Social standing: Penn Cambria instructor racks up followers by sharing finances journey ideas

Penn Cambria High School social research instructor Jessica Burlingame by no means thought she’d journey the world, not to mention train others on the web methods to do it on a finances.

“You never know where life is going to take you,” she mentioned.

After launching her social media platform, @teachertravelsonpoints, Burlingame acquired over 50,000 Instagram followers and over 30,000 Facebook followers searching for ideas and methods about methods to journey the world over on a good finances.

Part of that success comes together with not caring what others take into consideration you, she mentioned, as a result of having an web presence locations her within the highlight.

“Don’t let fear stop you,” she mentioned. “I started to live my life by thinking, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?'”

Growing up in Altoona, Burlingame dreamed of leaving central Pennsylvania to turn out to be a marine biologist, however realized in her late teenage years that she cherished interacting with individuals as an alternative.

Being a marine biologist generally is a lonely profession, she mentioned, noting that on the time, she wasn’t certain if she wished to depart the realm anymore.

“Marine biology wasn’t going to work in central Pennsylvania,” she mentioned with amusing.

With an curiosity in historical past and a capability to play soccer, she graduated from Altoona Area High School in 2005 alongside her highschool sweetheart — now husband — Chris Burlingame.

But she did not take her first actual journey till 2007, when she left for Africa whereas taking courses at Juniata College.

Jumping on a airplane for the primary time in her life, she mentioned she realized loads about herself on that journey, realizing that “you don’t know what you don’t know.”

“Traveling not only teaches you about other cultures, but also patience and resilience,” she mentioned.

The subsequent yr, she joined Chris in Scotland twice whereas he studied on the University of St. Andrews. Together, they explored Greece for eight days and Italy for six days by staying in hostels to economize.

At the time, she advised Chris that they’d make certain to find the money for to take pleasure in themselves in the event that they ever visited Europe once more.

After graduating from Juniata College in 2009, Burlingame secured a place educating social research at Penn Cambria High School in 2011.

She and Chris ultimately married and deliberate their honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii, staying at her uncle’s timeshare residence.

“She fell in love with it,” Chris mentioned. “And part of her motivation was that she wanted to get back there, because there was no other way for us to get there.”

The journey bug bit Burlingame, however she and her husband left Maui and returned to central Pennsylvania. Over the subsequent

10 years, they took annual journeys to close by seashores, equivalent to Myrtle Beach, whereas including two youngsters, Owen and Oliver, to their household.

As a household, they visited Seattle in 2022 to see Burlingame’s uncle, and Chris seen that Jessica’s consideration as soon as once more shifted to journey, particularly after studying to make use of bank card factors.

Not solely did she wish to study every thing about bank card factors, however she wished to show others about it as properly, Chris mentioned.

Burlingame’s youthful brother, Noah Kline, mentioned his sister’s “jetsetter mindset isn’t new.”

“Since discovering what she is now doing, it’s definitely helped her realize she has a lot more possibilities and places to go now,” he mentioned.

Taking off

Burlingame mentioned she had no concept what she was doing when she first began posting on her social media platform, @teachertravelsonpoints, in fall 2024.

“I was throwing darts and hoping something would stick,” she mentioned.

In January 2026, she determined to take her recreation to the subsequent stage by enrolling in an internet social media class. The course taught her the fundamentals about posting content material on a schedule and when to hit the document button.

Despite being taught by people youthful than her, she mentioned they knew methods to successfully convey social media administration ideas, as their modules by no means took longer than quarter-hour.

“Social media is the future, and every student needs to be aware of that. Maybe they’re not making it on social media, but they know how they’re being marketed,” she mentioned.

Meanwhile, her household took extra journeys utilizing bank card factors and finances hacks, documenting their experiences on-line with images and movies.

Chris remembers when Jessica’s account cracked 3,000 Instagram followers after visiting Seattle once more this winter, beginning her viral social media presence.

“It was like one thing hit, and it started to roll,” he mentioned.

One issue that helped along with her platform was focusing extra on household relatively than bank cards, Chris mentioned, including that the delicate change made an enormous distinction.

Over the subsequent few months, Burlingame continued to doc household journeys to locations equivalent to Maui, the Bahamas, Florida, California and Washington, mentioning that she and her sons love snorkeling.

Burlingame’s account isn’t any stranger to likes and feedback. She already has a number of movies with over 10,000 likes on Instagram or over 1,000 feedback on Facebook.

While her content material reaches audiences from around the globe, it additionally reaches her neighbor, Randi Hovan, who credit Burlingame for serving to her journey the world.

Burlingame helped Hovan rating an inexpensive lodge room — with the assistance of bank card factors — in Indianapolis for a Taylor Swift live performance. Since then, Hovan’s household has used bank card factors for journeys to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Disneyland and Disney World.

It’s not stunning that Burlingame has discovered web success along with her journey ideas and methods, Hovan mentioned.

“I am definitely impressed with the amount of success she has had, but I’m not shocked because I know how much time and work she has put into growing her brand,” she mentioned.

Likewise, Kline wasn’t shocked by Burlingame’s success.

She’s been placing in plenty of work behind the scenes, he mentioned.

Creating extra content material

Burlingame’s platform is simply getting began.

As of Thursday, she grew to become a bank card affiliate, which helps extra individuals join bank cards by her referrals and weblog.

She additionally scored a sponsorship with Nickelodeon, so her household was capable of keep 4 nights at Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts in Punta Cana whereas she recorded content material for her accounts.

Many individuals imagine her credit score rating is low or that she’s dwelling past her means, she mentioned. Dismissing these conclusions, she mentioned her credit score rating is presently at 800, and her household saves cash once they can by driving common vehicles and packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches of their suitcases.

“It’s a great system for us,” she mentioned.

While she continues so as to add content material on her socials, she additionally makes time for her household in central Pennsylvania, equivalent to teaching Owen’s basic soccer crew.

Chris believes his spouse’s social media presence provides her an area to refocus her power whereas she continues to show at Penn Cambria and coach Owen’s soccer crew.

Creating content material provides her a each day problem the place she thinks about what others can be focused on seeing, he mentioned.

Looking at her account’s success, she does not know if she would have been capable of have a social media presence 10 years in the past resulting from nerves and what-ifs.

She remembered expressing her doubts about beginning a social media profession to her pal’s daughter, who was in her early 20s on the time. That younger girl requested Burlingame why she cared what different individuals thought, and that caught.

“If someone thinks it’s cringy, that’s on them,” Burlingame mentioned. “As long as I’m comfortable and helping other people.”

Bringing her real-life experiences into the classroom, she encourages her college students to be open-minded as properly, particularly when alternatives current themselves.

“Don’t be afraid to open that next door,” she tells her college students.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.

The Burlingame file

Name: Jessica (Kline) Burlingame

Age: 39

Hometown: Altoona

Education: Altoona Area High School, 2005; bachelor’s diploma in historical past at Juniata College, 2009; grasp’s diploma in training at Wilkes University, 2016

Family: Husband, Christopher; sons, Owen, 10, and Oliver, 7

Social media accounts: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, TikTok: @teachertravelsonpoints; weblog: