Which Is Better?

It's our "Which is Better" episode! As Jon and Jenn debate which is better; Ride Share or Taxi, AirBnB or Hotel, and First Class vs Coach- Jenn literally tries to not sound bougie. As she's talking about First Class!!

Things have changed since the pandemic. Is doing ride share still better than a taxi? Even in Vegas? What about the cleanliness of a hotel with staff shortages?

Transcript from Podcast:

Jon: This podcast would've started 30 minutes ago, but our dog just drank like three bowls of water next to our recording equipment.

Jen: Also, you never remember how to set this up. --

Jon: I am a professional.

Jen: --and I know you say it's because, oh, we are moving the equipment around, but you know what? When we were at our house and it stayed in the same spot.

Jon: Yeah.

Jen: We had the same problem.

Jon: I know! I don't know why it's so difficult. Although in my defense--

Jen: You've been doing this for a long time? <Laugh> is that what you were gonna say? <Laugh>

Jon: I'm a professional on radio.

Jen: <Laugh> come on,

Jon: We have to... listen the podcast equipment... Here's a little look. It doesn't take much. There's a couple microphones, a little thing that puts the audio together and then it goes into the laptop, right?

Jen: Yeah.

Jon: <Laugh> you think it would be easy, but it's not, it's very difficult each and every time and where we recorded last time, we're in our temporary housing. if you don't know why you can go back and listen to that podcast. Oh yeah. But this time we're trying a different place to see how the audio is--

Jen: here --

Jon: --on our kitchen table next to the dog bowl.

Jen: Oh yeah.

Jon: So that's great. So --

Jen: Here's to open

Jon: By the way, welcome to Our Savings Starts Tomorrow. If this is your first episode,maybe go back a few. I know <laugh> but my name is Jon, my wife Jen is with me and we just share our travel adventure stories; that's at least the main concept of it.

Jen: Yes.

Jon: And we have put a hiatus on travel for a second due to some flooding that happened in a house.

Jen: Yes.

Jon: We'll be back to it soon enough.

Jon: Can't wait to share those new adventures with you. And of course, as we share our stories, we always drink some wine or Jen does at least. What are you doing over there today?

Jen: I'm having Klein, today the cashmere red blend.

Jon: I swear Klein is the place we had, like a former prison warden pouring our wine when we went to Klein.

Jen: I think you're right.

Jon: He had some crazy stories.

Jen: Yeah. That was like a really cool wine tasting experience that we had there.

Jon: I have no clue if he was telling the truth or not.

Jen: It doesn't matter--

Jon: At all.

Jen: He's like an Uber driver.

Jon: Yeah, he was so entertaining the entire time; so I really enjoyed him. We thought today we do something different for our podcast. A lot of times we just recap our trip as a whole, and we tell you little travel tips or adventure stories, and that's kind of what we do. But this time around, it's a little bit different because when we are doing our Las Vegas one , we, we kind of ran out of time. Yeah. Because we really try to keep these podcasts to 20 minutes. --

Jen: You're always rushing me.

Jon: --Well, I just feel like how much do we really have to say?

Jen: Keep them wanting more.

Jon: Right. Yes, exactly. There's not many of 'em. We don't wanna wear them out. And we didn't talk about the taxi cabs.

Jen: Yes. I know, I was very upset about that.

Jon: It was like one of the things you had on your notes, you never bring notes to the table.

Jen: Nope.

Jon: You just bring a bottle of wine. That is your <laugh>.

Jen: I'm sorry.

Jon: That's what you do. And then you judge me for my job but huh--

Jen: I can't do everything gosh <laugh>

Jon: We didn't really get to talk about taxis and Ubers in Vegas. And when we were in Las Vegas and again, you could go back and listen of that episode. There, weren't a lot of taxis. --

Jen: No.

Jon: Or Ubers.

Jen: No.

Jon: It was during the pandemic.

Jen: Yeah.

Jon: Kinda [inaudible03:26].

Jen: Well, I felt like there, yeah, there wasn't a lot of either.

Jon: --No.

Jen: -- Like normally there's a lot of both there wasn't a lot of either. And like, but both like were not great options.

Jon: We actually waited in a taxi line for like 20 minutes. And then we're like, okay, we'll just get an Uber.

Jen: Yep.

Jon: And so we got the Uber and by the time our Uber arrived, the people who were in front of us in the taxi line, they had gotten on there.

Jen: Yes.

