Mileage earning opportunity of the year? [/B] H class ticket on AA for dirt cheap and getting full miles with both BA and AA.

Best value flight of the year (excluding awards)? SEA-LAX with Alaska Airlines for $113, and getting some of the best service from flight attendants of any airline and any cabin, and some food to rival CW.

Special offer of the year (non-flight)? Well, maybe this does not count but... getting paid $400 to take the later flight out of SFO and then getting upgraded to boot. I found it quite special.

Biggest f***-up of the year? Waiting around T4 for hours and hours because BA flight LHR-AMS cancelled due to "worldwide computer failure" and sitting in a very old and cramped KLM economy class seat...

Biggest pain in the derriere mileage partner? Miles and More card with KLM Flying Dutchman... maybe posting miles from stays with Hyatt hotels.

Biggest let down of the year? The Bush Dynasty remaining in power... we need some serious regime change.

Best flight of the year? JNB-LHR in First on BA.

Best travel discovery of the year (physical)? Pacific Coastal Highway between Santa Barbara and Southern Oregon... fantastic and very grand scenary, with San Francisco in the middle for big city fun! Also Durban: very fun town with beautiful peoeple.

Best travel discovery of the year (non-physical)? Must be FT.

Hotel of the year? Rarely stay at hotels... Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge in Kruger Park, South Africa was quite decadent. Also Barra Lodge in Inhambane, Mozambique, for its picture-perfect postcard scenary and lush surroundings with a cabana in the dunes.

Wierdest travel experience of the year? Hmmm... getting stranded in the middle of the Kalahari desert for 5 days (serious) in 45 degree weather. Good 'ol reliable Discovery...

Worst travel experience of the year? SEA-SFO... missed my flight because TSA decided I might blow things up and decided I might be hiding the explosives in very private places... bags arrived pillaged, courtesy of our defenders of liverty, freedom and the Republican Party.

Regret of the year? Try not to have too many regrets, but... not taking advantage of 50 euro TGV fare from Brussels to Lyon on my way to Lisbon, and paying almost twice that instead (book early, book early, book early...)