In 1990, Tom Stuker bought a lifetime pass from United Airlines for $290,000. He has since flown 23 million miles and calls the purchase the 'best investment' of his life.

• In 1990, Tom Stuker bought a United Airlines lifetime pass. He has since flown 23 million miles.

• Stuker has redeemed countless miles and, at one point, didn't sleep in a bed for 12 days.

• Stuker told The Washington Post that the pass was the "best investment of my life."

Tom Stuker isn't your typical frequent flyer.

While many travelers speak fondly of stays at luxury resorts and the first-class seats they booked using airline miles, Stuker is in a class of his own.

Stuker is a car-dealership consultant from New Jersey who has flown 23 million miles, which Rick Reilly said in a Washington Post column was more than any other person in history.

In 1990, United Airlines advertised a lifetime pass for $290,000, and Stuker quickly snagged the offer.

Now, 33 years later, Stuker frequently enjoys his favored perch in seat 1B.

Stuker told the Post that he spent 12 consecutive days without touching a bed after he flew from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco and then to Bangkok and Dubai — he only spent time outside the friendly skies while visiting the airport lounges.

Stuker, now 69 years old, told the Post that his frequent travels were driven by the accumulation of airline miles.

"Best investment of my life," he said.

Stuker said he knew early on that frequent-flier miles weren't just a way to get more flights; he also ended up selling and trading miles with others.

He told the Post that he once used miles to obtain so many gift cards that he was able to renovate his brother's home — United no longer extends such passes to its fliers, according to the Post.

He even won an auction years ago — bidding 451,000 miles — to be a guest on an episode of NBC's "Seinfeld."

Stuker told the Post that he had been to 100 countries and had more than 120 honeymoons with his wife.

And United has embraced Stuker, asking for his input in crafting the menu at their Polaris clubs and keeping a Mercedes ready on the airport tarmac if Stuker needs to make a quick connection, according to the Post.

Representatives on United's 800 number even recognize Stuker.

That level of service seems almost mythical, but Stuker is still reaping the benefits of his 1990s-era pass that has truly put the world at his fingertips.

Read the original article on Business Insider