Travel Guide - RTWs

Travel Guide - RTWs

Many major airlines have clubbed together to form groups that offer Round the World Tickets. For the independent budget traveller this is the most economical way to see the world. Typically tickets cost around US$2000 and will see you completely circumnavigating the globe. Many are actually really flexible - you can call a number and have the date and time of your flight changed at very little or no cost - when you're choosing a ticket keep this as a consideration, chances are you will phone up and stay that bit longer somewhere.

What do you need to think about when purchasing a round the world ticket ? Locations, follow the rules of the ticket, some say you can only go in one direction - eg. East. However, for jet lag, it's easier going west! But for some reason going east is more popular.

Don't forget your visa! Some countries require visas even just for passing through - the big one to consider is the USA - make sure that you know what visa you require for the USA and if you need a transit visa.
How do round the world tickets work? Groups of airlines form alliances to offer near-global coverage. They then offer flights on the airline that covers each leg of the journey, which allows a round the world ticket to offer many more destinations.


Group One - StarAlliance

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Singapore Airlines, Spanair, Thai Airways International, United, US Airways and VARIG
Features of a Star Alliance Round-the-World Ticket



You can travel with any member airline (there are some flight exceptions)

Start and end of your journey have to be located in the same country

Only one Atlantic and one Pacific crossing should be included in your itinerary.

Available for travel in First, Business or Economy Class! (where your budget traveler will find oneself)

There are usually fare levels. StarAlliance has levels allowing you to travel up to 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000 miles.

Fares will depend on the origin and the class of service of your journey.

There is no high season surcharge, so it does not matter when you depart. You simply need to determine the class of service and the total mileage you need. A major positive for the independent traveler.

If your journey originates in Canada, USA or Mexico, you can buy your ticket up to seven days before departure. In all other cases, you can buy your ticket at any time before you depart.

Your journey may last any time between 10 days and a year. You can change the dates of most of your flights at any time, except for those flights up to and including your first international or intercontinental journey. For a small fee, you will be permitted to change destinations.

You can take as few as three, or as many as 15 stopovers in different cities (within the permitted mileage). The maximum number of stopovers within certain regions may be limited.



These tickets are available from a travel agent representing one of the airlines in the group.
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