from these responses, it looks like i'm a complete dunce for wanting to use up my GPUs in this manner. that may very well explain why i've never been able to use them in the past. is there a place online where someone can help me book a roundtrip ticket and use my GPUs. in this particular case, my itinerary is entirely flexible, so there should be a decent chance of being able to find some way to use these GPUs and get an upgrade. i just don't seem to be able to find it. i recall seeing somewhere that there are websites where, for a small fee, folks can help people like me...