For me, the year 2018 has been full of new experiences and tons of work. Between the papers due for my degree, to the memos due for law school, I have found myself constrained to a library cubicle or coffee shop table. However, every chance I got, I have been planning mileage runs for my break times, such as Spring, Summer and Winter breaks. Thankfully, I have been able to fly this year during those times, and enjoy a plethora of experiences that I am very grateful for. I planned three mileage runs this year (between redemption runs, and accruing runs). As I finalize the plans for my last mileage run of the year, I wanted to let y’all know what my year in review will look like by December 31st. Many of these reviews are in the works, and there will be detailed trip explanations for each trip, too.
Mileage Run 1: Spring Break
MIA-DOH
DOH-KWI
KWI-AUH
CMB-DOH
DOH-BKK
BKK-NRT
NRT-ORD
Qatar Airways 787
For this mileage run, it was a mix of accruing miles and spending miles. I used AA miles to get to DOH, paid for the DOH-KWI, KWI-AUH-CMB and CMB-BKK segments. Finally, for the BKK-NRT-ORD segment I used Alaska miles.
Mileage Run 2: Summer
SYD-NRT
NRT-PEK
ICN-TPE-SIN
SIN-HKG
HKG-BOS
Etihad First Class
This was almost a purely redemption trip, as it was my graduation trip and lasted close to a month. I spent AA miles on the Etihad legs and the SYD-NRT leg, and Alaska miles on the SIN-HKG-BOS legs. For the NRT-PEK and ICN-TPE-SIN flights, they were paid out of pocket.
Mileage Run 3: Winter Break
LAX-SYD
SYD-ICN
ICN-KUL
KUL-NRT
NRT-PEK
PEK-BKK
BKK-SYD
SYD-ICN
ICN-FRA
FRA-JFK
Korean Air 747-8
For this last trip, all but the second SYD-ICN leg were spent with Avianca LifeMiles. They have had excellent sales during the year, and I took advantage and purchased the max amount over the three sales. Total miles spent with Avianca miles + cash option was about 175K and about $1000. The LAX-SYD was with Alaska miles on Qantas.
Landing Thoughts:
I am incredibly blessed to be able to travel this much. I find myself wanting to be on plane most of the time. If anyone wants to learn how to fly on their free time using miles and points, feel free to talk to me via Instagram or Twitter or Facebook, I am more than happy to help out! Can’t wait to fly my last mileage run, and have had such an amazing 2018!
A mileage run is a flight or set of flights paid for to attain or retain status. What is a redemption run? It sounds like getting on a plane because you have too many miles.