Originally Posted by
pinkblanket
I look at it a different way. Instead of what kind of cards I should get, I ask myself:
1. Where do I want to go?
2. What airlines fly to that country? Which ones do I actually want to fly?
3. Is it easy to find award tickets for that trip? For example: I've read that it's hard to find premium seat on Qantas from U.S. to Australia, so accumulating AAdvantage wouldn't work unless I want to fly to Australia via Asia.
Once I answer all of these questions, then I have a goal. Say my goal is to do business class RT to Australia. I can either accumulate 160,000 Delta Skymiles, or 188,000 Flying Club Virgin Atlantic. Now I build my strategy based on this goal. I start looking at which card can convert points to Skymiles or Flying Club. Then I'll try to apply for whichever cards that will get me closer to this goal.
Yeah, I know what you're saying. If I could define a specifc goal, it would be much easier. I have received this advice before.
The problem is that the churning is really a secondary goal. My primary goal is to backpack the world with my wife and not have a set schedule. I just want the most miles/points with ultimate flexibility to assist us.
Maybe this sounds dumb, but from my past travels...My favorite experiences is to land wherever wind blows us, based on spur of the moment recommendations from fellow travelers. That always seems to lead to great travel experiences, which is really my main goal. I think if I pre-planned everything, I'd ruin that aspect.
Also, planning an entire year is completely overwhelming when I'm still 9 months away from the trip. My interests might change by the time May 2016 occurs (the end of my trip). It just doesn't seem like a good idea to plan this deeply.
I guess I just want to earn a good variety of points in high quantities. That is my goal. If that doesn't end up being the perfect savings, or the perfect deal, that's ok...
I do expect to spend some time in Eastern Europe and some time in SE Asia...but everything is VERY undefined and will probably remain that way.
I am interested in budget travel, the best deals. I don't have airlines or hotel preferences. I wish to have a ton of variety of points and miles. So I can extend them as much as possible. I don't plan on any luxury travel during this trip.