TPG's Zach Griff's 2025 elite status plans, trip stats and travel highlights
2024 was perhaps my biggest year yet, especially from a personal perspective.
On the travel front, I logged upward of 100,000 miles on 59 flight segments, making it yet another busy year for me on the road. Some of the highlights include a ski trip to Europe in the winter, a sublime escape to Greece during the summer and an early-fall visit to Italy's Puglia region.
Given my job as a travel blogger and creator, some of my followers were surprised to see that I stopped traveling for nearly three months at the end of the year. That certainly wasn't because I was "over" travel.
In fact, when I shared the news that my daughter was born in late October, everyone quickly understood. I'd been waiting to share the good news with my community, and so 2024 definitely closed with a bang — even if I didn't travel as much as I have in the past five years.
Now that we're a family of three, I'm starting to develop some new perspectives about travel. Below, I'll share some of those views — including my plans for elite status this year — and my travel stats from 2024.
2024 travel stats
Total miles flown: 100,093 (2023: 191,271; 2022: 185,780; 2021: 152,033; 2020: 133,796; 2019: 205,985)
Longest flight: Dubai to New York City (6,832 miles)
Shortest flight: Philadelphia to New York City (80 miles)
Unique airlines: 14
Unique airports: 34
Elite statuses earned: Six (Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Plus, American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum, United Airlines Premier 1K, Hilton Honors Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite, World of Hyatt Globalist)
2025 travel plans
Ever since my daughter was born, I've been thinking about travel differently; I have been breaking down my trips into two categories — family trips and work trips.
Going into 2025, I'm really trying to lean into the former. Although my daughter is still young, I want to instill in her a love of travel and exploration so that she can appreciate the great world we inhabit.
I'll give it a few more months until she can begin to understand what's happening around her, but I'm already planning to take her on trips to see family in Israel and to major cities with lots of kid-friendly attractions, like London.
And because I want to be around the house with her, I'm also thinking about work travel differently. In the past, when an event popped up in some far-flung place, I'd often make a big trip out of it.
But now that I'm prioritizing being home, I'm planning on still saying yes to events, grand openings, inaugural flights and such but minimizing the amount of time I need to be on the road.
For instance, late last year, I went to San Diego and Boston for the opening of the Chase Sapphire Lounge and Delta One Lounge, respectively. What might've been a one- or two-night trip will now be a same-day turnaround. (And don't fret; I like airplanes enough to spend lots of time inside those metal tubes.)
All of this is to say that you'll still see me hitting the road in 2025 and posting about it, but I might just be home before you even know it.
2025 elite status plans
This year, I dropped one elite status that I had earned for many years in a row: JetBlue Mosaic.
I only took three flights with JetBlue last year and found that the entry-level Mosaic status didn't really improve my experience much. Ever since JetBlue stopped letting Mosaics redeem points for Even More Space seats at lucrative rates, I haven't found much benefit to the lowest Mosaic tier.
That said, I just took my first JetBlue flight without Mosaic status and found it frustrating to wait on hold for a support agent for over an hour (the Mosaic line always picked up within a few minutes). So perhaps I'll end up chasing the status if my JetBlue travels increase this year.
Two of my other longtime elite statuses are American AAdvantage Executive Platinum and United Premier 1K.
I'm currently based in Philadelphia, but I will be moving back to New York City in the middle of the year. So, it makes sense to continue splitting my primary airline between American and United.
I will say, though, that I haven't found my Executive Platinum status nearly as lucrative as it's been in the past, largely because of the upgrade situation.
Ever since American started allowing travelers to spend their way to status, I've seen what feels like many more top-tier elite members on my flights. That leads to even more competition for the dwindling number of last-minute, first-class seats available for an upgrade. Last year, I paid for many of my domestic upgrades with cash (or miles), and I'll probably continue to do that in the coming year.
The other thing that's been frustrating about my loyalty to American is the lack of confirmable upgrade space on long-haul flights. One of the perks of Executive Platinum status that I value most is the ability to select systemwide upgrades for long-haul flights.
I accrued six of them last year and have only managed to successfully redeem one.
That said, I plan to renew my Executive Platinum status this year and then reassess next year if it makes sense to continue doing so.
Speaking of upgrades, I found more value from United Premier 1K last year than I have in recent memory. I had amazing luck getting my PlusPoints upgrades to clear, and if that streak continues, I'll be a happy camper next year. (Pro tip: Book long-haul flights during shoulder season.)
The best news about United is that I don't even need to requalify for status this year. That's because the Chicago-based carrier unofficially offers new parents the ability to extend their status for one year; if I don't travel enough with United this year to hit 1K, I'll definitely be calling the MileagePlus service center toward the end of the year to cash in on this offer.
When I move back to New York, I might consider adding Delta Air Lines into the mix once again, but I often find the Atlanta-based carrier's fares to be higher than the competition. Plus, the lackluster SkyMiles redemption rates don't make it so rewarding to fly with Delta.
While I probably won't travel as much in 2025, I plan to use my cobranded credit cards to help me close the gap to renewing status. All of my top airlines allow you to spend your way to status, so I'll make sure to pay my tax bills and large purchases with my credit cards during the year.
Credit cards are also the key to unlocking hotel status. As it is for many of my TPG colleagues, the World of Hyatt loyalty program is by far my favorite. As a top-tier Globalist member, I consistently enjoy great treatment, frequent upgrades and valuable perks during my stays.
As such, I'm going to do whatever it takes, including spending on the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees), to close the gap to earning Globalist status again next year.
Since there aren't always Hyatt properties in the places I visit, I also maintain status with Hilton and Marriott for those non-Hyatt stays.
Maintaining status with those two programs is as easy as holding the right credit card. I don't plan to cancel my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card or my Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card this year, so I'll maintain Diamond and Platinum Elite status, respectively.
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