Originally Posted by canadiancow

*It is very important to note that my itinerary was optimized to earn the most badges possible in a 9 day period (weekend + week + weekend). It was not optimized for cost. And it was not trying to fit in any "real" trips. The entire itinerary was booked just for the contest. If you have to fly weekly anyway, there are likely some very different things you can do that will take significantly less money and (extra) time than what I did.