Frequent Miler’s 2019 40K to Far Away Challenge Rewatch Video

Every year, as we continue our tradition of annual team challenges, at least one or two commenters tell us that the first-ever 40K to Far Away team challenge was (or still is) their favorite. Of course, it wasn’t perfect: the staff was only 3 people strong at the time, so collecting and processing footage in real time was not the priority then that it is now, and the nature of the strict budget (40K points and $400) meant we departed from our usual focus on luxury travel and instead featured some pretty shoestring travel strategies.

However, there were a lot of things 40K to Far Away got right, and as a team, we find ourselves referencing this challenge frequently in our brainstorming for each new one. (In fact, this year’s 100K Vacay challenge is somewhat inspired by 40K to Far Away with a very similar premise, which you can read about here.) For one, it had such a challenging budget (40K points and $400) that it not only forced our travelers to get a little grungey (which was entertaining to watch), but it also forced them to be very clever with their skills, even to the point of groundbreaking discoveries. Nick for example, discovered how valuable Turkish miles could be for flying United Airlines from the East Coast to Hawaii. And Greg’s trip showcased United’s Excursionist Perk pushed to its limit.

There were so many incredible gems and equally incredible stories that came out of that challenge, but they can be hard to find now, 6 years later. So, for anyone who can’t quite remember all those 40K highlights, the short story is this: Greg, Nick, and Stephen were each assigned a different transferable points currency, then tasked with getting as far away as possible on a budget of 40,000 points and $400.

But of course, adventures and misadventures quickly unfolded from there.

My twin sister (who helps us with the massive influx of video editing each challenge season) has conducted interviews, scoured old blog posts, scraped together footage, and put everything together into a single episode that does a fantastic job telling the 40K to Far Away story as it deserves to be told. No hunting through old blog posts and instagram archives required – just sit back and watch the show.

Frequent Miler’s 2019 40K to Far Away Challenge Rewatch Video

(00:41) – Before our annual team challenges, Greg had an interest in “just-for-fun” challenges of his own

(01:14) – How did the 40K to Far Away idea come to be?

(02:53) – What were the rules?

(04:22) – All travelers started in Washington DC…

(04:59) – Greg had an early delay, which had the chance of derailing everything since his whole strategy depended on a loophole with the United Excursionist Perk

(08:08) – Nick’s first flight (to Honolulu) also highlighted a sweet spot, where Honolulu was considered a domestic flight (and therefore only 7,500 miles) on Turkish Miles & Smiles

(11:15) – Greg intercepted with Julian in New York (and shortly after, lost his butt pillow)

(13:10) – Stephen decided he wanted to sample a quintessential dish in each destination, so he started this off with a Tim Horton’s doughnut in Canada

(14:40) – Meanwhile in Honolulu, Nick used a key from a recent trip to loiter in the lobby of a hotel and pretend he was a guest there, working in the lobby. Unfortunately, once it was time to take a bus to the airport, he was so tired he slept through his stop and had to dip into his budget for an Uber. Once there, he ultimately had to finish the night on a concrete slab outside of the airport.

(17:20) – Greg accessed a WeWork office for food and a place to work in Madrid. In Madrid he also realized that he hadn’t secured his couch surfing host yet, so he finalized that and had a great stay with Jose.

(19:28) – Stephen did a 10-mile walk in Madrid, then got a shower in a lounge at the airport

(20:26) – Nick found a park near the airport in Japan before he then spent the night at a capsule hotel

(22:54) – Greg stayed with another couchsurfer in Senegal and visited the Ngor Island

(28:07) – In Madrid, Stephen spent another night at the airport and dipped into his emergency tuna packet stash!

(29:17) – In Belgium, Stephen started hunting for Thomas Dambo trolls

(31:25) – In Bangkok, Nick was disappointed to realize that the discount airline airport he flew into meant he wasn’t entitled to enter Bangkok

(33:12) – Greg made his way to South Africa

(33:40) – In Brisbane, Nick tried the “Eat Street”, a food court made of old shipping containers

(34:40) – Despite arriving in the middle of the night, Stephen still walked around 10 miles in Paris, then another 10 miles in London too!

(36:30) – In Johannesburg, Greg rented a car and met up with a person he met on a Couchsurfing forum – “Chef Bjarne”. Bjarne was Greg’s host for a day full of activities like a sunrise breakfast and a local market.

(44:38) – In Nelson, New Zealand, Nick bit off a little more than he could chew, unexpectedly biking 32 miles without food

(47:29) – Stephen visited his old stomping grounds of Guilford, where he visited a castle that dates back to the 1000s

(49:33) – In South Africa, Greg took a train from Johannesburg to Cape Town, but it was not without issue

(53:12) – In Copenhagen, Stephen rented a car for more troll hunting

(54:58) – Nick’s final destination was the tiny island of Nui, where he joined the local yacht club just for fun

(57:40) – In Cape Town, Greg met up with friends who showed him around all the Cape Town sites, then ended his trip in Seychelles

(1:00:03) – Stephen actually used his budget to return back to DC and then continue traveling ~5 days longer than any of his competitors!

(1:02:05) – Who won and who traveled the furthest? (And did everyone stay in budget?)

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

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