How to plan a trip to a National Park this summer, tools to play the game of points & miles and how to travel more sustainably

Insider Letter $042

👋 Hey friends,

Welcome to Travelling Lens Insider Letter, where every fortnight I send you a carefully curated letter of all things travel, travel photography and points & miles.

I’m been travelling around Victoria recently specially Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley and all around Melbourne.

Out and about in Melbourne, Mornington and Yarra

Now, onto this week’s letter…

✈️ Travel, Points and Photography

✈️ Travel is a great way to experience the world. But it can leave a big environmental footprint on the world. Here are 25 creative ways you can become a more responsible and sustainable traveller. Thanks Gretchen | Adventure Travel for sharing.

💳 The right tools will make the game of points and miles easier to play.

Here are tools to help you earn more points, use your points wisely and find great deals to get more out of every dollar.

📸 I shoot with a Fujifilm X camera and it’s my must-bring travel tool.

The best thing about Fujifilm cameras is you don’t even need to edit the photos if you use in-camera Film Simulation Recipes. Here are 7 starter recipes you can try (if you have a Fujifilm camera).

🛣️ If you’re planning a trip to a National Park in the coming months.

This 25 mins podcast episode is jammed packed with tips and hacks to streamline your park planning process. My favourite tip I personally used when I visited 20+ national parks in 2 years is to devour the NPS website. There are a ton of up to date and useful information so you don't get caught off guard with road or hiking trail closures.

💎 If you’re an expat, new to the points & miles game, or just want to learn how to build your US credit score from zero to 810, this 27 minute episode is for you.

In case you missed it 👇

I Could Never Stick to Travel Journalling—Until I Tried This Low Friction, One-Sentence Journal System to Use On-The-Go

TravelMates: Matt Schulz

How I Turned My $300 AMEX Credit Into a 5-Star Staycation at Crown Towers for US$133.68

📸 This Week in Notes

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

• Japan is one of my favourite destinations in the world. The food and culture is second to none. But something really unique about Japan? It’s the onsens (hotsprings). Burcu Basar shares some beautiful photos and her onsen-hopping experience. A must read.

• Is photography a good career? I loved this piece by fellow writer and photographer Sheena S. I used to do photography client work and enjoyed it for a period of time. But I lost a bit of love for the art & craft of photography when it was for clients. Now, for me photography is a tool for storytelling and shared experiences.

💬 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!

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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, photographer and points & miles optimiser 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.