I'm Carla, 23 Female. I live in the Brentwood area of los angeles. I have lived in various cities/countries.
I generally fly LAX to DCA, IAD, BWI, JFK, EWR, LGA, LHR, LGW, and YOW.
I am hoping one day to fly to Japan, or Australia, they are next on my list of places I would like to visit.
I'm single and looking for a partner that enjoys travel as much as me.
I am in Client Relations for a major Pro Audio repair center who fixes stuff for many big name artists.
I'm always up for chatting...my screenname on aim is redyelllow.
i'm more of a lurker on here.



oh and im a gourmet cook.

Hello!

I am Alan, 25,

My wife and I recently moved to Okinawa, Japan since she is in the Navy. I am a software engineer working for a company in Austin, TX .. So I have/get to travel between the two a handful of times per year.

Chose UA over AA (rather inconvienent since my US home is Austin [sort of]), but the connection to OKA was far more convenient this way.

FT has taught me loads about arranging my travel to get the most bang for my buck.

Hello!

I'm Bryant. I am hearing-impaired and I love to travel! On top of that I love to ride my dirtbike around on the ranch/farm like crazy and enjoy my freedom when not travelling. I enjoy meeting people from around the world, too. I love Japan immensely and have visited there twice already, next year being my third time.

Places I've been to: YVR, SFO, LAX, SLC, SEA, HNL, NRT, YEG, YYZ, ORD, IND, AUA, and KTP.

Next trips upcoming: SYD+ADL (Full month Jan) followed by NRT(Mar-April) then LHR in June-July time frame for 2006.

Sanosuke!

Seems like an appropriate place for a first post, after lurking for a while ...

Name: Andrew

Nationality: Australian

Current residence: California

Programs used and abused: I have a fairly large bank of QF points from my days working in PNG and Australia (made it to QF Platinum, then got transferred to Africa, so didn't get much benefit ... except my residual gold status let me status match to UA 1P and CO gold when I moved to the US earlier this year). Clinging precariously to CO elite status for next year (helpful on my routine trips to Houston). Looks like I'll renew UA 1P for 06 (thanks to a December business trip to London and the double EQMs promotion), and that's where I'm trying to focus my points-gathering activities.

Will continue to lurk and learn, and hopefully find the opportunity to add something every now and again.

Wow - what an impressive thread.

I'm Manar, 33 and from London. I spent most of he last two years studying (MBA) in Asia. Prior to that I spent a decade doing Internet things. No idea what I'm up to next yet - taking some time out to travel the world! . Started out with a one world explorer so I'm AA - thanks to FT for the challenge info! - but I think I'm going to be in United's FF programe with an EK/UA rtw soon.

I am a very recent convert to the FF world after shying away from them due to my privacy instincts. Boy do I regret that now given my 4 LON-SIN + numerous short haul trips last year. Live and learn!

Name: Kiam A. (I have a long last name) - Kiam is pronounced like KIEM.
Origin: Bangkok, Thailand
Work: I am an engineer at one of the major Oilfield Service Companies ~ 6 yrs so far. I am at my late 20's.
2000-2004: Worked and lived in Bakersfield, CA, then Houston, TX and then Perryton, TX. During these 4 yrs, travelled all over the places...e.g. within US, England, Scottland, Paris, Germany, Italy, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia...etc
Current assignment: Bangkok, Thailand covering Vietnam, Myanmar and Bangladesh (and Malaysia when needed)
Plan for 2006-2007: MBA
3 months prior to MBA: Around the world trip !!!! CAN'T WAIT !!!
Hobbies: Besides reading and traveling, I am a Points/Miles Freak (same as most of everyone else on here, I hope) + being as active as I can be on FT.

Deleted: probably should have been a PM rather than a forum post. Sorry.

Hi my name is Ramzi I live just outside of Toronto, Canada. I am newly seperated and going to take time to travel on my own, and get to know myself all over again. I hope to meet some of you folks in my travels along the way. So until then.

I am 49, realized at about 40 that I should have been a commercial airline pilot (sigh) and have always been an avid traveller and flyer. The enthusiasm is somewhat dampened these days on domestic flights given the sad state of airline travel in the U.S. with the dreadful carriers and odious TSA and other government intrusion into our lives.

My international travel has been extensive and continues to be enjoyable, especially if I fly a foreign carrier, it seems.

Domestically, I prefer both JetBlue and AirTran to all others, as these two consistently earn high marks in their product and passenger service categories with me. My most-despised (but still often-flown) airline domestically is that U.S. entrant in the "cattlecar of the skies" category - Southwest, a/k/a Southworst. My favorite international carriers (after the demise of my true favorites, SABENA, SwissAir and Braniff (not in chrono order there)) remain Icelandair, Lufthansa and AerLingus. If I am forced to use a U.S. carrier for overseas travel, I prefer United, even though they are among the worst domestically in my book.

I find the state of the domestic airline industry precarious and hope that this latest round of Ch. 11 filings leads to a shake-out with a few more robust and friendlier, customer-service oriented survivors. Failing that, I think it is time for the government to stop wasting money on futile wars and put it where it belongs - into constructing a national high-speed passenger rail network a la TGV/ICE/Thalys or Japanese bullet trains.

Ok, since I don't think I've ever posted anything here...

I'm Wendy, my handle comes from the Mick Inkpen books about Kipper the Dog. I'm married, and my husband is the one that introduced me to the books and the animated series. Most of my travel is typically personal, as I switched jobs, and really fields when relocating. We're currently living with my parents, so DH can finish his degree. Prior to moving in with them, we were living in Virginia, and I was working in marketing, with a stint in accounting on a government contract that had me living in a hotel for quite a while. I typically stay at Hilton properties.

