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Emily’s notes from this episode:
John Renken answers the following questions:
- What are the different ways to cut down the cost to travel more?
- Which websites / apps can help?
- What can help you travel for free?
- Which is the best rewards card for travel?
- When is the best time to get the card?
- How can it be maximized?
Living Life with passion
- Everything that I’ve done is something I am passionate about.
- When I got out of the military, I volunteered to help a village in Guatemala with a radio tower. It was a pretty unique story and it inspired me. It ignited something in me.
- Travel doesn’t have to be expensive.
- Taking travel to a new level and make it about a transformation. Make it about the experience instead of just hitting all the places that all the tourists go.
- Every time I travel, I try to find a way to immerse myself in their ideology, in their concepts of life and in their ways of thinking.
- Travel is really about a process of education and connecting with people.
- There are some places that I have purposely not gone to yet because I want to have those experiences with specific people (i.e. spouse or kids).
- I’ve just come to a place where I want to find a happy medium where I could really be truly passionate about what I do and help people do it while making a decent income.
- Everybody on the planet was uniquely created and given a specific set of skills and talents and passions, and I think they all could monetize it and serve the community to make the community better.
- Travel really forces you to peel back your prejudice, to pull back your own bias and your own opinions and you really connect with people on a different level freeing you to be you.
- if we could wrap all that into a package and set people free to be themselves so that they can travel the world and see it through new eyes, I think we’d have a much better world.
- When you talk to people about what their dreams are, the part of them that wants to travel was killed when they were a kid when they were told, “stop dreaming, that’s not possible”. But it is possible.
Helping F.R.E.E. International
F.R.E.E. International is an organization that aims to end modern-day slavery and sex trafficking. John helps find low-cost airfare tickets for rescued women/girls so that they can go somewhere safe to get help and start over.
- “My heart is still for helping people. I’ve found ways to apply what I do in a way that helps ministries.”
- “It’s definitely a passion of mine. I would like to see a lot more women rescued, a lot more girls rescued.”
Super Bowl Is Single Largest Human Trafficking Incident In U.S.: Attorney General
Ways to Travel Cheap (and the secret ‘sauce’)
- Do not travel during peak season
- Reverse the way you plan your vacations.
- Set up a travel accounts that will give you points/rewards
- Get the right credit card (earn rewards points or cash back)
Quote:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
Travel Apps:
- JetRadar
- Skyscanner
Travel Credit Cards Recommended by John:
- Amex Platinum
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
Article Mentioned by John Renken:
This is the Map of the new Superhighway that will Take you from USA to Europe
About John Renken:
An avid fan of Martial Arts who served in the US Military for 3 years, an MMA Fighter, a 20-year Special Forces Combatives Coach, an Entrepreneur and, a World Traveler. He also helps F.R.E.E International, an organization that saves young women from sex trafficking and slavery. When he got out from the military, he started fighting professionally and had about 70 pro fights in different countries like Japan, Mexico, Venezuela and Canada. He was back in Fort Campbell, Kentucky in 2000; some military units asked for his help to train soldiers how to fight Hand-to-Hand Combat. He loves to travel. On his last 2 years in the Army, when his travel schedule began to increase, he figured out how to cut the cost to save more. He is now teaching people how to travel the world for less and a certified Consultant for Corporations teaching them how to get an ROI (return on investment) on vacation and PTO (personal time off) benefits.
“Dare to live. Live now” – John Renken
How to reach John Renken:
Episode Credits:
- Voiceovers by Jim Sidoti.
