Yes, I have seen the whole world...

Finding the Best Around-the-world Ticket Fare

We are stationed in Germany, and when we return to the States after our tour, we wish to travel via Australia and Okinawa, Japan, to visit friends. Would this merit an around-the-world ticket? If so, where would I research the options? Is one carrier known to have less expensive fares?

— Tom and Mary Wahl
Bonn, Germany

A round-the-world trip might be just the ticket for you, especially if you plan to make further trips to Europe, or to the Asia-Pacific region. There is an ineluctable logic to flying all around the world if you already plan to go half way, for much the same price as a round-trip ticket, and far cheaper than a one-way fare. You can use the remaining coupons any time within 12 months.

Prices depend on itinerary (a Southern Hemisphere route traveling east or west via Australia, New Zealand or the South Pacific will cost about 30 percent more than a Northern Hemisphere routing via Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok or Tokyo) and the number of stopovers you wish to make.

Compare fares and route and airline combinations offered by major airline alliances: Oneworld (www.oneworld.com), with 10 carriers, including American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, which sets fares according to the number of continents you visit or pass through; Star Alliance (www.staralliance.com), with 17 carriers, including Singapore Airlines, United, Air New Zealand and Thai Airways, which sets fares according to mileage limits of 26,000 (economy class only; maximum five stopovers), 29,000, 34,000 and 39,000 miles; and www.skyteam.com, with 10 carriers, including Continental, Delta, Air France/KLM and Alitalia.

You may find it best to buy a low-cost, one-way ticket to London and start your round-the-world flight from there; in which case, whatever your final destination in the States, you will be left with a one-way ticket to London. Expect to pay about $2,200 in economy ($7,200 business class). Alliance round-the-world trips are typically made with two airlines, such as Qantas and British Airways, for example, if you choose to fly with Oneworld.

Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.co.uk) claims to be the only single airline to offer a round-the-world service with a routing between London, Hong Kong, Auckland and Los Angeles in both east and west directions. Travelers can choose to fly around the world with stopovers in either direction for the price of a Britain-to-New Zealand round-trip ticket. Fares from London (with tax) start at £705.30 (about $1,418 at $2.01 to the pound) in economy; £1,766, premium economy (Pacific Economy); £3,076, business class (Business Premier).

Trailfinders (www.trailfinders.com), a London-based travel agent with offices in Australia, which specializes in long-haul travel, offers tailor-made round-the-world routings, taking in Australia and the United States, from about £1,000. Or consult a specialist like Roundtheworldflights.com or TravelNation (www.travel-nation.co.uk).

Round-the-world tickets, like most multisector trips, are typically too complicated to book online. Check out the options on an airline alliance site and then call a member airline or a travel agent to fine-tune your itinerary and make your reservations. –ROGER COLLIS