Jon: We should have just stayed where we were.

Jen: We should have stayed in the taxi line.

Jon: We got impatient though.--

Jen: Yes.

Jon: As we do.

Jen: I know.

Jon: Yeah. So it's an ongoing kind of argument though, between you and I taxi versus Uber --

Jen: Or Lyft or any of those

Jon: whatever it is.

Jen: Ride share,

Jon: Ride share. Yeah.

Jen: Yeah, I--

Jon: go ahead. --

Jen: I'm against it.

Jon: You're against ride share. --

Jen: I am.

Jon: Yeah. Even though everyone else is fine with it.

Jen: I know. I, I know .

Jon: Why?

Jen: I feel unsafe. Much like Mexico <laugh>.

Jon: Oh my gosh.

Jen: I could be taken it any time.

Jon: Yeah. You feel like you're just getting in a stranger's car.

Jen: Yes.You are. You are literally getting into a stranger's car.These people have not been vetted. I'm sorry.

Jon: Nor do they sometimes are... some are great drivers, but I will tell you more and more I'm getting --

Jen: Sketch.

Jon: --Sketchier cars each time with sketchier drivers. --

Jen: Yes.

Jon: --Then back back when like rideshare started, it was like, everyone was doing it and they'd have like mints in their car

Jen: I swear, like the first few times that I ever did Uber I don't think there was like a difference between Uber XL and you know, like the different--

Jon: You get that choice--

Jen: Like premium or whatever. --

Jon: Yeah.

Jen: --I felt like I was always getting in very nice cars.

Jon: You were getting like town cars?

Jen: Yes.

Jen: And now I've got --

Jon: A Honda civic picking me up with windows... actually I was in one yesterday and the guy's air conditioning didn't work, so we're driving down the freeway and he has his window rolled down as we're going so there's some air circulation happening in the car. Yeah, I've done it before. Where the people's seatbelts don't work.

Jen: Don't work. Oh, that's safe.

Jon: But what I to do is still give them five stars. I don't wanna ruin it for someone else. The driver, I mean, for the passenger, I'm gonna ruin it for you cuz you might get into an unsafe car. <Laugh> but I don't wanna be the person who ruins these driver's ratings.

Jen: Have you ever looked to see what your rating is? I would love to see like what your rating is.

Jon: I'm a 4.9.

Jen: Are you really?

Jon: And I want to know who

Jen: Didn't give you a five.

Jon: Who screwed me. Yeah,

Jen: Because you gave them a five.

Jon: Oh yeah, I absolutely did. No matter what.

Jen: Yeah,

Jon: So that's what I am. I'll have you know.

Jen: Interesting. I'm not looking at mine. <Laugh>

Jon: <Laugh> I, I don't know. I, I understand what you're saying. You don't like to get in them if you're by yourself.

Jen: Definitely do not like to go by myself. If we're with a group, I get that it makes sense. I get that it's the cheaper option. I get that, like, unless you're living in New York downtown, like on the strip in Vegas, right? Like when do you ever even see taxis

Jon: Do you know how hard it was to get a taxi back in the day? Like when we'd go to bars,

Jen: You'd have to call the number.

Jon: Yeah. And then you'd wait an hour and a half, maybe they would show up.--

Jen: Yeah, that's true.

Jon: I mean, if the taxi service would have an app... maybe they do like Uber and Lyft.

Jen: We should look thatUp. Because you know what? I would get that app

Jon: Because you feel like they have to carry more licensing and they're just a little more legit of a company.--

Jen: Yes.

Jon: --Than say just some rando,

Jen: Some rando's car that I'm getting into. And I'm sorry they say that there's all these--

Jon: Like vetting.

Jen: [inaudible07:19]Well and also, you know, like make sure you're getting into the car... that's the like, I look for the make and model that's it. I'm not like reading the license plate. I don't know, that's on me.

Jon: You're supposed to say like Tim, and then they're supposed to say your name.

Jen: Yeah. And then of course they'd be like, yeah, I'm Tim. I'd be like, cool. I just,

Jon: Here we go , rock and roll

Jen: You know why? Because anytime I get in one I'm hammer

Jon: <Laugh> <laugh> it's true. It's true. You know what my favorite part though, about like an Uber and Lyft driver is they all have the most fascinating stories. Like the warden. --

Jen: Yes.

Jon: --They all are millionaires who are doing this as a side job.

Jen: I've never not met a millionaire. Actually, no we met one guy whose wife died and that was very sad.

Jon: It was like the worst. We're having a good time. We're bar. We're laughing. Yeah. And this poor old man driving us home starts talking about how his kids told him he should do this because his wife died and he's just been sitting around the house. And now we're like just bawling.

Jen: Yeah. We're vested in his story and he showed us like a trailer that he just recently bought. He was driving a very nice truck. He drove us around in a nice truck.

Jon: He maybe he made the whole thing up cuz we tipped him a lot. Maybe that was his thing.

Jen: Maybe he didn't give you five stars. <Laugh>.

Jon: Maybe he's the guy.

Jen: Maybe he's the guy.

Jon: You know what happened last night to a friend who showed up where we were all meeting to, to go out Uhhuh he pulled up in a truck, the truck thing reminded me of it. And had to get out, there was no backseat. He literally sat next to the driver.

Jen: What?

Jon: There was a time when like they would check these cars and said, no, it was just like a truck. And he was like, there's no backseat. I, I asked the guy where I'm supposed to sit and he was like saddle up partner.

Jen: Oh no.

Jon: <laugh> could you imagine if that was you?

Jen: No.

Jon: You 'd say pass.

Jen: Yeah.

Jon: Yeah. I know.

Jen: And you can't do that cuz they'll like, --

Jon: Then you get a bad review.

Jen: Yeah.

Jon: You get or a bad rating.

Jen: Yeah,

Jon: I know. All right. We're supposed.--

Jen: Yeah. I just, .. I personally, especially in these bigger cities too, I enjoy the taxi experience.

Jon: Well it's their job.

Jen: It's their, --

Jon: Their full time job,

Jen: --job. like they know the places.

Jon: Yeah.I don't know.

Jen: I don't know.

Jon: This episode brought to you by Lyft. <Laugh> use the text. Use the keyword Our Savings Starts Tomorrow. Okay. We're supposed to debate about more than just that one.

Jen: Yes.

Jon: Airbnb versus hotel.

Jen: Oh Gosh. This is another one that people are not gonna be pleased with me.

Jon: Well, if you don't like getting into a stranger's car, why are you gonna get into a stranger's house?

Jen: Exactly. Not safe.

Jon: A hotel room is just as disgusting as someone's house.

Jen: I don't know that .

Jon: The room has multiple visitors, every single night. You're having housekeeping is sanitizing the area and wiping things down. Haven't you ever heard the stories where like don't use the glass cups cuz they just wipe 'em they don't wash 'em . So what's the difference between that and going to someone's house.

Jen: I just feel again "Hello, random stranger online. I'm just gonna go into your house. How do, how do I know that they're not gonna come in in the middle of the night? How do I know that there's not cameras all over the place

Jon: Every time there's a news story where like someone finds a camera in an Airbnb. Jen's like I told you.

Jen: Yes, I did. Also, I know that at like the Marriot, for instance, they're washing, they all have white linens. White towel. You know why? Cuz they're bleaching the heck out of that stuff to like just kill everything. But you go to John Doe's house and you know what, how do I know Like what, what they're using to sanitize, if they're even using anything to sanitize their linens and their towels and things.

Jon: I'll tell you why. We went to an Airbnb once and the sheets had not been cleaned. There was like hair in there. It was like disgusting. And that's when Jen stopped going to Airbnb , it was like our first Airbnb and our last Airbnb.

Jen: It was not our first, but it was our last, --

Jon: It was definitely the last one.

Jen: --Well, at least for now. And, again I get it, when you're with a group of people, it makes so much sense. I also I don't understand the people that are like, I just wanna be like immersed into whatever --

Jon: Neighborhood.

Jen: --Yes

Jon: Mm-Hmm you don't want that.

Jen: I don't.

Jon: Well, I think you and I both, like, we want the hotel experience. We wanna go to a place where there's a lobby and ride the elevator up and ... But I think some people wanna like cook their meals

Jen: Well, you know what, I guess if I had the, a luxury of being on vacation for like a month Uhhuh then sure. That would be great. But you know what? We travel. Like I feel like normal people where we maybe go for a week. And if I wanted to grocery shop and pick up after myself, I would just stay at my house.

Jon: I do agree that if you're with a group though, you go to a cool house. Like our family once rented an Airbnb, it was like a mansion on the water.

Jen: Oh yeah. That place was really cool.

Jon: That was cool.

