Listen to the episode
Driving Profile: Jen Ruiz
(sneak peek)
JEN: [00:00:00] I don’t even know how I got there, cause
it had gates. So I don’t know why the gates were open and I just need to turn
around and I don’t understand what you’re saying, sir. I’m not going to wait
here. I’m not going to be locked in. I’m not going to wait for the cops. I
don’t want any of this.
I just abort, abort.
(intro music)
BHAVNEET: Happy Cinco de
Mayo and welcome back to Drive With Us Podcast. A podcast where we explore
driving cultures around the world by bringing on a new guest each episode to
talk about the crazy things they’ve experienced on the road, who they are as
drivers and how they became the driver they are today. I’m Bhavneet.
TARANJIT: And I’m Taranjit.
And also Happy Mother’s Day coming this Sunday to all the wonderful moms out
there. We truly could not get far in life without our mothers. And if you are
still looking for a nice gift to get your mom, why not get her a DWUP mug,
air freshener, or any of our other Merch. Link for that is in the
show notes below. And be sure to share your Mother’s Day adventures with us by
tagging us on Instagram @DriveWithUsPodcast.
[00:01:00] But before
we get into who todays guest is which you could probably already tell by the
title, we have a little quick car keeping. And feel free to skip past this if you’re like, just give me the driving stories. We won’t mind. But if you are still sticking around for this small car keeping, hello and we appreciate it.
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BHAVNEET: And by becoming a Patron, you get extra content.
TARANJIT: Let’s get into
today driver. Today’s driver is Jen Ruiz, a lawyer turn travel blogger and
author. In 2017, she set out to take 12 trips in 12 months while employed
full-time before her 30th birthday. She ended up taking 20 trips, writing a
book and finding a new career path. She is number one Amazon best-seller and
readers favorite Award winner. Jen is also a three-time Tedx speaker and
award-winning travel journalist. She is a founder of People of Puerto Rico, a
non-profit helping locals on the island established online income streams and
has been featured by The Washington Post, Huffington Post and ABC News. Jen
shares with us about the time she went to great lengths to hide the damage she
had done to a rental car in New Zealand, backing up into a ditch in Upstate New
York and accidentally driving into politician’s private driveway in Lisbon.
Let’s meet today’s driver Jen Ruiz.
(transition music)
BHAVNEET: [00:02:24] Welcome Jen. Thanks so much for joining us today.
We’re so excited to have you on.
JEN: Thank you for having me. I’m so excited to be
here.
TARANJIT: I know with your background, you have been to
so many different places one of your, your goals was to do 12. Places in 12
years. So I’m super excited to hear about your experience of the different
drivers in those areas. So what would you say is one of the most craziest
driving experiences you have had?
JEN: Yes. It was in 12 months. So it was my year of
adventure before my 30th birthday, where I wanted to see as much as possible
while I was still in my twenties. And I had a lot of different driving experiences.
I rented a car and drove throughout the South of France.
I went in South America, Peru,
around different places. So I had a lot of different driving experiences. I
would say definitely South of France stands out because it was a bucket list.
Item for me. And I wanted to go during the summer specifically so that I would
be able to drive through the [00:03:24] lavender fields and the sunflower
fields and just get all of the wonderful summer smells and feel like I was in
province.
TARANJIT: Did you ever end up driving in any of these
different places? And what was your experience like if you did?
JEN: Yes. I drove in, a lot of the places. Sometimes
I would take public transportation. It really depended on where it was that I
was going, but yes, with the South of France, I did a seven day road trip. I
flew into Paris and then I took the train down to Avignon from there. I picked
up a car and I was able to go around the entire area to see all kinds of
different things.
kind of real life places where
van Gogh painted. And so you could see the inspiration for these famous.
Paintings. And everybody knows, different, gorgeous and natural rivers and, and
mountains that were really lovely to see, the different coastal cities there in
the South of France. And so I drove all throughout that, on my own.
TARANJIT: Wow, that sounds like an amazing trip.
JEN: Thank you. Yes, absolutely. It was one that I
had been [00:04:24] wanting to do for a long time, but I’ve done road trips all
throughout Europe. I’ve also done a road trip throughout Spain and Portugal. I
just think anywhere that is easily accessible, where countries easily border
each other, you have a good chance of, seeing a lot more on your own in a car
that when you’re driving than you would with a tour group where you’re really
only set to their specific destinations and stops.
BHAVNEET: Was it hard for you to adjust to driving
in these different countries? Of course their driving styles are like so
different? I’m sure they all had like different laws slightly, but was it hard
to adjust to driving in different countries that you went to?
JEN: There’s definitely the things you want to take
into account. So before you go and rent a car, you want to make sure that your
license will be valid for renting the car and wherever it is that you’re going.
sometimes I would have to go to the AAA here in the U. S. And get an
international driver’s license.
Sometimes it wouldn’t be
necessary. I think maybe my first time. Driving on the other side of the road
[00:05:24] was probably in New Zealand. And that was definitely a challenging
experience. Just getting the spatial measurements, correct. And understanding
how far your car was from the curb or other cars. I think that’s a big cause,
for many accidents in these areas.
And so that’s actually why a
lot of credit card insurance. That normally applies for car rentals. Doesn’t
actually apply in places where people drive on the quote, unquote, other side
of the road, Like Australia or London or things like that. because so many
people just aren’t used to it. So insurance actually won’t cover that.
And I found that out the hard
way when I was in New Zealand.
TARANJIT: Yeah, I know you’ve mentioned that you
scratched the rental car.
JEN: Yeah, I had an issue there. Just with just, it
was very dangerous to drive there at night. It was pitch black. And I think I
always get intimidated when I’m on a mountain and I feel like there’s maybe a
couple of feet of Road and people are driving behind you just very quickly
wanting you to swerve on a pitch-black mountain.
And I’m being just for me,
that’s a 10 mile, [00:06:24] an hour kind of thing. And so with no lights, no
kind of barriers, nothing at all. I didn’t even realize because I was gripping
the wheel so tightly until I had. Parked somewhere, that I had, scratched the
car. And at that point to do that was my last day there.
