I love these posts that make me laugh out loud! We have some very eloquent and witty FTers.

Travel for work for me is a 25-mile drive to another company location, so I haven't gotten into MR's or gaining status with airlines. If I want to partake in the game, it's on my own dime. But I have done my fair share of hotel promos and have paid for many a room I've never sleep in. You have to do what you have to do when you don't travel for work. Many's the vacation where the family is thrilled to be staying in the same place for 2 nights. Usually they just say "where are we staying tonight?"

But this post has made me realized I've "crossed the line". This past fall I took my mother on a trip to visit parts of New England, 4 states in 11 days. We stayed 3 nights in Boston free at Hyatt, 1 night free at a Mass Holiday Inn, and 1 night free at Hawthorne in Burlington. But the rest of the nights were all at different places and NONE of them were brand/chain hotels. I couldn't find hotels in the places I wanted to visit using my various points. So the remaining nights were at independents or B&B's with no points or perks earned. The thought never occurred to me to stay longer than 1 night in each place, until after the trip my sister mentioned Mom commented it was a bit much changing hotels every day!

Because I got sidetracked reading & writing on this topic, it's now time to get ready for work. The new Marriott card I had finally talked myself into signing up for this morning will have to wait . . .