A Fireside chat with Jason from MilesQuest

Welcome to a new Sunday series that will be a bit like a fireside chat. I count it a privilege to be a part of an amazing group of Travel bloggers here at BoardingArea.com. But just how well do you know “your” BoardingArea writers? Are you reading all the blogs you should be each day? This series will help you get to know them one by one. Now on to this weeks chat.

I found Jason’s blog MilesQuest a long time before I was ever blogging and discovered the neatest deals and travel tidbits that kept bringing me back. Not just the travel knowledge, but it really is about attitude about travel. Then there is writing style to add to the mix. All of this brings us to this week’s guest so let’s get to know Jason!

Rene – Hi Jason, so great to sit down with you as I am a long time fan! One of the things that makes me smile each time I see it is the quote you have on the blog from Mark Twain about travel and it makes me think of you! Tell us, just what got you started blogging when no one else was and how you ended up at BA??

Jason -I did a presentation for my EMBA class in 2008 on the tricks I had used to gather miles and points. They loved it so much that they wanted me to start a blog to share with the class. So I started publishing things on a simple free wordpress blog. I would post deals that I found on the message boards and then Randy Peterson contacted me in 2009 asking me if I wanted to join Boarding Area. I was very honored being a huge fan of the bloggers there and jumped at the chance.

Rene – So neat when BA was really new back then. So you travel a bunch. Other than those who love travel deals, what else is MilesQuest all about?

Jason – Due to my work circumstances, I have the opportunity to travel to some pretty incredible places. I try to relay some of the adventures that I have along the way with pictures of the places. I’m also concentrating a lot on deals involving saving money which could then be used for future travel. In the past year, I’ve cut my cable, my home phone, and even (gasp) some of my credit cards in order to pay off some debt in order to put myself in a better financial position. I’ll still jump on a credit card here or there that has a really big bonus, but mostly I’m being pretty careful paying with stuff strictly with cash.

Rene – That is so different from most bloggers but in a good way. I have to say I do love your photos. They really bring the travel alive. Are you a i-Phone point and click or a bit beyond that shall we say? 🙂

Jason – I’m really an iphone point and click type of person. Fortunately, my wife is able to accompany me on a lot of my trips and she’s the one that really has an eye for pictures. She uses a Canon EOS Digital Rebel T2i and is the basis for a lot of my pictures. I’m still an amateur in that aspect. If you ever come across a picture you like, chances are my wife took it.

Rene – It is fun to see your “tag cloud” to see topics that interest you. Are you one airline loyal or hotel loyal or does the company dictate or you?

Jason – My company doesn’t force the airline or hotel choice but being based out of Salt Lake, I tend to gravitate towards Delta. I really do enjoy flying them. Perhaps there are better airlines out there but I’ve been really satisfied with their service especially with Elites. I tend to gravitate towards Holiday Inn as they’re economical yet great point accumulating opportunities.

Rene – I just love BA bloggers who are Delta fans but it kinda works that way. OK back to MilesQuest. What exciting trips are on tap for this year and what can we look forward to from Jason this year?

Jason – It’s a great question. This year I should be going to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East multiple times. We’re trying to take a huge trip with the entire family to Australia. With three kids in school, it will be a bit of a juggling act but I want them to experience their first international trip and hopefully pass on the hobby / obsession to another generation.

Rene – Great. I can not wait to follow along. Without making this all about Delta, I hear there are big things coming to SLC airport and you will be covering it all. What can we look forward to on the blog and do you have more to share?

Jason -I feel really fortunate to be living in Utah. Prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics, Utah really invested in their infrastructure with light rail and new highways. This has resulted in more and more big companies moving to Utah (ie Adobe) which has spurred on even more investment in the state. Utah recently completed a Frontrunner train that goes from the south all the way to the airport. Most exciting is the announcement of a new terminal at Salt Lake City International where they’re soliciting feedback from the public on what some feature of it should be. I’ll be running some posts asking for people to share their global airport “best of” in order to make the Salt Lake terminal world class.

Rene – I can not wait. Jason, it has been such a privilege as a long time fan to chat with you and so look forward to what is next on MilesQuest this year!

Jason – Thanks Rene for the opportunity to speak to your readers and the opportunity to explain a little bit more about Milesquest.

Be sure to check out Jason’s blog here at BoardingArea as well as Twitter and reach out to him via e-mail as well. Check back next week for another chance to get to know “your” BA bloggers.- René
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