Last night, in hopes of cramming one last Oscar nominated movie in before tonight’s Oscars, my lovely wife Michelle rented “A Star Is Born” for us to watch. After a long day skiing (and a 4 hour drive back due to a 2-hour road closure…
JGOOT Subscriber story: “Flights so cheap we got to bring the grandparents!”
Nikki Sandschaper and her husband are both school teachers – which might seem great for vacations, but considering the only time teachers can travel is during peak seasons, that can get pricey quick. In this interview we talked about one of their…
“It’s five minutes of dreaming and fun” – Robert Horvick
Below is a recording of a conversation I had with JGOOT premium subscriber Robert Horvick after he left these kind words on our Facebook page. Robert lives in Raleigh, NC. Since subscribing to JGOOT, he and his wife have taken 3 trips at 1/3 the cost o…
As long as teachers are going on strike without pay, so will I
[Note: Already subscribed to my premium trip-alerts?] Donate at least $100 to this fund (or another Go Fund Me that benefits individual Denver Schools), send me a receipt, and I’ll send you the 7-night vacation voucher referenced below.] Denver P…
My interview with Sean of “Toward Awakening Travel”
Sean and Janelle of Toward Awakening Travel were kind enough to invite me to talk about the concept of remnant travel at their monthly meetup in Denver. Here is a recording of that interview if you’d like to check it out:
The post My interview wi…
About Croatia (Video)
JGOOT premium subscriber Andrea Warner was kind enough to share pictures, stories, and some other cool travel tips from her recent JGOOT-inspired trip to Croatia. Have further questions? Add your comments below, or participate in the conversation going…
Kids fly free on Frontier!
I love it when this awesome community of JGOOT travelers helps each other out… The Points Guy posted this news, and one of my savviest JGOOT subscribers – Brooke Merkle – shared the details with me so I could get the word out. Thanks …
Exploiting the airline industry’s “Achilles Heel”
Whether dealing with discount airlines, or one of the big three – all airlines use extremely expensive software and algorithms to extract every dollar possible out of every seat on every one of their planes. But much like Achilles’ heel, ev…
First world problems
For the past several days, my wife has been laying out clothes and texting/coordinating with her girlfriends finalizing what they’re going to wear on their annual girl’s trip. (Last year it was Miami. This year… Mexico.) Last night, she spent 2 h…
Book VIP – Scam or legitimate company?
[Disclaimer: The JGOOT Way of travel does not condone timeshare ownership or strategies that Book VIP uses to get vacation discounts. This is simply a review of an alternative method to getting great deals on vacations.] BookVIP.com is a discount vacat…
Seriously???
I’m in a few Facebook travel groups, and one of them in particular is an especially active one. The average post gets over 20 replies, but one in particular got over 100 replies in the first hour, and is up to over 350 comments. The post was R…
From one of the greats
Wayne Gretzky is among the greatest hockey players in history. When asked what he attributes to his success he quoted a simple lesson his Dad gave him: “Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it has been.” Want to spend 75% to 90% l…
Ummmmm… Hell no.
[TL;DR? Watch a video at the bottom of this post instead.] I bargained with my sophomore son and told him if he took a free ACT practice test on Friday, he could take a friend snowboarding today. I was going to go boarding today too, but it was NEGATIV…
Your “Travel More” New Year Resolution
Happy New Year! Have you got 5 minutes? Let’s get you started on your first step toward actually getting to your dream destination affordably this year, shall we? Step 1: Think of a destination that is on your bucket list Step 2: Go to a site ca…
Reach out and touch someone
. In the late 70’s – long-distance calling was extremely expensive ($.10 to $.25 per minute), rates were very confusing, and most people only called for really special occasions. So AT&T launched a campaign about how their new calling…
The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working.
“The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working.” – Ernest Newman, Born Nov. 30, 1868. One of the best copywriters I am proud to know (Colin Theriot) wrote an article using t…
An epic Vegas bachelor party… On a budget.
The post An epic Vegas bachelor party… On a budget. appeared first on Just Get Out Of Town.
This site is not for you if…
Yesterday, I got a text from one of my subscribers, Brooke Merkle, while she was on vacation. When CBS News profiled her less than a year ago, she had taken her family on 3 JGOOT-inspired trips, and was going on her fourth trip to Hawaii. She’s …
Oops! Sorry about all of the extra posts today.
