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There’s definitely something romantic about the idea of a round the world adventure of a lifetime. Our last RTW took in 11 countries over 6 continents, 13 flights, and 35,000 miles … for cheaper than the cost of having purchased each leg individually!

Almost equally as entertaining as the trip itself, were people’s reactions when they asked where we were going next. It was quite a mouthful, but I eventually managed to run off Sydney, Singapore, Cape Town, Istanbul, Venice, Vienna, Barcelona, Cancun, Panama City, Buenos Aires, Auckland, and back to Sydney, all in one breath!

For us, this was the perfect balance of romance and adventure, and we managed to include a huge number of bucket-list experiences like cage diving with Great White Sharks in South Africa, and swimming with Whale Sharks in Cancun, all into the one trip.

If you’ve ever thought about booking an around the world ticket, it’s an incredible option with endless possibilities. The following overview will help you decide if booking a RTW fare is right for you.

Ever Thought About Booking a Round The World Ticket? This Post Will Help You Decide

Round The World (RTW) Tickets

A RTW ticket can be best described as an airline alliance pass. It is a single ticket bought from one airline, that allows you to travel across countries and continents using their airline partners.

For instance, booking a RTW ticket through QANTAS will mean that your flights will be with partners of the Oneworld alliance. If you book with Singapore Airlines, you’ll be using Star Alliance.

Through a combination of airlines and even other modes of travel, you can make several stops based on your needs and travel style. And, provided you take the right steps during the initial phase of planning your trip, RTW tickets can often be cheaper than booking flight legs individually.

Jettar Australia flight plane

Photo credit: Jetstar Airways

The Price of RTW Tickets

The price of such a ticket depends on a lot of factors such as your choice of airlines, choice of destinations, the duration of the trip, and the time of the year that you plan on travelling. All of these considerations determine the price of an around the world ticket.

Prices may range from as low as $AUD 2,000 to $AUD 6,000. But be that as it may, you can still get hold of a RTW Ticket for as low as around $ AUD 2,000 for an incredible itinerary that includes Sydney – Auckland – Fiji – Los Angeles – New York – Milan – Dubai – Signapore – Sydney.

To put that in perspective, return flights from Sydney – New York average $AUD 1,000 alone. So in paying for a RTW ticket at double the price, you’re getting an extra 6 destinations.

This post has some fabulous insight on how you can save in 2017, making sure you’re always getting the best airfare!

The Panama – Buenos Aires leg of our RTW with Star Alliance

Value For Money and Convenience

If you’re planning a long term trip, a round the world ticket can often work out to be a cheaper and more convenient option than booking individual flights. Especially if your start point involves flying from Australia.

These tickets also offer great value for money due to their price optimization; essentially, RTW tickets are a one-way, long haul flight with multiple stopovers. It does come down to your itinerary, and travelers visiting multiple continents over a few months will see the best value for money.

But aside from the cheaper cost, booking a RTW ticket greatly reduces the burden and hassle of having to book flights for each leg of your journey while you’re on the move. RTW Tickets offer the convenience of having your whole itinerary on one ticket. One reference number, and all flights finalized before you begin your journey.

This type of ticket is perfect for those who prefer a little more structure and organisation. The pre-determined stops mean that you know when and where you’re headed next, and you can carry your whole itinerary on one document.

Things to do in Istanbul

Enjoying a Turkish Bath in Istanbul knowing our whole itinerary was sorted

Customization and Personalization

Crafting your own personalized itinerary around the globe can be one of the most exciting things about buying a round the world ticket. You’re in total control, and have the freedom to decide where you want to go and the number of stops that you want to make.

Part of the whole experience is the planning stage, and letting your imagination run wild with the possibilities of city combinations. Should you fly from Singapore – Cape Town? From Cape Town you can go north into Europe, or maybe first stop in Egypt? So … many … possibilities!!

Do keep in mind that there are certain limiting factors such as backtracking (which is not advisable unless necessary) that could substantially increase the prices of your RTW Flights, and that some tickets have a maximum limit of air miles that you can use.

