We also don't have much interest in travelling to Asia, which I suppose is the cheapest international destination excepting NZ, so that also means any international flight we're looking at $3k plus (on a good day!) for the pair of us.
Just be warned that you can save and save your QFF points for that elusive international flight and you may end up paying $2k anyway in surcharges/taxes for the two of you PLUS all of your hard earned points!
Many of us here have the means (to travel ourselves) or the jobs (that travel a lot) or a business (that allows truckloads of points to be earnt through credit cards). I myself started with modest earning in Ansett's program due to personal travel coupled with credit cards and was able to accrue enough to travel to NZ and back (this was in 1999, when you needed less points and fares to NZ where still relatively expensive). In 2001, I switched jobs that meant I travelled a lot more, and switched largely to Qantas to earn, as they were our preferred carrier. 11 years on I am in a different country, still flying, but QF aren't really part of the equation so I have different programs to keep me happy now, and do have the means to travel more myself.
My main comment is just be careful not to be sucked into the hype you may get exposed to on AFF. Carefully consider your circumstances, and think about what you want to get out of a FF program. If you are outlaying considerable extra money to build up QF points and/or status you have to question it's worthwhile - with the fuel surcharges in place now internationally the real value in QF lies in doing business class redemptions - and they can be difficult to come by at times. You may be better saving the money to pay for tickets (I can see an extreme scenario where just $25 extra paid on SYD-MEL tickets to fly QF/accrue QF points could fund a business class ticket to Europe and back on a different carrier - vs an economy redemption using QFF points you could earn travelling between SYD and MEL).
Also QF are often not always going to be the best for credit card earning. I advised my parents a few years ago NOT to transfer their points to QF and to ensure they didn't lock themselves into a credit card that only gave QF points as an option. They have used their points now on other carriers - in business class - only for a little more than if they'd used QF points in economy - and at the time they were booking, QF didn't even have award seats available (other than via long ways round - I was trying to use my QF points for them without luck!).
Now the lounges .... sure they ease the burden of travel, but if you are not travelling that often, the burden isn't so bad. Sit in the public area of an airport 9 or 10 times a year, you will survive just fine (I say this as I travel a fair bit, and probably 1/3rd of the time I can't use a lounge for one reason or another). Travel 40 or 50 times a year, you will survive as well, but you will sure notice the difference having lounge access. Horses for courses, as the saying goes.
Anyway, good luck, plenty of stuff to learn from here!
) And yes, I hear you in the house-sitting - we live out away from anyone we know, so for a few days the cats are fine by themselves, maybe five days at most (in the temperate months), but longer than that just isn't really viable without someone checking on them.
