Tom Stuker bought a lifetime pass from United Airlines in 1990 for $290,000. Thirty-four years and 23 million miles later, he calls it his best investment.

While on assignment for a Global Traveler article, I first met Stuker in 2012. By then, he had more than 10 million miles on his travel log. During lunch at Hilton Chicago O’Hare, Stuker regaled me with many tales of his travels.

I really liked Stuker. I expected more of a boring, all-business man, and I met a fun-loving, interesting person. He is very close to his family and flies with them for vacations. He also views the United staff as his family (maybe because he sees them almost as much as his own family).

Shortly after Stuker bought his pass as a business investment, he purchased a companion pass for an additional $210,000. Despite the half million-dollar expenditure, Stuker states it is well worth it. Although he doesn’t have the exact figure, he knows it paid for itself many times over.

Unlike George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air, Stuker couldn’t be more comfortable in the air or with his lifestyle. He eagerly admits he enjoys flying. He even has a favorite seat.

Stuker’s miles are actual flown miles, not miles awarded through other means. Having passed the Guinness World Record holder, Stuker is in the process of gaining such recognition from Guinness.

While flying that many miles, Stuker racks up a lot of frequent-flyer points. He uses those points as gifts for loved ones and interesting opportunities, like a background appearance on television’s Seinfeld.

Earlier this month I caught up with Stuker via Zoom for GT‘s Talking Travel interview series. Not surprisingly, he was preparing to go on another trip shortly after our interview. Stuker discussed his travels, his love of flying (and Seinfeld) and much more. Of course, since I was talking to such a well-traveled flyer, I asked Stuker for travel tips.

Before we ended the interview, Stuker mentioned he is in the process of writing a book and promised to give GT a first edition and an update interview, an offer I gladly accepted. With the book release several months away, I wonder how many more miles Stuker will accumulate by then. It’s a good bet he will surpass 24 million miles by then since he has no plans to slow down.

Talking Travel is a new interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, online writer