I’m going to go off on a new tangent here – this is my first post not specifically as a trip report but a bit of advice from my years of travel. I’ve been traveling now for roughly 35 years, well before there were airline alliances, before frequent flier miles existed in any meaningful way, etc. I flew as a standby brat for years, on the whims of empty seats, and once I’d spent years flying in first class for “free” I knew I didn’t want to go back. The key was elite status – which seemed impossible at first, but in the end, it really wasn’t.
However, I quickly learned, that even when most people amass a large amount of miles – be it from flying, credit card offers, or other means, all too often they spend so many more than they need to to get something. There’s nothing wrong with it – sometimes you need something very specific. A given date, a given flight, a given gift for a friend – and you pay what you have to. But, when you can be even just a little bit flexible…you can really stretch your dollar or frequent flier mile so much farther.