Jen: Yes, that was really Cool.

Jon: We all had like our own room and stuff and then It's worth it.

Jen: That, yes, I agree.

Jon: I did look once because I saw some Airbnbs that overlook central park, like in New York--

Jen: I guess that would be cool.

Jon: -- And I'm oh that, because then it's an experience you're not getting every day. You're not just living in some house in a neighborhood.

Jen: Right.

Jon: You're actually having something that you can't get unless you're staying at the Plaza.

Jen: Right.

Jon: And these were cheaper than staying at the Plaza, so ... then I'm like.

Jen: And we've been to New York before, so I feel like, okay, sure. We've kind of done the tourists, like a lot of the touristy things. If we wanted to go back, I Could see that.

Jon: And you know how small, the rooms are even--

Jen: Tiny.

Jon: -- Even like the nice hotels have tiny rooms when we go to New York. All right which is better first class versus comfort, versus coach versus Delta one.

Jen: Oh gosh.

Jon: Let me start. First class is the most overrated maybe a one time first class wasn't but we've been upgraded before, because if we use like our points for everything and it sucked, I've never been on first class and like, oh, I'm glad we're using these many points.

Jen: Right? Well Pre-Covid first class really meant something.

Jon: Did it?

Jen: I think so. Like you would get actual meals and you would get your drinks in glasses and I don't know, like they greeted you, they brought you a drink before you even took off. And now it's--

Jon: Don'y you get a warm towel also.

Jen: Yeah.

Jon: I just go from the movies.

Jen: You've been in first class before.

Jon: I've never had that stuff. I'll tell you my first class experiences one. You and I flew on first class from salt lake to Vegas. It's a 45 minute flight and there's so much turbulence no one even got up and gave us a drink.

Jen: Yeah, hat was upsetting.

Jon: And it's been since the pandemic,

Jen: I thought you flew first class, like from Pensacola to--

Jon: Oh, in a radio thing. That was fun. I didn't get, it was a cheap airline.

Jon: Okay.

Jon: I didn't get any of that stuff.

Jen: Oh.

Jon: No,I got free drinks. They cut me off <laugh>

Jen: Okay. Well, I mean I've I don't wanna sound overly bougie, but I've flown first class[crosstalk14:17]--.

Jon: Really? Sure. Go ahead. <Laugh>.

Jen: --A couple of times

Jon: Wish they only had the finest of hotels

Jen: Our Savings Starts Tomorrow. Yeah, I felt like it kind of meant something. Yeah. But I like to get upgraded. Well, yeah. I don't think that it's worth money unless it's a longer flight and honestly, unless you're traveling like six plus hours, I think comfort is more than--

Jon: And obviously we're talking like the Delta has like Comfort.

Jen: I know we're kind of Delta snobs because of where we live.

Jon: Yeah. It's a hub here, but it's whatever. Most airlines now have that comfort type play. So it's not first class it's not coach. You get a little more room. and also you usually get like free drinks , that's about it. I love... to me that's the best spot.

Jen: Oh and I like to be a able to get on...that's another thing.

Jon: Yes.

Jen: You wanna get on first because then you can get your bags on because

Jon: The fight that happens about bags these days,

Jen: I cannot.

Jon: Yeah.

Jen: Yes.

Jon: So it's just better to get on, have your spot that you get to put your bag and then you can relax. Coach is like wild, wild west <laugh> it's like insane. So yeah I dunno, we tried first class with the kids when we flew to Florida.

Jen: Yes. They had been talking about first class and so they were very like, --

Jon: Excited about it.

Jen: --Well, they didn't even know, we surprised them. Remember we totally surprised them.

Jon: They didn't even recognize we [inaudible15:44] --

Jen: And we're like, do you know where we are? And they're like, ah, I'm a plane, --

Jon: On a crappy airplane,I don't know how [mumbling15:50].

Jen: I'm like, this is first class and they were like, huh? Like looking around afterwards Ella was very disappointed. Cuz she thought that there was going to be a harp player. --

Jon: Me too.

Jen: She also thought there was going to be a chandelier. <Laugh>

Jon: You know, if you look at the old, like 1970s planes though, they'd have like that standup bar, you could go to smoke a cigarette and...

Jen: Oh my gosh. And then remember like they didn't even have no, they just did the snack boxes. You got like a snack box for free

Jon: Same box that you pay $9 for anywhere else

Jen: And we thought that we were gonna get at least like a sandwich or like a little more substance and there wasn't anything. So then our son asked for a second snack box and I was like, we're in first class. Of course they're gonna give you one. They didn't.

