Meet Jenny Plungis
LOCAL FOREIGNER’S TEAM OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
This post is part of our series celebrating our Independent Contractors and Hosting Program. The Local Foreigner's Hosting Program provides a platform of systems and support for independent travel advisors.
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Keeping her Cool
At the Local Foreigner, we pride ourselves on knowing the inside tips – where to get London’s best martini, or how to see the Sistine Chapel without any crowds – but Jenny Plungis is the only member of the team who can tell first-hand you the best way to beat the heat on an August afternoon in Tucson. “I started my career in travel as a pool server at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain, serving drinks in 115 degrees. On my breaks, I would sit in the industrial fridge to cool off.” But hanging out in the walk-in didn’t cool her love for the Ritz Carlton brand, or for hotel life in general – after a year slinging cocktails, she moved into leisure sales for Dove Mountain, and began her career in the travel industry in earnest. “I was right out of college, and I learned it all – picking up rental cars and driving myself to sales calls all over the western US, hosting fabulous travel agents that were decades older than me for FAM trips – I loved it.”
““I started in hotel sales right out of college, and I learned it all – picking up rental cars and driving myself to meetings all over the western US, hosting fabulous travel agents that were decades older than me for FAM trips – I loved it.”
-Jenny Plungis
Culture Vulture
A move into group sales for the brand brought her to Denver, but she missed the creativity and personal connection of leisure travel. Plus, her own love of being on the road meant she wanted to expand her reach, to sell the whole world. A friend in the industry suggested she make the leap from the hotel side to the advisor side, and connected her to a boutique agency in New York. Never one to do things by halves, Jenny went all in, moving to the city to work as an in-house agent. “I took full advantage of living in New York – I went to the Met, and I saw everything at Lincoln Center. I was always walking, over the Brooklyn Bridge, through Riverside Park all the way down the Hudson – just soaking in the opportunities that the city offers.”
The other thing that New York offers is access to the rest of the world, and Jenny was never hesitant about taking off on a moment’s notice to far-flung destinations. “My mom is a big camper, so growing up, we did a lot of exploration travel, and she always prioritized experiences over things. So my personal travel style skews toward off-the-beaten-path – Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Bhutan – but you know what? I also love to be on a boat drinking rosé.”
“Hutton|B has been a perfect fit, because over the past few years, Hutton has had little kids at home, but I have been able to get on the intercontinental flights and have my feet on the ground in these big-ticket, bucket-list destinations.”
Built for Travel
Once Covid hit and the vibrancy of the city was dimmed for a while, Jenny decided to head back to the mountains (and her beloved golden retriever Rupert was thrilled to get some more room to roam.) As it was for so many, the pandemic was a time of major transition for the travel industry, and along with the move, Jenny decided to join forces with Hutton Beckcom as part of HUTTON|B. “It has been a perfect fit, because over the past few years, Hutton has had little kids at home, but I have been able to get on the intercontinental flights and have my feet on the ground in these big-ticket, bucket-list destinations.”
It was on one of these long-haul trips that fate brought Jenny and the Local Foreigner together. “I actually met Alex Erdman Ely in a lounge in Johannesburg – she was leaving Botswana, and I was coming in, and we ran into each other ordering a glass of wine.” Jenny’s stamina impressed Alex immediately. “I don’t get carsick, so I can sit in the back of a car on winding roads through Bhutan and write emails. Of course, it’s important to get the restaurants and hotels right for a quick trip to Paris, but for bigger, longer trips across the world, it’s even more important to match traveler and experience, because people are probably not going to be visiting these places multiple times.”
After that fated meeting over a glass of airport cab sav, the rest is history. “Hutton and I were drawn to the Local Foreigner because the processes are airtight. The infrastructure at the Local Foreigner is so much better than what anyone else is offering,” Jenny says. And after all, if there’s anyone who knows what it means to be airtight, we trust the woman who used to shut herself in a fridge.