Welcome to our crazy world - one quick thing, if you're a smoker, forget Marriott.

congratulations on your new job. there's a few things you should do:

1- COMPANY POLICIES: make absolutely sure you understand your company policies. sometimes they have a list of required service providers or require employees to travel with the cheapest fare.
2- REIMBURSEMENT TIMING: this is VERY IMPORTANT. how often are they going to reimburse you? as soon as you submit, bi-monthly or monthly? be clear on this because you'll be caring a balance and be charged interest.
3- CREDIT CARD: I'm required to use a corporate credit card, but would use an AA mc/visa if i could. the amex is also good, but their rewards program doesn't include aa and therefore you cannot transfer your points to aa. i prefer airline miles because airfare is always the most expensive purchase when traveling and it's better to have for vacations.
4- AIRLINE: stick with 1 to reap the benefits. since you're in dfw, aa is my choice. call their members program and tell them you're going to be traveling extensively and would like to give them the business and ask for gold or platinum status. i've done this with co and usair in the past and they give me status to start and i build from there. have a second airline as back up, depending if you're flying to the east, west or midwest.
5- CAR: hertz. everyone has their favorite. i've used them all and prefer hertx. sign up for their hertz gold program. again, check with you company policies because most companies require you rent a no larger than mid size car.
6- HOTELS: like cars, everyone has their favorites. i prefer starwood and marriott as back-up. some sheratons are as nice as westins and they're all over the place. they invented the heavenly bed and every starwood hotel has one, no matter what type. if you get starwood and reach platinum status, they give you an option gift of a free movie or 500 points when you check in. take the points. it's equal to $500 spending points. also, since you'll need 25 stays to reach platinum, that's 12,500 extra points in a year.
7- HOW TO REACH HOTEL STATUS: if you want to reach hotel status quickly, make a hotel reservation for a couple of days rather than the whole week and check out of the hotel and check in again after the work day. this will give you 2 stays instead of 1.
8- General advice:
1. i see many guys at the airport with a garment bag over their shoulder along with their briefcase. get a roller board carry-on. you can put the briefcase on the rollerboard and the wheels will come in handy, especially when running late to the gate or switching terminals.
2. depending on your line of work (casual, business, suit attires), pack lightly. i call it the idiot proof packing. everyone's got one. mine is: everything needs to match my black or brown shoes. for short trips (3 days or less), i bring black shoes only. if you're traveling for more than a days, you can bring an extra pair of shoes.
3. if you're going to be at a hotel for more than 3 or 4 days, send the traveling shirt and the one you used the first/second day of work to the hotel cleaners (make sure it goes out before 9 so you can have it the same day). this will help you pack lite. you know you're a real road warrior when your shirts have a few cleaners tags from different hotels.
4. clothing: weekly travel will wear it out quickly. after a few years on the road, i have business casual traveling clothes and regular clothes for home. shoes will also wear out quickly. i'm a big guy so i make sure i buy strong shoes that i can re-sole. use your common sense. i use loafer style shoes to go quickly through security.
5. wear a jacket. people don't dress up for traveling like they used to. i always wear a jacket, even with jeans, which i use to carry my boarding pass, put the cell when i go through security, etc. also, as told to me by my airline friends, ticket agents always prefer guys with jackets and will be nicer to you.
6. get earplugs. it is proven that people arrive tired at a destination more because of the noise rather than the discomfort of the seat. airplane noise will not let you rest, even if you're sleeping. they learned this with the astronauts on the space station, who were exhausted after sleeping. they found that the space station is extremely noisy with all the ac's, processors, computers, etc, and didn't let them rest while sleeping. the solution: ear plugs. get the soft foam type, not the spongy. they come in a bottle and are either orange or green.
7. and ipod and compact noise reduction earphones are always good for distraction.
8. i like to catch up and read all my magazines on the plane. since i travel weekly, like you, i just pick them up at the airport and expense as job/trade reading materials.
9. bring something from home: i always carry a picture of my girlfriend, albeit small, it's on a frame and i put it out in the hotel room. there's pictures of my girlfriend in hotels all over the world, so make a copy or two.
10. eat well: when traveling so much, it's easy to eat bad food and drink too much. plan your meals well. avoid airplane food, unless you're starving.
11. avoid alcohol. traveling so much takes a toll on the body. a glass of wine with a meal is ok, but too much will beat your body. avoid alcohol on the plane. the body dehydrates about a cup of water an hour on a plane. alcohol and soda's will make it worse. salty nuts makes one retain fluids and feel terrible when decompressing.
12. you might get sick at the beginning because of the germ exposure. be prepared. take some tylenol cold or whatever you normally use. like most road warriors, i've gotten sick in more than a few places around the world.
13. wash your hands! i try not to bring my hands to my face in an airplane. i avoid touching my mouth or rubbing my eyes. wash your hands and use paper towels to manage the handles and open the doors.
14. avoid the blankets and pillows. they're not washed unless they're in plastic! everyone has used them and they're usually filthy.
15. talk to your wife. if you're starting the new life of a road warrior, she'll be supportive, but might get tired of the whole thing after a while. she's not to blame. not being around frequently for long periods of times takes adjusting and strong communication. you're likely to miss a few activities, parties, reunions or whatever. make sure she understands and lets you know if she's not happy with the arrangement. use the free airfare and hotels as a reward for putting up with you being away so much.
16. be patient. many people get upset about the inconveniences of travel. real road warriors are patient and understand the complex orchestrated ballet that goes on behind the scenes to keep planes in the air. we look for solutions instead of getting upset. we explore options instead of focussing on a proble.
17. be nice. remember that airline people have to deal with thousands of people a day. they'll be nice and you're likely to get what you want if you say hello and smile. always say hello, good morning, evening, to the flight attendant when boarding. they'll remember. i have the habit of always putting my newspaper/magazine down and look at them when they're doing their emergency briefing. it's respectful and they'll remember. i've seen the same routine thousands of times and can recite it by memory, but it's respecful and they'll remember. every once in a while i'm rewarded with a bottle of wine or champagne.
18. join the airline club (admirals or others). it'll be helpful, especially when delayed or you need to take a shower.
19. register with the airline online. printing boarding passes is more than convenient. you're also less likely to be searched going through security.
20. if possible, buy your tickets online. most airlines will give you bonus miles for booking the ticket yourself online because it's cheaper for them.

