In this week’s Travel Tuesday Interview, I chat with Delta flight attendant Madison Chase about dealing with jet lag, his favorite places to visit and life as a flight attendant! Madison and I worked together when I lived in Santa Barbara, California and became instant friends based on our love of Asia!
Madison is also one of my favorite models. We did a portrait shoot in Carpentaria, California.
Name: Madison Chase
Hometown: Pleasant Hill, CA
Age: 30
Country count: 26
Instagram: MeowdisonChase
1. How did you start traveling?
I am very lucky to come from a family that travels often and in somewhat rather grand ways at times. For example, when I was in 6th grade, my parents rented a giant motorhome and took all six kids from Utah to NYC then to Florida and back to see all of the nation’s biggest sights and historical places. And, that was kind of a big deal especially for my older siblings since we missed a month of school. Shortly after 9/11, we used my sister’s buddy passes from her working at Delta and went to Costa Rica for a couple weeks, and after I graduated, we all went to Peru on a humanitarian trip for two weeks.
Two months after Peru, when I was 19, my oldest sister and I went to Asia for the first time and that really changed my life. I spent nearly three months in Southeast Asia scuba diving, sightseeing and grew so much as a person. I fell in love with foreign places and the magic that immersing yourself in other cultures can bring. Along the way, I managed to help do some scuba tsunami clean up (as I was there just six months after it happened).
A few years ago, while taking a break from my zoology studies in school, I was lucky enough to be sponsored for an animal communication adventure in Singapore and Indonesia. So, I quit my job at Apple in San Francisco and asked my roommate to watch my two cats, two snakes and my tarantula. [I] packed up and left for three months. I took classes in Singapore, then we moved on to work at an elephant sanctuary in Sumatra and then, went to observe orangutans in Borneo. From there, I said goodbye to the group and went back to Bali for a week then to a live aboard dive boat in the Komodo Islands, where I experienced the best diving I’ve done since I started in 2005. From Indonesia, I headed up to Laos where a friend from class in Singapore was the head vet at a struggling zoo that was being turned into a sanctuary by private group. I volunteered there for some time since I had a background [working at] other zoos back in the States.
Madison worked at an elephant sanctuary in Way Kambas park in Sumatra during a three month trip to Asia. (Photo courtesy of Madison Chase.)
2. What are the perks of being a flight attendant?
The biggest perk of being a flight attendant is the flexibility and freedom to travel. My schedule is very fluid. I can move my assigned trips around for the month, allowing more time at home or more time to travel when I want. I don’t pay anything when I fly domestically, and it’s even free every time I fly out of the country. And, I usually get business class on those. I only pay the taxes when I return. For example, when I went to Australia for my 30th birthday this year, it was just $92 USD round trip. Granted I always fly standby and it’s based on seniority, meaning I often don’t get on the flight I want. And, if you’ve flown at all the last couple years, you’ll notice that often flights are full, and they ask for volunteers to get bumped, meaning unless I want to sit on the jump seat with the crew for the duration of flight, I have to be very flexible with my plans. But overall, it’s been amazing being able to travel when/where I want for nearly nothing at all!
[If you’re interested in applying to be a flight attendant, here are the links to the job postings for the major U.S. carriers: Delta, American Airlines, United and Southwest.]
3. What advice would you have for someone wanting to be a flight attendant?
When I applied, they got over 200k applications and only hired 1500. It can be incredibly steep competition, and you really never know exactly what they are looking for. But, be persistent! I was lucky enough to be hired on the spot after my in-person interview, but others I know applied multiple times and then, were hired later or called out of the blue [and asked] if they could start training immediately. You have to be extremely flexible and able to charm your way with the interviewers, making them believe you love people and are great at handling stressful situations. The people thing I faked: I studied zoology for a reason because I really don’t like people. But, being able to handle the stress under pressure is key. Yeah, I mostly just hand out Coke and peanuts, but when the heat is on…. you have to be highly adaptable to ever changing situations, where the biggest factor is usually human threat/error and always ready to take charge of a situation because at 35,000 feet, it’s just you and the crew and 150 pairs of eyes watching the drama unfold.
