Planning a "Round the World" Trip

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Planning a "Round the World" Trip

It's important to plan a Round the World trip properly, otherwise you run the risk of not getting everything out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you would hope to. But where do you start planning such a grand trip?

Well, the most fundamental aspect of any extended multi-destination trip is the flight tickets themselves. Best purchased as a consolidated ticket, a Round the World airfare will normally make up the single largest expense incurred during the planning of any extended overseas trip.

With most Round the World tickets, the more ambitious the combination of destinations you choose, the more expensive your airfare will be. The key question for you will be whether the trip you're planning determines the ticket you buy or the ticket you buy determines the trip you plan. Most people aim for the former, but end with the latter as their budget curtails ambition.
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It is difficult for most people, at least initially anyway, to resist the overwhelming desire to cram every iconic site in the world into their trip. However, reducing the ambition of the trip will lessen the cost of the ticket, whilst also potentially allowing more time in destinations and a less exhaustive, more rewarding schedule generally.

Sometimes the difference between the most expensive ticket and a cheaper option is the inclusion of a specific flight. Planning this as an overland sector, or perhaps buying this separately, could dramatically reduce the cost of the main ticket.

Round the World tickets often have a mileage limit and will be most efficiently used when the passenger travels in a consistent direction. Backtracking within large countries or between countries unnecessarily adds to the mileage. Note that direct overland sectors between entry/exit points will still count within any mileage calculations.

Tickets are usually operated through alliances of airlines, many of which share flights through a system known as codesharing' - basically, one flight might have multiple flight numbers. Rules on Round the World tickets tend to be very specific as to what codeshares' are permitted, but these do sometimes open up availability on popular routes.

The most popular Round the World tickets tend to be operated by alliances of airlines, each of which commands its own loyal following. With 29,000 miles or more not to be sniffed at on frequent flier programmes it can make sense to stay loyal if you're already collecting points.

Much advice is available online through various forums, agencies and airline websites, but planning a complex trip is almost always easiest done face to face with an expert. Twenty minutes talking to someone in the know is worth many hours of lonely online research where any saving is likely to be minimal.

Round the World tickets are ideal for gap years, extended trips and even for more extensive multi-centre holidays but careful planning and consideration can save considerable amounts of cash, while maximising the potential of your trip.

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