Your previous memoir chronicled a transformative year of travel. How did writing this book differ emotionally and creatively from your earlier work?

My first book, 12 Trips in 12 Months, was about facing a big milestone birthday and jumping into a career switch. This book picks up 5 years later, grappling with a lot of the same questions of self-worth and discovery through travel, but with the added gravity of health concerns and feeling like I’d been wasting crucial time.

The book begins after a deeply personal breakup. At what point did you realize this painful chapter could become a story of healing instead of heartbreak?

I knew almost right away that I was living my next story. Besides it being so ludicrous (at one point I was dancing in a drum circle next to a guy in a banana suit with a dog balancing on his shoulders), I was going to some pretty epic places and indulging my inner child. This are universal balms that can soothe whatever ails us at the moment, and I wanted to share that experience with others looking for their next move.

Solo travel often looks glamorous on social media, but your memoir also explores vulnerability. Why was it important for you to show both the joyful and challenging sides of traveling alone?

I love solo travel, it’s fantastic! You go where you want, when you want, and see what you want. But just because something is good overall doesn’t mean it’s all good, all the time. The tendency to gloss over hardships makes people feel more isolated than seen. It makes us want to put forth a perfect image on social media, and that’s not relatable. People resonate with honest content because they want to know it’s OK to be human.

You've visited some incredible destinations throughout the book. Which place surprised you the most, and why did it leave such a lasting impression?

I loved my trip to Rapa Nui, aka Easter Island. It’s one of the most remote places I’ve ever visited and I enjoyed learning about the Moai, giant statues I’d only seen in magazines before. I felt relaxed during my time there, and my faith in people was renewed when they let me leave without paying for the hotel when the WiFi went down, trusting I’d send the money via Western Union when I got home. I appreciated the reminder that not everyone is moving a million miles a minute or on a screen for hours a day, and that life can feel better that way.

One of the fascinating moments in the book involves making a wish on an Egyptian statue. Looking back now, do you believe that moment truly shifted your mindset, or was it the beginning of something you were already ready to embrace?

As a child of the 90’s, I’m a strict rule follower when it comes to wishes. You can’t wish for more wishes. You have to focus on your one wish. You can’t wish for someone to love you. When it came to the wish I was going to make, I felt I had no choice. As much as I didn’t like the breakup, I couldn’t magically wish my way out of it. My ex had to want me of his own volition, without the intervention of a centuries-old scarab statue. And if that never came to pass, well then at least the scarab could help me minimize the damage from that day.

You've built a career inspiring others to travel. Has writing this memoir changed the advice you now give aspiring solo travelers?

I still say book the flight and figure out the rest later, maybe even more so now given the title of the book, All You Need is Flights! Sometimes the best thing you can do is give yourself space, perspective, and a break from overanalyzing. Travel helps you just be, and I don’t think we do that enough, especially women.

If you could revisit one moment from this journey with the wisdom you have today, would you change anything—or was every detour necessary?

I would have released any hope of reconciling with my ex sooner. I knew it was over instinctively, but grief is weird and sometimes you have to go through the stages in a haphazard order until you come out of the other side and go, “what was I thinking?”

What's one place you're still dreaming of visiting?

So many! I’d love to go to Vietnam and have a custom wardrobe made. I want to walk on clouds at the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia during the rainy season, the world’s largest mirror. I want to do a cruise to Alaska and to see the Fjords of Norway. I don’t think I’ll ever be tired of seeing the world! Traveling there is another story…

For readers who want to travel alone but are hesitant, what's the biggest misconception about solo travel that you'd like to dispel?

A lot of people think solo travel is dangerous but the truth is, especially as women, we have heightened awareness, precautions we take, and street smarts that we exercise every day. If you can navigate through life solo generally, you’re already well equipped to take a solo trip. When you’re nervous before a big trip, a little research and connecting with a local female on the ground through Facebook groups or dedicated travel communities can go a long way towards putting you at ease.

After closing the final chapter of All You Need Is Flights, what do you hope readers remember long after they've unpacked the book?

I hope readers remember that the book title is a play on All You Need is Love, because while you can’t control what others feel towards you, you can always book a flight and choose yourself.

Get a copy of her latest book, All You Need is Flights on Amazon, Audible or Bookshop.org.

JEN RUIZ, the author of 12 Trips in 12 Months, is a lawyer turned full-time travel writer and entrepreneur. She is a seven-time national award-winning travel journalist, three-time TEDx speaker, and has been featured by The Washington Post, New York Post, Forbes, and the Daily Mail. A travel guidebook writer for Fodor’s Travel and Lonely Planet, Jen is the solo female traveler behind Jen on a Jet Plane and has been to 50+ countries.

Twelve months, twelve trips, no excuses. What was the moment that gave you the courage to just do it?

I really had a sense that, this is it. This is my last chance to be young and carefree. This is the last chance to make memories where I can look back when I’m older and talk about all the crazy things I did in my 20’s. The minute I crossed the threshold into 29 it was a ticking clock much stronger than any biological clock because there was no way to extend this one – my 20’s were ending. Quickly. Imminently. It was now or never.

Not only do you have such a great sense of humor in the book, but you made it fun to tag along with you, sharing your destinations. Some of your trips have been on my list of travel goals for a long time. Can you share with me your top three favorite places that you traveled to and why?

I appreciate the kind words! The top 3 places that year were the South of France, Cambodia, and Florence. It’s hard to narrow down favorites but you can’t go wrong with any of these.