4. Share some tips for dealing with jet lag.
With this job, I’m basically tired all the time so learning to nap is key. When I travel to another country for work, I am usually up all night working so my jet lag is always more extreme than a regular passenger who can attempt to sleep during the flight. When I get to my hotel, I generally sleep 2-3 hours and then, force myself up and go about my day exploring and staying up till the local bedtime. But, when I’m home I just enjoy any excuse to lay in bed with my cat relaxing/snoozing. I’ve read that eating at the normal times in the new country can help combat jet lag because your digestion plays a big part. So, instead of skipping meals or eating at random times, try and have breakfast/lunch/dinner at the same time as the locals and that can help set your body clock to your new destination.
Menorca is one of Madison’s favorite places to visit because it’s only a 45 minute flight from another city he loves — Barcelona. (Photo courtesy of Madison Chase.)
5. What are your three favorite places to visit?
I am absolutely obsessed with Barcelona. The city is gorgeous, the people are gorgeous, the food is amazing and so cheap! Also with that, I’ll just lump in Menorca/Mallorca…
Since nature and diving are very important to me, one of my favorite places that I’ve been to was the Komodo Islands in Indonesia. I was in Bali and had to take a couple flights over there, but I experienced the best diving in my life there. The islands are protected because of the Komodo dragons and the surrounding waters are
The third would have to be Sydney because it has everything one could want on an adventure: fun metropolitan city, beaches, amazing food/coffee and so many gorgeous natural places within an hour’s drive in any direction. I had originally planned for just a couple days here, but luckily my friend I’d met through Instagram was off work and showed me around for an entire week, and I just completely fell in love with the city!
6. What was your greatest struggle as a flight attendant/traveler and how did you overcome it?
So far, the biggest challenge as a flight attendant has just been learning to adapt to the new lifestyle that the job brings, especially in the first couple years. We don’t make a lot of money at first, and since you’re junior in the system, you kind of get the leftover trips that others don’t want. I had to commute from Utah to Michigan [right] out of training, and then from Utah to NYC after that. For me, it’s all about staying positive and learning how to work the system so I can have greater flexibility with my schedule. The benefits of the job outweigh the negatives in these first years, and I fully take advantage of flying for free so I’m always going someplace new for fun when I can get some time off.
Madison spent a week exploring Sydney, Australia with a friend he met on social media and fell in love with the city. (Photo courtesy of Madison Chase.)
7. What is the biggest myth about traveling solo?
I know that I have never grown so much as a person until I was off in Asia at 19 years old, bouncing around different countries and really learning who I was and how strong and confident I could be as a person. I love traveling alone because I’m not beholden to anyone else’s agenda or likes/dislikes. I can do all the things that interest me and make new friends along the way, which was challenging at first since I’m kind of shy, but when you’re alone, you tend to find others wherever you are that are likeminded and go out of your way to make new friends and because of this I’ve got people all over the world that I can always visit and stay with, which is amazing!
8. Can you share some tips for packing light?
Packing light has never been a strong suit of mine because I love clothes and having many options. But, I usually just bring a couple pairs of pants/shoes that will go with anything, and then a bunch of shirts that I roll really well so as to make as much space as possible. I have also often found myself bringing a computer/laptop thinking I’ll use it all the time but end up just reading my Kindle or using my phone exclusively and regretting the extra weight/pressure of losing/breaking/having my devices stolen. Unless you’re going to the middle of the desert, you just need to remember you can always buy something later that you might find you need!
Madison diving near Cozumel, Mexico with his GoPro camera. (Photo Courtesy of Madison Chase.)
9. Name three things you always pack for a trip.
- Soft sweater/hoodie for flights (using as a pillow, keeping warm, etc.)
- Earplugs/eyemask
- Extra batteries/portable chargers for camera/phone, etc. (There is nothing worse than running out of juice at a critical time/place and being unable to find a place to charge!)
10. What is your next adventure?
Hmmm, this one I’m not sure! I just finished ten days in Spain last month, which was incredible. I’m planning on moving to Barcelona eventually and just commuting to NYC for work because I love it so much. But, my sister and I want to go back to Australia in the next couple months to check out Byron Bay and go diving at the Great Barrier Reef so that’s probably the next big one. Also, I’m going to try and check out more places in the Caribbean now that I live in NYC, and it’s easy to get to. I want to explore Puerto Rico, go diving in Turks and Caicos and get to Cuba before it gets too popular.
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COMING UP:
Sunrise on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas
A Local’s Guide to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas has been my home base since December 2013 (minus that year I spent in South America), which basically makes me a local by Austin standards. It literally is my job as a freelance travel writer and photographer to try the best restaurants, bars and cool things to do in Austin and the great state of Texas. In my next post, I’ll cover all the best places to eat, drink and visit in my current hometown!