Around-the-World Fares Last Updated: 06/14/07

Planning a long trip? Consider an around-the-world plane ticket. Visit The Passport Center! International Travel Resources Get Itinerary Ideas from Our Member Trip Reports Even if you're not traveling around the globe, an around-the-world ticket could be a money-saving investment. Sometimes an around-the-world ticket is cheaper than a point-to-point round trip, especially in business or first class. A business-class round trip on American Airlines between Los Angeles and London, for example, recently cost $5,940 plus taxes, compared with $6,600 plus taxes, to fly business-class from the United States to Europe to Asia and back to the U.S. with an AA around-the-world fare. By buying a global ticket and coordinating appointments, an executive with clients in both Hong Kong and London could save heaps. If you are circling the globe, you have various options. The trip can take from three days to several years. It can involve a few brief stops or unlimited stopovers, plus side trips. You can stay north or south of the Equator or crisscross it at an extra cost. The journey can cost as little as $2,000 in economy class, or over $16,000 in first. In addition to saving you money, buying an around-the-world ticket is a good way to organize your itinerary. Specialist Agencies If all this sounds confusing, it is. But before you plunge into the maze, plot your preferences -- where you would like to stop and for how long -- and get help! Unless your aspirations are very simple, seek out an agent or service that is familiar with airline tariffs and the global scene. Some such agencies are consolidators who can piece together point-to-point one-way tickets that undercut the lowest partnership economy fares but, unlike partnership tickets, usually will NOT earn frequent flier miles. Some won't accept credit cards; others will, but with a surcharge. You will find that around-the-world fares through these agencies begin at about $1,500, which is a very basic New York-London-Hong Kong-New York; and rather than selling you a single around-the-world ticket, they ask you where you want to stop, then issue you a series of point-to-point tickets. Most flights depart from major U.S. gateways, so if you live inland, you will need to pay extra for a connecting flight. We recommend Air Treks because they offer the best bang for your buck and have a Trip Planner which gives you the ability to create your own custom multi-stop international trip right on their Web site. Which Airlines Offer These Tickets? There are dozens of partnerships, from both the major airlines and discount carriers, that allow you to link together the routes of two or three airlines for one continuous global trip. For a leisurely, rambling odyssey involving many stopovers, it may be cheapest and most practical simply to link together point-to-point tickets for the route of your choice. The biggest alliance, the Star Alliance, includes United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Thai Airways International, SAS, Varig, BMI, Austrian Airlines and Tyrolean, to name a few. It covers 841 destinations in 157 countries, and is a good bet if you want to go with major airlines. The 18 Star Alliance members have launched a cost-saving and flexible around-the-world airfare. Competitively priced, the mileage-based fare allows passengers to backtrack and make side trips from three to 15 destinations, depending on the fare paid, for a maximum of 39,000 miles. Travel on the Star Alliance around-the-world ticket can be from 10 days to a full year, dating from the first intercontinental flight. Some partnerships fly the North Pacific, some the South, some your choice of either (north is significantly cheaper). Most fly via Europe. A few go via South America or South Africa. There are so many nonstops between eastern Asia and Western Europe, however, that you may have difficulty plotting stopovers at such cities as Tel Aviv, Cairo or Istanbul. Other Specialist Agencies: Air Brokers International (800) 883-3273 British Airways (800) 828-7797 Intrav (800) 456-8100 Most tickets bear restrictions, and they vary widely; most are valid for a year. Open jaws and side trips on separate tickets are often okay, the side trips sometimes at no extra cost. You usually may not change the first flight after the ticketing deadline, and other changes are subject to penalties. Sometimes, however, only the first destination must be firmly set. Sometimes there are minimum or maximum stopovers, and mileage caps. At the luxury end of global travel are jet tours organized by tour operators. Check with your travel agent for itineraries and rates. Just about anything else you want to know about around-the-world air travel, including trip abstracts and journals, can be found in The Practical Nomad by Edward Hasbrouck. (Editor's Note: While we have had great experiences with some of the companies listed above, this is a cutthroat business with very small margins. Please take the same precautions you would in buying a ticket from an around-the-world specialist as you would from a consolidator, preferably charging your tickets on a credit card and confirming all reservations/seat assignments with the airlines directly.)

