I've got over 1.6 million AAdvantage miles in my account at the moment (from nearly 2.5 million earned in the program) but I don't consider myself a hoarder.

I'm saving miles just as I put money into my retirement savings accounts, so that when I retire in a few years I'll be able to travel freely despite having a lower annual income than I do now.

That doesn't mean I won't spend miles now, however, as I'm planning another visit to Australia for late 2008 and I'll be using miles for my business-class Qantas ticket as soon as the reservations window opens later this year.