The Best Round-the-World Ticket?

If you are attempting to buy a round-the-world ticket (RTW), you can be faced with quite a bewildering array of options. Fortunately, at Skyscanner, we know some friendly agents from leading travel companies who have sat down and explained the various options available to the world traveller as well as providing their recommendation for the best ticket.

What is a round-the-world ticket?
This is a ticket that allows you multiple stops as you complete a journey (probably using a variety of carriers) around the planet.

Which destinations can I travel to?
There are thousands of possible routes you can take so the best thing to do is find a site with a tool to help you calculate your journey and see where you fancy going. Most of the alliances provide this service, though some are easier to navigate round than others. Great Escapade offer a fairly intuitive example.

Can I take an unlimited number of flights within one ticket?
Your route is calculated in two ways: either it is based on the total number of miles you intend flying or it is based on the number of continents you wish to visit. If your proposed journey exceeds the number of miles allowed by the ticket, then you can purchase extra miles or you can buy a different ticket which allows a greater amount of travel.

Do I have to go in one direction?
Not necessarily. Going back on yourself, will use up valuable miles though and even if you travel independently ie. overland (known as a surface sector) this is still likely to be factored in to the total number of miles you have travelled.

When is the cheapest time to travel?
Unlike most airline seats which are sensitive to price fluctuations depending on the time of year, RTW fares tend remain relatively consistent. If you are looking for the cheapest possible ticket then generally, the best time to depart is between late April and mid June.

Can I buy extra miles?
If your proposed journey exceeds the number of miles allowed by the ticket, then you can purchase extra miles or you can buy a different ticket which allows a greater amount of travel. For example, the World Journey fare allows you to purchase a ticket with up to 40,000 miles of travel available.

How long are the tickets valid for?
Most of them are valid for one year from the date of the first flight shown on the ticket.

Are there restrictions on my ticket?
This will vary with the type of ticket you have purchased but some fares have a “minimum stay” clause of anything up to two weeks which is designed to deter business travellers from taking advantage of lower fares.

Can I change my travel dates?
Yes you can though in some instances you may need to pay a supplement.

Do I need an onward ticket before landing in some countries?
Yes. Travellers should check with their travel agents which countries require proof of a ticket for departure.

Should I deal directly with the airlines?
If you do this, you are probably only going to get information about that particular airline’s routes and schedules. In order to complete a round-the-world journey involving more than a few stops, you are going to have to use different carriers, which is why airline alliances have been established.

What airline alliances offer RTW tickets?
There are a number of groups of airlines which offer these fares. Details of some of the more popular ones are shown below:

World Discovery / Plus - based on miles. You can make up to 7 stops.
• British Airways
• Qantas
• Australian Airways
• Cathay Pacific on some selected routes

One World Explorer - based on the number of continents you visit. You can take up to 20 flights.
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Lan
• Malev
• Qantas
• Royal Jordanian

Star Alliance - mileage based and you can make up to 15 stops.
• Air Canada
• Air New Zealand
• ANA
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Bmi
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Scandinavian Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Spanair
• Swiss International Airlines
• TAP Portugal
• Thai Airways International
• United Airlines
• US Airways

Great Escapade - mileage based with unlimited stops.
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin
• Air New Zealand

World Journey - based on miles with up to 10 stops.
• Air Caledonie
• Air Europa
• Air Pacific
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Air Vanuatu
• Alaska Airlines
• Continental Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Emirates
• Jet Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• Malev
• Malaysia Airlines
• Northwest Airlines
• South African Airways
• SriLankan Airlines

Which is the best?
This is rather a subjective question since some tickets have better coverage in some parts of the world than others. If you compare prices for the various fares however, there are some obvious differences. At the time of writing, the cost of this (fairly standard) route, London - Singapore - Sydney - Auckland - Fiji - Los Angeles - London, outside of peak times is as follows:
World Discovery - £1275 incl. tax
Great Escapade - £1098 incl. tax
Star Alliance - £1689 incl. tax
World Journey - £1409 excluding tax
One World Explorer - £1449 excluding tax

The experts we spoke to suggested that the Great Escapade was their choice of RTW ticket. The reasons they for their choice were the high quality airlines in the alliance, the competitive prices, the low air tax included in the ticket and flexibility to change dates of travel without incurring vast costs. Whatever route you are planning on flying, make sure you shop around and compare prices.

Prices correct as at 29 August 2007

© 2008 Skyscanner. All rights reserved. Any views and opinions expressed in Nick's Travel Bytes articles are those of the author and not Skyscanner.