Welcome to our March interview featuring Jody Stein from Passionate Path Blog. Her exciting blog documents her passions such as traveling, volunteering around the world, running marathons and more!
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Dates in the States: Who is Passionate Path Blog? Tell us about your blog and your mission.
Jody: Passionate Path Blog is really just about those things in life that inspire joy, whether it be travel or sports or the contrast of being human in today’s world. The mission is simple: exploration – taking advantage of what my surroundings have to offer, and hopefully in doing so, also inspiring others to do the same.
Dates in the States: We see that many of your blog posts revolve around marathons. Tell us some of the latest marathons you’ve competed in and where you’ve traveled to do so.
Jody: I love traveling for races. Actually, I’m headed to a half-marathon in Seaside, Florida today! This will be my fifth year doing this year, and I love it. It is a destination race for many of the runners, so the entire weekend has this great vibe of friend groups doing something great together. The last full run I did was in Philadelphia, which was fantastic. The crowd support was great, and it was a historic and mostly flat course, not to mention Philly is a great city for food and sights! Philadelphia Marathon Post
The farthest I’ve traveled for a half marathon was Reykjavik, Iceland in 2016. I went with a group of friends, and we rented a flat downtown so we could be close to the action. The race coincides with a big national celebration, so it may have been the best post-race party I’ve experienced. Certainly a worthy destination with a great race!
Dates in the States: Out of all the marathons you’ve done, which one has been your favorite?
Jody: This is a tough question, because they have all been special in their own way, but I would say the Reykjavik Half has been my favorite simply because the course was great and the post-race party was off the charts.
Dates in the States: How do you decide which marathons to compete in?
Jody: I typically collaborate with friends on choosing marathons. My first full was New York, and I lived there at the time and could get guaranteed entry through my running club. That race is hard to gain entry into, so that was a no brainer. The second full was suggested by my aunt. The half marathons I’ve chosen have been a combination of friend suggestions and convenient places, but I have my eye on a race in France next year!
Dates in the States: How far have you traveled to compete in these marathons?
Jody: The farthest was Reykjavik, but I’ve traveled to New York, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Seaside, Florida as well.
Dates in the States: What was your latest trip/vacation (not revolving around marathons)?
Jody: Well, I went out to California to help a friend move, so technically that would be my last travel without a marathon, but I went on vacation in Seaside, Florida for New Year’s, and then last year I was in India, Scotland, Alaska and Ireland on non-running travel.
Dates in the States: How do you save money in order to travel?
Jody: Great question…I get asked this a lot! It depends on where I’m going. Fortunately, I was able to study abroad in high school and college, so I have a good network of friends in several countries, which means free housing if I go visit a friend. Thanks to a few jobs involving international travel and strategic credit card choices, I have a decent number of frequent flyer points and can often get free or highly discounted air travel. For some trips, though, I have to save up some cash and make wise decisions. It’s all about priorities, and travel is a big one for me!
Dates in the States: Tell us about your worst travel experience!
Jody: I have been a pretty lucky traveler in that I’ve never encountered a situation I can’t solve…no theft or mugging or anything like that, but I have had my share of flight issues. The most challenging was on a trip to India and Sri Lanka…I was flying to India for work for 3 weeks and then taking 10 days in Sri Lanka to visit friends and explore. I was scheduled for DCA to JFK to DXB to DEL. I arrived at DCA, had a meal and waited for the first flight to board. It got pushed back by about 30 minutes. Then it happened again…and again. At this point, I knew I might not make the JFK to DXB flight and found an airline employee. He shared that there was an issue with the plane, and I would no doubt miss the flight. I asked him about my options, and he said he could get me on a flight from IAD to LHR to DEL if I decided on the spot, pulled my luggage and sprinted to a cab. So I did. I ran into IAD as my flight to London was boarding, had a lengthy connection in London and made it to Delhi about four hours later than intended. No problem, right? Well, unfortunately the nice American Airlines agent didn’t book my flight correctly, and they had me listed as a no show on my original flight. That then automatically cancelled the back end of my trip. He assured me I was fine, so I didn’t think anything of it until a month later when I didn’t get an email to check in for my flight from Sri Lanka back to Washington, DC. As soon as I realized what had happened, I called the corporate travel agent, and she had my flight reservation rebooked from CMB to DXB to JFK to DCA. Unfortunately, a few hours later Hurricane Sandy rolled into New York as I was supposed to leave for the airport. I knew my flight to JFK would be cancelled, but I assumed they would reroute me, and I would figure it out at the airport. Flights from Colombo leave in the middle of the night, and the airport agents aren’t authorized to make changes to existing reservations. Oops. When I got to the airport in Colombo, they wouldn’t let me on the flight to Dubai because I didn’t have a valid flight leaving, since mine had been cancelled…after many hours on the phone with my boss and the corporate travel agent, I sulked back to my friend’s house and awaited a flight the next day. I ended up on a flight through Doha directly through to Washington, DC, but to say it was a struggle is an understatement. It made a great story though!
Dates in the States: Tell us about one place you dream of traveling to one day.
Jody: If the political situation improves in my lifetime, I would love to do the Middle East, specifically Iran. In the meantime, however, I have a long list of destinations! I really want to focus in on naturally beautiful places in the coming years…Iguazu Falls, the Bolivian salt flats, Glacier National Park, etc. I would love to do some adventure travel (cycling, kayaking, hiking).
Dates in the States: We love what you’re doing and sharing with the world on your blog, tell us how we can support you!
Jody: Thanks! Honestly I think it would be fun to have a travel blogger meetup somewhere or sometime…share some best practices, challenges and tips on overcoming them.
Dates in the States: Jody! That is a fantastic idea. If anyone reading this is interested in a travel blogger meet-up somewhere in the United States, comment below and a place of your choice! Thank you for reading.