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The first big step: the RTW Ticket

RTW ticket, literally “round the world”, do exactly what it says and it is probably the cheapest and easy solution for a travel around the world although there might be a bewildering selection of options available and it can be a time-consuming experience (bad also if you rely on Sta Travel but I will talk about this encounter later on) but don’t stop on the first easy option and look out for the best deals cause it would worth it!

Bear in mind that I am not a travel agent and can’t tell even what is the option for us, please if I am wrong do tell me so, but here are some info that I thought to share.

What it is exactly a RTW ticket?

I am sure you pretty know already what it is and probably you are already thinking on your second RTW trip (in which case you could help us as well :-) ) but for the few who don’t, it’s a kind of airline pass which, rather than buying all flights individually as one way ticket, it will allow you to travel around the world in different countries and with different airlines with only one ticket, cool eh?!
The ticket is valid up to 1 year and you only have to decide where you want to go (it’s important to pick your ‘must see’ dream destinations) and for how long and then just find the best deal, easy peasy to say ...

Would be cheaper do book it yourself a one way flight?

Probably if you are already part of a mileage program and have collected already lot of points that you could use it on booking some flights or you wouldn’t mind when and where to go taking a last minute offer or either wait for the right one to come up maybe it could be done (is that feasible? umm...apparently for some people yep) but a RTW is for sure a good value for money option.
If you would wait for a last minute deal you might discover that all seats are sold out for that day or even for the whole month you wish to travel and the price has skyrocketed.
Also it depends of how many stops you want to include on your itinerary as a RTW ticket would allow you normally up to 15 stops which is a hell of a lot!

What is the convenience of a RTW ticket?

  • don’t have to deal with the hassle of made another booking each time you want to fly;
  • you already have a planned itinerary and dates which could work out well in order to keep you in track and don’t get lost but still with a small charge you could amend dates or sometimes even reschedule it if you want to get lost along the way;
  • come a great value for money especially for many stops worldwide;
  • once booked even if the cost of the oil price or the fare increase you would not be effected;
What are the downsides?
  • you have to have a clear idea of your itinerary otherwise if you have to change often your flights it would not be convenient; if you have for example 7 flights and you will change each time the date of departure you will probably ending up paying an extra of £350 so better stick to the prefix date;
  • have to start and finishing at the same point, in our case London (but even so it plays more as advantage as the completion is higher than from other cities and you could find better deals);
  • probably too complicated to book online directly through the airline’s website and maybe better to go through a travel agent but only if you find that the rate is more or less the same otherwise it worth to spend 20 mins on the phone with the airline;
  • it’s clockwise or anticlockwise and as general rules it can’t backtrack although there are some exceptions;
  • valid up to maximum a year (would not be enough for you??!);
  • depending on the ticket the surface sectors might count as mileage used.

What are the options available?




One World:


One World Explorer based on the number of continents visited from 3 to 6 covering 675 destinations;
Global Explorer based on mileage: 26,000, 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000 miles and on number on stops minimum 3 to a maximum of 15 stops for the 39,000 miles’ option.







Star Alliance: apparently great for visiting Asia and North America but not for Australasia; it allows up to 15 stops and it is based on mileage with 3 fare levels allowing travel up to 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000 flying miles.










The Great Escapade:
unlimited stops and up to 29,000 miles but you could purchase additional mileage up to a max of 4.500 miles; good cover on Asia and Australasia and backtracking allowed….great flexibility and so far sort of what we have in mind!




The World Discovery and World Discovery Plus: both options allow up to 7 stops on Quantas, British Airways and Air Pacific; max mileage 29.000 miles but additional mileage could be purchased. The world discovery allow 2 stops in Australia and 2 in New Zealand while the plus option up to 3 stops in each of those countries





Skyteam: from 3 to 15 stops on 840 destinations offer 4 packages based on the number of miles you travel from 26,000, 29,000, 34,000 and 39,000 miles.





Which is the best RTW ticket and where to shop for it?

Good question but I am afraid I don’t have the answer… though hopefully we are getting there (well we have to and pretty soon too); we are contacting both airlines and travel agents...... any suggestion?

Posted by Marta 15.11.08  

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6 comments:

At 15/11/08 9:59 PM Shawn said...

I would avoid getting a round the world ticket, it will lock you down and the flexibility will be decreased.

Although everyone has a different style of travel.

What happens if you want to stay longer in a country?

If you just buy a one-way ticket for your starting point, then you major flexibility, then just buy the tickets as you go.

I attained my one year and I never booked anything in the last year, except the flight to Israel from Athens.

I just stay on the ground, I am flying to Israel but that is it, then just on the ground, it is cheaper and more convenance than flying around.

 
At 16/11/08 5:40 AM marta said...

I understand and for sure limiting the number of flights we will take would help also to reduce the carbon footprint and the impact on the environment and to be honest with you Chris hates flying but considering we will go over the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic even if we want to it wouldn’t be feasible. Our route will include Asia, Australia, New Zealand, North America and back to Europe and even if we are planning to do a lot of overland trips in each continent still we have to take some flights.

 
At 16/11/08 8:22 AM Enlight, said...

It's toss up on what is the best route, although for some people the RWT fights work.

Everyone is different, and for some people booking ahead works best.

 
At 18/11/08 7:01 AM matt said...

Yeah, i suggest not buying an RTW ticket

http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/should-you-buy-a-rtw-ticket/

 
At 21/11/08 12:07 PM marta said...

umm I am still not convinced...my flatmates are flying as well to Australia and a ticket around New Year, the same time we will fly, costs from £800 going over 1k each for one way only! I reckon for £1600 we have been quoted for all our stops is a pretty good deal, don't you?

 
At 6/12/08 2:55 AM Nomadic Matt said...

@marta- that's cause they are flying over new years to Australia during the summer. I'm not sure what your stops are but if the typical backpacker route, it probably is a good deal. as i say in the article, if you take the generic route and will just follow that and its time table, its a good deal. want to get creative? not so good.

 

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