A man from the United States has achieved a remarkable feat by traveling to more than 100 countries, surpassing even the distance covered by the Apollo 11 mission to the moon led by Neil Armstrong.
Tom Stuker accomplished this incredible journey thanks to a lifetime pass he purchased from United Airlines for $290,000 back in 1990. The travel enthusiast from New Jersey considers this pass to be the “best investment of my life.”
At 69 years old, Stuker has flown over 23 million miles, which is significantly more than the 953,000 miles covered by Apollo 11. In 2019 alone, Stuker’s mileage surpassed the distance of six round trips to the moon. Throughout the year, he took 373 flights, covering 1.46 million miles, which would have cost him approximately $2.44 million if he had paid for the flights in cash.
These frequent flier miles have provided Stuker with extravagant experiences, including stays in luxurious hotel suites around the world, weeks-long cruises with Crystal, and indulging in gourmet meals from Perth to Paris.
Stuker has also enjoyed unique opportunities, such as redeeming $50,000 worth of Walmart gift cards in a single day and winning a charity auction to appear in a Seinfeld episode by bidding 451,000 air miles.
While his travel adventures have been mostly positive, Stuker has unfortunately witnessed the tragic deaths of four individuals during flights, all due to heart attacks.
Stuker and his wife have embarked on more than 120 honeymoons, and he doesn’t seem bothered by environmental concerns, believing that his presence on a plane doesn’t add to the footprint since the plane will fly regardless.
When it comes to travel tips, Stuker always chooses seat 1B, surprising considering most people prefer window seats. Remarkably, despite boarding thousands of flights, Stuker rarely misses one, attributing this to traveling with only hand luggage.
Stuker’s accomplishments have garnered global recognition. In 2011, United Airlines honored him by naming a Boeing 747 after him when he reached 10 million miles, and in 2019, he became the first passenger to fly 20 million miles with United.
Unfortunately, for those hoping to travel like Stuker, United’s unlimited lifetime pass is no longer available.
