Nothing beats a round-the-world trip where you can literally circumnavigate the planet, explore and experience new places and stop off wherever you choose. This type of travel is perfect for those who want to see it all or are just indecisive as to where they want to head out but booking a round-the-world trip is not an easy business but here’s how you can get started:
How you can do it
The only economical way to circumnavigate the world is by purchasing
a round-the-world (RTW) ticket that uses one airline alliance. While any routing is possible, knowing how the RTW booking system will make your trip a lot more budget-friendly.
There are rules though – you need to follow one global direction (for example east or west with no backtracking) and you have to start and finish in the same country. You should also book all the flights before departure although you can change it later if you wish and this may incur additional charges.
How long would you need?
You can actually travel around the world in a weekend if you flew nonstop but the minimum duration for most RTW tickets is a period of ten days and even this is a breathless marathon. When you consider the sights you have to see and explore, you might need somewhere around three to six months to travel the world and see it all. The maximum duration of a RTW ticket is one year.
What’s the best time to go?
If there is one thing is is guaranteed to be unpredictable, it’s the weather. 
So you simply need to focus on what you want to do the most and research the weather conditions accordingly. For example, if trekking the Himalayas is highlight, then avoid travelling during the mid-monsoon season. You can also plan your trip is certain destinations to coincide with the major festivals or events so you can enjoy it better too.
Generally, sightseeing the city can be done all year round excluding extreme cold or heat but you need the right weather for outdoor adventures so it’s important that you do your research well in advance.
Where to go?
The cheapest and classic form of round-the-world tours include a few big cities such as London, Sydney, LA, Singapore and Bangkok but if you want to explore more offbeat locations, the prices will naturally climb up higher. In short, the cost of your ticket will be based on the total distance covered or the number of countries visited.
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly RWT, then you can spend more time in less expensive countries. Travelling to Western Europe and North America will always be a lot more expensive than travelling to South-East Asian destinations such as India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia which are particularly cheap.
Below are few more tips and tricks to get the most out of your RTW trip!
- Talk to an expert before booking: While you may have the itinerary planned out, it takes an experienced RTW flight booker to know which routes would work best for you so you can save more money. It’s these little details can could mean huge savings.
- Be flexible: Changing your departure date by a few days can save money and mid-week flights are usually cheaper so plan your trip accordingly.
- Consider internal travel: It could be cheaper to book internal flights while booking your RTW ticket but with the increase of low-cost airlines, it would be better and more flexible to get them separately as you go.
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