Around the world plane ticket.
fransor fransor wesley Post Count: 0	Msg: #1 Added: 2007-04-12 13:32:45
	Can someone please explain to me how these work? How many stops do you get? Do you have to go \'around the world\'? I have researched the net and found prices as low as $1,500. Wifey wants to go to Ireland and Europe with a couple of stops in between. Is this the most economical method. Many thanks
Brigette Brigette Dempsey Post Count: 39	Msg: #2 Added: 2007-05-01 03:37:48
	Heh, I bought a round the world ticket and it worked out fine for me, only down side to a RTW ticket is IF you want to travel for more than 12 months you cant on that ticket..it expires after 12 months, unless there are tickets out there that dont expire..I don't know, I have been travelling since August and hope to travel till March 2008 but from Thailand my ticket expires and I have to pay my own way home..bummer really...How long do you want to travel for. The RTW tickets can give you as many stops as you want...depending on how much you want to pay of course. I flew in to Mexico and out of Chile..but made my way overland down through all of Central and South America...had to fly over Columbia though as it's not as easy for the Irish to get in..so I hear.. bus journeys were long and over night, even spent 3 days from Rio to Chile..all for 150 USD I think but it was still a good experience for me... If you fly to Europe I wouldnt waste stops on a ticket to Ireland and UK or other places, www.ryanair.com is a very cheap airline that can get you to Ireland if you book the right dates for near enough 1cent.. they do actually exist, you can register with them and recieve emails of when their sales start and they always have sales, they do it to most of Europe aswell. Brigette
Mikey M Mike Meggiato Post Count: 38	Msg: #3 Added: 2007-05-07 10:44:27
	Hi Fransor, Im going on a RTW ticket at the end of this year and i have done a fair bit of research, the are three main tickets and this is basically down to airline alliances. The is the One World ticket and this is made up of British airways, Quantas, Lan Chille,United Airlines and a few others that i can not recall at the moment and the one world ticket is priced by high and low season and by continents. Basically the One world ticket gives you upto 20 flights and has 4 internal flights per continent except for North America were you get 6 flights. the more continents the higher the price.Were ever you start you have to include that as a continent and so were ever you go you are using a continent straightaway. The next ticket is the Star Alliance and the alliance is made up of Air Canada, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Asiana, Austrian Airlines, British Midland, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, SAS Scandanavian, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SpanAir, Swiss International, TAP Air Portugal, Thai AIR,i think the are more airlines and the ticket is mileage based and the are options and the basic ticket is 29,000 miles and you can change this upto to 39,000 but the cost goes up. The is the escapades ticket and is made up by the following airlines Virgin Atlantic Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Silkair, this ticket is better if your going via Australasia and the is a basic 29,000 ticket which is the same price all year round. The key to an RTW is you can not back track, you can change times for a small fee, if you reroute it can get really expensive and as brigette says your limited to 12 months. The price is basically set by the alliance and then of course taxes on top, so its a case of shopping around to see which agency is willing to give the best deal, as the tickets and taxes are the same everywhere and it is down to how much profit the agency is trying to make. Another consideration is helpful are the agency.............one agency may quote slightly less but may not have the technical staff that can advise you on what visas you need and what routing is best.Afterall some agencys have been there for years cause they know what they are doing. Routing can also effect the price, for example an RTW ticket out of london or sydney is cheaper than from going from the states or canada, dont know why, but it means if youre in the states you pay more...........which sucks. thats a brief overview really, but if i can help anymore Fran, just give me a holla and good luck:)
The Travel Camel Shane Dallas Post Count: 63	Msg: #4 Added: 2007-05-11 13:28:07
	Trying to figure which is the best RTW ticket option is a real headache - and unfortunately I will add to it by adding a lesser known airline alliance than the main two (oneworld and Star Alliance). This one is called Skyteam and is a combination of Areoflot, AeroMexico, Air France, KLM, Alitalia, Continental, Czech Airlines, Delta, Korean Air and Northwest. It is very good for the northern hemisphere, but not as good south of the equator. Personally, there are a couple of airlines in Skyteam that give me the sudders, but there is also another alliance which I cannot find a name for - and it includes KLM, Northwest, Kenya Airways, Continental, Alaska, COPA, Air Pacific, South African Airways, Emirates and Malaysia. This one is a better one for getting to and from southern hemisphere destinations. There is a cheap method to do an around the world ticket which is only good for a few stops - and to use Australia as a base for this example, it would involve a return trip to the UK - but going via USA on the way there, and Asia on the way back. This is not technically an around the world trip, but a London Return since you really only have one stop there and one stop on the way back - however, it depends on the airline whether you can implement this. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to work through the plethora of round the world options - since you need to calcluate your maximum miles, number of stops, different zones etc. If you can find a travel agent that will give you a good price, than that could be an option - but if you love the planning aspect of your travels - then you can organise an itinerary yourself - but just give yourself a lot of time to consider the alternatives.