Outside of all of that, I'm a beer snob, and met my husband at a bar, where he was visiting his ex-girlfriend, who was one of my best friends at that time. We started dating when he visited the next weekend for a beer festival. She was having a girls' night in, and wouldn't let him stay there, he was going to sleep in his truck, but having a 3 person apartment to myself, I said, "You can stay here."

I'm conservative, like guns, and have my concealed carry permit. I do carry everywhere. I used to say I would never have a gun in my house, but after living in some not so nice areas, and dealing with psycho-stalker ex-boyfriend, I've learned that self defense is always the first step. I'm now a card carrying member of the NRA, and am a fan of the 1911, .45 ACP.

I'm going to start working on my MBA soon, in part because no one else in my family has ever done that, and since I'm the youngest, I want to do something no one else has.

My name is Julie and I live in Georgia,thus my username, GaJules. I love to travel. So far our best vacation has been three weeks spent in Australia, New Zealand,and Fiji! My husband must travel to Europe every month so he's not too eager when I book our next adventure, although he always seems to enjoy it once we are there. I am not sure how much traveling we will be doing in the next year because we are expecting a baby girl in April. Although I don't post a lot on this board I do enjoy reading all the great advice. I am actually a travel moderator on a coupon board and often send people to this board for good information.
Gajules

My current position requires me to be on the road nearly every week (recently, CID, MSP, RDU, EWR, BUR ... you get the idea). Luckily, I like travel and what I do.

My wife and I try to schedule a trip to Europe at least every other year, traveling simply (it helps that, when I used to be a consultant, one of my clients was Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door -- lots of good tips and people there). Though we do occasionally splurge with Starpoints for a high-end hotel. And we visit Starwood timeshares in Hawaii and Colorado.

We (me and Seattlenerdette) live outside of the Seattle area in an area known as Lake Tapps which is chock full of airline personnel and only a half-hour from SEA. I'm currently a NW Platinum Elite, AS MVP Gold, and Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum (plus members of various other programs at lesser levels).

Hobbies? Reading, writing ... and, of course, travel.

Wow, this thread goes WAYYYYYYY back. What the heck, I'll add to it...

I'm Tim, 39 yrs old and I guess you could say I am employed by the DOD (hah!). I've travelled all over the world in various modes of transportation; stayed in 5-star palaces and sleeping bags under the stars. I've eaten on 5th Avenue and in Thai Mess Halls.

Right now, my employer has me milling about the middle east, my home (Japan), the USA, and a point or two in Europe.

I like to write reviews on here (FT Reviews), because they serve two purposes--advice to fellow travelers behind me and they serve as kind of a personal log. I also like to read your tidbits of advice, and kick myself for not finding this board any sooner!

My wife worked for a national airline (YX) for several years, and we non-revved all over the USA. As such, I really didn't get into the mileage game--in fact, we were pretty spoiled by the Best Care in the Air until the financial crunch hit them.

I decided to start banking mileage and hotel points over the past two years.

My "epiphany" came about recently. Coming back to the states (after flying all over the far east), I was on a Delta Flight.

I had no idea what the hell "Boarding Group 6" meant...really! So here I am, showing up for a 767 flight from Tampa to Atlanta, not hearing the announcements, I try to board. The gate agent accosts me for trying to board early (they were only at boarding group 4) and then asks me if I was an Elite (no!). Of course her reply was "you will have to wait until your boarding group is called, SIRRRRR". Sheesh, I turned back dejectedly and waited with about 4 other yokels. On that flight, I thought that status is everything nowadays and I better get in the game otherwise I'll get treated like dirt. And I fly a lot! So I got the clue (and I'm not a status type of guy).

So, here I am in the middle east. Most of my flying is arranged by travel agencies. Sometimes they honor my request for Star Alliance, sometimes they don't. That's okay. I'm hoping to fly on Bengladesh Biman and Emirates one of these days--just to say I did it.

I like Hiltons and UA. I'm a Premier Exec (it will be real close whether I make that next year or not). I live in Japan, so I fly a lot on ANA, OZ, CI, and NW besides UA. Unfortunately, UA is the only one I fly enough to make "status".

The wife and I also like to travel on our own dime. We try to fly in business on our own dime and eat in posh places--it's our time together and we can only do it once or twice a year, so we figure we earned it.

I like to dive and geocache. I'm in pretty good shape and like the outdoors. My "dream" adventure is to re-trace the south georgia Shackleton crossing--maybe I'm nuts. I am a commercial pilot (that means absolutely nothing, I just paid a lot of money to not fly for an airline) and love soaring.

My post has grown real long, time to close it out. If you want to chit chat, feel free to drop me a message!

Hi! I�m HelsinkiFlyer and I�m an alcoholic. Whoa! Wrong place, I think?

Ok, a new start. I�m HelsinkiFlyer. I�m from Helsinki, Finland as you could guess from my FT handle. I�m currently finishing my studies I started many years ago, that I somehow failed to complete. So, I�m a business school student and about to graduate any time soon. This should�ve been done some time ago, but work sort of took me away for several years.

I am married. No kids yet. I�d like to have a few. No domestic animals either. What else? I�ve been reading FT for like 3 years and writing for almost 2 years now. I like movies, beer, football (soccer as Americans would call it), ice-hockey, travelling with my wife and stock trading. Day-trading is what I enjoy most. Maybe that�s a reason why my studies are not going as fast as expected?

I have been reading this board for a while but have yet to introduce myself. Recently moved to Raleigh, NC area for a new job and the nicer weather. I do travel a bit and when I do its always my own dime never for biz. Europe is my favorite place to visit as I am huge RUGBY fan and like to catch a game while I'm over the pond.

Cheers!