While most major airlines have tightened up the rules (and added new restrictions) surrounding frequently flyer miles, that doesn’t mean you can’t find some pretty good deals. And honestly, who wouldn’t like to fly for free?

If, like me, you’ve got quite a few frequent flyer miles and are trying to figure out the best way to use them, Travel + Leisure has a nice round up of tips, tricks and suggestions for getting the most out of your miles (sadly, in an effort to maximize pageviews, the article is actually a “slideshow,” shame on you Travel + Leisure).

The vast majority of the tips aren’t going to apply to vagabonds since they’re geared more to the resort travel set, but there are a few gems in the bunch. For example I was unaware that I could use my miles on round-the-world trip tickets through airline groups like Oneworld, Skyteam or Star Alliance.

Other nice tips in the Travel + Leisure article include using a site like Mile Manager to track your miles and get e-mail reminders so you don’t accidentally let them expire.

Of course the real pain of frequent flyer miles are blackout dates and the general hassle of booking a trip using your miles. Still, if you have the patience to deal with the airlines and you’re able to accumulate miles at a decent rate, the payoff (free travel) is well worth the effort.

If you want to get really creative with frequent flyer miles (and don’t mind spending a little bit of money along the way) have a look at Chris Guillebeau’s The 5 Million Frequent Flyer Mile Challenge.

Got other tips for vagabonds with frequent flyer miles? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.

[Photo by gadl, Flickr.com]