# of miles required varies greatly by destination and time of year, even day of the week. When do you want to go? You can start checking Delta.com now to see how many miles are required for various destinations on various dates. If you're students, presumably there are only certain times when you could travel and they may be at peak times. Are you hoping to use SkyMiles for both tickets? That could be tough for any interntional destination. Consider the ideas on getting new cards, though, of course, there are costs involved. If you're able to pay for one ticket, great.