I saw it in the morning as I
was leaving and I was heading back to the airport. So I had to change all plans
and do a series of emergency stops. At a hardware store first to see if they
had any of the painting, like ink pens, that you can kind of try to fill in the
gaps with. They did not. And they looked at me like I was crazy.
So then I went to a car repair
shop and then I explained to them my issues and they referred me to another
shop down the road that I went into, at that point, desperate. And somebody
took pity on me and took out their buffing tool and was able to get most of the
scratch out. And then I had issues.
Still with the actual tire
cover itself. That was scratched. And still, so even though the car had been
buffed away and they had repainted some of it with their professional paint
tools gratuitously At this point, I think the universe was just
[00:07:24] trying to help me out, but I gave them whatever.
Remaining New Zealand cash I
have, but it may be amounted to 20 U. S. Dollars if that, so really negligible,
not even really a tip for taking me and coming in and, and really helping me at
the last minute. but then I still had the tire that I had to fix. And so I
stopped at another store to try to get a way to fix the tire.
I was looking for another
paint thing to cover the silver on the tire. So it didn’t look scratch. Then
somebody suggested that I take a giant file. And actually scuff it down so that
it would be an even surface and it wouldn’t be, rigid edges because it had been
scratched against the rock on the side of that mountain top.
So I sat there at about 3:00
PM with a giant, commercial industrial file. and I started filing away at the
tire cover to try to make it smooth and then paint it over again with the
silver thing. And finally, I met, managed to mend the car together, return it,
and all was well.
TARANJIT: Wow. That was like quite the experience and
that it happened towards the end of your trip. Is that something that you
mentioned to the rental company [00:08:24] or you, you, because you already got
everything fixed, you just kind of let it go.
JEN: Absolutely did not mention this. I thought it
was the whole point of going through all this trouble was to go because they
had, I thought that it was covered by my insurance company and it wasn’t until
I called them to see, what the coverage would be and what the process would be.
If anything happened when I returned the car and then they told me that New
Zealand wasn’t covered.
So I didn’t realize that when
I had. Waived the insurance. So I didn’t have any insurance and it would have
been like a $4,000 flat fee, which was a big motivator for me and was what I
pleaded with people. Every time I went into one of these random body shops, I
was like, they’re going to charge me $4,000 for this.
Oh my goodness. That’s like
the price of a brand new car. And I don’t even get to keep the car help me. and
they did. So it was, it worked out,
TARANJIT: Oh, I can imagine. Well, at least it worked out
in the end. How was driving? Or like, how was the switch between driving from
one side of the road to the other side of the road for you?
JEN: It was very difficult. It’s not instinctive. I
think when you’re first turning you [00:09:24] aim to go the way that you
instinctively think to go. So you have to be very aware of it. And like I said,
the spacing, so you may know, how to parallel park depending on where you are
and you don’t how wide a car is either to the left or to the right of view
based on.
On what you’re used to, but I
think once you switch that, it’s more difficult to have an idea for spacing and
how big this car is, especially when you’re in a rental car and it’s not
necessarily your car to begin with. So definitely a lot of things to get used
to. And I think for a lot of people, it can be intimidating, which is why I
don’t care.
If anybody’s following me very
closely. If anybody’s honking, like you can find a way to go around me or you
can wait until you can find a way to go around me, but I’m not going to go any
faster. There, you know, and I’m not going to risk myself and, and anything
just because somebody is in a hurry.
BHAVNEET: Did you ever go onto the wrong side of
the road? Because we’ve heard a lot of people, when they’ll first drive on the
opposite side of the road, they end up turning, into the way that they’re used
to. So they ended up going into oncoming [00:10:24] traffic. Have you ever had
that situation?
JEN: I’ve had that happen just with regular roads,
It doesn’t even have to be driving on the other side of the road. Some European
roads are only one way and you don’t realize until you’re halfway down the
road, that this was only a one-way street and you’re going the wrong way. I’ve
had that happen.
Multiple times. there’s some
streets that are very narrow, they only fit one car or they’re only, in the U.
S. We have such wide streets. And I think we’re used to having a lot of space,
a lot of ability to turn around. so it can be very difficult when things are
not properly or when they’re not marked in a way that you are able to recognize
them, they could be properly done absolutely for that country, but it’s just
not something that you’re familiar with.
and so you won’t necessarily.
See it recognize it in the same way, or be instinctively aware that you’re
going down, one way street or things like that. with regards to the other side
of the road, I think I was always very cautious when turning to the point of
over awareness and just being Extra careful I’m following everybody in the
right order. So I don’t think I had that issue when turning, but I have had
that issue and, just one way streets in general, really small roads, [00:11:24]
any kind of these European cities, South American cities, whenever it’s dark
and the streets are not well lit.
And my goodness, I can end up
in all kinds of places. I ended up in a ditch once in upstate New York.
BHAVNEET: Oh, my God.
JEN: Yeah. That one was just, that was in the
daytime too, but it was in, I was trying to get to a lavender field there. I do
chase lavender from time to time, but I was, trying to get to lavender field
there for an article I was writing and I was. On a farm. And I ended up,
thinking this is heading to the lavendar field.
So it’s okay to go down this
random dirt road. And then on my way back out of the road, since I couldn’t do
a 360 turn to get out of the road, it was so narrow. I had to just try to
reverse out. my car just went over the side and into the ditch of the road. And
at that point I had the little farmer.
from the neighboring farm that
I guess had been eating dinner when they saw me go up their private road and
then fall into their ditch. And they were like, here goes another one, Bob, get
the tractor. And, they came and made, put chains on my car and pulled me out.
So I can’t. I think that it’s
the first time it’s happened to them, but, [00:12:24] I’m very grateful that
they interrupted their meal. The guy seems a little bit peeved, but it was good
and I’m very grateful that they helped me out because I, that was my first time
in a ditch. And so I was like, wow, my tires really don’t have any grip.
I don’t have any way to get at
getting out of here. And I don’t have any service cause I’m in the middle of
nowhere. This is when new dilemma.
BHAVNEET: Well atleast he atleast he get you out.
JEN: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, they were wonderful. But
I just think that maybe again, it’s happened more than once, so maybe they
should have better signage.
but he just, I think his
dinner got cold while he had to pull me out and he just wasn’t expecting it at
6:00 PM. He was trying to have a nice meal and then this random girl comes and
plants her car and in his farm,
BHAVNEET: Trying to get the full experience, you
know?
