Introduction

First post! Let's get a ceremonial "WOOO!" out of the way! Excited to be here, and excited that you're reading this.

What are we doing here, you may ask?

Well... my name is Lana. I am passionate about travel. Not enough yet to make it a full time job, but enough that I sit in my office gazing out at the world wondering, "what's next?" and waiting for the next day I can set my Out of Office.

Observing elephants on the Maasai Mara Reserve, Kenya

I am a firm believer that in order to travel more, it doesn't need to be expensive. For the savvy, well-organized (and financially disciplined) person, there are tips and tricks to make it more affordable.

However, it's complicated. How do normal people ever manage to navigate the bureaucracy of an airline frequent flyer program and its redemption? Hell, the airlines themselves oftentimes don't even understand their own programs. But, you can fix that.

By educating yourself on just the basics, the average person can come out ahead. Miles are your ticket to traveling:

a) more
b) better
c) cheaper
d) ALL OF THE ABOVE

Think of it like a casino. The house has the advantage. But like Blackjack and counting cards, there are ways for you to identify value opportunities that give you the best chance of success, with little money out of your pocket.

Since I first truly began this hobby, I have personally earned & redeemed over 500,000 miles since June 2013. I got my first credit card with a 20,000 mile sign up bonus, and as they say... the rest is history.

Eating an amazing feast outside Manila, Philippines

My first goal here is to educate you on the basics. I'm writing this first little series as a precursor to me delving deeper into the language of frequent flyer programs. These next posts are aimed at the person who has no knowledge of frequent flyer programs. I am going to write one post per day on a topic, for the next month, that will read sort of like a "Frequent Flying for Dummies." In addition to airlines, I will cover some tidbits on hotels, rental cars, and personal finance related matters. (Had to throw in that last part, since those of you who know me know that I work in the retirement consulting business, so I can't overstate the importance of it enough)

I hope you're ready. This is the first time I've really attempted to share what I've learned with the world. Keep in mind, I'm still learning more and more about this every day and there are people who are FAR BETTER at it than I am who do this as their FULL-TIME JOB. I'm not there yet. I'm not quitting my day job.  I just want to share some tips and tricks so that you and your friends can become Dale and my travel companions!

El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico

Peace, love, and an extra pack of peanuts,

LC