But otherwise, you can customize your own itinerary as per your travel preference and style.

Pro Tip: If you’re flexible with your destinations, and want to maximize your time in each place, try to prioritize booking legs which have direct flights. 

Blogging Sydney Blog Computer Laptop

Booking with a Specialist Agency

Due to the rules and limitations on RTW tickets, it’s one of those things that can be intimidating to DIY. But if you’re thinking about just paying more for individual flights because RTW is confusing, it’s smarter to make your booking with a specialist agency who will do the footwork for you.

Experts are adept at going through the complex maze of airline and flight combinations and finding the most optimum airfare for your flights to ensure that you end up with the best possible savings. They’ll know the ins and outs of what you can and can’t include, and tricks to maximize your money.

The other benefit is that you get personalized services and assistance, not only while buying your tickets but right through until the completion of your trip.

A personalized agent will always be there to ensure that you go through your journey without any hassles. In difficult situations such as a cancelled or a missed flight or rescheduling, it’s nice knowing that someone is there to help you out.

Round The World Flights Australia, an Australia based specialist agency comprises of RTW experts who create customized RTW flights and itineraries. Not only that, they will have suggestions for you to add a little flavour to your trip by adding some extra stops and offering some flexible options to help save some money.

Only one question remains – where are you going to go on your round the world adventure?

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Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.

    

    26 Comments

  1. This is wonderful! It’s exactly what we were looking for two days ago. A wealth of information, fantastic advise! Thank you so much

    • Fabulous Cory, I’m so glad we could help you out :) Feel free to reach out if you have any questions at any point.

  2. A round the world ticket? That is really tempting but I would prefer cycling or eve walking around the world!

    • Wow, very adventurous indeed! You can often book RTW tickets to fly you into one city, and have your next flight leaving from a different city, so if you did want to combine a bit of everything, you could plan out a trip which mixes flights with walking or cycling between destinations :)

  3. Silly girl, how many times do you think Meg? How about daily! $$$

    • Haha I know right! I dream about it daily too :D

  4. Pretty Epic!! :D ?

    • Yes indeed! One of those “have to do before I die” type of experiences :)

  5. Never thought about buying a round the world ticket. Super interesting!

    • Glad we could inspire the idea Sue! Let us know if you have any questions if you do decide to plan one :)

  6. Fantastic resource. Now you’ve got me thinking…

    • Thanks Vivienne! Glad you enjoyed the post … haha and we’re always happy to inspire more travel ideas :D

  7. I am inspired too!

    • Fabulous Jamie! Let us know if you have any questions if you do decide to plan one :)

  8. Thank you for this. I had a RTW ticket for an adventure after University & have saved a few itineraries on airline websites for a future adventure. Your tips will help us finalize things. Thanks!

    • You’re welcome Elizabeth – hope the trip happens for you soon!

  9. That would certainly be the trip of a lifetime!

    • Indeed! Can highly recommend it :)

  10. “Our last RTW”? How many have you done?

    • We’ve done 4 in the past 10 years – being that we’re in Australia, half the time it works out cheaper to buy a RTW ticket than it does buying a regular return with additional jumping around. I can highly recommend checking into it further for your next trip – you might be surprised by how the price compares :)

  11. Great post as so many don’t consider RTW fares and value opting for online searches one way. I put my own RTW ticket together on Star using points in biz class. definitely a great value to stay in one alliance.

    • Glad you enjoyed it :) Nice work on organizing your own in biz class – business class is the one thing we haven’t done yet, but a RTW ticket would definitely be the place to do it!

  12. I’ve been wanting to a do a RTW trip for a while. May just have to book one soon!

    • Fabulous Shannon! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions when planning your itinerary :)

  13. Thanks Megan this information is just great to do the RTW journey. Thank you for posting and cannot wait to get things going and using your useful tips

    • You’re welcome Abhishek, so glad the article was helpful for you. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions about booking a RTW … and have an amazing time!

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