JEN: Yeah, right there. It was adjacent. So I was on
the right track. I wasn’t completely off. It was just not a well, done area.
And I think that’s why I’m so sympathetic when I write, because I feel people
don’t realize they just forget what it is [00:13:24] when they live in a place
to be new to that place.
So for instance, just in the
complex that I live in, I felt like when I first arrived here that it took,
miles to get from the entry point to the house. And I felt like I kept
questioning that I pass it. Have I gone too far? And should there have been a
turn? Did I not see something?
And so I feel when you get
directions, you really have to err on the side of the. Anxious people that
really want to know and need landmarks and want to be like, okay, you have to
drive for another 30 minutes. Okay. You didn’t go too far. in Mexico I took a
road trip to see pink lakes and the whole way there, I kept wondering, I’m not
passing anything, nothing looks pink.
I feel like I’ve been driving
for a long time. There’s nothing on this road. where am I? Who am I anywhere
close to it? so I feel like you really have to give people a realistic
expectation of what it is. Otherwise they start to panic in foreign places when
they have no idea where they are.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, that’s true. don’t ever get
directions from an Indian person.
JEN: And that’s why I try to not sugar coat it. You
can’t be like you you’re almost there. It’s like you can’t say that you have to
tell people the truth. I think the [00:14:24] same applies for hiking. Because
when you’re hiking and somebody is like, Oh, 10 more minutes, you’ll be right
there. And then it’s an hour later and you’re like, Oh my God, I’m nowhere near
the top.
that’s really disheartening
for a hiker and it makes you want to stop. And you know, it makes you question
if you’re doing the right thing. So, I think with directions, you have to err
on the side of really preparing people well, so that when it happens, they’re
okay with it and like, okay, no, this person told me, in Havasu falls, I drove
to a waterfall.
That’s on an Indian
reservation. all the different articles out there covering off a Sioux falls.
Dozens, you know of articles, it’s been covered up many different times. It’s a
hard ticket to get. And no one mentioned that you should make sure that you
have a full gas tank before you go there, because there is no gas station
within at least a 60 mile radius.
So if you’re going on half a
tank, I noticed that as I was getting closer and closer, I was like, wow. Okay.
We pass the store area. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a store I’ve been
driving now for like an hour. All I’m seeing is deserts and dust balls on that,
half a tank. And now at the half a tank Mark, I started to panic because I’m
like, what if I get, [00:15:24] well, if I get there, I can refill it.
It’ll be fine. Of course
there’ll be something there. Right? Like this is a popular site, right? No,
there’s nothing there. The people said that sometimes there’s a guy that has,
gas tanks that will sell it at a premium to desperate people that get stranded
there. But there’s definitely no phone service.
And I just can’t imagine.
coming off of a 20 mile hike, and being stuck now stranded and literally in the
middle of the desert, that would just be the most terrifying thing ever. so I
had to stop because halfway through, I was like, I’m not gonna make it. And I’m
not taking that risk. Cause I don’t know if there’s a gas station there or not.
And I don’t want to be stranded,
BHAVNEET: Yeah, that would be a helpful tip to
know, Especially since there is no gas station and if you’re just like, Oh,
I’ll make it. And then I’ll just refill. And then you get there and you’re
like, Oh no. now what.
JEN: Yes. And that’s what I asked. That was one of
the first things I asked I was like, what happens if somebody stranded? Cause I
can’t imagine that I’m the first person that, that has even considered it. And
if that is a problem, like what would the person do? Because there’s no cell
service, there’s no, what would they do? And she’s like, well, sometimes
there’s a guy and every now and then he comes and he’ll sell right.
Different, tanks of [00:16:24]
gas to people and I’m like, well, would you just wait for
I’m so confused
BHAVNEET: Yeah, that’s a very important to know.
I’m glad that see now you have covered it. So it’s out there. People will
actually know.
JEN: Yes, absolutely. It was, it was, I’m glad that
I took notice. And then I was looking at the expense, you know, and I was thinking,
am I being crazy? Is, is it being paranoid? but I’m glad that I. Did the extra
step and that I err on the side of caution . And I think that when you’re
driving, you always have to definitely think about yourself first. I’ve skipped
Airbnbs, you know, before that I’ve gone and I’ve not been able to find
parking. I’ve been in a hard city and I felt like it’s maybe unsafe and I’ve
just continued on to a different place and done a different rental.
so I think you really have to
go with your gut depending on, on what’s happening.
BHAVNEET: I agree. And since you’ve been to so many
different places, we’re really interested to know, have you noticed any type
of, stereotypes or certain driving cultures or types of drivers in different
areas that you’ve been?
JEN: Generally cities are always going to be rushed
driving, [00:17:24] very tight parking, very, you’re going on a loop. So. you
have to be prepared, even if you’re driving two hours to get to a place, to
spend an hour just within that city in and of itself, trying to navigate, the
congestion.
that’s something that you have
to allot time for, and not get too frustrated with and be okay. having to make
a loop around and do this again because you’re new to this you have to just be
willing to adapt. and otherwise, I think, you have to be aware of potential
speeding, especially in a new place, like the mountain areas where I mentioned
that when you’re having a lot of curves, I’m very careful with how fast I’m
taking curves, but it feels like residents and locals since they know the road.
So well, get impatient with
tourists and just try to intimidate you into going faster. think that that is a
trend in a lot of mountain regions, And it’s just preparing yourself for so
that you can better navigate it, Because driving is meant to be for the public.
It’s not meant to be just something that only a select, a few people can access
it’s meant to be for everybody.
So there’s meant to [00:18:24]
be a way for you to understand the road signs and there’s meant to be a way for
you to get around. So don’t be intimidated to think that you can’t figure it
out too.
BHAVNEET: So out of all the places that you’ve
been, what would you say is your favorite place to drive or your least favorite
place to drive?
JEN: I do like driving in the U .S. Because it’s
comfortable. And I think that in general, any kind of big open roads
countryside, random States are, are just really. Good places to just relax and
hit the open road for a while. like road 66 kind of things like that, Arizona,
I would again be careful cause there are a lot of.
