There is a site, www.bootsnall.com, that specializes in RTW.
I’ve done it a half dozen times. Sometimes it was just the cheapest airfare, and only cost an extra day, so I did it to save money. The first time I just happened to be going to a variety of places trip by trip, and it ended up taking me around the world. But by far, the best experiences are from planning an around the world trip.
And often some of the most fun is in planning the trip around the world, especially if you are doing this with a partner. Where in the world have I always wanted to go? What places sound exotic? What looks like a reasonable path? What kinds of experiences am I looking for? What do I want to be able to say or feel about the trip after I complete it?
Timeframe, When and How Long?: As I mentioned above, sometimes it is cheaper to fly Business Class from the US West coast to Europe, and make a stopover in Hong Kong via RTW ticketing, than US West coast to Europe and back. So an extended week, ie, 9-10 days. But if you can figure out how to take a month, just think how much more you can do. And at 3 months, now you could spend a week in 13 different places. And for a year, the possibilities are endless (believe me, I have looked at some amazing trips.
Also obviously, if you take a year, then your chances are slim at being able to schedule good weather for the whole trip. Part of the territory of becoming a traveler is learning to survive in good weather and bad. Part of your planning should account for trying to hit your real highlights at the best season for you, but remember, best might be defined not only by weather, but by festivals, and budget (shoulder or off season are usually significantly cheaper).
The Basic RTW: The least expensive ‘round-the-world airfares usually come from the major airline alliances (Delta-SkyTeam, United-OneWorld, American- OneWorld). Each offers their own RTW, but the general rules for all:
- There are different price levels dependent on # of stops and/or miles traveled.
- Generally you must stay on member airlines, or in some cases other airlines that have been made a special part of their RTW fares.
- Generally you need to move in a single direction, either East or West, and not backtrack (each alliance may make some specific exceptions)
- You need to start and end in the same country, not necessarily the same city.
- You must book ALL of your destinations and usually times in and out at the beginning (there are usually penalties, some large, some small, for making changes en-route).
- All of the alliance require that you complete your RTW in at maximum 1 year, some alliances also have a minimum, but generally not restrictive.
- You can book flights inside a country within your RTW, or separately (keeps miles and stops minimized). You can also use other travel modes between places. Eg., you could fly into Delhi and out of Mumbai. Or even, fly into Bangkok and out of Hanoi. Once you get to an area, you should consider what places you might go to nearby, and what the most fun way to get there might be.
- Be careful to know the rules though. For example, skipping one leg of your travel on a RTW might cancel the entire rest of your trip. Always keep the airline apprised of possible changes to your itinerary.
Where to go?: Travel between big cities is usually least expensive. Travel in a single hemisphere is usually cheaper. Look at the line you draw on a map between the places. Generally, the longer the line, the more expensive. That said, Go to the places that capture your imagination. Go to the places you will tell your grandkids about. Go to the places which will help you find that new perspective of the world. This is a big commitment. Make the payoff big also.
Budget: Shoulder vs. Off vs. Off-Off season. Remember, your accommodations are likely to the most expensive part of your trip, far surpassing your airfare. Shoulder and Off season are usually good both to have more reasonable pricing AND to reduce the number of other tourists you have to contend with. Europe and other developed countries are generally more expensive than say South America and Asia. But a lion safari can be quite a bit more expensive than a luxury stay in the heart of Paris. Use www.booking.com to get an idea of hotel prices for the time frame you are looking for each country. In almost every country you can spend as little or as much as you want on food.
Start dreaming today. Look at a world map. See what catches your eye. Look it up on the internet. Add it to a possible list. Then go to someone like www.bootsnall.com Be flexible and enjoy the planning of your around the world trip.
Leave a Reply