Mikey M Mike Meggiato Post Count: 38	Msg: #5 Added: 2007-05-11 18:37:10
	Wise words TTC.............i was going to mention the Skyteam........but then thought better of it because of the small scope and the laughable experience i have had with KLM and Aeroflot ( Aeroflop as i lkie to call it)........but i suppose he needs to know all the options:)
The Travel Camel Shane Dallas Post Count: 63	Msg: #6 Added: 2007-05-12 00:32:45
	Mike, I was considering using KLM as part of my RTW next year - is your laughable experience with KLM going to deter me from this plan?
Mikey M Mike Meggiato Post Count: 38	Msg: #7 Added: 2007-05-12 09:50:24
	Well TTC....its all down to personal choice mate, but for starters KLM lost my luggage for 4 days and i was only Russia for ten days....which really didnt help and then i had to pay to get my luggage back?..........as apparently KLM's lovely Russian luggage agents were securely storing my luggage. as compensation they offered we a 12 euro voucher off another one of their flights...but it had to be used on a flight over 100 euros..........so basically they were offering me £6 off a £90 flight and wasn't wanting to spend money with them again. The aeroflot flights were an experience......even the newer planes are not that new and a local told me that if they aren't really noise when flying....then thats when you worry..........the carpet wasn't laid down on the aeroflot flights and the in flight meal was a dry croissant with what possibly could have been chicken inside (although it could have been anything) and the croissant looked hand bought and made on route as it was wrapped in cling film. The were other delightful elements..........but im saving that story for when i have kids.........lol, it was an experience and maybe you will have a better time, however from friends and my housemates who have used the skyteam.......its a resounding thumbs down..........but as i said its personal choice. Take care mate and feel free to ask me any questions:0) Mike
LabratsBreakout Lachlan and Brigid Post Count: 1	Msg: #8 Added: 2007-05-23 15:47:26
	Hello. I'm about to depart on my 10-11 month RTW trip (see my blogs; http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/LabratsBreakout)... which has been in the works, and continually delayed by US VISA issues, for about 4 years now (I am British, living in the US with my american wife... they wouldn't let me leave during processing etc). Back when we first tried to do it, it looked like the best/cheapest option for us was a single RTW ticket (I forget the provider/carrier). But the 3 other times we've tried things changed... that ticket no longer exists, and then for some reason the next RTW all in one ticket that we were going to get changed their policy on directional travel (we had to go west, when originally they would let you go east OR west... weird I know)... basically, it seems to me after all the efforts that my wife and I made that there is no sure way to make sure that you are not getting the rip... in the end, we actually just got everything through expedia, and we saved about 15% in relation to any of the all-in ticket deals that would have worked for us. It is highly dependent on where you go though... and how you want to travel. My wife and I are taking a few 'gateway' flights, with long overland stages through regions, traveling independently, so we really only need a few connecting one-way flights... you may be hopping around more...? The trouble with the package tickets, from our perspective, was that a lot of them jumped price for continents visited and to include everything we wanted the prices just rocketed... we tried to adjust our route to work things in cheaper but basically, a quick expedia search quickly told us that these packages were not going to help us out cost-wise... It is a complete NIGHTMARE trying to sift through all the options and find the cheaper places/dates to fly into/from, but don't get discouraged... at the end of the day it's only money, and if you cared overly much about it you'd probably be aggressively pursuing some 80 hour a week type executive career, rather than traveling the world. Good Luck... L
Evan76 Evan Wheeler Post Count: 4	Msg: #9 Added: 2007-05-27 01:07:27
	Hi, I'm not sure about other countries but in Australia Luftansa and Finn Air have some cheaper fares (albeit much more restrictive than the One World/Star Alliance round the world fares). You can travel from Australia via the USA onto europe then back to australia via asia. These fares tend to allow less stopovers (only one in us, one in asia and generally 2-3 in europe), but can be great value in conjunction with cheap internet fares like ryan air, easy jet etc... If you want to have a larger number of stops in each continent my personal choice is the One World 4 Continent fare were you can have up to 4 stops in each region, eg 4 in Europe(including middle east), 4 in asia, 4 in south west pacific and up to 6 in North America(well USA and Canada). There is a lot of options but essentially it comes down to were you want to go and finding the best fare to suit. Cheers Evan
Stuart Stuart Morgan Hurlbut Post Count: 61	Msg: #10 Added: 2007-05-29 04:13:57
	Hi, You don't mention where you are starting from - this does make a difference. There are many budget airlines in various regions of the world particularly Europe and Asia. There are some very cheap flights from Australia to Singapore - then within Asia plenty of very cheap budget airlines. In fact Air Asia are promising to introduce long distance flights from KL (Malaysia) to London. They are promising a price of 500 Ringgets - thats 80 pounds or 160 US dollars. That hasn't happened yet... but may materialise soon.
Lyndal Lyndal Moore Post Count: 2	Msg: #11 Added: 2007-06-05 20:13:27