Speed traps. So sometimes I
would make sure to drive with particular apps, like Waze to make sure that I’m
aware of any law enforcement presence in the area. And that I don’t get into
any kind of speed traps, because there’s a lot of those where the speed limit
changes 10. 10 miles an hour. And all of a sudden there’s a police officer
that’s been sitting there just waiting to catch tourists.
but otherwise it’s really nice
and I think just easy. I think also I do like driving [00:19:24] in nature
spaces. Like I rented a car in Iceland and that was. That was interesting. I
went during the time where it wasn’t frozen roads. I went more in September, so
it was still relatively temperate weather for them.
So wet, like it was rainy, but
otherwise it was really nice and lovely there too, and lots of scenery. So that
was a really beautiful road trip that I took. And I think that was really
enjoyable. maybe difficult places to drive in major cities definitely are always
challenging. So Madrid was challenging.
Lisbon was challenging. I
remember trying to get out of a spot and Lisbon, I ended up in somebody’s
driveway, but it was, I don’t know, a politician or something. Cause they had
security all over the place and they wanted to call the cops because I went
into the driveway and I was like, I want nothing to do with anyone here.
I just. Want to back out, like
I had no other choice, but to come down this way, I’m trying to get out of here
and I just have no interest. I want no beef, I just want to leave. So it
depends on. where you are, but, cities, [00:20:24] especially cities that have
narrow roads and that are very, not built for cars because they’re built for
horse and carriages. they’re much more difficult to navigate.
TARANJIT: Wow. That’s of all the places you could have
ended up, you ended up in a politicians drive way.
JEN: I don’t even know how I got there, cause it had
Gates. So I don’t know why the Gates were open and I just need to turn around
and I don’t understand what you’re saying. Sane, sir. I’m not going to wait
here. I’m not going to be locked in. I’m not going to wait for the cops. I
don’t want any of this.
I just abort, abort.
TARANJIT: Just let me leave.
JEN: Yes, exactly. I just want to go home.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. So now, you know, don’t back into
places. When you back in you went into the ditch on that guy’s farm, you backed
in, he went to the politician’s driveway.
JEN: You know, these are all coming to me as I’m
speaking to you. So I guess I had more misfortunes driving that I recall.
TARANJIT: So now that we’ve heard some of your crazy
experiences, less dive into what kind of driver you are. [00:21:24] It sounds
like you enjoy road tripping. So if you were given the option, would you prefer
to drive or would you prefer to be the passenger?
JEN: it depends. So if I have things I want to do
that. I want to get somewhere by a certain point in time and I have a packed
schedule. I like to be in control. And so I prefer to drive because I know I
will get there. other people are a little bit slow. I’m very efficient. So that
would be my preference.
Otherwise, if it’s something
where It’s at nighttime and it’s after a packed day of activity, then yes, it
would be ideal to have somebody drive me to the hotel. And I can just relax in
the passenger seat.
TARANJIT: Have you ever had a situation where you’re a
passenger and you felt like I shouldn’t have gotten this car?
JEN: I have had different. Instances with taxis and
Uber’s Argentina comes to mind. When I first got there, I had an airplane taxi
driver that I know I handed a certain amount of money to, because it was a
certain amount of money that I had just gotten out of the ATM. And he insisted
that [00:22:24] I had given him a different sum.
And so he was giving me change
back for what he said. I gave him versus what I knew I gave him. So I felt I
got ripped off and I already had of a bad vibe there. and then leaving. Also
similar to me leaving. I had an Uber driver that asked that I get in the front
seat and then started to come on to me and really get physical there.
So that was not ideal. And I
would not sit in the front seat for any of these rideshare services as a
female. so yes, I definitely think that that’s also a pro of when you’re
driving your own car, is that you have safety over who you’re in the car with.
And I don’t want to cast any
bad light on the country as a whole, because things like this can happen
anywhere and I’ve lived in dangerous cities, you know, all throughout. but I
think that was just a place where. I just so happened that both on my way in
and on my way out, I felt like I was encountered with sketchy people.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, that definitely makes you want to
rent and drive. Yourself. And I think I would, I would enjoy driving it,
especially in countries where it’s on the opposite side of the road, if you’re
doing it for the first time, [00:23:24] it’s a little like, Oh, I gotta be
super cautious.
JEN: Yeah. And you don’t want to have the issue
with, worrying about the car and if anything’s going to happen to it. And I do
recommend that you take on insurance in the trip in Mexico, where I was,
looking for the pink lakes. I didn’t even realize until I got back that the.
One of the tire covers have popped up along the way.
So when I got back, they were
like, Oh, this is missing something. And there was damage to the car. And I was
like, Oh, and I didn’t even realize this one. I was like, Oh, well, no problem.
Cause this one has full coverage. because in Mexico they charge you something
ridiculous, like $2 a day for rental, which is just really, really cheap.
And you’re like, what’s the
catch? And the catch is you have to pay another, like $70 a day for the full
insurance. so it’s. It adds up. And so with Mexico, you have no choice but to
get the full insurance. So that’s something that to think about if you know
that you’re going to be somewhere where you might be panicking, and if it is
going to be smaller spaces, cramped parking, things like that.
some of these parking garages
in Europe are crazy. They’re underneath, the ground and they’re very, very
tight and they’re just, claustrophobic. So if this is something that [00:24:24]
you’re worried about, definitely invest in that. brought her insurance policy.
So you can drive with peace of mind.
BHAVNEET: That’s crazy. okay. I’ve heard that I
don’t know about internationally, but I’ve heard that in the U. S. different
States, don’t always have the best parking garages. And I once heard that,
where we are in Maryland has apparently really good parking garages. And I
never realized until we drove to, we went to Philly once, and then we went to
New Jersey and we’re like, wow, these parking garages do not look like garages.
They look like weird tunnels.
And we’re like, where are we going?
JEN: Yes, absolutely. They’re very intimidating. And
they just make you feel like, like that, like you’re in an underground app
tunnel and it’s a. Really tough way to navigate. Like it’s very tight in the
corners you have to cut. and in a rental car, it can be anxiety inducing
because you’re sitting there worried about, do I have the space to make it, is
the car gonna be okay?