Jon: No, it was the worst experience.

Jen: It was bad.

Jon: Yeah.

Jen: Yeah,that was bad. Our kids were very disappointed.

Jon: So Delta... So I'm telling you comfort is the place to go.

Jen: Comfort is --

Jon: You get upgraded, great, good on you. Yes. But it's worth the extra $35.

Jen: $50, I feel like .

Jon: Like whatever it is for the flight to fly comfort. --

Jen: Yes,

Jon: Compared to coach.

Jen: Agreed.

Jon: Now this all being said [mumbling16:57] I'm bougie <laugh> gosh, but when we flew to Hawaii, it was direct from Salt Lake to Honolulu and it was our anniversary trip and we used all of our points we had and we flew Delta One. --

Jen: Yes.

Jon: Worth every penny.

Jen: Oh my gosh.

Jon: In fact I want every plane to be Delta One and I want to have the money where I can fly like that everywhere we go.

Jen: Go everywhere.--

Jon: It was--

Jen: --Even if it's 45 minutes, --

Jon: Like I was in this seat that I could push buttons and it would turn into a recliner, it would turn into a bed. I had like a big flat screen TV in front of me.

Jen: Boze headsets. --

Jon: Yeah.

Jen: They were like noise canceling.

Jon: And You're in your own like cubicle.

Jen: Yeah, you're in like your own little pod

Jon: Like you and I try to sit next to each other, pointless.

Jen: I know.

Jon: The pods are so far apart because there's so much stuff that you have. I want to see what that's like to fly over seas because we actually only had Delta one on the way there. They didn't do it on the way back. --

Jen: I know.

Jon: And I wanna know what it's like to, like, you slept on the plane. I didn't

Jen: On the way to Hawaii.?--

Jon: Yeah.

Jen: You know what I didn't need to sleep. I mean, we left at like 11:00 AM. --

Jon: It was noon. It was lunch time.

Jen: --It was lunchtime we had a little lunch.

Jon: A few drinks[ mumbling18:11].

Jen: I had a couple drinks well vacation. And then I was like, well, this bad boy can lay all the way down. I well take it for a spin.

Jon: You did.

Jen: And it was glorious. They gave me a little blanket and then, you know what, on the way back we flew first class, not Delta One first class and I didn't even get a damn blanket and I was freezing.

Jon: I know.

Jen: The seat did not recline.

Jon: No.

Jen: It was horrible.

Jon: I'm pretty sure on Delta One, I also had like, I don't know if it was ... like, I had my own flight attendant or what, but that guy was over there every five minutes, like petting my head, seeing sweet nothings into my ear. Was that, did you get that or was that just a special thing I had,

Jen: I think just you.

Jon: Okay.

Jen: I know the lady was... she was tolerant of me. I think the person in front of her exhausted her and I think she was nice enough.

Jon: No, he like gave me a shoulder rub, I think at one point.

Jen: Oh Gosh.

Jon: Very nice.

Jen: Interesting.

Jon: I loved my experience.

Jen: <Laugh>

Jon: All right. Well, so I don't know if you ever have a chance, it's definitely worth it. It's fun. It's like a special occasion, right?

Jen: Yes.

Jon: It's like going to a nice restaurant.

Jen: Yes.

Jon: I wish we could say we did it all the time, but that's definitely not how it works. <Laugh> .Hey, before we finish our podcast, cuz it's about that time. I did wanna say thank you for all of your nice reviews, including one from PC Jess that says a breath of fresh air, one star for every ounce of Elijah Craig, Jen must have had during the episode Curse of Pele, straight up, such a fun podcast. Jen is hysterical and Jon is just as good.

Jen: Oh,

Jon: All right. <Laugh> [mumbling19:51].

Jen: Thank you.

Jon: Love listening to your adventures and mishaps. So isn't that cool?

Jen: That is so nice.

Jon: If you've listened to this and you haven't given us a review, please do so.

Jen: Yeah, Do it.

Jon: Helps us. Yeah. Or just tell a Friend

Jen: And then tell another friend

Jon: And then another friend. And then you keep calling your friends down your phone tree.

Jen: Yes.

Jon: So everyone has heard about this show <laugh> and follow us on Instagram.

Jen: Yes. Our Savings Starts Tomorrow.