round the world trip adalah

Round The World Airline Tickets

Fly rtw with one world member airlines.

one world's Round The World tickets give you unprecedented access to hundreds of destinations in 170 territories. We offer three types of Round The World trips:

one world Explorer: a continent-based fare,

Global Explorer: a distance-based fare,

Circle Pacific: an inter-continental journey to explore continents that border the Pacific Ocean.

Where to first? The whole wide world is waiting for your Round The World trip.

one world Explorer

Continent-Based Air Travel

No matter where business or pleasure takes you,  one world's vast network means your Round The World trip via  one world Explorer fare makes it easy to travel from city to city, and continent to continent. And, for every dot you connect, you earn more miles and points to spend across the  one world Alliance.

Global Explorer

Distance-Based Air Travel

For an even wider choice of where to travel, book your Round The World trip via Global Explorer, which grants you access to an even more extensive list of airlines, including Aer Lingus, Bangkok Airways,  one world  connect   partner  Fiji Airways , Jetstar, Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Pacific, WestJet, and  Qantas  code-share flights operated by Air Tahiti Nui.

Circle Pacific

Multi-Continent Air Travel

If you prefer to visit multiple continents without actually flying all the way around the world, our Circle Pacific fare lets you explore the continents that border the Pacific Ocean. You can choose to start and finish your journey in one of the following continents:

Asia  (Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam)

Southwest Pacific  (Australia and New Zealand)

North America  (USA and Canada)

South America

Contact a  one world member airline or your travel agent to plan and book your Circle Pacific trip now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a round the world ticket.

The one world Alliance offers a way to visit many countries, around the world, all in a single itinerary.

On oneworld.com, you can choose to book either one world Explorer, where the fare depends on the number of continents you visit, or Global Explorer, where the fare depends on the distance you travel.

Circle Pacific, an inter-continental journey to explore continents that border the Pacific Ocean, can be booked by your travel agent and is not currently available for booking on oneworld.com.

Where Can I Fly With Round The World?

For one world Explorer and Global Explorer, one world member airlines and affiliate airlines cover six continental regions: Europe/Middle East (including Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen); Africa (excluding countries listed above); Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, but excluding countries named above); Australia, New Zealand, and the South West Pacific; North America (including the Caribbean, Central America, and Panama); and South America. Currently, it is not possible to begin your itinerary through Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) through one world member Qatar Airways. Book both one world Explorer and Global Explorer on oneworld.com.

Through the one world Circle Pacific fare, one world member airlines and affiliate airlines cover four continental regions: Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan); Australia, New Zealand, and the South West Pacific; and North America. Ask your travel agent about booking a one world Circle Pacific fare. Routes are subject to change.

Where Can I Travel Now, Given COVID Restrictions?

View entry restrictions and COVID-19 travel requirements for countries around the world on our the one world Travel Requirements Information Portal . Use the map to get information on travel restrictions by country, including entry restrictions, as well as COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and quarantine requirements.

Is Round The World Ticket Business Class An Option?

Yes, Round The World tickets are available in Economy, Business, and First class. On our oneworld.com booking tool, there is a drop-down menu to select your preferred cabin class. Premium economy upgrades will show where available when you select flights.

Is Round The World Ticket First Class An Option?

How much does a round the world ticket cost.

Your Round the World fare is based on a few factors: the number of continents you visit or pass through or the distance travelled, the travel class selected, and the number of travelling passengers. Read on for more information about full fare rules and conditions [Note: Links open PDF in browser]:

What Are The Round The World Rules?

Read on for Round The World rules and conditions [Note: Links open PDF in browser]:

What Should I Know To Help Me Plan My one world Explorer Itinerary?

When planning your one world Explorer itinerary, here are tips to keep in mind:

Destinations are grouped into three zones and six continents:

Zone 1: North & South America

Zone 2: Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Zone 3: Asia and the South West Pacific

Your trip must be in a continuous forward direction, East or West, between Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3. Backtracking within a continent is generally permitted, however some exclusions apply.

