TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards! (https://tpunk.com/index.php)
-   'Round The World Travel (https://tpunk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=95)
-   -   Around the Word Travel (https://tpunk.com/showthread.php?t=199)

Duffy 06-18-2003 11:14 AM

Has anyone ever done an around the world trip? I'm possibly planning on doing one for a 2 year period.
How much would a RTW airline ticket cost?
Any other advice would be great too!

My itinerary is as follows:

Vancouver to London
London to Casablanca
Casablanca to Kathmandu
Kathmandu to Bangkok
Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur to Sydney(AUS)
Sydney to Auckland
Auckland to Nadi (Fiji Is.)
Nadi to Cook Is.
Cook Is. to Los Angeles
Los Angeles to Vancouver

Thanks for all your help! :)

Diorama 06-18-2003 01:06 PM

Hey duffy,

you from van?

sorry can't help you with ticket info though. Haven't done a rtw trip yet.

Duffy 06-19-2003 07:53 AM

I was living in Whistler B.C. for a while but moved to Calgary after the winter season. Thinking of moving to Vancouver in the near future though. I take it ur from Vancouver right?

Canadian Dude 06-19-2003 12:55 PM

yo-yo-yo...I found some info for ya on RTW, hope it helps..it has some prices and some pro's and con's of useing this service...That is quite a trip my friend , wanna put me in your luggage??? Its great to have you here Duffy!!! :D


Published RTW Fares
Over 40 airlines on 6 continents participate in partnerships for RTW tickets. Programs and regulations vary considerably. You will usually have to supplement RTW with other tickets to satisfy your specific interests. Even those on business trips can fly cheaper using first-class and business-class RTW tickets, rather than regular long-haul and full-fare point-to-point tickets. Areas not covered can usually be added as a discounted side-trip. Flights in the southern hemishere are US$5,000 to US$6,744 for first-class, US$4,500 to US$5,200 for business-class, and US$3,000 to US$3,300 for economy. Flights in the northern hemishere are US$4,300 to US$5,100 for first-class, US$3,000 to US$3,700 for business-class, and US$2,200 to US$2,600 for economy. (April 1998) Some programs allow you to use frequent flyer miles for RTW tickets.

RULES
14-day or 21-day advance purchase for first leg.

Usually, only the first date and destination must be firmly set, but some require the first few be set.

Specify destinations, and usually the dates at the time of booking.

Date changes are free, but each destination change costs a small fee ($25-$50). Some allow one free destination change. It important to realize that routing changes are permitted only within the permissible routings. It's actually rather uncommon for a desired change of destinations to be possible within the routing options of the original fare.

Most are valid for one year from the date issued, not the date of the first flight, some only for six-months, and a few for only three months. Factor in the time for advance purchase and for checks to clear the bank.

Must continue in one direction, east or west, with no backtracking. There are exceptions in the US, Canada, and Australia. Also, Global-Explorer-type fares go by mileage rather than routing rules.

Most have unlimited number of stops, some limit you to 4-6 stops in the US.

Most require a minimum of 3 stops.

Some require a minimum stay of 6-14 days.

Some have a maximum allowable miles restriction, like NW/KLM 20,000 miles.

Flat-rate price for each seating class.

Children's fare is usually 67% of full adult fare.

Infants (less than 2 years old) fly for 10% of full adult fare.

Refund is 100% if cancelled two weeks or more before departure.

Refund is 75%, minus the value of the flights taken within two weeks of departure.
"For most RTW fares, it is OK to miss a reserved flight. Your tickets are issued for departure cities - NOT TIME (this is the opposite for bucket shops). Just call the airline and make a new reservation (and hope they have room). To actually change your itinerary, you pay a 're-ticket' fee (mine was US$50 in 1992) where they actually take your old tickets back and re-issue a new set of tickets. Make as many changes as you want, but try to do them together since the re-ticket fee is fixed regardless of how many stops are altered. You *must* have your tickets re-issued by the airline who sold the RTW fare. I used a NorthWest/KLM partnership RTW-fare issued by NorthWest, and KLM *COULD NOT* re-ticket my itinerary - only NorthWest could. Unfortunately, I found this out in a city not serviced by NorthWest." <Alan Nelson>

"Missing a reserved flight is usually not a problem. Usually they will put you on the next available flight. However, if it is a seldom travelled route or high tourist season, you may end up waiting days or even weeks for the next flight! Usually a good idea to double-check the time and date. I've heard of people showing up at 3:00pm for a flight leaving at 3:00am." <Dave Patton>

ADVANTAGES

One less financial worry on the road.

No worries about whether you will be able to get to the next destination.

You always have proof of onward passage, which is required in many countries before they will grant you a visa or allow entry.

Frequent flyer miles. Even more if charged with a credit card that gives FF miles. Some have a 50% mileage bonus in business-class which may justify the extra cost. (Delta Medallion Status example: 35,000 miles, plus 17,500 mile business-class bonus, plus 3,500 miles for credit card matching, equals 56,000 FF miles). FF miles depend on the carrier and class.

DISADVANTAGES

Rarely the best deal.

Limited stops due to airline routes.

Some airlines deadend in the Mideast and India, leaving you with no connection eastward to the rest of Asia. For example, many people buy a one-way ticket between Bangkok and Nepal.

Many try to restrict you to the North or South side of the equator.

Infrequent flight schedules.

Some have US$25-$50 fees for changes in itinerary.

Backtracking and side-trips can be very costly, but necessary if you want to see most of Asia.

The least flexible since plans may constantly change.

travelpunk 06-23-2003 12:11 AM

Damn, Duf! That´s going to be quite an experience :)

Great info CD B) ! That´s about the prices I´d expect to pay.

Here´s a site for more info on RTW tickets Airtreks

Canadian Dude 06-23-2003 07:18 AM

I tell ya T-Punk, its not easy being you, but i think we did our best!!!

Duffy 06-23-2003 07:19 AM

Ouch thats gona be alot of money!! Thanks CD and TP for the helpful information. I might have to divide that trip up into 3 or 4 smaller trips over a bigger period of time.

travelpunk 06-24-2003 02:09 AM

CD, you and the crew ROCK! I am extremely grateful to have your help and expertise on these boards B) ! Same goes for the rest of the gang, you know who you are!

Duf, you can probably fly as a courier to some of those destinations. I´m sure there are companies in many countries that offer discount fares if you can go on a moments notice with minimal baggage. Could save you some money here and there.

Esterina 01-18-2006 05:56 PM

My RTW ticket - which was in fact a roundtrip Montreal-Australia for one year, with stopovers in London, Kuala Lumpur, and Frankfort for the return - has costed me a smooth CAN$2500, all taxes included ! It was in 2003, with STA Travel and I wasn't a student nor under 26 years of age. Good deal !

From Kuala Lumpur, I traveled with in Asia with tickets bought in Malaysia, Vietnam, Bangkok and Kathmandu.


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:54 AM.


Copyright©2002-2018 TravelPUNK.com


Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.2.0 (Unregistered)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121