While most of us can only make travel reservation after acareful review of available cheaptravel options, such as cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages, manyof us have dreamed what it would be like flying in first class.
For the past 18 months, Ben Schlappig has beenhomeless. This 25 year old American hasno fixed address, nor keys to his own front door. He figured that he did not need to bothpaying rent since a bed was only ever a first class ticket away.
Ben is a professional traveler who pays an almost fanaticalattention to fine print and uses a mixture of frequent flier miles and creditcard reward points to travel around the world for a fraction of the cost.
He started earning air miles about 10 years ago when he wasjust 14. One of Bens claims to fame isthat he has never flown in coach on an international flight.
The native New Yorker usually flies about 400,000 milesannually, enough to circle the globe 16 times. He spends an average of four hours in the air each day, and takes atleast one international flight per week.
When Ben reaches a destination he stays at opulent hotelsand seldom spends more than three days in one place.
Airplanes feel like home,according to Ben. He knows every aspectof first class seats and enjoys a certain familiarity with the staff since hetends to run into the same crews.
Ben manages a very popularblog, with 36,000 followers, called One Mile at a Time. He claims that his opulent travel is notbeyond the means of the average traveler if that person is prepared to do hisor her research.
Many people would be skepticalof his lifestyle because it is commonly believed that there is no such thing asa free lunch, and that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Ben readily acknowledges thatredeeming miles is trickier than collecting miles.
He started his flyingobsession at age 14 when he came across a United Airlines flyer offering 5,000extra miles for every segment flown. Heconvinced his parents to let him spend his summer flying across the countryaccumulating points, promising their next trip to visit family in Germany wouldbe taken on free first class tickets.
By summers end heinfrequently left airports, sometimes, taking as many as eight flights over asingle weekend, and emerged with an elite airline status.
Even after flying over fivemillion miles, Ben says that he is still just as awed by the experience as hewas when he was six years old and continues to be amazed by viewing sunsetsfrom the sky.
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