This guy used a clever frequent-flyer strategy to take $30,000 worth of flights around the world — here's what it was like

David F.

David Friedeberg is an entrepreneur who figured out how to use the rewards miles he accumulated through traveling and credit card purchases to book an incredible trip — one that took him almost an entire year to complete.

Friedeberg traveled first class on airlines like Qatar Air, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas, filling in some route with business class offerings from Lufthansa, Lan, and others. His trip took him around the world: from Bangkok to Tokyo to Sydney to Cape Town to Dubai to Budapest to Paris to — well, you get the idea.

How did he do it?

On the booking side, Friedeberg took advantage of a “round the world” ticket through British Airways (which calls it a “multi-carrier award”). This allowed him to fly up to 50,000 miles in 16 segments, which he used for his long-haul flights. He filled in the shorter legs with individual flights.

Though recreating exactly what it would have cost him is difficult, Friedeberg estimates he would have had to shell out almost $30,000 for the whole trip — if he were paying cash.

Here are some anecdotes and photos from Friedeberg’s year-long odyssey of monasteries, animals, cars, food, and beautiful beaches.

After heading to Europe, Friedeberg flew first class on Thai Airways to Bangkok, Thailand, where he played with baby tigers...

...and big ones too.

In Siem Reap, Cambodia, he was able to bribe security guards to let him up to the top of Angkor Wat. He saw the sunrise by himself and then got lost in the Ta Prohm temple, where "Tomb Raider" was filmed.