Is there somebody behind me,
you know, where am I? and so I think all of that compounds and makes people
very stressed out about driving, but it, it, it can be relieved significantly
if you know that you’re [00:25:24] covered with a generous insurance policy.
BHAVNEET: You did mention this a little bit or
touch on this a little bit, but how would you describe the type of driver that
you are? And would you say that your friends and family. You would describe
your driving in the same way.
JEN: I don’t know if I can think of a set adjective.
I learned to drive in Philadelphia, so I feel like I definitely have some
aggressiveness in me. I can keep up with city areas. I don’t have a problem merging,
you know, I’m not a person that’s going to go onto a merge. road and brake,
Like I’m a person who’s going to go onto a merge road and accelerate because
that’s the point of having a merge lane. it’s so that you can merge into
traffic. And I think some people get caught by inaction and then they’ll sit
there forever. They’ll hold up traffic. So I kind of act, I definitely am
somebody that’s that has the impetus to move, and to take a decision and act
quickly.
but It does take its toll,
Because it is stressful to be in that kind of situation. You’re gripping the
steering wheel very tight, it’s just a lot. in general, I like to be, I prefer
to be a relaxed driver, just somebody that’s listening to music and has the car
on, [00:26:24] on auto-drive autopilot. to me, it’s one of my favorites. If I
could just have an open highway and just have it on autopilot. So I know speed
limit is taken care of and everything is fine.
and I can just listen to music
and of relax and chill. That’s the best.
TARANJIT: Yeah. I feel like with the merging and
yielding, those are things, people confuse a lot and they do the opposite at
those points. So I can see how like that can cause frustration and a lot of
people.
JEN: Absolutely you are absolutely right. And those
would be two opposite things. So we’ve got some emerging. You definitely just
want to get on the same page. Speed as the people that you’re merging into. So
you’re not going 30 miles an hour and everybody else is going 70 and now you’re
causing a traffic jam, but yielding, yes, you definitely want to stop so that
you make sure that you’re not both going onto the same road at.
40 miles an hour and hit each
other. That would be ideal. and to me it seems so simple, but I think again,
because driving is meant to be for everyone, you really never know what you’re
going to get, and you have to be overly responsible for yourself and anticipating
the behaviors of others. especially in a foreign [00:27:24] place, especially
when you’re traveling, you really want to be.
Extra aware. And I think that
that can be a lot for many people. And that’s why people opt to get, ride
services, and you don’t have that, extra pressure of having to manage and, and
drive a car and worry about.
Navigating unknown territory.
TARANJIT: With all these different types of drivers on
the road, what would you say is your biggest pet peeve of driving?
JEN: I would say.
Probably the way that people
instantly change when weather changes. So I think inclement weather is very
difficult to drive in. It’s always better when you have, even if it’s a cold
day, if you have clear streets, you’re just much, you have much better chances
of doing well and, and coming out less anxiety inducing, stressed out than you
would if it’s raining or if it’s.
Foggy, because I think both of
those things, all of a sudden, if it starts to rain, people will have a
dramatic, 30 mile an hour difference in how fast they’re going. And all of a
sudden you can’t see, you have low [00:28:24] visibility. so I think those
kinds of conditions are not ideal. I don’t know if it, if it fits with pet
peeve because not something necessarily people do, you can’t plan the weather.
So I would say tail tailgating
also is a pet peeve. people who like definitely go right. Behind you, if they
can go around you, I don’t understand why they feel the need to come up right
behind you and try to force you to go faster. which is why I always say, you
know, I refuse to get intimidated by any of that while I’m traveling.
And if there are people that
are especially on mountain areas, this happens to me all the time. I will have
them go around me or I will just keep going, but I’m not going to take a curve
at a really quick speed in a dangerous manner because somebody is in a hurry.
BHAVNEET: Oh, I completely agree with you. if
someone’s behind you, I’ve noticed this a lot. Even when we get to roundabouts,
there’s two lanes and people will still be behind you and yet there’ll be on
your bumper and it’s like, ah, you can go around clearly their space.
JEN: Yeah, absolutely. We have one of those here in
my complex, and there are people who use them [00:29:24] aggressively to who like
kind of just purposely wait to get to the roundabout and then go around you
really quickly. And then all of a sudden want to go into at 60 miles an hour
going out of the roundabout.
And I think that is
unnecessary either. I don’t understand why we’re not on fast and the furious.
This is not need for speed. there’s no need to just, it’s not, you don’t need
to show off at that point too. Like your. Final eat my dust kind of thing. Like
I think all of that is just unnecessary.
but first and foremost, because
it is so intimidating for so many people, I just encourage people to take it at
your own timing and your own pace. And definitely if you’re responsible for a
rental vehicle, that’s definitely an asset that you’re driving around and you
don’t want to cause damage to other property or other vehicles either.
So you don’t just want to be
moving recklessly because you feel the pressure to do so from other people.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, with all these aggressive drivers.
I know you said that you don’t let them intimidate you, which is great, but
have you ever experienced road rage?
JEN: Yeah. I feel like all of them. And sometimes
you have to just, take it
down a notch. for me, it has
come up in, in different instances. I used to live [00:30:24] in South Florida.
So I think road rage is a way way of life down there. There were so many
people, just with driving to and from work every single day that would have
accidents and different fights would break out.
So I feel like it is a very
aggressive place to drive. I went to school for four years in Miami, and I felt
like after that That was the prime road, rage, place of America. So after that,
it’s hard to top. I try to be a little bit more. Understanding when I’m
traveling, because unless it’s something that’s really going to affect my
finances, unless it’s something that’s really going to be a big issue for my
trip.
I try to just let it go.
because I don’t want to let these. Things affect my actual vacation. I think we
already get so little vacation time as it is. And anger is such an
all-encompassing emotion that when you give yourself over to that, sometimes
you’ll end up replaying the scenario in your mind for the rest of the day, and
then you’ll be upset about it all day.
So I really try to let it go
but I’m no stranger
to road rage because as a
Floridian, it really is just very commonplace down there.
BHAVNEET: That’s really interesting. [00:31:24] I
didn’t know that Florida was that like road rage. Was that prevalent?
