Becca Tobin’s Love for Travel with Venture X

Becca Tobin is a woman of many talents. An actress, singer, and dancer, she is most well known from her role on Glee as Kitty Wilde, a WMHS cheerleader that we loved to hate! Today, she co-hosts one of the most popular podcasts for women The LadyGang podcast, is a co-author of the New York Times bestseller Act Like a Lady: Questionable Advice, Ridiculous Opinions and Humiliating Tales from Three Undignified Women, and recently starred in Disney’s Turner and Hooch, a spin-off of the 1989 film with Tom Hanks. 

We sat down with the actress, author and host to chat about her passion for helping women and love for travel as a Venture X cardholder. 

From Hopeful to Hollywood

Tobin tells us that her desire to perform began at an early age. “When I was 10-years-old, my parents took me on a trip to New York and I saw my first Broadway show. I was mesmerized, and from that moment on, I knew I loved traveling, and that I wanted to sing and dance for the rest of my life. Fortunately, my parents cultivated those interests,” she says.  

Originally from Georgia, Tobin moved to New York to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. After graduating, she landed gigs in Broadway’s Rock of Ages and toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which turbo-charged her admiration for traveling.

And after touring with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Tobin landed her first part in television on Glee. “I didn’t really think I had a shot because television wasn't my focus. Long story short, I auditioned, landed the role and moved to L.A. Making the adjustment from Broadway musicals to TV acting was pretty intimidating for me. Glee was my first TV job (which feels insane to say), but so much of that job served as my training ground for television acting. Since then, the biggest evolution has been my overall confidence level. The more hours I spend on set and in front of a camera, the more comfortable I become in acting and in my craft in general.”

In between acting roles, Tobin aspired to make a difference. So, she teamed up with two of her girlfriends to start a podcast — The LadyGang — with the goal of having real, raw conversations and creating an inclusive community for women.

“The LadyGang podcast is basically a few friends stumbling through womanhood and bringing our audience along for the ride,” Tobin explains. “We have this philosophy that we want to make women feel less alone, and one of the best ways that we’ve found to do that is to share our stories and our experiences. We are all dealing with something and it’s nice to be reminded that you’re not the only one.”

What began as a movement to help women feel less alone by offering content that is unapologetic, unfiltered and very real, has become a powerhouse media brand with millions of fans. 

As The LadyGang podcast evolved, Tobin and her co-hosts collaborated on their first book — Act Like a Lady: Questionable Advice, Ridiculous Opinions and Humiliating Tales from Three Undignified Women. Tobin shares that the book was an interesting adventure for her. “I really resisted writing at first because I felt like I had nothing interesting to say, and (if we are going to get really honest) I’m the girl who didn’t do her homework in school and this just seemed like one giant homework assignment. While I wasn’t wrong about it being a ton of work, it turned out to be a really cathartic experience for me. I opened up about some stuff I never thought I would, and it felt nice to hear from other women that those stories and essays helped them in some way.”

Pandemic Woes Turn Podcast Win

While the pandemic caused a plethora of challenges, Tobin explains that it actually brought more women together. “At first, during the pandemic, we thought the last thing that women would want to do is listen to other women chit-chat. We didn’t want to be tone-deaf to what was going on in the world.” 

“But, what we found is that our numbers skyrocketed during the pandemic. The podcast had become a light-hearted escape for women during a time when the world felt lonely and heavy. What we initially thought was trivial, was actually providing a release.”

Nothing is Permanent

Tobin shares, “One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned throughout my life is that nothing is permanent. If I’m experiencing something terrible or sad or stressful, I find solace in knowing that feeling or circumstance won’t last forever. And, on the flip side, when I’m experiencing something truly wonderful, I make sure to savor it and appreciate it as much as possible.”

This was Tobin’s sentiment throughout the pandemic when it came to pressing pause on some of her passions — including travel. 

“I am really pumped to travel again. My husband and I both really enjoy traveling, so not being able to travel much over the past two years has been tough. But, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?”

Tobin says one of the best parts about traveling is connecting with people and opening yourself up to new possibilities. “When you're in your own city, it's like you’re living in your own little bubble — running the same errands, spending time with the same people, working out at the same gyms, eating at the same restaurants. But, when you travel, you gain a new appreciation for the world and the people in it.” 

Tobin shares that Japan has been her favorite country she’s traveled to so far because it combines old traditions from past centuries with today's incredible technological progress, but that Jerusalem is a close second. “I'm Jewish, so getting to travel to Israel was really magical. There's so much history. And, I love destinations with such rich culture that you feel like you're in another era.”

Destinations on her bucket list for the future are Thailand and Australia. But wherever she goes next, she’s taking her Venture X card with her.

“I got my very first credit card from Capital One when I was going off to college (my longest line of credit is actually with Capital One!). The Venture X card, being geared toward people who love to travel, was such a no brainer for me. Two things I love the most are unforgettable experiences and traveling,” Tobin laughs. 

Besides the enticing early spend bonus, she’s grateful for the rewards and travel perks.  

“Earning 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel is pretty unbeatable. But also, the Capital One Lounge is amazing, and airport lounges aren’t typically my thing.” 

Tobin went on to say that being in the Capital One Lounge didn’t feel like she was at an airport — it was just a fun atmosphere with great food and amenities.

New Beginnings

Tobin finished filming Turner and Hooch during the pandemic, which recently aired on Disney+ as a spin-off of the 1989 film starring Tom Hanks. Tobin plays the role of a lawyer, which is a personal connection for her, who has many generations of lawyers in her family. 

“I was drawn to this character because I come from three generations of attorneys. My grandfather was an attorney and magistrate court judge, my parents are both attorneys, and so is my older sister. Needless to say, I’ve been doing character studies my entire life.”

The LadyGang also wrote their second book, which will be released in September. “God-willing, we’ll be scheduling a big book tour. It’s been such a long time since we've been on the road, and it will be so great to connect with our LadyGang community.”