· Going around the world at least once is a dream most people have. It requires time and money so a lot of people will wait until they retire. Travel is more fun when you are fit and active so don't leave it too long.
· Which way to go, clockwise or anti-clock. It's up to you. Travel days last longer when you're heading west.
· I like to do the adventurous part of a journey first then relax on a beach somewhere at the end. Get the map out and start picking your countries. You will need to get a RTW air ticket (round the world).
· There are two organisations to pick from, One World and Star Alliance. Sky Team the third alliance has stopped doing Round the World tickets for now. Star Alliance was the first to form in 1997 and is the largest. One World was next in 1999 and uses two systems to work out tickets. Sky Team came last in 2000.
· Another advantage with these alliances is if you have a frequent flyer program running with one of the airlines you get points whenever you fly with any of the airlines in the group.
consists of Alaska Airlines - American Airlines - British Airways - Cathay Pacific - Finnair - Iberia - Japan Airlines - Malaysia Airlines - QANTAS - Qatar Airways - Royal Air Maroc - Royal Jordanian - Sri Lankan Airways - Fiji Airways, and Oman Air.
consists of Aegean Airlines - Air Canada - Air China - Air India - Air New Zealand - All Nippon Airways - Asiana Airlines - Austrian Airlines - Avianca - Brussels Airlines - Copa Airlines - Croatia Airlines - EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines - EVA AIR - Lot Polish Airlines - Lufthansa - Scandinavian Airlines - SAS - Shenzhen Airlines - Singapore Airlines - South African Airways - Swiss International Airlines - TAP Air Portugal, THAI Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.
consists of Aeroflot (currently suspended) - Aerolíneas Argentinas - Aeroméxico - Air Europa - Air France - China Airlines - China Eastern Airlines - Czech Airlines - Delta Airlines - Garuda Indonesia - ITA Airways - Kenya Airways - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - Korean Air - Middle East Airlines - Saudia - TAROM - Vietnam Airlines - Virgin Atlantic and Xiamen Airlines - no longer running a Round the World Ticket program.
· They have different programs and rules. Some fares are distance based and some have a certain number of sectors per continent. It gets complicated and their software is frustrating and not user friendly. This is one time I recommend to use a travel agent. Find a good one who knows what they are doing and you'll be amazed at some of the places that end up on your itinerary. Where you want to go may affect which alliance is best for you.
· It's a good idea to have a frequent flyers program with one of the airlines as you will be racking up the points and should have enough for free flights for your next trip.
· Usually, the tickets are valid for one year. Spend less time in the expensive countries and longer in the cheap ones.
· Try to coordinate your seasons so that it's warm weather all the way. Less stuff to carry around. Start light as you are bound to pick up a lot of souvenirs along the way. You could post them home every now and then.
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And crossing lots of borders - Myawaddy, Myanmar
· Pick out a festival or two along the way and book your accommodation for it well in advance. Organize to catch up with friends or family along the way or in their home countries.
· Combine it with in country air and rail passes. A lot of these need to be purchased before you enter the country. They can save you a lot as well as opening up the country for you.
· Work out any visas you'll need to get beforehand. An itinerary is in the works but could be a while off. Pick your favourite countries and make your own.
· Beware of British Airways. Their connecting flight missed their flight and they claimed it was not their problem. We were on our own with no assistance whatsoever. And their flights out of London were booked out for 3 months. Every other airline we used on One World were great. I've only had bad experiences with US airlines also.
· You will be doing a lot of airport transfers. See if your hotel provides them. Many do but charge and are expensive. Or use the certified airport taxis. They may cost a little more but can save a lot of headaches. Or there's Uber, Grab and many others these days. If you are on your own the shuttle, train or bus might be better value. Don't use uncertified taxis.
Image by Stefan Schweihofer from Pixabay
About Us
This website is aimed at providing inexperienced, or any other travellers with easy to follow itineraries to help make their journeys hassle free and fun. Making independent travel both doable as well as being more economical and rewarding. It endeavours to provide the necessary information in a simple and easy to follow manner as well as educating and entertaining. It hopes that seasoned and armchiar travellers will also find much of interest and inspiration. Finally the more people we can get travelling the more chance we will have of all getting along together.