JEN: I feel like there are definitely memes. And
that not all of Florida, but South Florida, the Miami area is a very aggressive
place to drive there’s a lot of. Just people know, driving on 95, you have a
mix of speeding cars and Lamborghini’s, and 90 year old retirees. So together
you get a bunch of crashing and a bunch of people all over each other.
And it’s a lot of traffic,
everybody in a hurry, everybody late. So it is a very stressful place to drive
or no, you’re talking about a one or two hour commute to work for everybody in
the city, no matter where they live. no good public transportation to really
alleviate any of that construction constantly.
So it’s just like a gripe with
people who live there and have for decades now, because I was there as early as
and it’s still an ongoing problem. Like in LA people know that the traffic’s
going to be terrible and, and that that’s the case and they’re going to be
backed up for hours.
So it’s just kind of a fact of
life of living in [00:32:24] these glamorous city sometimes.
TARANJIT: The way you were describing Florida. It kind of
makes sense why they do have road rage because of everything that’s going on
down there.
JEN: Oh yeah. Nothing is without reason. I mean,
everything is caused for a reason and it is, it’s a pro and con of living in a
really beautiful, glamorous, sunny, expensive area, but there’s, there’s
definitely cons and there is not the, you can’t do subways there because of,
it’s a peninsula and. Just infrastructural challenges.
So there’s no choice, but to
try to make the traffic work and they have tried to alleviate it and they’ve
tried to open new construction, but it’s still challenging. And the drivers
there are so varied that it’s very difficult and there are accidents every
single day, every, I mean, there’s every single time I drive, I see an accident
somewhere.
It’s just very commonplace.
BHAVNEET: Ooh, that’s crazy. I think here, the
thing is every time you drive, you’ll only see, you’ll see at least one dead
deer on the side of the road.
JEN: Yes. And so then, and that’s it like right?
Every [00:33:24] place has its pros and cons and that’s definitely something
that the That the Northeast area, any kind of rural area, that those are
dangers as well, the animals and wildlife, and they can cause a lot of damage to
your car. They can come out of nowhere.
So that’s scary in and of
itself.
TARANJIT: Oh, yeah, I agree. There was an instance, not
too long ago where one car hit a deer, but the deer went flying and hit the car
coming in the opposite direction. And I think it killed the passenger and you
just don’t expect something like that to happen, but it does.
JEN: Wow. Exactly. And so I think people just, they
go, well, if an animal happens and you know, it’s unfortunate for the animal,
it will be fine, but no, there can be a lot of property damage. So there’s
definitely something to be weary of whether to, in billings, I was in billings
Montana and we were driving to Yellowstone and they said that it’s not
recommended that people drive there because the wind is so fierce that it
actually knocks.
Cars trucks over and then,
you’re just not familiar with it.
TARANJIT: Yeah, that would have been really scary. now
that we know the type of driver you are, [00:34:24] let’s go into your driving
first. How would you describe your very first driving experience and who was it
with?
JEN: My first driving experience was just learning
how to drive with my mom. She taught me how to drive in Philadelphia. We were
in a parking lot and we did that for a couple of different days until I got to
graduate to going around the actual, you know, mall itself and then small
roads. And it was pretty successful.
TARANJIT: When you went to go take the actual driving
test, were you able to pass the first time and how was that experience?
JEN: I was, I feel like I’m very good at passing
tests. That’s kind of one of the things that I take pride in. It’s one of my
talents. other people can do different things, race be athletically prone, but
I feel like tests have always been my thing. So I was really well-prepared for
the written aspect of it.
And then the actual driving
test itself I had already practiced. parallel parking is always a challenge,
but I think I had it down generally or good enough for the vicinity of, just
getting it in the. Spot generally. [00:35:24] So I passed.
BHAVNEET: So it sounds like you had to parallel
park. I know a lot of tests are getting rid of it. So do you think that
parallel parking is important to have on the test or that they should keep it
on tests?
JEN: I do think it’s a practical skill, even if
you’re not, obviously you’re going to be aiming for a parking lot where
possible, but I’ve had to parallel park pretty regularly, no matter, where I am
and, and. Where I’m going and no matter what city or state I’m in, so it’s still
something that is common.
So I do think that there’s
value to it. And I think a lot of people don’t know how to parallel park. It
can cause traffic for everybody. Who’s waiting for a car to get, into a tough
spot and it can be very difficult and it can be frustrating to not know it so I
do think it’s a valuable skill.
I didn’t realize that they
were getting rid of it. That just shows my age, I guess. but. If there were no,
parallel parking available in the entirety of the state, then I can see where it
would maybe make sense. Like if the whole state was parking garages, then sure.
If you didn’t have any occasion to parallel park, then it wouldn’t be necessary.
and it’s just a weird skill to
[00:36:24] know like how to fit this car into that narrow space, But if you
have the angles, right, it’s, it’s something that comes instinctively after
awhile.
TARANJIT: Yeah. I feel like it it’s an important skill to
have, especially if you do plan on going somewhere outside of where you live,
even if it’s just a different state, they might require you to parallel park.
And if you’d never even practiced that skill, what are you going to do in that
situation?
JEN: Exactly.
TARANJIT: So thinking about the future of cars and with
the possibility of them being able to. Start becoming driverless. What are your
thoughts on this? And would you be comfortable getting in that car?
JEN: it depends. I’ve seen it on different, TV shows
and it depends on the technology. I’m sure if before. a hundred years ago,
somebody asked, would you be comfortable eating food that came out of a box and
was hot? people would have been like, I don’t know, what’s in that box.
What it makes it hot? I don’t
know, I’m not sure. and now we have microwaves and people eat stuff out of the
microwave all the time. So I think it would depend on. How commonplace it was,
how safe it was. And if it’s something [00:37:24] that society just moves and
evolves to use, I’m not against the evolution of technology.
I think it is what it is. I’m
not going to fight it. I’m not going to be here, living off the grid and
thinking, okay, I’m going to hide every social profile I have. Nobody will ever
find me. I’m not going to take any facial recognition stuff. that’s not going
to be me. I’m just gonna. Live in that world because this is the world that we
live in and I’m going to do my best to make it work for me.
So if it was something that
became commonplace that people started driving with self-driving cars, I
wouldn’t be the last holdout in my Chevy still.
