Year of Nonstop Travel: 106k Miles as a Student!

Despite almost being February, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what can only be described as an incredible year of nonstop travel. I wanted to capture a few of my favorite moments across my travels and highlights. 

Flight Statistics

I did not expect to fly nearly as much as I did in 2023, but with the addition to a last-minute trip to Oktoberfest in Germany, an unplanned few domestic trips, as well as some creative routings, the miles flown certainly increased. 

Instead of flying directly from Addis Ababa (ADD) to Singapore (SIN), which would have been just over 9.5 hours of flight time, my routing was far more convoluted. I flew from Addis Ababa (ADD) to Washington D.C. (IAD) via Lome (LFW) before returning to the airport just 36 hours later to fly to Singapore (SIN) via Abu Dhabi (AUH). Why fly for 10 hours when you can fly for 37?

In 2023, I flew:

• 105,675 Miles
• 62 Flights (44 Economy, 16 Business, 2 First)
• 249 Hours In the Air (Over 10 Days!)

In addition to flying nearly halfway to the moon, which is 4.2x times around the Earth, I am happy to say that I covered about 90% of this distance on flights booked with miles! 

Hotel Statistics 

My travels took me to 18 different countries. I visited 13 new countries, including Switzerland, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Germany, Austria, Mauritius, Seychelles, and the UAE. This included my first time in Asia. From surfing in Hawaii to safaris in Kenya and sushi in Japan, there were many different highlights. 

All this travel meant I spent 119 nights away from home this year (home being both Charlottesville and Northern Virginia). Of those nights:

• 82 Nights in Hotels (Fairly evenly split between Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton)
• 11 Nights on Airplanes (2 Economy, 7 Business, 2 First)
• 10 Nights at Friend’s and Family’s Homes
• 10 Nights on a Cruise Ship (All Royal Caribbean)
• 5 Nights at AirBnbs
• 1 Night in a Capsule Hotel

The Last Point

To all of my friends and family who wondered where I was for quite literally a third of the year, I hope this helps to explain. 

However, I cannot mention this travel without stating my deepest gratitude to everyone who made this travel possible. I appreciate that this is quite abnormal for a college student. While strategic use of points and miles paid for 99% of my travels, I am incredibly fortunate to not only have the ability to collect these rewards but to possess a passport that allows me to travel, to be in the health required for travel, and so much more. Truly, thank you.

Well, that was 2023, a year of nonstop travel. Time to make the most of 2024!

Let me know if there are any other statistics I should have included!