Every year I reflect on the trips I’ve taken and review the stats of my travel. This post summarizes my 2023 travels by air, and highlights a few memorable ones.

MyFlightRadar24 Travel Stats

For those unfamiliar, FlightRadar24 has a feature where you can log your own travels. Each leg has fields for flight information, seat number, class, and even reviews of airports, planes, and airlines. While I don’t spend much time reviewing on that site, it’s still a nifty tool to see full flight summaries.

Here are my stats for 2023:

2023 has been – by far – the busiest year for me in terms of air travel. Between work and leisure, cash and award flights, I flew the equivalent of 3.5x around the Earth. Most flights were within the US, since my job allows me to continue working while travelling domestically.

Some Travel Highlights

New Zealand – LAS>LAX>NAN>AKL>ZQN (Y); AKL>DFW>BOS (J)

What a beautiful country! I joined my parents for a trip around both islands, with more focus on the South Island. The weather was mild, vegetation lush, and people were very kind. I really enjoyed New Zealand as a destination and recommend everyone to take two full weeks, at minimum.

How I booked this: 35k AA miles + $5.60 for outbound in economy. 65k AA miles + $48.55 for return in business.

Vietnam – BOS>SFO>ICN>HAN (Y); HAN>NRT>IAD>BOS (Y)

The opportunity of a lifetime with closest friends…now that’s hard to beat! We all had a few weeks free, so met up with some other friends in Vietnam. This trip was rather eye-opening, as I learned a lot about the culture and life there. Definitely recommend a longer visit, as we could barely fit half the country in 2 weeks.

How I booked this: Cash

Austria – BOS>YUL>LYS>VIE (J); VIE>CDG>DFW (PY)

My coworker wanted to visit Austria and visit some Christmas markets. So when given the opportunity, I quickly searched for the best redemptions available. Luckily, DFW was a promo award for the month and I had extra UA miles to burn. You can read more about the full trip here.

How I booked this: 88k UA miles + $15.20 for outbound in business. 24,375 FlyingBlue miles + $242.50 for return in premium economy.

Looking Ahead to 2024

The main reason this year was busy in travel was because I had a few months free between finishing school and starting work. Without those free months I probably won’t be taking as many international trips in 2024. Nevertheless, I already have a few cross-country itineraries booked for the winter and spring!