Travelling Lens Insider #006

Demystifying the US credit Score system, a huge 130K points credit card deal and 10 common travel photography mistakes to avoid

👋 Hey friends,

Welcome to Travelling Lens Insider, where every weekend I send you a carefully curated letter of all things travel, photography and points optimisation.

Now, onto this week’s letter…

✈️ Travel, Points and Miles

• 💳 As an Aussie Expat in the US, the US credit score system was really confusing when we first arrived in the US (it’s totally different in Australia). This 1 hour All The Hacks episode is an excellent deep dive into everything you need to know about credit reports, credit scores and their real-world impact.

• 💰 Turn on the TV and it feels like economic doom and gloom right now. But don’t let that stop you from traveling. There are still savvy ways to save money and take that next trip in 2025. I’ve also noticed some great flight prices and award deals right now too (maybe it’s the airlines struggling to fill seats).

• ✈️ After 48 flights (and counting) in the last 21 months, I’m nailed down my flight research and booking process into a well-oiled machine. This 2308 word ultimate guide shows you exactly what I do. You might find it useful if you struggle with this part of the travel planning process.

(Like what you’re reading? Pass it along to someone who might love it too. And if that’s you, make sure to subscribe here! Thanks so much 😀)

🤑 Deal of the week

2 weeks ago, I mentioned I finally got a Chase Sapphire Preferred card (I’m in the midst of making my minimum spend to get my 100k welcome offer points).

If you haven’t jumped on the offer, there’s an even better deal that came out this week!

Rakuten is offering a crazy deal right now: A bonus 30k points on top of the 100k welcome offer bonus.

Honestly, a no-brainer to jump onto this deal before it ends.

📷 Photography

• 📷 If you’re finding your travel photos a bit ho-hum. This 20 minute video shares practical lessons on how to turn your travel photos from forgettable to memorable.

• 🧬 I recently shared my April 2025 Monthly travel and life recap, which included photos from my trips to the Great Smoky Mountains, Nashville, Mammoth Cave, Pennsylvania and exploring more of what Houston has to offer.

• 📸 Avoid these 10 common travel photography mistakes when you take your next trip. The one big mistake I try to avoid at all cost is bringing more gear than I need. It’s not only a waste of space… but it ruins your back!

Want to an easy way to plan your next trip? Get the free Travel Hub trip planning system in Notion.

Travel Hub, a free travel planning system in Notion

👀 Substack Finds

• Lindsey Cade
  shared a fantastic travel-inspired tradition that I’m looking forward to putting in place with my husband: Alternating to plan a surprise anniversary trip. It can be a big or small, depending on your season of life. The key things is doing something and enjoying the experience.

• It can feel scary these days hearing about airplane crashes and the many safety issues Boeing has had over the years. But flying is still one of the safest form of modern transportation. If you have a fear of flying, this is a must read from

  Tori Simokov
  (She writes one of my favourite Substacks,
  Window Seat
  ). She shares 6 practical tips to help you overcome your fear of flying.

📸 Photo of the week

We’ve been living abroad for the last 21 months, and it’s been an adventure!

But Perth will always be our home.

💬 Final Words

That’s all for today! See you next week

Janice

(p.s. I’m always looking to improve. If you have feedback, I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s newsletter. And if you enjoyed it, please let me know why!)