most importantly, traveling will add a new dimension to your life. it will give you another perspecive that only those who travel understand. it will show you the world, people and cultures from different settings. it will likely change your opinions or views on certain things in life. keep you mind open. never judge.

open your eyes. absorb the knowledge and the experienxe. after so many years of traveling, i always want to look out the window. the world from 35k feet never seizes to amaze me.

well, that's it for now. i hope this helps. after years of travel, this is what comes to mind. welcome to a new world.

I guess I'd offer (somewhat) contradictory advice -- if you're going to be on a plane all of the time, dress comfortably for your flights. If that's a jacket for you, then sure, wear a jacket -- a suit if that really makes you comfortable. But if you're more of a t-shirt and jeans guy/gal, don't hesitate to wear that. I mean, who are you trying to impress? The agents, in my experience, will treat you just fine, esp. once they see your status

it depends on your job and the what type of traveling you're doing. i recently sat next to a multi-color hair, tattooed-covered, grunge looking guy and his wife in first. it turns out this guy was the lead singer of a famous band (name withheld) returning home after an awards show. he was extremely nice and polite and i got the guy�s autograph, email and cell phone with an invitation to come down and visit when I�m in town, but the fa's treated him poorly, while the catered to me. if a t-shirt is what you're comfortable with, you can wear a jacket over it. you'll always take it off once you sit down. regardless, airline folks and hotel attendants will always look at guys in jackets more favorably than one in a t-shirt. they are cynical, tired and in no moods to be talked to. that's just the way things are. they're used to seeing thousands of people a day and you have a few seconds to impress them if you're looking for an upgrade, good seat or better room, regardless of your status, especially if you have none. i work in technology/consulting and my experience is that techies/programmers don't really care about how they dress, while consultants, sales and executives do because it�s important to feel businesslike. looking like a ceo will make you feel like a ceo, even if you're in jeans. you don't see many ceo's in t-shirts or tank tops.

The FAs treated the lead singer of a famous band poorly, but not you. That must be quite some jacket you wear.

Seriously, though, if it works for you (or even if you just think it does), that's great. IME however, FAs and GAs treat polite and courteous pax quite well, regardless of how the pax are dressed.

My attire is... worn out jeans.. sneakers and old t-shirt that I can throw away after my 14+ hour flight. I'm generally treated well.

I try not to look like a bum, but i'm pretty close to it sometimes.

You better be comfortable when you fly.. and there is no such thing as
in-flight service that you would miss on a domestic flight.