They’re insisting that I drive
manually. I would. Give it a shot, but I definitely would want to see, as with
everyone else, what kind of technology is it? What makes it safe? What are the
different, you know, improvements that we made. And it’s just a matter of
seeing how we evolve.
TARANJIT: Yeah. That’s well said. I think there’s even
actually a taxi service or something that has started in Arizona. There’s
already driverless. So it would be interesting to see how that turns out and if
it actually expands to more places in the U. S.
JEN: Yeah, because we have [00:38:24] so many cool
things that come with technology, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, none of us, I
didn’t have an iPhone 10 years ago. I didn’t have a navigation system in my
phone. I had my mom buy me as my college gift, an external GPS system. And I
remember telling her, then I was like, mom, this is a terrible gift.
No offense, but this is like,
this is not going to and grow with me. Jewelry would have been a better gift
because this technology is going to be out done. I guarantee you in a couple of
years, I’m sure enough here we are. Nobody uses an external GPS in their car.
so I think it’s impossible to say how we’ll evolve and what will become
commonplace, but I’m definitely excited to be part of it. You know, I like.
Partaking in society’s growth and the trends as they come along.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, definitely. Bonus question time.
Are you ready?
JEN: I’m ready.
BHAVNEET: If you could make one new driving law,
what would it be?
JEN: This is a tough one, I kind of instinctively
want to say everyone to have their windows up, so they have to listen to their
own music, but that sounds [00:39:24] miserly. I, it sounds like I’m not a
joyful person and I don’t want to hear other people’s music, but that’s not,
but that’s not the case. I just maybe just want to hear just my music.
So I think maybe that would be
an interesting law.
TARANJIT: You know, you’re not the only person that’s
said that. So obviously there’s other people that agree with you that they
don’t want to be able to hear other people’s music.
JEN: Because I think you just get into such a vibe
when you’re driving and you have your own sounds. And even if that sound is
silence, Sometimes there’s something so relaxing about driving on a quiet
drive. And just like having yourself in your thoughts. And then all of a sudden
somebody’s random obtrusive song comes in whatever it is, loud, banging
instruments, music, whatever the case. And then it just interrupts your vibe.
TARANJIT: Yeah. That’s interesting though, because I feel
like the people who have. Have those aloud of noxious, super turned up music or
whatever they’re playing is the ones that gets on your nerves. So maybe there
can be some way to, I dunno if like fine or something to be [00:40:24] like, if
you reach a certain level, you’re going to get ticketed or something.
JEN: Right. Or just the cool technology that
contains your sound to your car bubble. So you can listen to it as loud as you
like, but it does end up true on like anybody else around you. And I think that
would be a really cool technology while we’re developing, flying cars and
driverless cars. Let’s go ahead and develop soundproof vessels that are their
own little world.
And you can’t hear anything
outside of them.
BHAVNEET: Exactly what I was going to say. I was
like, somebody needs to get on that.
TARANJIT: I was gonna say something like noise, canceling
headphones, but like noise, canceling cars, exterior.
JEN: Exactly. It’s genius. I’m telling you.
TARANJIT: Do you have any final thoughts or any tips that
you would like to give other drivers?
JEN: I think in general, I just really want to
encourage female drivers specifically to give it a shot. I think that there is
a lot to be said for the power of just taking an itinerary into your own hands,
being able to [00:41:24] stop whenever you see something that is really
interesting for you being able to set your own schedule and have complete
control over where you go and when.
I think that it’s so
empowering. For women. And even if you’re just taking a road trip around your
own state, even if you’re, just going somewhere local, domestic, renting a car
for a day, it can really be a transformative experience. So I recommend women
to try it. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be scared by any of the horror stories.
Even if you do end up in a
ditch, you may have a kind of farmer man who comes and get so you out. there
will be solutions to any problems that come up. And the important thing is that
you don’t stop yourself from having the adventure in the first place.
TARANJIT: Yeah, there’s plenty of nice people out there
and someone will be there to help you. So that’s a great tip. before we let you
go, we love being able to share the love and support one another. And I know
that you have your own blog so where can listeners find that if they want to
check it out? And could you tell us a little about it?
JEN: Absolutely. So my blog is [00:42:24] called Jen On A Jet Plane, like leaving on a jet plane, the old song, and you can find me at jennonthejetplane.com and on social media by the same handle, Tik
TOK, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, I write about solo female, travel
about, finding cheap ways to travel. So public transportation, cheap flights,
things of the sort, and I just help people who have busy schedules fit, travel
into their daily lives.
BHAVNEET: Well thank you so much for coming on, we
had a blast talking to you and hearing all your driving experiences all over
the world.
JEN: Likewise. Thank you for having me.
(transition music)
TARANJIT: [00:43:54] So are we talking
about road trips and getting a rental instead of driving your own car is like
for the future trips that we take. What would you have done if you had damaged
the rental like Jen did? Like would you have gone to all those lengths to cover
it up?
BHAVNEET: I can nother. I
can another.
TARANJIT: I can never.
BHAVNEET: I can never say
I’ve done that. There I changed what I was going to say. I can neither
confirmed nor deny.
TARANJIT: She’s done it.
That’s why she’s having a hard time covering it up.
BHAVNEET: I’ve never had a
rental except for when my car was in the shop. So no.
TARANJIT: I’m not asking if
you had one.
BHAVNEET: I know. I know. I
can neither come confirm. Oh my God. I can’t say it. I can neither confirm nor
deny. Wow. I still hesitated. All right, what about you?
TARANJIT: Like, what would
you have done if you did that? If you had this rental and you damaged it.
BHAVNEET: I mean I like she
got really creative. I don’t know if I would have know like known to think
about all these [00:44:54] different ways,
but she did go to different shops and then they’re like oh, you could do this
and you could do that. So I mean if some suggested it.
TARANJIT: Yeah. Then I
would have known what to do. Otherwise I would have just brought it to them and
be like.
BHAVNEET: I never said that
I can neither confirm nor confirm nor deny.
TARANJIT: Would you say
that to them if you brought it to them? I can neither confirm nor deny.
BHAVNEET: That just
happened. Yeah. What happened to this car? I don’t know.
TARANJIT: Wasn’t me.
