permanent

Hi everyone!

My job and lifestyle requires me to travel almost constantly.

I've only been doing it for around a year and a half, and so far I've been doing a very bad job! I don't collect miles, even though I fly at least 4 times a month, rarely buy return tickets, and am rarely in any country for more than 2 weeks. And I pay for all of my flights myself (although sometimes I'm reimbursed).

I have a pretty obsessive personality, and every time I've started looking into collecting miles/rewards I began over-optimizing and had to stop. Recently a friend of mine recommended that I come here to ask for advice, so that I don't have to spend as many hours getting oriented, but so I can still "do it right". I am completely prepared to manage a complicated points strategy!


I tend to fly between:

North America:
New York, Boston, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal

Europe:
London, Geneva, Paris, Italy, Romania, Ukraine

Asia:
Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok

I fly most between the cities given in bold.
I plan to spend around 4 months per year in North America, 5 months in Europe, and 3 months in Asia.


My goals, in order, are to:

1. Save money
2. Gain access to lounges
3. Get seat upgrades

Thanks so so much for your help!!!