Welcome Pennflyer,

You seemed to have figured a lot of things out by reading the boards. Those routings do tend to get a little tricky. There is a lot of knowledge on this board and lots of ways to add the most miles to your trip. I work with college students all the time in helping them manage their resources and am familiar with your restraints.

Welcome to the flyertalk boards and please continue to either post your questions, or as far as I am concerned you can e-mail me directly.