Your adventure can last from 10 days up to a year. Travel must be completed within 12 months of your original departure date.

Your trip must start and finish in the same city.

You must cross both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean on your journey.

Your journey can include three to six continents, and anywhere between three and 16 flights.

Review complete one world Explorer fare rules and conditions .

Can I Change Or Update My Round The World Itinerary?

Yes, one world Explorer, Global Explorer and one world Circle Pacific itineraries can be modified to accommodate changes to your Round The World plans.

If you booked your Round The World trip through oneworld.com, contact the ticketing airline (the airline you are flying on the first leg of your journey) to make changes to your itinerary.

If you booked your Round The World tickets through a travel agent, please contact the travel agent to make changes to your itinerary.

Will I Earn Frequent Flyer Points On A Round The World Trip?

Short answer: Yes, you will earn frequent flyer points on your Round the World trip.

Long answer: Yes. one world works in collaboration with all of our partner and member airlines to ensure that you’re rewarded no matter where you travel. On all eligible flights, you will accrue points or miles toward the airline of your choice and toward your one world tier status .

How Can I Pay For A one world Round The World Trip With Frequent Flyer Points?

Currently, it is not possible to use frequent flyer points to pay for a one world Round The World trip.

Does Your one world Explorer ticket include checked-in baggage?

Two free pieces of 23 kilos each shall be permitted. Additional allowances may apply. Refer to individual carrier websites.

Here's what you need to know to plan a trip around the world

Dec 29, 2021 • 6 min read

Don't start planning your round-the-world trip without reading this guide © Getty Images

In 1924, a team of aviators from the USA successfully completed the first-ever circumnavigation of the globe by airplane, a feat that took 175 days, 76 stops, a cache of 15 Liberty engines, 14 spare pontoons, four aircraft and two sets of new wings. This achievement ushered in an era of international air travel, and nearly a century later, travelers are still creating their own round-the-world itineraries. 

You might not have the same worries as those early aviators, but planning a round-the-world trip has never been a more complex process. As COVID-19 continues to alter world travel , heading out on a multi-country trip might be more complicated than it has been in decades. While it might not be the right time to hit the road, luckily it's never too early to start figuring out the logistics of a trip around the globe. After all, who doesn't have a lot of pent-up wanderlust at the moment? 

When it comes to booking your trip, there are several options for booking your airfare, as well as flexibility on timing, destinations and budget. But don't let that overwhelm you – start here with our handy guide on how to plan that round-the-world trip you’ve always dreamed of.

Where and how to get a round-the-world plane ticket

The most economical way to circumnavigate the globe is to buy a round-the-world (RTW) plane ticket through a single airline alliance. These are confederations of several different airlines that make it simple to maximize the number of places you can travel and pay for it all in one place or with points. There are three primary airline alliances to choose from: Star Alliance, OneWorld and Skyteam.  Star Alliance is a coalition of 26 airlines that fly to 1300 airports in 98% of the world’s countries.  OneWorld includes 14 airlines traveling to 1100 destinations in 180 territories.  Skyteam is made up of 19 airlines that serve 1000 destinations in 170 countries.  

Read more:   How to save money when you're traveling

Once you pick an airline alliance, whether because of a loyalty program you’re already a member of or because you like its terms, conditions and destination list, you can purchase a single RTW airline ticket made up of several legs fulfilled by that alliance’s partners. The RTW ticket rules vary between each of the airline alliances, with particulars like Star Alliance’s rule that a RTW ticket can include two to 15 stops. But there are some general principles that apply to most RTW tickets, no matter which airline group you go with. 

You typically must follow one global direction (east or west – no backtracking); you must start and finish in the same country; and you must book all your flights before departure, though you can change them later (though this could incur extra charges). Typically you have one year to get from your starting point to the finish line.

How long do I need for a round-the-world trip?

