Originally Posted by thegeneral
I think you need to re-evaluate both your budget and your priorities. Making $30k per year while paying $10k in rent is going to leave very little for travel.
Eh...I beg to differ somewhat. I'm a graduate student too, and making significantly less than listed above (the east and west coast students tend to make a LOT more than we do in the midwest). On top of that, I've managed to buy a house, save for retirement and am still able to take trips on a regular basis. A lot of them are for work, but on my own dime I've been to Hawaii, Connecticut and Boston this year. Will be heading to Romania next summer (thanks to the mileage run forum).
If you can do it, go for it. I'm sure that your family and girlfriend will appreciate it.
As far as maximizing mileage goes, I like the red-eye advice, especially if you can sleep on planes. Also, try to maximize the amount of mileage you acquire through meetings, etc. They'll help you out tremendously.
Also, remember that depending on the airline and ticket, a lot of fares on Student Universe and through STA earn MINIMAL (like 500 max) FF miles, if any.