AI and the future of travel, how to keep your valuable travel points safe and maximising your AMEX rebates.

Insider Letter #030

👋 Hey friends,

Welcome to Travelling Lens Insider Letter, 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 Photography

💳 Did you know there is a right way to optimally pay your credit card off each month? This 13 minute video visually breaks down how you can do that—it’s easier than you think.

✈️ I’ve personally used AI like ChatGPT to help brainstorm ideas but not necessarily plan my travel itinerary in full.

At the end of the day, AI is a great starting point (especially if you feel overwhelmed). But the best trips are the ones you’ve intentionally thought through what you want to get out of the trip, not just planning and doing the “typical trip” people on the internet do in a particular city or country.

Here’s the perspective from travel blogger OG Nomadic Matt on AI and the future of travel.

And this is my personal take on travel and AI 👇

📸 Here’s a fun one for photography lovers out there. The camera lens focal lens you like to shoot at might say something about your personality!

🥷 Points & miles are valuable. That means it can also be a target for hackers and fraudsters. Here’s how to keep your points safe and what to do when your credit card gets hacked in today’s digital age.

💳 Love it or hate it credit companies like AMEX has mastered the art of handing out coupons and rebates as part of their credit card benefits. Maximising these benefits and perks usually makes the annual fee worth while. Here’s exactly how.

In case you missed it 👇

Travelling Lens Insider #003

Travelling Lens Insider #011

Insider Letter #024

📸 Photo Throwback

Your credit cards, points, and miles. All in one place.

If you’re a frequent flyer or are just getting into the points and miles game so you can travel for cheap, keeping track of your points and miles can feel overwhelming.

I’ve been using Notion to easily organise everything related to points and miles. So, if you’re looking a simple and flexible system to do just that, join the waitlist to be the first to know when my Points Hub PRO in Notion becomes available.

👀 Substack Finds

• Not sure a about solo travel? Ibtissam C. shares her in depth thoughts on what it’s like to travel solo and strategies to overcome common fears of solo travel.

• Every country and region has their own unique ways of greeting. Daniel Catena shares 10 fun greetings from around the world.

📚 Travel Reading

Have you found your Ikigai—your reason for living?

Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles is a beautiful and joyful book that encourages us all to slow down, keep doing what brings you joy and live in the moment.

Travel has been a vehicle for helping me do those things.

💬 Final Words

Creating memorable experiences is a smart use of your time and money.

I’m on a mission to help you create memorable travel experiences, capture personal documentary-style travel photos and get the most out of your points & miles so you can see the world more often (and in comfort!)

Got a question? Send me an email or a direct message, I’d love to hear from you

If you enjoyed this, comment, restack or share it with one person—that’s the best compliment I could receive from you.

Your friend,

Janice

I'm a Travel Writer, Points & miles optimiser, Photographer and Notion Consultant. To get in touch, email hello@travellinglens.co.

p.s. Want to an easy & organised way to plan your next trip? Get my free Travel Hub trip planning system in Notion.