Round-the-World tickets

Beenie

We fancy a RTW trip and don!t want to do the usual stopovers (singapore, hong kong, bangkok). Has anyone done something like Shanghai, Vietnam, Baja California plus Australia? Is it even possible with one airline? Should we use a travel agent or can this be done easily using the internet?

We are newly retired and have about 6 weeks set aside for this holiday in Feb/March next year.......

mr_scientist

I did a trip earlier this year which involved various flights (Vietnam included). I'd recommend going to a specialist such as Flight Centre. Even though they may come out as expensive they make for a good starting point. I did this myself, and then went away with all the info and shopped around online. Whilst they actually came up with a pretty good price, I found something online that was similar but better flight times.

As an aside, if you're planning on travelling mainly around Asia, it may just be worth booking your outbound and return flights. There are so many cheap/budget type airlines out there than you can book your flights on the cheap whilst you're there. Take a look at Air Asia, I highly recommend them, Asia's equivalent to EasyJet, probably better. Vietnam Airlines were also relatively inexpensive too. JetStar and Tiger Air Airways are others I believe. From a little experience, and speaking to other travellers, the US is also the same.

mr_scientist

I forgot to mention Kayak, it's a flight search engine if you like, in a similar vain to SkyScanner. They allow you to do a 'multi city' search which you may find useful too.

http://www.kayak.co.uk/flights?mc=y

Heliflyguy

A RTW ticket doesn't need to be on 1 particular airline, if airlines belonging to the same alliance (Oneworld, Star etc) can be used then a RTW priced ticket can be available.

PompeyPete

Also look at AirAsiaGo, for flight/accom packages...

https://www.airasiago.com/en-gb/

I've booked a package with them between Bali and Yogyakarta (Java) for a week this October. Return flights for 2, plus 7 nights B&B in a well-reviewed central hotel with pool for £219.

Doshwaster

I'm usually a big fan of DIY bookings but with RTW tickets it can help to speak to an expert as there are limitless options and the fare rules are very complex in terms of allowable routes and changes. If you are spending 6-12 months going around the world then it is inevitable that your plans will change at some point.

A couple of good companies
http://www.trailfinders.com/around-the-world
https://www.statravel.co.uk/round-the-world-travel.htm

Even if you don't book with them they can be good for inspiration.

The most important thing with an RTW trip is to be realistic about your budget. On my travels have I'm met people in various parts of the world who have had grand plans to tour the globe for a year but then have ran out of money within a few weeks. There some excellent blogs written by people on RTW trips so you can get an idea of the costs in different parts of the world.

Beenie

Many thanks.

To be clear, we are only going for 6 weeks. Money, and running out of it, will not be a problem.

I think we wil be going with Air New Zealand as they do Shanghai and Fiji as stop-overs. Still at the planning stage though, so anything can happen!

fufu_banterwaite

When I went on my RTW trip from 2009 to 2011 I went with Flight Centre as well and found them very good.

Blue264

Beenie wrote: »

I think we wil be going with Air New Zealand as they do Shanghai and Fiji as stop-overs. Still at the planning stage though, so anything can happen!

Air New Zealand are my favourite airline...great customer service, gorgeous food, etc... Also, if you book 2 seats of a row of 3 in Economy class, you can book the middle seat for about £150 and the row folds out into a double bed.

Fiji is amazing. There's plenty of island hopping to be done, but my personal favourite is this one, because the staff at this resort have largely worked there for all of their adult life, and they have their own staff village on the island.

http://castawayfiji.com/

For the absolute maximun flexibility, I would book your trans-Atlantic flights with NZ, then conside Emirates for the far East and west back to the UK. If you head towards India at all, Jet Airways business class can be as cheap as Economy class with other airlines, and their business class product is excellent.

For the far East, it's worth considering Dagon Air and China Eastern for decent fares and connections.

There are plenty of good quality small airlines about for connecting flights, but the avoid the dodgier airlines, please refer to the list of EU banned carriers...

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban/index_en.htm

These are airlines that have such poor safety and financial records, that they have been banned from flying in EU airspace.

Doshwaster

Beenie wrote: »

Many thanks.

To be clear, we are only going for 6 weeks. Money, and running out of it, will not be a problem.

I think we wil be going with Air New Zealand as they do Shanghai and Fiji as stop-overs. Still at the planning stage though, so anything can happen!

Ah. Sorry I read the "6 weeks" in your original post as 6 months. Must get my eyes tested.

6 weeks is a tight schedule but it's doable. It just means that you really need a plan and stick to it rather than heading off and doing a random wander around the world.

blindman

Beenie wrote: »

Many thanks.

To be clear, we are only going for 6 weeks. Money, and running out of it, will not be a problem.

I think we wil be going with Air New Zealand as they do Shanghai and Fiji as stop-overs. Still at the planning stage though, so anything can happen!

Really confused at this.

Money and time is no object so why try to RTW for only 6 weeks?

Going to NZ alone needs 6 weeks!

You itin suggest what you are really doing is going to NZ with a couple of stopovers on the way there, so no need to complicate things with a RTW fare IMHO.


Shanghai in Feb\March will be very cold.

Air NZ is a good airline-Are you flying Business or Economy?

IMHO RTW needs 6 months-not 6 weeks:D so if you are retired with loads of do$h why not do it properly?