I loved frolicking in lavender fields while singing Beauty and the Beast songs in the South of France. It was like a real-life fairy tale.

In Cambodia, having a private guide escort me around Angkor Wat felt like a VIP experience and I learned a lot, not to mention getting a blessing from a Buddhist monk.

The legendary pieces of art in Florence made it a trip to remember! My inner nerd loves being able to say I’ve seen the Statue of David IRL.

For those out there who dream about traveling the world, but are afraid to just do it—or don’t feel like they can afford the expenses—do you have any tips or advice to make it a reachable goal?

Yes! First, sign up for my free webinar on 12tripsin12months.com to get all my best tips on doing your own travel challenge. Next, try some cheap flight hacks! Often the flight is the most prohibitive expense – there is budget food and lodging almost everywhere.

My 3 guaranteed ways to find cheap flights are:

1) Flight alert programs like Going and Thrifty Traveler

2) Budget airlines like PLAY air and Frenchbe

3) Points and miles through travel credit cards.

Another important tip to remember is that you don’t have to pay everything all at once. With the popularity of websites like Google Flights, Kayak, Booking, Expedia, and the like, you can easily plan your own trip. Spread out the expenses so it doesn’t all hit you at once. I call this my DIY travel layaway plan. You can book the flight this month, hotel next month, activities the month after that, etc.

This book is more than just a book about a woman taking 12 trips in 12 months It’s about a woman that many can relate to that will vicariously through your journey. You may not have found the man of your dreams, but you found something more important. Tell me how it feels to find true love within yourself, with new Jen? What advice would you give old Jen?

It’s an ongoing journey and I can say that I’m so grateful for every risk I’ve taken because it’s helped me build confidence in myself. Whenever I doubt myself, feel like I’m not moving fast enough, or suffer from those general nagging feelings of not-good-enough-ness (which I don’t think ever leave us), I combat it with all the proof I have to the contrary.

I look back at how many countries I’ve visited. I think about how I took a chance leaving behind law and have actually made a living as an entrepreneur. I think about the places I’ve moved to, the times I’ve put myself out there, the people whose lives I’ve impacted. Then I think, would I bet on myself? Absolutely.

That’s where true self love comes from, in keeping promises to yourself.

Your book was inspiring and empowering, and I feel so many women will relate and connect with your experience, especially with encountering Mr. Wrongs. What advice would have for women that are feeling challenged by society’s expectations and are looking to be more fulfilled and find happiness?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have it all and feeling frustration if the pieces haven’t fallen into place yet. The most important lesson I’ve learned is that you must enjoy the journey. You cannot reserve happiness for the moment in time where you have it all.

Think about that for a second.

Are you telling me the only time in your life when you’re allowed to be happy is when you’ve met all the checklist requirements? When you’re sitting in your white picket fence house with your perfect husband, 2 kids, golden doodle, size 4 body, and no wrinkles?

First, what if that never happens? Second, how sustainable is that? Third, wouldn’t you want the messy parts?

Life is full of joy to be had at every single stage. It’s meant to be enjoyed. I think we forget this. We think life is meant to be won or meant to show others up. It’s really all about you and how you can get the most joy out of life. Absolutely everything comes back to that.

You get a good job, so you can afford experiences that bring you joy. You find a partner, because sharing your life with someone who loves you brings you joy. You travel because going to new places and seeing sites you’ve only seen in pictures brings you joy. Chase that feeling, not society’s mold for “winning.”

You were bold, brave, and followed your heart. Would you have done anything along the way differently?

With hindsight being 20/20, I wish I’d taken more videos and taken better care of transferring and backing up content from my trips between phone upgrades.

I also wonder how things might have been different if I’d gone to Morocco instead of Argentina, for several reasons that I’m sure readers will know!

Ultimately, however, I hesitate to say I’d change anything because even the missteps led me to where I am, and I’m certain I’m on the right path, doing exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.

I can’t wait to see what’s to come with your future adventures and where life takes you. Where can readers find you?

Thank you so much! You can find me across social media at @jenonajetplane and on my website, jenonajetplane.com.

And as a bonus, if you’re interested in flight alert programs where you get notified of flight deals to your inbox, I have a freebie with a list of 16+ flight alert programs here.

About 12 Trips in 12 Months:

Bestselling author Jen Ruiz takes readers on a trip around the globe in 12 Trips in 12 Months, defying societal expectations of what a woman is supposed to be—and empowering others to do the same.

The year before her thirtieth birthday, Jen Ruiz decided to change everything. Despite being professionally accomplished and contributing to the world as an attorney at a nonprofit, she had yet to achieve the most important goal, according to society: becoming a wife and mother. So, after more ghostings than a graveyard, tired of dating apps and sitting in a windowless office, Jen embarked on an epic challenge to send her twenties out in style.

Twelve months, twelve trips, no excuses.

She started booking flights instead of swiping right, teaching English online to cover costs. Over the course of the year, Jen descended into a volcano in Iceland, volunteered at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, called in sick to fly in a hot air balloon, and went scuba diving at an underwater museum in Mexico.

She ended up taking twenty trips, almost double her original goal.

In a moving and inspiring story, Jen invites readers along through the year wherein she decided to stop waiting for others and start living for herself, discovered the power of solo travel magic, challenged herself physically and emotionally, made meaningful connections … and learned that she could feel fulfilled and happy on her own.

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