Hurry! hurry! book your dream vacation with your free miles before February 1, 2014. It will take a lot more miles to redeem for a free ticket after that. For instance, 65,000 miles would fly you from United States to South Asia on economy, but comes February 1, you will need 80,000 miles to fly. Ouch! 
This change would affect most business and first class travelers as the miles redemption would increase anywhere between 20 to 50% while some could be as high as 80%. I have been a United MileagePlus member for more than 15 years, and I have more than 265,000 miles at my disposal today. As 2013 is drawing to a close, I am writing this while researching what would be the best destination to use my miles for 2014. Right now, South Asia seems to be the best bet if I take the miles increment in consideration. Brazil, Cuba, and South Africa are among the tops on the lists of Lonely Planet, CNN Traveler and Fodor's Travel. I would love to visit Brazil but I think the country is overpriced and overhyped now and beyond because of the upcoming World Cup and the Olympics in three years time. Cuba sounds very exciting but the thought of flying from a different country (United States is still banning its citizens of flying directly to Cuba) in order to get there turns me off for now. South Africa sounds exotic and I can travel to other nearby countries like Botswana and Namibia. That would be my birthday present for next year!
Effective March 30, 2014, US Airways partnership with MileagePlus will ends. Instead, the airline will join OneWorld after its merge with American Airlines completes. We have to do a little more homework on our next trip. The super-sized airlines notably United, Delta and coming new American will eventually leave us a lot less room to maneuver as we will have less choices, and eventually even paying higher prices. There will also be new and higher fees in 2014. Fee for selection of seat, fee for over-sized baggage, fee the extra legroom, early boarding and list goes on. The airlines are getting smarter to maximize their revenue as they will be renting Apple iPads preloaded with movies, and selling first class meals in coach.
We are smart travelers, and we are adaptable to whatever changes and conditions the airlines have imposed on us this coming New Year. Africa here I come.
