at the Conrad in Bora Bora!).

Support Josh Trips by signing up via this link:

Chase Ink Business Preferred (80,000 bonus points, valued at $1,600)

This is my go-to business credit card. Chase Ultimate Reward points are incredibly flexible, as they can be converted to cash, used to book travel through the Chase portal, or can be converted on a 1:1 basis at many partners, including United, British Airways, Southwest, and JetBlue.

Because of this flexibility, The Points Guy values Chase Ultimate Reward points at $0.02 per point, making this 80,000 bonus worth an incredible $1,600.

Because you can convert these points to miles with a number of airline, you can actually make out better than $1,600 — I used my points to book a one-way, business class flight from Cape Town to San Francisco, which currently retails for around $5,000.

Aside from the sign-up bonus, there are some other great benefits that come along with card:

Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in the following categories:
- Travel, including airfare, hotels, rental cards, train tickets, Ubers, and taxis
- Shipping
- Internet, cable, and phone services
- Advertising purchases made through social media websites
Cell phone protection (up to $600)
Trip cancellation insurance (have used this before, and had Chase refund my airfare and hotel purchase when I needed to return home from Europe early for a medical reason)

This card has an annual fee of $95.

I use this card for nearly all of my travel purchases, including Ubers and local public transit, and also for all of my cell phone bills, so my phone is covered under the card’s cell phone protection plan.

Is your favorite business credit card not listed? Let me know in the comments!

This post was accurate at the time of posting, offers may be unavailable at a later time.

Digital nomads: What to do if your parent is facing a terminal illness

October 17, 2018October 17, 2018Tagged cancer, digital nomad, Freelancing, Remote WorkLeave a comment

I started this travel blog, in part, to counter the sad and depressing stories that were overwhelming my news feed. Because of that, I’ve been hesitant to write about some pretty intense stuff that I’ve been dealing with over the last year – mainly, my father being diagnosed with a terminal, aggressive form of cancer.

It’s, of course, never easy when a parent receives a diagnosis like this. And while a lot of your energy may go to helping your parent and other family members out, it’s also completely normal to be concerned about how a diagnosis like this could affect your work.

For digital nomads, there are unique concerns. For example, some digital nomads only plan on living that lifestyle temporarily before having a family and settling down, so even taking a year or two away from that could change their career trajectory and life experiences entirely.

Below is a list, based on my experience, of some tips that I hope will help fellow digital nomads who have a parent that is facing a terminal illness diagnosis:

1) Talk openly about it with your parents and family members

Because you are able to work from anywhere in the world, you may decide that it’s best to move back home to help take care of your parent. Alternatively, the freedom to work wherever you want may make you feel even more guilty about not returning home.

For those who want to continue traveling, the truth is that it’s unlikely that your parent would want you to stop living your life because of a diagnosis like this. It’s worthwhile to have an open, honest conversation with your parent about your plans, get their thoughts, and also discuss it with other family members who may be helping provide care for your parent. It’s also important to think about if you’d regret not spending the limited time with your parent.

Based on the conversations you have, and your own personal reflections, you can update your travel schedule accordingly.

2) Make the city your parent is based a travel hub

My father lived in Philadelphia, which is where I grew up and went to law school. Before my dad was diagnosed with cancer, my plan was to never visit Philly again. But with the diagnosis and my dad’s limited ability to travel, that plan went out the window.

One positive that came from flying to Philly often was being able to use it as a travel hub, particularly as it’s a big American hub and I had a significant number of miles to spend. As I’m based in San Francisco, traveling to Philly made Europe much more accessible, and there was even a direct flight to Budapest from there.

Despite all the bad stuff that was going on, I was able to go on some adventures that I otherwise would have missed thanks to using the city as a travel hub.

3) Set clear limits on when you’ll be working when you go back to visit

Some people assume that being a digital nomad is the same thing as being on a permanent vacation. But the reality is that digital nomads, particularly those with a side hustle, are often always working.

This presumption that digital nomads don’t really work can make visiting a parent more difficult. If you are freelancing, it’s important to explain to your parent that you don’t have paid time off, and that you need to ensure you’ll maintain a steady income. If you are an employee with PTO, it’s still okay to let your parent know that while you’re in town, there are days that you will be working and times that you won’t be available.

4) Book refundable tickets and hotel rooms

If the prognosis is bad, you may need the ability to change your travel plans on a whim. As a result, when looking into airfare and lodging, you may want to prioritize reservations that are fully refundable, or that can be changed for a small fee.

With the airfare, because refundable tickets can be quite expensive, the best thing to do is to book travel using miles, which can usually be redeposited into your account for a fee (ranging from $50-$200+).

For lodging, there are tons of hotels and Airbnb’s that have very reasonable cancellation policies.

