’ve been all George-Clooney with my frequent flier miles lately. I’m squirreling them, scooting from account to account, using calculus for the first time since high school to try to figure out if I’m better off accruing separate streams in hotels (mmmm hotel upgrades) or merging all of my tertiaries into the big, rolling Delta. Look at me with the bodies of water analogies! I’m invoking geography to show the gravitas of the miles, you see?
And the things I will do to score points! I’m a Hhonors WHhhore.
I think it’s because I’ve been traveling a bit and the loyalty point programs publish their point porn in every nook and cranny of the travel experience. The bottom of the bins in the TSA line. Large placards looming overhead along moving sidewalks. The tall guy in front of me reading an ad for a hotel chain’s new tiers in the in-flight magazine–and since when he leans his chair back he is effectively nestling his head between my breasts, I can read the small print myself. Huh, free water AND a newspaper at the Silver Point Level. Suhweet!
I’m not sure what I’ll do with my miles yet. At this point its semi-productive and misdirected hoarding. But I like it.
Last week I went to NYC and D.C. to visit with very cool PR and business people, and then to attend the catalyzing Blog Writers conference, and then to attend a fantastic conference. I have more to write about all of those things.There was also a spontaneous mini-conference in the mix, too. I left the Blog Writers hotel (mmm Hilton Hhonors) in a car with Megan and Elisa because we were on the same flight to DC. Unfortunately, hours of Manhattan traffic gridlock made access to the airport impossible.
(If you are going to have a similar detour debacle, I higher recommend good-natured and smart company like I had, makes a huge difference!) I like to think of the whole thing as “New York didn’t want to let me to leave her.” I also like to think of it as “Oh hello airport Marriott, can I stay here until the morning, and why yes I have a rewards account. Well look at that, looks like I have two!”
Maybe that’s why they give you the points and miles, as a distraction from the horrors and indignities of travel. Works for me: like I said, I’m a cheap whhhhore. I’m going to get to some writing sooner or later. In the mean time, I’ll be in the counting room, counting all my money miles!