How One Man Used Miles To Fulfill His Dream To Visit Every Country Before Turning 40

"Stefan Krasowski had a dream to visit every country on Earth before he turned 40. That took him to wondrous places, from the crystal blue crater lakes of Djibouti and the ancient Roman ruins of Tunisia to the foothills of the Himalayas in Bhutan."

"And thanks to his considerable stockpile of credit cards, he was able to complete that dream and visit the one that eluded him — Syria. The moment his tourist visa was granted, after a two-year wait, he reached for his credit card."

"'On one day's notice, I was able to be on a plane to Beirut and in Damascus by nightfall,' he said."

"Krasowski is part of a growing subculture of people for whom earning points has become a kind of sport."

"And that's why Krasowski founded a group called Reach For The Miles in New York, a meetup of travel hackers and deal optimizers who trade tips for gaming the points system."