You could whip around the world in a weekend if you flew non-stop, especially with the advent of new ultra-long-haul flights that can clock in at 20 hours of flight time. However, the minimum duration of most RTW tickets is 10 days – still a breathless romp. To get the most out of your round-the-world ticket, consider stock-piling vacation days, tagging on public holidays or even arranging a sabbatical from work to take off at least two months (but ideally six months to one year). Because most airline alliances give you up to a year to use your ticket, you can maximize your purchase if you plan well.

When should I travel on a round-the-world trip?

The weather will never be ideal in all your stops, so focus on what you want to do most and research the conditions there. In general, city sightseeing can be done year-round (escape extreme heat, cold or rain in museums and cafes), but outdoor adventures are more reliant on – and enjoyable in – the right weather.

Research ahead of time if any must-see destinations or must-do activities will mean facing crowds. For example, if you’re hoping to be in Austria for the famous Salzburg Festival, you’ll want to plan ahead and book your tickets months in advance. If you’re hoping to fit a shorter thru-hike into your round-the-world trip, you’ll want to make sure you’re going in the correct season and starting in the right spot. You won’t get far or have as enjoyable an experience if you’re, say, attempting the Tour du Mont Blanc during the dates of the annual winter marathon or headed northbound on the Pacific Crest Trail in July, missing most of the warmer months. 

Accept youʼll be in some regions at the "wrong" time – though this might offer unexpected benefits. For example, Victoria Falls has a dry season each year , which means a slightly less thunderous cascade, but it does open up rafting opportunities and a chance to swim right up to the lip of the falls in The Devil’s Pool. Going to Venice in the winter might mean grayer skies but fewer crowds. Heading to Kenya and Tanzania in April is likely to mean fewer humans, but not fewer chances to spot wildlife, all while saving money on safari.  Also keep in mind that mom-and-pop locations have their downtime and holiday seasons as well; don't be too surprised if your local bakery in Paris is closed for a holiday week or two in August.

Where should I go on my round-the-world trip?

The classic (and cheapest) RTW tickets flit between a few big cities, for example, London – Bangkok – Singapore – Sydney – LA . If you want to link more offbeat hubs ( Baku – Kinshasa – Paramaribo , anyone?), prices will climb considerably. The cost of the ticket is also based on the total distance covered or the number of countries visited.

Remember, you donʼt have to fly between each point: in Australia you could land in Perth , travel overland and fly out of Cairns . Or fly into Moscow , board the Trans-Siberian railway  and fly onwards from Beijing.  Pick some personal highlights and string the rest of your itinerary around those. For instance, if youʼre a keen hiker, flesh out a Peru ( Inca Trail ) – New Zealand ( Milford Track ) – Nepal ( Everest Base Camp ) itinerary with stops in Yosemite , Menz-Gauassa and the Okavango Delta .

If budgetʼs an issue, spend more time in less expensive countries and plan budget city breaks along the way. You’ll spend more in metros like Paris, Dubai and San Francisco than in Nusa Tenggara , Budapest  and Buffalo . 

Tips, tricks and pitfalls of round-the-world tickets

Talk to an expert before you book a round-the-world ticket: you may have an itinerary in mind, but an experienced RTW flight booker will know which routes work best and cost least. A few tweaks could mean big savings in time and money. Hash out a budget well ahead of time, not only for your RTW ticket, but also for the whole trip. Reach out to friends or travel bloggers who have done a round-the-world trip or are full-time travelers because they can offer tips on how to budget for a trip around the world .

Be flexible: moving your departure date by a few days can save money. Mid-week flights are generally cheaper, as are flights on major holidays such as Christmas Day. Avoid days and times popular with business travelers to escape higher prices and more crowded cabins.

Think about internal travel: it can be cheaper to book internal flights at the same time as booking your RTW ticket, but with the global increase of low-cost airlines, you may find it better (and more flexible) to buy them separately as you go.

Be warned: if you donʼt board one of your booked flights (say, on a whim, you decide to travel overland from Bangkok to Singapore rather than fly it) your airline is likely to cancel all subsequent flights.