	Hi guys, I just wanted to give an ex-travel agent's point of view on this topic. As it's been said, there are 2 main groups of airlines that you can use for travelling around the world (and i'm also of the opinion that Skyteam isn't worth mentioning). It's also true that you must travel in one direction, although in some circumstances you can backtrack within continents. It's also true that tickets are only valid for 1 year, and there's no such thing as a ticket that lasts longer, or can be extended. The OneWorld Alliance has 2 types of RTW tickets; one is based on the total mileage travelled (26,000, 29,000, 34,000, 39,000), and the other is based on the number of continents visited and which ones. Whereas Star Alliance only have mileage based tickets. The pros of a continent based ticket over a mileage one is that you are given a certain number of side trips (or sectors) within each continent, so you're not wasting miles or having to buy separate domestic tickets to fly around within a country or continent, and you can get more flights for your money. However only certain airlines fly to certain destinations, so if the airline you need to use to get somewhere isn't a member of the OneWorld Alliance you will have to buy a separate ticket to get there, and it will end up costing you just as much as if you were to buy the Star Alliance ticket which includes more miles. Therefore my advice is: Make a list of all the destinations that you want to travel to and give it to your travel agent. They will then put the destinations into an order which has you travelling in one direction (and you might have to be a bit flexible with your plans here), and then they'll work out which airlines travel between your chosen destinations, and finally they'll calculate the total miles that you'll travel, which will leave your best option. And by the way, if you fly into London and out of Athens and make your own way around in between, the distance between the 2 cities is calculated into your total mileage even though you're not actually flying between the them. It sucks, but unfortunately it's the rules. Basically - let them have the headache, that's what you're paying them for! Let me know if I can help with ay other queries...
aussie surfer aussie surfer Post Count: 1	Msg: #12 Added: 2007-06-16 01:30:46
	Gday Fransor. Another option is some companies which package together stuff for you along the way as well. We booked one last year and went for 10 months and it was ace. Every stop we had some hostels booked and a few other things in each city already it was really easy and better for us because i was travelling with my girlfriend who had never been overseas before and she was a little nervousabout it - even though i was with her. The mob we used was Aussie Escape, I dunno if you are in Oz as well but maybe sus them out and see what you think. Good luck mate!
Wizard4it Russell Simonds Post Count: 1	Msg: #13 Added: 2007-06-23 21:47:13
	Hi all, I am in Australia, was planning on traveling to the UK around end of October 2007 through November 2007. I have been told by a work colleague that it may be cheaper to purchase RTW tickets for myself and my soon to be wife. I dont have any experience regarding this so treat me as a novice OK. Australia to UK is about 2000 to 2200 + taxes per person, standard stop overs ( depending on service ) Bankok, singapore and Dubia ( hope I spelt it right, 7am here ). My fiancee doesnt really like any of those stop overs. My work colleague advised that a RTW ticket may be the answer, he was talking in reference to the one with the basic set at 29000KM or miles something like that, for around the 2800 to 3000 Australian per ticket min 3 stops max 15 stops. Can anyone suggest possible options, cheapest prefered but dont want lost luggage, plane falling out of sky or lengthy filghts ( I smoke ) it kills me if I cant have a smoke after a bout 10 hrs. Last flight I took was Sydney to New York through LA. I had worked the day before, stayed up all night getting ready, never slept on plane or smoked, landed at LA ( 1 hr stopover ), re registered luggage, 1 smoke, 1/2 cup of coffee, back on plane to New York, landed, went to hotel, slept all night missed walking around alot of New York, jumped on plane the next day, flew to florida, 6 days, flew to NV 2 days, then San Diego for 2 days LA 2 days and back home. I was more tired after the trip than I was before I left to start it hehehehehe. 13 days total, went to all theme parks and attactions I could muster the strength to get to, every day was another attraction atleast 1. This time I figure approx 3 weeks to 3 1/2 weeks ( rather than 2 ) maybe a little more, so I can actually relax. What we plan to do in our trip London, ireland, wales, maybe scotland, ( Lee wants to check out Gretna Green ), blimey stone etc etc etc. Did think about the train ride from england to france, once in a life time experience I guess. But thats about it. Please offer any suggestions, stop overs, itineries, times to spend in different places etc.... Again, I am really a novice at all this. thanx in advance Russell and Shiralee wizard4it@optusnet.com.au
seattlephotogirl Candace Ndiaye Post Count: 2	Msg: #14 Added: 2007-06-29 19:29:17
	Hey Wizard! I don't know about the RTW ticket (I'm trying to read to get some insight on that myself!), but take the train from France to England. It's worth it, and you'll really enjoy the ride, I think. I'm not sure if you have alot of trains in Australia, but in the States we really don't. Especially being from the East Coast, it was a great experience for me to be able to ride the trains around Europe. And talk about a huge savings! Flying in the States is SO expensive in comparison to everywhere else I've flown, but the train really allows you to see more, even though it usually takes alittle longer. I would DEFINITELY take the train from France to England of vice versa; it's a relatively cheap way to see alot!