BHAVNEET: Yes. More
Monster’s Inc. references. It’s the most referenced movie in this household.
TARANJIT: Yeah. Probably
is. But personally I feel like I would freak out. Again. I freaked out when I
ever anything happens when I’m in a car.
BHAVNEET: Just in a car?
TARANJIT: Yeah. I feel like
you just are generally stressed and worried about everything.
BHAVNEET: Thanks. I can
neither confirm nor deny. Yeah. I can confirm that.
TARANJIT: But I’ve had so
many close calls and actual accidents [00:45:54] in
the car that I just freaked out over everything happens. So if I happen, I
would probably be a mess and I my brain wouldn’t function enough to think to
cover it up.
BHAVNEET: I can see that.
TARANJIT: I can confirm.
BHAVNEET: That I agree.
TARANJIT: But yeah, she
brought a really great point of like looking into insurance and making sure you
do get the proper insurance to reduce the stress and like…
BHAVNEET: And the right
coverage.
TARANJIT: Yeah, and not
have to go through this.
BHAVNEET: Insurance is
complicated.
TARANJIT: Her other story
that made me laugh a little when I like the way she was describing it was her
ending up in a ditch in Upstate New York. So have you ever gotten stuck
somewhere? And what would you have done if you did get stuck like that?
BHAVNEET: I did get stuck
once with a friend but not I don’t think I’ve gotten stuck in a
ditch.
TARANJIT: What do you mean
with a friend?
BHAVNEET: Like I was
driving with a friend and we got stuck in a ditch.
TARANJIT: [00:46:54] What? I don’t
remember you telling me about that.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, so we got
stuck in a ditch.
TARANJIT: Yeah, we got that
part.
BHAVNEET: And we’re like
trying so hard like what do we do what we do? Like, how do we get it out of
there? Like we’re like, oh.
TARANJIT: Wait. Wait. Wait.
Back it up. Where was this?
BHAVNEET: I don’t remember
we were on some back road and obviously like the side of the road is kind of
like more of a country road. So it was like to the side there was like big I
guess channels or water would go or something next to fields.
TARANJIT: Were you where
were you going?
BHAVNEET: We were going
somewhere. I don’t remember.
TARANJIT: You were
obviously going somewhere.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. I think to
her house. And then I think she made a wrong turn and we’re like, oh wait. We
got to go the other way and then so she tried to back up and then the tire went
straight into the ditch and she couldn’t get it out. And then since I wasn’t
driving I wasn’t as freaked out as she was. Like I probably would be freaked
out if it was my car but like she was really freaked out.
TARANJIT: It’s her car,
whatever.
BHAVNEET: [00:47:54] No. It’ was like
so I could think more rationally. I was like, well, if we really need to I can
call my dad. He has a truck. He knows someone. He can figure it out. Right? Cuz
she’s like I don’t want to call my parents. They are going to be so mad, you
know, so I was like, okay. Well, were not too far. Like he hasn’t left work. If
we really need to I’ll call him but like I said, what do we do. I’m like, oh
look. There’s big rocks. What if we try to shove it under the tires so they
have some traction. It kind of worked but then it was kind of the ground was
loose, so then it sunk down again. She was able to make it a little bit but
then it went back down. So we’re like, darn it. Eventually someone came down
this abandoned looking road. And they’re like, okay you’re going to need some
help. So they got they had a rope or something till he tied to the front and
they’re like it’s going to bend the bumper a little bit, but she’s like I don’t
care just get it out. And so they pulled it out and we went on our way.
TARANJIT: What. I don’t
remember you [00:48:540]
ever sharing this was me.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. It was kind
of like we will never speak of this again. How about you? Have you ever gotten
stuck in a ditch?
TARANJIT: Ditch? No. But in
snow.
BHAVNEET: That’s not a
ditch.
TARANJIT: Um. I practically
made a ditch for myself.
BHAVNEET: You made your
own.
TARANJIT: I’ve shared this
story before. I feel like all my stories I’ve shared before. But it was when I
was going So I’ll give a really short version of it. But it was when I was
going to work and it was snowing really bad and it came down really fast and
then I got to work and they’re like, oh its actually closed and I needed to
turn back around and I got to the second or third light from my work like it
was not too far as 5 minutes away. I get to the intersection first. I couldn’t
stop because it was slippery and I kind of went into like past the white line a
little into the intersection and then the light turned green everyone else went.
I didn’t.
BHAVNEET: Uh oh. I think
I’ll stay here. This seems like a nice…
TARANJIT: My car’s like [00:49:54] tire kept spinning and it basically created this mountain of
snow in front of me. So I couldn’t get anywhere and I was just digging myself
into a snow ditch.
BHAVNEET: Uh. How did you
get out?
TARANJIT: I reversed and
went around.
BHAVNEET: When in doubt,
reverse. Well, you made it out, so that’s good.
TARANJIT: I’m always
thinking like if this kind of situation happened in another country,
BHAVNEET: I don’t know what
I would do.
TARANJIT: I’ve done.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. I’m done.
That’s it.
TARANJIT: Yeah.
BHAVNEET: Just abandon the
car. I can neither confirm nor deny what happened to this car today, and I
don’t know where it went.
TARANJIT: It’s just sitting
on the side of the road somewhere and you just walked away.
BHAVNEET: I don’t know what
happened. But that was Jen’s stories crazy stories driving around the world. If
you or anyone, you know has any crazy driving stories and would like to come on
the show. You can fill out the interest form on our website at DriveWithUsPodcast.com
TARANJIT: And be sure to
stay tuned until the [00:50:54] end of this
episode for a sneak peek of next week’s episode. And don’t forget to
come hang out with us on our Discord server. Thanks for driving
with us.
(outro music)
HARLEE: I was, driving home on 4th of July and I was like on my street
and when I got home, my mom was like, there’s a bear down the street. I was
like, Oh my gosh, no way I want to go see, so I get back in the car.
I don’t know why
I felt like I needed to do this. I get back in the car. I keep my headlights
off. And I drive down the street and it’s probably about 10:00 PM. So I keep
the headlights off. I’m driving and I had my windows down and then I hear
something and it’s the sound of a baby bear.
And I’m like, Oh no.