Losing Status (Slaying the Road Warrior Myth)

My SPG ambassador called me the other day and said we should start seeing other people

It’s hard going from the penthouse to the outhouse (just ask Kayne). Like, what do you mean “Boarding Group 3” and where the hell is my snack box! Okay okay, so I am being a whiny status bitch. But I’ve had a year to wind down my schedule and reflect on what has been a liberating experience.

I’ve realized over the years that maintaining status is the worst kind of non-zero sum game. In fact, Fast Company wrote a great article last year, referencing a study titled “A darker side of hypermobility”. What really struck a chord (outside of the obvious health effects) is how being a Road Warrior is heroized in our culture. In fact, some people actually think living in Las Vegas and commuting to SF to save a few bucks is a good idea. To be fair, I am TOTALLY guilty of glamorizing this life style (my Road Warrior friends reading this, you know who you are). But I want to debunk some misconceptions so hopefully you see the darker side.

The Struggle is Real

Most people don’t understand how hard it is to get (and maintain) status. The mileage and stay requirements are ridiculous and it gets tougher every year. You have to fly 100+ segments or 100K miles a year to maintain meaningful status with a major airline. Maintaining hotel status is easier, but with House Starwood and House Marriott combining forces, I foresee this becoming more challenging. Road Warrior life also takes a significant toll on your physical and mental well being. Your personal life goes to shit. You eat poorly. Pretty soon you have 3 different time zones programmed into your watch. You become one of those entitled ass hole fliers. And even then…

No Matter What, Someone Out Ranks You

Wherever I fly, wherever I stay, theres always some motherf***** who out ranks me. Every Road Warrior wants to be the top dog. It becomes the Game of Status, where the King of the Seven Airlines is George Clooney’s character from Up in the Air (2 of 2 GoT reference bonus). But it’s a false illusion. Why?

Points Aren’t Worth Much

And they consistently lose value each year. Take United Airlines. The liabilities the airline has to carry on it’s balance sheet related to MileagePlus is in the billions. To counter, the company will devalue the points, the same way the central bank deflates currency in order to shore up debt. So your points are worth less. On top of this, United changed the way points are earned from miles flown to dollars spent, which hurts long distance fliers booking in economy. And finally, each year there are less award flights available (The general strategy is find international flights that have high $ to point ratios). This isn’t just a United scenario. American Airlines recently announced a similar change. As of today, my 400K United points are worth about $4–5K. I won’t even tell you how long it took me. This sucks because…

All of This Creates a Vicious Cycle of Fear

Who the hell does random mileage runs to Chicago or Jakkarta, just to get to another tier (btw, skyscanner.com is your best friend here). We do this, because as Road Warriors, we love being the center of attention . We fear not being immortalized by our friends and family on the ground. We fear people will stop asking “Where’s Jeff, I bet he’s in some exotic place like Paris or Maui (in reality its more like Harrisburg)”. We fear becoming mortal. And because of all this fear, it effects our judgement and decisions.

I’m not advocating to stop traveling entirely (I still travel but on a reduced schedule). But it’s key to break the mentality that somehow hypermobility and Road Warrior is a badge of honor. What you get in free drinks and business class, you sacrifice in time spent with loved ones and most importantly health. If you are in a spot where you have to constantly travel, here are my favorite tips:

• If you can, avoid red eyes. I know its great to save a day, but the ratio of airplane sleep to bed sleep is like 4 to 1. Sleep deprivation has dramatic health effects. If you can’t avoid it, spend extra money for a high end neck pillow and eye mask
• Always exercise 50% of the days you are traveling (and round up). For example, 5 day trip to New York, try to exercise 3 of those days. Sneak it in somewhere.
• Keep alt travel to a minimum. I know a lot of consulting firms tout this as a benefit. But there is nothing worse than being away from home after a long trip. It’s important to remember that the Road Warrior lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint. And being recharged is imperative.

These are just my experiences, but would love to hear from others, whether your still grinding it on the road or whether you’ve decided to hang up your Tumi bag.

Jeff was a former consultant and has lived the Road Warrior life. His lifetime stats (Late 2012 to Present): 501K United Flight miles flow, 494 SPG Nights, Lifetime SPG Gold, ~20K on other airlines.