It appears that credit cards will be a major source of miles for you, and that American Airlines will be your best choice of airlines, especially if you want to use those miles for a nice international trip. You have received very good advice on credit cards: Starwood for American Express, and a Visa or Mastercard for those many merchants who do not accept American Express. The obvious choice for the latter is the American Airlines Mastercard. Now, be sure you get the maximum bonuses for obtaining those cards: 10,000 points for first use from Starwood, and 20,000 miles for charging $250 on the American Airlines card. Links to both offers can be found in the Credit Card section of my website below. Starwood is on the Free Cards page, and American is on the Annual Fee cards page (though both are free for a year).

After you receive those cards, consider applying for the other cards of Starwood and American: The Starwood Business card (another 10,000 points), The American Airlines Business Mastercard (another 20,000 miles), and the American Airlines American Express card (another 15,000 miles). I say "after you receive those cards" because your credit score may cause banks to balk at issuing you too many credit cards. Nail down the two important cards you are going to use, first.

Agree with most of what has been said, with a few additional thoughts:

Car Rental: Hertz and Avis are the best, Hertz definitely has the best service. Hertz also runs frequent bonus promos with WN (Southwest Airlines). The current (recurring) promo offers 2 credits for every car rental thru mid-December. At that rate you'll have a free ticket on WN for every 8 rentals. IMO, a much better deal than a few measely air or hotel points.

Credit Cards:

With a self-described credit score in the "600s" I would not apply for more than 1 card every six months. That score is okay but not great, and opening too many card accounts will tank the score and likely render you ineligible for the cards you want. Many of the best mileage/points cards require minimum scores of 700-720, so you are already pushing the limit on approval. Make sure your first card is an MC or VI as Amex is not accepted everywhere. Citi AA is a good choice for your situation, but if you have significant foreign travel you should also consider a Capital One No Hassle card which provides a cashback rebate and more importantly, no absurd forex conversion fees. CapOne also has a lower FICO score requirement, which may work to your benefit. You should also consider a Chase or Citi card that provides 5% cash back on gas purchases. Again, IMO the 5% cash is worth more than the miles for as long as it lasts (currently a year). I just got a check from Citi for $215 for 6 months of gas. I like it when the bank pays me.

Ya, that was actually my first question. They reimburse within 10 days.

Wow... great advice in this thread! I have only one thing to add that may not be an issue since your company is paying. When I was travelling weekly for work I rented Hertz due to the nav system so I could get around in a strange town. I found quickly (this was in Vegas) that the price was about 2-3 times any other company without a nav. system. I promptly went out and paid $1000 for a killer, portable system and started renting the less expensive cars (but I treated myself to a higher class since I was saving so much $$) and then I had use of the system at home as well and I just LOVE it! So, something to consider if your company will reimburse you for the system; I think they are down to $500-$600 these days anyway.

Personally, I'd recommend going against the AA card for the miles. If you're flying as much as you appear to be, you'll earn a rackload of miles just by flying. IMHO, you should maybe go with a hotel company credit card (as hotels are the expensive part when I travel for personal reasons) - you can always cash out miles & find cheap airfare, but not always find cheap good hotels. Either that, or go with some sort of a cash back card to get 1-3% of your company spending back to you. For hotel cards, I'd recommend the SPG Amex or the Marriott Rewards Visa or the Hilton HHonors Amex depending one which hotel chain your planning on going with.

SPG has great hotels & service, but poor choices when it comes to locations unless you're always traveling to major cities, Marriott's got a hotel almost everywhere & great service, and Hilton's got the best mid-tier recognition, IMHO - maybe go with 2 different hotel chains?

As for CC's go with something that will benefit you in the long run. I personally use an Amex Corp. card for travel because I have to - but it sounds like you won't have to do that. Get a card that gives 5% cash back for fuel purchases & fill up all your rental cars on that before returning them to the airport. For air travel & hotels & meals, go with a a hotel card over an airline card if you don't do a cash-back card.

Just my 2 cents on how to maximize your earnings...

Also, if you go with Hertz, earn ZE1 points instead of airline miles - ZE1's don't cost extra & you can really use them quite well on personal vacations!

My first post in the MilesBuzz forum. Please don't take anything I say personally, but I tend to disagree with you on this. From what I've seen it is actually the norm for "high class" people to travel in jeans and t-shirts nowadays. I say travel comfortably. Especially on long trips. Jeans (baggy) and an untucked t-shirt or even a polo if you must will be very comfortable. And you don't have to worry about the belt at the checkpoint. I guess I'm just saying that I've never been treated any differently than anyone else just because of the way I dress.