5) Use points for business class flights to visit

I hate, hate, hate spending points on domestic travel. For most airlines, the redemption value on domestic flights is very low, particularly compared to international awards. So, it goes without saying that I especially hate using my hard-earned points to book domestic business class flights.

That said, traveling home to visit a dying relative is very stressful on its own, so if you have enough points, it’s definitely worth considering using them to book business class flights home, to make the journey a bit less stressful.

5 amazing places to work remotely from this fall

July 9, 2018July 9, 2018Tagged Freelancing, Remote Work, Travel, travel trips, wanderlust3 Comments

Call me old-fashioned, but I love a good shoulder season. Often, I’ll avoid international travel during the summer — and the high prices and temperatures associated with it — instead opting for amazing trips in the fall.

Since I’m working while on these trips, I’m concerned not just with the weather and cost, but also WiFi, safety, livability, and infrastructure.

If you can work remotely and are looking for some great destinations for the fall, be sure to consider these places:

Tbilisi, Georgia

Tbilisi has almost everything you’d want in a remote work destination – it’s safe, cheap, has solid infrastructure/WiFi, and it gets major bonus points for being off-the-beaten-path (though Western tourism to Georgia is starting to pick up).

In September, Tbilisi experiences an average of 4 days of rain with an average high of 80°F/27°C and an average low of 59°F/15°C.

I’ll be spending the latter part of September here and can’t wait to report on it.

Seminyak, Bali

There is never a bad time to go to Bali. Seminyak, located just north of party-central Kuta, boasts amazing beaches, a strong and growing remote work community, and is an easy drive to some of Bali’s most amazing attractions.

It’s cheap, too – if you do your research, you can rent out a private villa with your own pool that is only steps away from the beach for roughly $80/night (with even more affordable options if you’re willing to forgo a stunning villa).

In September, Seminyak experiences an average of 4 days of rain with an average temperature of 80°F/27°C.

Marrakesh, Morocco

Morocco is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and Marrakesh, nestled at the foot of the Atlas mountains, is no exception.

With amazing food, beautiful views, and incredible markets, fall is the perfect time to visit as the weather starts cooling down.

In September, Marrakesh experiences an average of 1 day of rain with an average high of 90°F/32°C and low of 66°F/19°C.

Santiago, Chile

Anyone who reads my travel blog knows that I am obsessed with Santiago. It is, in my opinion, one of the safest, most beautiful, and livable cities on the planet.

Although it’s technically spring in the southern hemisphere, it’s still the perfect time to visit, with an average high of 67°F/19°C and 2 days of rain in September.

Budapest, Hungary

Recently voted the second most beautiful city in the world, you seemingly can’t go wrong with Budapest — it’s cheap, photogenic, and has reliable WiFi with a good infrastructure. There have been some alarming political developments in Hungary over the past few months, but it’s still safe to visit and a haven for remote workers.

I’ll be spending a week here in September before heading to Tbilisi and, similarly, can’t wait to report on the trip.

In September, Budapest experiences an average of 5 days of rain with an average high of 73°F/23°C and low of 51°F/11°C.

Are you planning any fun remote work adventures this fall? Let me know in the comments!

Trip Review: El Nido, Palawan

December 20, 2016May 4, 2019Tagged Asia, Beaches, El Nido, Freelancing, Palawan, Paradise, Philippines, Remote Work, SEAsia, The Philippines, Travel, Tropical8 Comments

If you’re lucky enough, one day you’ll visit the beautiful island of Palawan in the Philippines.

A sun-drenched, tropical paradise with amazingly clear, turquoise-colored ocean water, a tropical climate, and some of the most incredible rock formations anywhere, it’s no wonder that Palawan has been named the most beautiful island in the world.

Nestled in the north lies the town of El Nido, which serves as the gateway to island-hopping in the Bacuit Archipelago.

I ended up on El Nido based on my friend’s suggestion. It began when I landed a $554.66 round-trip, direct flight on United from San Francisco to Hong Kong over Thanksgiving. I reached out to a friend in Sydney who I hadn’t seen in a few years, asking if he was interested in meeting in the “middle,” and he was. Having already heard great things about Palawan, I suggested the island as an option, and he immediately began to rave about El Nido – a place I had never heard of. I search for it on Google and could not believe how breathtaking it was, and I gave him the go-ahead to book.

Getting to El Nido is a bit of a challenge, as most airlines only fly to Palawan’s resort-filled Puerto Princessa, about a 4-hour drive south of El Nido. To fly from Hong Kong, I booked a round-trip ticket Manila using Chase Ultimate Rewards (I paid 12,872 in points and $79.60 in cash) and a purchased separate, round-trip ticket on a propeller plane from Manila direct to El Nido on Air Swift, an hour-long flight which cost around $220. In all, I spent only $854.26 (and 12,872 Chase points) in airfare for the entire trip.

