Yes! Getting the rules straight is the hard part, figuring out how to get around them is the fun part!

The goal for frequenty flyer miles would be to use the points to either stay in nice hotels every once in a while or grab a free plane ride while exploring a country. It seems like I might have a hard time getting reward travel in countries other than the US with AAdvantage though, is that true?

Can I transfer the AA points to another program that I could use locally?

How about hotels? Are there any that share with Qantas or AA?

I plan to have enough miles for the flight back from south america to Boston before the trip, so anything I earn on the trip will be slush fund.