As we continue to travel more, we find ourselves flying to different cities for work or leisure vs road tripping (even though we’ve been dreaming of getting back on the road, possibly driving up to the PNW…we’ll see). Flying is great, and we always try to stay at a hotel or airbnb that’s close to where we’ll be exploring, but sometimes you just need to drive to that restaurant that’s on the other side of town or beat the heat on the way back to your hotel. Uber has been a life-saver for us on many of our trips and even locally in Arizona.  Phoenix doesn’t have the best public transit system, although they have been talking about extending the light-rail — keep your fingers crossed for us! 😉

Coming from New York, we were used to cabs and subways, but Uber seemed a bit taboo to us. We went from never using Uber, to relying on it quite a bit this last year…getting around in new cities each month or catching a ride home from the airport at 2am, when we didn’t want to bother our friends who had to wake up early the next day.   It’s become a part of our travel routine and a positive part of each trip, knowing we can easily request a ride and maybe even get inspired by some of the driver-partner stories on the way to our next destination.

Uber recently reached out about partnering together, and pairing us up with a female driver-partner so we could learn more about the company and what being a female driver is like.  We were matched up with Paige, a Houston native who is now an Uber driver-partner in LA.  Because we weren’t in the same city, we didn’t get to meet up and chat over coffee and donuts, but we were both pretty excited to begin exchanging emails with her,  discover more about the company, and hear a bit about her life in LA.  It took us back to those days in elementary school, writing to our pen-pals in other places…sharing what we enjoy doing in our spare time, what our jobs are like (or back then what we were learning in school that week), personal goals, and what we love about our cities.

Paige grew up in Houston, TX, but quickly found herself living all over the U.S., traveling at a young age pursuing music. Shortly after graduating from the University of Texas in Austin, she had some big music opportunities come her way, and began performing all over her home state.  Now residing in LA, she fills her days performing for crowds, hiking mountains under the sunshine, driving with Uber, and traveling quite a bit for the non-profit organization Project Prayer Box, which she founded back in 2013.

Before starting with Uber, Paige was traveling often between Texas and California.  After releasing her fourth studio album, “One Good Day”, she received an amazing opportunity to write and perform with an upcoming artist in LA. Although her days were filled with excitement and allowed her to continue to create music, the schedule seemed pretty daunting.  She found herself flying back to Texas one week out of each month to perform and make money.  The frequent trips continued to pile on, ultimately giving her the push she needed to make the big move. Although, “…the weather alone, might have been worth it”, she said, “the rigorous performance and travel schedule became exhausting and I began looking for alternative sources of income.”  That’s when she figured she’d give Uber a try.  Her roommate had recently began driving with Uber, and she figured “why not?” She was on the road in a matter of weeks.

Paige has been with Uber for a little over a year and a half now, a seasoned driver of sorts, but she did admit her first drive was slightly intimidating. The first day of any job is always a bit nerve-wracking.  She recalls, “I was literally sitting in my car, received a ‘request’, and then went to pick up a stranger! I was extremely nervous at first, but over a thousand rides later, it’s now an exciting experience to pick up a passenger, not knowing what their story might be.” Each day is new and exciting, which is what we all look for when going to work each morning. There are new people, new stories, and new locations. Everything from job interviews and auditions, to stories about dogs falling in avocado trees and adorable couples, with each ride she’s greeted with a new tale.  Paige explained the process to us a bit too, which was pretty cool.  We request rides all the time, but to hear a bit about what it’s like from the driver’s point of view was interesting. They truly have ultimate flexibility with their schedules, choosing when to turn the app on and if they want to accept a ride or not.

For women who are looking for additional, and/or flexible income, while pursuing their dreams, Paige couldn’t recommend signing up with Uber more. Learn how to sign up here, and be sure to check out Paige’s amazing project while you’re at it, too!

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