The flight, including my experience at Manila’s airport, one of my least favorite in the world, is covered in a separate blog post. Suffice it to say, the journey to El Nido was not my favorite part of the trip.

Once I landed in El Nido, I found out quickly that I was in for an adventure. I probably should have known sooner, like when I asked my friend, who arrived a few days earlier, about getting a taxi from the airport and he laughed. But I decided I would rather be surprised, and after claiming my luggage asked where I could get a ride to my hotel. I was pointed to a tuk-tuk, pictured below.

Some people were smart enough to have reserved a tuk-tuk in advance, and it took around 15 minutes in the strong, Philippines sun to find driver, even though I was the first in line. I decided to share the ride with a new friend I had met while waiting, an American named Lana who was on the same flight.

The initial ride through El Nido was stunning. Admittedly, at first I was a little scared in the tuk-tuk, holding on for dear life, hoping I didn’t fly out and/or that the driver didn’t crash. But this fear was soon taken over by awe of the majestic cliffs towering over the town’s center.

We dropped Lana off at her hostel, and I was excited to check out my hotel, The Resort Bayview Hotel, located at Marimegmeg Beach, about a 10-minute, 150 peso (~$3 USD) ride from El Nido town. My fiend had already checked us in, and knowing I had only a few precious hours to spend before sunset, I ran up to our room and was floored with the view from our front balcony.

Amazing views were a constant theme in El Nido. Pretty much everywhere you go is awe-inspiring, and you absolutely feel like you’re in southeast Asia the entire time you’re there. El Nido reminded me a lot of Koh Phi Phi in Thailand, only the partying was subdued by President Duerte’s war on drugs in the country.

The first night I was there featured the best sunset we had for the 5 days I was there.

I woke up the next morning the way I would wake up for the rest of my trip – to the sound of a rooster crowing. Although I’m not particularly a morning person, there’s something amazing about going to a place where your days are dictated by nature. El Nido was certainly one of these places.

My favorite spot to hang out during the day was a place called The Beach Bar on Marimegmeg beach, a short walk downhill from the Bayview Resort. WiFi was basically non-existent in my hotel and on most of the island, but, from around 9am until noon, I was able to get a decent signal at The Beach Bar. Also, it had a prime location on the beach, very decently priced cocktails ($2-$4) and fruit drinks ($2-$3), and the food was pretty good. Oh, and the view was out of this world.

When you go to El Nido, you are basically pressured into taking a tour of the surrounding island. There are 4 tours which are offered by basically all the companies there, and the tours are simply called A, B, C, and D. I decided to only do one tour while there – C, which I had heard was the best (and my friends there confirmed this at the end of the tour). The tours usually run from around 9am until 4pm, and visit islands, lagoons, and sites nearby.

El Nido is a small island, and Lana ended up being on my tour. She had met a Finnish couple, and we all spent the tour getting to know one another, which, in addition to the incredible views and experiences that day, was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

I can’t stress enough how beautiful the destinations we visited were, including the Matinloc Shrine, located on a beautiful beach which is pictured below.

We spent the day snorkeling, swimming, sightseeing, and exploring. It was Thanksgiving Day, and while the meal (fish, pork, rice, fruit, and soda) was far from traditional, the view was worth it. (Below is the actual, unedited photo of my view during my Thanksgiving feast.)

Maybe the only downside of Tour C was that it didn’t include any kayaking. Aside from that, I felt it was the perfect amount of time, and would recommend this tour to anyone visiting the island.

Staying near Marimegmeg Beach was a good choice. El Nido town, though stunningly beautiful in its own right and with more restaurants, better WiFi, and more people, doesn’t have the kind of beaches you long for on a tropical vacation. That said, I made sure to visit El Nido town a few times, including for a $6, hour-long body massage and its panoramic views.

While an idyllic island, El Nido is not without its faults. As a remote worker, it was virtually impossible to get any work done because of the poor WiFi and cell service. If this trip wasn’t over Thanksgiving, I don’t know what I would have done. Also, the town’s infrastructure can barely handle the tourist population, even in low season, and power was shut down in the town and at our resort every day between 10am and 3pm.

I felt as though 5 days was the perfect amount of time, although my friend stayed for 9 days and did not want to leave. The timing of the trip, end of November, seemed perfect as well, as there were not a ton of people and I was fortunate enough to get pretty amazing weather (aside from a typhoon that passed only 70 miles to the north).

Although currently off the beaten path, there is construction going on all over El Nido, so this island paradise may not remain unspoiled forever. If El Nido wasn’t on your list before, it’s absolutely worth checking out.