It’s that time of year again, and that means business travel. Well for me it just means travel in general. Traveling, whether it be for business or pleasure is something I find very enjoyable and do often. I’m not so thrilled about the delays that the weather has caused me lately, but it’s part of the gig. When you’ve made a decision to stick with American for flights, you’ve also taken a gamble that your flight will be unaffected by either Dallas or Chicago weather. One or the other is bound to have a delay of some sort, no matter the season.This year it’s all about the points. Meaning, I’m right at the cusp of hitting the next level of status with Marriott, and I desperately want to get Platinum for life status. It’s a big achievement and one that is definitely earned, but in order to get there I need figure a few things out. I’m already a Platinum Elite member this year, but in order to maintain that same status I’ll need 75 nights this calendar year. Which if it wasn’t for a change in projects at the end of last year, I wouldn’t have made it.
Currently I have 449 nights lifetime in the program. Lifetime Gold Elite is 500 nights and Platinum is 750. That makes Gold a reality but Platinum a dream. It’s also a bit depressing to think how many nights I’d actually have to be in a hotel in my life to achieve that. This year I already have 27 nights scheduled, which means I’m half way to the 51 I need for Lifetime Gold. However, the goal is really to get to Platinum for the year, which is 75 nights. In order to do that, I’d roughly have to stay in a hotel 7 nights a month for the remaining 11 months. That’s totally achievable, considering I know I have 2 nights a month booked in Houston at a minimum.
The next question is whether or not I really want to get there. The answer is yes! I don’t see myself ever wanting to stop traveling. I’ve done the whole coast to coast living, and it’s really not all that bad. I can’t now for obvious reasons, but a little travel here and there is exactly what I need. It looks like I’m doing Boston for the “Boston Calling” concert, and potentially Jacksonville for the Foo Fighters concert. Who knows thought, if I can’t fit it in between trips to Houston, it simply won’t happen.
Looks like I better get to planning some trips.