Subscribe now using your favorite service:
Before putting his professional expertise and personal passion to the ultimate test by traveling around the world for a year with his wife and two young children, Rainer Jenss was a vice president and 13-year veteran of the National Geographic Society. As Publisher of National Geographic Kids from 2002-2008, Jenss helped transform the publication into the most widely read consumer magazine for children in the world.
Rainer Jenss, Founder of the Family Travel Association
Credit: 2020 Rainer Jenss
Since returning from the trip around the world with his family, Jenss has been a dedicated advocate for family travel as an essential part of every child’s education. By creating the Family Travel Association, Jenss aimed to establish a collective and unified industry voice to help change the way families travel.
In this episode of Humans of Travel, Jenss opens up about the personal challenges of immigrating to the U.S. from Germany as a child, his desire to integrate travel into his professional ambitions, the road to discovery brought about by a trip around the world with his family and the healing power of travel during a personal health crisis.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Community Voices: Travel Is Just What the Doctor Ordered
Family Travel Association: www.familytravel.org
Smart Family Travel: www.smartfamilytravel.com
National Geographic Kids: www.kids.nationalgeographic.com
Full episode notes at www.TravelAgeWest.com/Podcasts
About Your Host
Thanks to the generosity of his grandmother, Aaron Schlein traveled to four continents and a dozen countries before he was old enough to vote. Those early adventures convinced him that travel is an essential part of life.
Schlein satisfies his passions for travel, teaching, and entertaining by helping travel industry clients create memorable and profitable audio and video content. Recent clients include Travel Weekly, VisitBritain, AirTreks, Travel Age West, The Family Travel Association, and many others.
Schlein was born in Texas, raised in SoCal, and currently lives in Sacramento, Calif. with his wife and two children (who are growing up too fast!)
About Your Show
TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the experiences — the highs and the lows — that make them human.