Today, you will get a bunch of extra/irrelevant emails from old trips out of DEN with a bunch of dead links. Sorry in advance for filling your inbox up with them. All should be back to normal tomorrow. –Joel “Working too late and got sloppy…
My Mom & Dad’s Anniversary in Greece
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Thanksgiving musings
It’s the end of the day on Thanksgiving. Our friends & family have left & the dishes are done. Today, I watched in amazement as my teenage kids were not only engaged in something other than their phones, but were excited and enthused to b…
“I wish I could travel like you”
Every time my wife & I get together with friends, they comment on our most recent Facebook travel pictures saying “I wish I could travel like you.” The funny thing is… if you want to travel like me, all you have to do is… Tr…
The 60 second method to finding amazing travel deals
Remember that scene from Karate Kid where the culmination of all of Daniel’s “karate training” painting fences, waxing cars, and sanding floors comes together? Click on the video clip below and watch Daniel’s face as he instantl…
Nothing like bumping a pilot from the plane
Every once in a while, I get an email or Facebook message from an irate Airline employee saying they’re in the industry and THERE IS NO WAY the mistake fares I am posting are legit. (That’s them yelling. Not me.) Ummmm… How do they k…
Travelocity did to Travel Agents what Wal-Mart did to Mom & Pop Stores
Let’s talk about travel agent commissions. Travel agents get 0% to help you book a domestic flight. (But they usually help in hopes that they can book your hotel & car too.) They get between 4% and 8% to book an international flight. They get…
Traveling affordably (with no math involved)
In case you didn’t know it. I’m a numbers guy. My co-author and I wrote a book about cracking Google’s algorithm (with paid advertising (Google AdWords for Dummies), and after that, Google hired us to write two books for them to give …
Coming to you from the future
Hey. I know this is weird, but this is the future you, and I just got in a time-machine. I’m contacting you from 6 months in the future because I’m (we’re) in a bit of a bind… So our friends John & Sally are going to have to…
That feeling when you’re driving and you see a radar gun pointing at you
Have you ever been driving down the highway and your heart skips a beat when you see a police car on the side of the road because you have NO IDEA what the speed limit is (but it’s probably slower than what you’re driving)? Fortunately, I just got a new car that has a pretty […]
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Formula for a cheap vacation AND free babysitters
Need a quick getaway without the kids, but don’t have family in town to help watch them? This little trick will take 3 or 4 months of advance planning, but it is sure to: Find a dirt-cheap vacation to a place you didn’t think you could afford. Find free babysitters you can trust while relaxing […]
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My visit to Puerto Vallarta, MX
Although Puerto Vallarta wasn’t high on our list, when you can get $86 flights and a nearly free place to stay, why not? We’re glad we went. Collectively, we’ve been to Mexico 12 to 15 times, and Puerto Vallarta is officially each our favorite Mexico destination so far. (Videos of our cooking class, tequila tours, […]
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Free pair of shoes from Nordstrom’s! What would you choose???
Let’s say you got a coupon from Nordstrom’s good for any pair of shoes in their store. You’ve been needing a new pair of running shoes… Maybe you should use it for that. You’ve been eyeing those Steve Maddens. Maybe those will work. Ummmmm. NO! The coupon said ANY pair of shoes! Pay cash for […]
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Tips from an expert: Taking better vacation photos
Nearly a decade ago, I got to go on a photo-walk with renowned photographer – Trey Ratcliff. (Click here to see some of his work.) I’m not a professional photographer, but ever since applying things I learned from Trey – I’ve been asked to shoot weddings, events, and births of babies – all because of […]
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“It’s not safe to travel”
After objection #1 (“Your deals seem too good to be true“), and objection #2 (“I don’t have the funds to travel right now“), third most common objection I hear regarding travel is : “It’s not safe to travel outside the U.S.” I couldn’t disagree more. Other than a handful of politically unstable countries, the majority of […]
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My $480 chicken bus tour through Belize
A few years ago, my wife, kids and I went on a cruise, and after hours of debate and discussion, we all agreed on doing the “Jungle river tour along with a 90 minute guided tour of the countryside” when we dropped anchor in Belize. It was pricey at $120 each, but it had something […]
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New premium member feature: Customizing trip alerts
As a premium subscriber – you get 5 times as many alerts as free subscribers get (and you get them 3 days before free subscribers get them), but sometimes the trips I send you still sell out before your daily email digest gets sent. If you’d like to get alerts sooner OR customize your trip alerts […]
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Customizing your lodging choices
Did you know you can customize your lodging choices any way you like?
Watch this 90 second video for more info.
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“Had been wanting to visit Coeur D’Alene & your $39 flight made it possible.”
This premium subscriber just booked his first JGOOT inspired trip and saved about 8 times more than what he paid for his premium subscription. Much like the majority of premium subscribers, he found a trip he wasn’t necessarily looking for, but when you find prices that good – to a place that’s on your bucket […]
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50% to 90% off “Butt in seat fares”. Why they happen & how to find them.
Every airline in existence uses sophisticated computer algorithms that determine where people are traveling, when they’re traveling, and 99% of the time, they do a very good job at extracting every dollar possible out of every seat on their plane. However… Every one in 300 or 400 flights – they get it wrong, and that […]
950 out of 1000 questions asked…
For every 1000 emails I get from JGOOT subscribers, about 980 of them ask me one of the five questions below. If you ever send me an email or message asking one of the questions below, I apologize in advance for not being able to respond individually, but I have done my best to answer […]
“The JGOOT Way” of Travel: 5 foundational rules
Below are 5 foundational rules I try to follow with every trip I take, and it saves me four to five figures every year in travel expenses.
These 5 principles apply to any trip you take – whether you find it through JGOOT, or any other service. I …