20-Somethings Rack Up Frequent-Flier Miles to Take Far-Flung Journeys; Flying to Fiji for Lunch
When class is out, most college-age students flock to the beach or schlep home to mom and dad. But 18-year-old Andy Nguyen jets around the world: London, Frankfurt, Bangkok, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City. (click below to read more)
The 18-year-old Drexel University student in Philadelphia buys cheap tickets and takes "mileage runs" solely to build up frequent-flier account balances. Then, he cashes in the miles for expensive, far-flung journeys. Once there, he buys rail passes and catches the first train that comes along—doesn't matter where it's going—just to see some of the city. "It's hard for me to stay home. I just want to go," said Mr. Nguyen, who is from Seattle.
Mr. Nguyen is among a growing number of 20-somethings mastering the calculus of frequent-flier miles, making globe-trotting their hobby. It's a generation that has grown up with airline deregulation, discount airlines, global airline alliances and "open skies" treaties that make flying between countries easier. They're also at an age when they have time and flexible schedules. As a result, many have become ferocious travelers.
Moreover, study-abroad programs have boomed in recent years, fed by pressure for language skills and international experience on résumés. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says that the number of students studying overseas has skyrocketed to 3.7 million in 2009 from 800,000 in 1975.
"Any student can book a trip anywhere on a credit card, while 20 years ago you had to walk into a travel agency," said Atle Skalleberg, executive vice president of StudentUniverse.com, a discount airline ticket seller for students. "The whole Facebook generation has a go-out-and-get-it attitude. They have fewer borders mentally. It's not a big deal to spring break in Vietnam, where before kids just drove to the nearest beach."
Mr. Skalleberg notes that student travel has been a very resilient market during the economic downturn, with travel among 16- to 29-year-olds dropping a scant 0.3% from 2008 to 2009, according to a study by the World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation.
Ryan Hoult, a 27-year-old who works at a Canadian consulting company, found an Expedia.com sale for $300 off a package trip to Vegas, with no minimum for the trip cost. So he found a cheap fare, booked an inexpensive hotel far outside Vegas that qualified and paid a total of $35 for a 12-hour mileage run from his home in Calgary, connecting in San Francisco just to boost the mileage total. Trips like that added up to first-class mileage award tickets for him and his wife to visit Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong over 17 days next year.
"It's beating the system," said Mr. Nguyen, who finances his trips with side work trading collectibles. He'll spot a cheap ticket and fly from Seattle, his home, to Florida by way of Philadelphia, leaving at 6 a.m. and returning home about 11:30 p.m. with a load of frequent-flier miles. Pool several of those trips together, and soon you have both elite status in an airline's frequent-flier program plus miles for free trips.
Mr. Nguyen finds checking into hotels can sometimes be tricky when you are only 18, so he typically opts for youth hostels or waits until late at night, when desk clerks are less likely to fret over rules.
Oleg Krogius, a 24-year-old computer scientist at Microsoft Corp. in Seattle, developed a travel passion in graduate school, where figuring out how to see the world cheaply was like solving a puzzle. "It was an interesting value calculation when you had flexibility and free time in graduate school—where can I go cheap?" he said. "It isn't that expensive to do lots of travel."
By lots he means trips to Geneva, Sao Paulo, Paris, Tokyo, Vancouver and Montreal in the past year. Often it's just a weekend trip—sometimes just to see a friend for dinner.
Will Maxwell-Steele, 23, tries out flight simulator as part of a junket for airline enthusiasts. He first earned frequent-flier elite status at 15.
Some of the attraction is having elite status at a young age. Will Maxwell-Steele is only 23, but he's been an elite-level frequent flier since he was 15. A law student in New Zealand with a busy telecommunications consulting practice, Mr. Maxwell-Steele has been known to spot cheap tickets, or airline mistake fares, and hop a plane to lunch in Fiji with a friend from Brisbane, Australia. Lunch was McDonald's at the airport.
"My priority is spending every cent I have on travel," Mr. Maxwell-Steele said. "A lot of people say, 'You're mad.' But I enjoy the whole process."
Airlines coddle top-tier frequent fliers with upgrades and perks no matter what age, and that's rare when you're barely old enough to legally drink. "Part of the allure is status. I have somewhat of a superiority complex. I have to be top-tier everything," Mr. Maxwell-Steele said.
It doesn't always work: Air New Zealand wouldn't allow Mr. Maxwell-Steele into its airport lounges until he turned 21 and was old enough to be served a drink.
Ross Gale has been taking business trips with his father since he was 7, and has been booking flights for his family since he was 9. He started working for his father in a company that buys and sells distressed manufacturing assets when he was 17. Now he takes classes at Babson College in Massachusetts on Monday through Wednesday afternoon, then travels the world examining distressed assets the rest of each week. This year, he'll fly about 200,000 miles.
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