Summer travel season is in full swing.
It can be fun, it can be hectic, it can be anything and everything in between, but for most of us after a week or so has gone by, we have to head back to regular life.
The exception is a guy named Tom Stuker, who has been called the “world’s most frequent flier.”
24 million miles and still going.
This all got started around 1990, when Stuker was working as a consultant for car dealerships.
He had to travel a lot for his job, so he was looking for a deal to cut down on his travel expenses.
Back then, United Airlines offered the deal of all deals: a lifetime first class airline ticket for a passenger and a plus one, for $510,000.
That’s not a small amount of money (and Stuker has admitted that he was a reluctant flyer at the start) but it worked out in the end.
He’s used that ticket to take several million dollars’ worth of airplane trips.
Over 12,000 flights to more than a hundred countries.
Stuker says he’s been to at least a few of those countries hundreds of times, though not always just to see the sights again and again.
Regular air travelers know that the more you fly, the more frequent flyer miles you earn.
Stuker’s got a set of miles that’s a mile long.
His list of perks is really something: beyond the fancy hotel rooms, airport lounges and VIP treatment you’d expect, he’s also used some of his miles to pay for home renovations and, once, for a bit part in an episode of “Seinfeld.”
And United has put his name on two planes!
The airline doesn’t offer lifetime passes anymore, so we can’t do what he’s doing.
But Stuker has the next best things: travel tips from a guy who’s seen it all.
He says: never check bags, keep the seat map open on your phone during boarding in case there’s a better seat available, and thank your flight attendant for their great service on your last flight, whether or not you’ve ever seen them before.
He says, after a compliment like that, they’ll still treat you like a star.
Monday in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, it’s the Rain Day Festival.
July 29 has often been a rainy day in town, so rather than complain about it, they built a street fair around it.
The festival even includes an umbrella decorating contest.
New Jersey man dubbed ‘most traveled air passenger’ with nearly 24 million miles in the air (News12.com)
He has flown 23 million miles. Here are his travel secrets. (Washington Post)
