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Social status: Penn Cambria teacher racks up followers by sharing budget travel tips
By Colette CostlowJuly 26, 2026
7 min read
Penn Cambria teacher and content creator Jessica Burlingame is pictured with her husband, Chris, and two sons, Oliver (left) and Owen (right) in Maui.
Courtesy photo
Standing with cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants, content creator Jessica Burlingame (left) gives the camera a thumbs up beside her sons, Oliver (next to left) and Owen (next to right) and husband, Chris.
Courtesy photo
Jessica Burlingame is pictured with her sons, Oliver, 7, and Owen, 10, at their first branded trip at the Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts in Punta Cana.
Courtesy photo
Jessica Burlingame gives her son, Oliver, a high five while visiting Pike Market Center in Seattle, Washington. Courtesy photo
From left, Burlingame’s sons, Owen, 10, and Oliver, 7, stand at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.
Courtesy photo
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Penn Cambria teacher and content creator Jessica Burlingame is pictured with her husband, Chris, and two sons, Oliver (left) and Owen (right) in Maui.
Courtesy photo
Burlingame
Standing with cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants, content creator Jessica Burlingame (left) gives the camera a thumbs up beside her sons, Oliver (next to left) and Owen (next to right) and husband, Chris.
Courtesy photo
Jessica Burlingame is pictured with her sons, Oliver, 7, and Owen, 10, at their first branded trip at the Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts in Punta Cana.
Courtesy photo
Jessica Burlingame gives her son, Oliver, a high five while visiting Pike Market Center in Seattle, Washington. Courtesy photo
From left, Burlingame’s sons, Owen, 10, and Oliver, 7, stand at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.
Courtesy photo
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Penn Cambria High School social studies teacher Jessica Burlingame never thought she’d travel the world, let alone teach others on the internet how to do it on a budget
“You never know where life is going to take you,” she said
After launching her social media platform, @teachertravelsonpoints, Burlingame acquired over 50,000 Instagram followers and over 30,000 Facebook followers looking for tips and tricks about how to travel across the world on a tight budget
Part of that success comes along with not caring what others think about you, she said, because having an internet presence places her in the spotlight
“Don’t let fear stop you,” she said. “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 become a marine biologist, but realized in her late teenage years that she loved interacting with people instead
Being a marine biologist can be a lonely career, she said, noting that at the time, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to leave the area anymore
“Marine biology wasn’t going to work in central Pennsylvania,” she said with a laugh
With an interest in history and an ability to play soccer, she graduated from Altoona Area High School in 2005 alongside her high school sweetheart — now husband — Chris Burlingame
But she didn’t take her first real trip until 2007, when she left for Africa while taking classes at Juniata College
Jumping on a plane for the first time in her life, she said she learned a lot about herself on that trip, 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 said
The next year, she joined Chris in Scotland twice while he studied at the University of St. Andrews. Together, they explored Greece for eight days and Italy for six days by staying in hostels to save money
At the time, she told Chris that they would make sure to have enough money to enjoy themselves if they ever visited Europe again
After graduating from Juniata College in 2009, Burlingame secured a position teaching social studies at Penn Cambria High School in 2011
She and Chris eventually married and planned their honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii, staying at her uncle’s timeshare residence
“She fell in love with it,” Chris said. “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 travel bug bit Burlingame, but she and her husband left Maui and returned to central Pennsylvania. Over the next
10 years, they took annual trips to nearby beaches, such as Myrtle Beach, while adding two children, Owen and Oliver, to their family
As a family, they visited Seattle in 2022 to see Burlingame’s uncle, and Chris noticed that Jessica’s attention once again shifted to travel, especially after learning to use credit card points
Not only did she want to learn everything about credit card points, but she wanted to teach others about it as well, Chris said
Burlingame’s younger brother, Noah Kline, said 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 said
Taking off
Burlingame said she had no idea what she was doing when she first started posting on her social media platform, @teachertravelsonpoints, in fall 2024
“I was throwing darts and hoping something would stick,” she said
In January 2026, she decided to take her game to the next level by enrolling in an online social media class. The course taught her the basics about posting content on a schedule and when to hit the record button
Despite being taught by individuals younger than her, she said they knew how to effectively convey social media management tips, as their modules never took longer than 15 minutes
“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 said
Meanwhile, her family took more trips using credit card points and budget hacks, documenting their experiences online with photos and videos
Chris remembers when Jessica’s account cracked 3,000 Instagram followers after visiting Seattle again this winter, starting her viral social media presence
“It was like one thing hit, and it started to roll,” he said
One factor that helped with her platform was focusing more on family rather than credit cards, Chris said, adding that the subtle change made a big difference
Over the next few months, Burlingame continued to document family trips to places such as Maui, the Bahamas, Florida, California and Washington, mentioning that she and her sons love snorkeling
Burlingame’s account is no stranger to likes and comments. She already has a few videos with over 10,000 likes on Instagram or over 1,000 comments on Facebook
While her content reaches audiences from around the world, it also reaches her neighbor, Randi Hovan, who credits Burlingame for helping her travel the world
Burlingame helped Hovan score an affordable hotel room — with the help of credit card points — in Indianapolis for a Taylor Swift concert. Since then, Hovan’s family has used credit card points for trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Disneyland and Disney World
It’s not surprising that Burlingame has found internet success with her travel tips and tricks, Hovan said
“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 said
Likewise, Kline wasn’t surprised by Burlingame’s success
She’s been putting in a lot of work behind the scenes, he said
Creating more content
Burlingame’s platform is only getting started
As of Thursday, she became a credit card affiliate, which helps more people sign up for credit cards through her referrals and blog
She also scored a sponsorship with Nickelodeon, so her family was able to stay four nights at Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts in Punta Cana while she recorded content for her accounts
Many people believe her credit score is low or that she’s living beyond her means, she said. Dismissing these conclusions, she said her credit score is currently at 800, and her family saves money when they can by driving regular cars and packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in their suitcases
“It’s a great system for us,” she said
While she continues to add content on her socials, she also makes time for her family in central Pennsylvania, such as coaching Owen’s classic soccer team
Chris believes his wife’s social media presence gives her a space to refocus her energy while she continues to teach at Penn Cambria and coach Owen’s soccer team
Creating content gives her a daily challenge where she thinks about what others would be interested in seeing, he said
Looking at her account’s success, she doesn’t know if she would have been able to have a social media presence 10 years ago due to nerves and what-ifs
She remembered expressing her doubts about starting a social media career to her friend’s daughter, who was in her early 20s at the time. That young woman asked Burlingame why she cared what other people thought, and that stuck
“If someone thinks it’s cringy, that’s on them,” Burlingame said. “As long as I’m comfortable and helping other people.”
Bringing her real-life experiences into the classroom, she encourages her students to be open-minded as well, especially when opportunities present themselves
“Don’t be afraid to open that next door,” she tells her 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 degree in history at Juniata College, 2009; master’s degree in education at Wilkes University, 2016
Family: Husband, Christopher; sons, Owen, 10, and Oliver, 7
Social media accounts: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, TikTok: @teachertravelsonpoints; blog: https://teachertravelsonpoints.com/
