A collection of original material in my blog is HERE, check it out!
If you are new in this hobby, I suggest you take the time to read this:
So You Want To Travel For Free Like Me? Are You Sure?
I am George in my late 40s living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have earned millions of miles/points ever since I got into this hobby addiction in the mid 90s. I currently hold several million miles/points across 107 different loyalty programs.
I am a veteran of this quirky hobby and have been observing its growth for over 15 years. I discovered Flyertalk around the year 2000. I am currently earning more miles/points than I can burn; yes, there are worse misfortunes in life! I have done crazy things such as flying for three days/nights in a row in a circle around the US, flying to Amsterdam via Honolulu, did immediate turnarounds in several cities, had hair loss consultations even though I still have all my hair, bought over 100 small coffees from local restaurants for a single promotion, did the infamous Valuemags promotion, had the UPS guy mad at me for hauling numerous boxes full of dollar coins, managed to snag a lifetime Platinum Elite membership in Fairmont President’s Club, participated in several DOs and the Star Mega DO II event. There are many many others skipping my mind! My favorite ice cream flavor is Vanilla. This hobby is like crack. Once you fall for it, there is no cure. Symptoms of the disease are memorable travel experiences around the world in the meantime…it’s not so bad, really!
I had been a very faithful Northwest Airlines flyer and really miss them. I have had a good run of Gold and Platinum Elite status with NWA and Delta for several years even though all my travel is on my own dime. Starting in 2013 I decided to become a free agent and am no longer an Elite flyer. I am adjusting well, thank you for your concern.
I have made many friends over the years in this hobby. I see it more as group therapy. Friends you make in this hobby really understand you and are willing to tolerate your eccentricities! When others will think you are completely nuts your miles/points friends will think you are completely normal and in fact they may challenge you that you are not hitting a deal hard enough!
I am married and my wife has learned to tolerate my quirkiness and my two kids have traveled so much more than their peers is ridiculous! My son is a teenager now who had the balls to tell me the other day “Dad, we travel too much, I want to stay home”….I couldn’t believe my ears, where did he go so wrong?
I have also managed to have some good luck over the years with sweepstakes/contest winnings. Some prizes included a trip to French Polynesia, trip (for 6) to Sea World, a RT trip to London on Virgin Atlantic (going mid April 2013 & connecting on to Norway!), a fully paid Star Mega DO II trip (won the Lufthansa contest on Twitter) 60,000 Starwood points and numerous other smaller prizes.
I mostly enjoy the hunt for the deal and scoring it!
This blog is an eclectic journey in the travel miles/points blogosphere and I hope it improves your quality of life in a certain degree (mostly because of laughter or perhaps you learned something or even got inspired).
In real life I own a boutique wealth management firm and mostly deal with people and their money. My third passion is soccer. I used to watch many movies but gave those up for blogging:-)
Thank you for reading.
George
TravelBloggerBuzz
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
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Flyertalk/Milepoint: gpapadop
