For my 1000th post, I wanted to say thanks to Flyertalk! Like many newbies, I joined FT because I wanted something, specifically an Amex referral for a bigger sign-up bonus. Almost two years and 1000 posts later, I’m still here.

Like many people, I was aware of FT for years before joining because it always came up in Google searches with the best answer to my travel questions. But I never joined because:
- I didn’t feel I had anything to gain, since I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about flights and points
- I didn’t feel I had anything to contribute since I’m not a frequent business traveler
- it seemed like an exclusive club with it’s own secret language (abbreviations, acronyms and airport codes) designed to keep outsiders out

However, once I learned to decipher the codes and survived the initiation of getting smacked down for stupid early posts, I started to realize the potential benefits of FT. Although I thought I knew quite a bit about travel and points (having been interested in both for over 20 years), it turns out that I was a bumbling idiot!

Since joining FT, I have:
- started flying business class more often
- learned how to maximize hotels stays with status, free nights & lounge access
- learned how to access airport lounges
- collected more airline and hotel points than I ever thought possible

In the past two years, I have gained so much from FT and have tried to give back in whatever way I can (answering questions, gifting AC promo codes, offering Amex referrals – although that last one isn’t entirely altruistic ). So, as I post for the 1000th time, I’m looking forward to discovering what else I don’t know! Thanks Flyertalk!