The drive north was uneventful and not too bad. Day 1 was Savannah to Rock Hill, South Carolina about 4 hours. Then Rock Hill to Akron, Ohio about 8 hours. I found a great Four Points at Akron West and then Saturday was an easy 4 hour over and up to Ann Arbor to pick up Katy.
Age is catching up with me and the 10 and 12 hour drives just don’t make it anymore. And in the best interest of our marriage, putting Katy on a plane is best for both of us. So gets fidgety in the passenger seat and wants to stop at different intervals then I do. It is also easier on her bad hip. This was the most comfortable journey of them all.
Alaska is Next
Two round trips to Anchorage are next in the plan and then it is time to sit still for a week or so. The miles from the Alaska trip will put me at the threshold of 1K status on United for next year and the benefits associated with the status. It will also give me a couple days to rest and read while flying around the USA. And an occasional bump would also come in handy. I have two or three segments that look promising to me.
World Series of Poker Las Vegas Nevada
I’ll be trying my hand with the big boys again at the World Series for 4 days in June. My plan is to enter 4 or 5 satellite tournaments on site, and win enough to qualify for the Seniors No Limit Event on June 23th.
My back up plan is to win enough to qualify for the less expensive Seniors event scheduled the same day at the Golden Nugget downtown.
My back up to the back up, is to quit at my preset limit and people watch until my flight home after enjoying the crowd and all that is associated with the World Series of Poker. It is the only event I know of where I, Joe Lunch Bucket, can sit at the same table with the greats of the game. I can’t play in the Major Leagues, NFL or NBA, but I can stare down Doyle Brunson and hope he’ll fold to my pair of deuces.
Around the World in 2009
We have a good solid plan on our next around the world, but it is now time to put it into action. In order to book this 6 week trip for April 15th to June 5th, 2009, current One World award rules allow me a 14 day booking period with one 5 day extension as long as I am at least 300 days before the first segment. I spent an hour on the phone with a OneWorld specialist determining when I can start the booking and have them hold it without ticketing until I can fit all the segments in. At present I’m about 500 miles over my 35,000 flight miles limit, but I can take care of that with a short cheap flight home. My big concern is the 16 segment limit. I’ll keep you advised on our progress. It will be a fun experience.
You too can do an Around the World. Take a look at applying for multiple Citi American Airlines cards for the sign up bonuses. Each of these cards currently offers 25K AA miles after initial purchases of $750 and No Annual Fee for the First Year.
1. Citi Select American Airlines Amercian Express Card
2. Citi Platinum American Airlines Mastercard
3. Citibusiness American Airlines Mastercard
4. Citibusiness American Airlines Visa Card
If your name is Joe Smith, you can apply for a business credit card with the business name:
“Joe Smith” and the type of organization is sole proprietor. Ever sell on Ebay? Go sell something for $1. That is your business. No need to state any false income figures. People have reported being approved for the cards listing $0 as the business income. Crazy isn’t it?
And if you need a few more miles for your Around the World, hunt back in the blog archives to learn about funding your new Citi savings accounts with your credit cards and having the initial funding being treated as a “Purchase” and you earning miles with no cost to you.
An Economy Class Ticket that goes Around the World will take 120K AA miles. Can you see it now? Around the World
20% Off Alaska Air up to 7 Tickets with Chase Visa
The blog has been given a code for 20% off up to 7 tickets on Alaska Air for travel completed by June 21st. If you definitely being flying Alaska Air before this date, I’ll pass on the code.