You might also like: 10 destinations perfect for solo travel Can visiting lesser-known places offer a better travel experience? 6 things I learned from flying 6 days in a row

This article was first published Mar 20, 2012 and updated Dec 29, 2021.

Explore related stories

Jul 18, 2024 • 2 min read

Is it possible to go sightseeing in London with just an 8-hour layover at Heathrow Airport? LP is here to help.

Mar 14, 2024 • 10 min read

Nov 19, 2023 • 10 min read

Aug 27, 2023 • 6 min read

Apr 28, 2023 • 3 min read

Dec 1, 2022 • 3 min read

Jan 12, 2020 • 5 min read

Aug 20, 2024 • 0 min read

Aug 16, 2024 • 6 min read

Aug 13, 2024 • 9 min read

Round the World Tickets: The Ultimate Guide (Updated 2024)

Y ou've probably heard about round the world tickets, a one-stop shop approach to cross-continental flying. But let's be real: it's never been easier to book flight tickets yourself, and round the world tickets are pricey. So why do people book round the world tickets, and are they  actually worth the cost?

The quick answer is, it depends . If you're pressed for time, have a seriously fixed itinerary with many international stops to make, it can be cost-wise. However, if you have a whimsical, budget-conscious trip in mind, or are focusing on just one part of the world, there are cheaper options out there that you should know about  (like finding fares yourself on Skyscanner on Kiwi.com ).

So, here's everything you need to know about round the world tickets, followed by our DIY approach that could save you even more money!

• 1 How do Round The World tickets work?
• 2 How to book a round the world ticket
• 3 What are the restrictions and/or setbacks?
• 4 The alternative: book separate flights yourself
• 5 How to book your own round the world trip
• 6 So, what's the cheapest option?
• 7 A Thrifty Case Study: A Round the World Trip from New York City
• 8 What are the alternatives?
• 9 So, is a round the world ticket worth it?

How do Round The World tickets work?

Round the world (RTW) tickets are flight packages that let you visit a number of destinations around the world for one price. These tickets are offered by airline alliances like SkyTeam, Oneworld, and Star Alliance. All the flights in your itinerary must be served by airlines within the chosen alliance.

RTW tickets require you to select your destinations and departure dates in advance. This means you prepay for the pass and book all of your flights before your trip. Note: you don't have to actually fly “around the world” with these tickets , they're also sold as multi-city flights, continent-based travel, or by miles.

The perk of RTW tickets is the ability to book all flights at once at a discounted price, plus ensures a mass accumulation of frequent flyer miles since you'll only be flying partner airlines. You can even purchase part or all of your RTW ticket with relevant miles, where permitted.

How to book a round the world ticket

Round the world tickets can be purchased directly with airline alliances or via  travel agents .

Airline Alliances

• OneWorld Alliance
• Star Alliance

Each alliance offers an online trip planner that allows you to put in every stop of your itinerary and get a price quote. It also makes it easy to work around the restrictions of round the world tickets, warning you when your planned route doesn't meet the requirements. All alliances offer online booking, or you can call one of the participating alliance airlines directly.

Travel Agents

• AirTreks (U.S. – our top choice & has 32+ years experience in RTW planning)
• Liberty Travel (U.S.)
• Flight Centre ( Australia , U.K. , Canada )
• RoundAbout Travel (Australia)
• Student Flights (Australia)
• A travel agent local to you

Travel agents have exclusive access to flight deals, plus receive discounts accessible only via their IATA code. They also save a great deal of time and money whilst adhering to your budget and needs. Find an agency that specializes in round the world tickets, so they're aware of the restrictions and can secure the best price.

What are the restrictions and/or setbacks?

RTW tickets often more expensive than a DIY approach (covered later), especially given they exclude budget airlines. Furthermore, there are restrictions to follow, so ensure you've read the fine print. Such restrictions typically include:

• A minimum number of flights to book (typically three), as well as a maximum
• Flights usually must be within the same airline alliance. This can sometimes result in obscure stopovers to stay with partner alliances.
• Restrictions on the direction of travel (e.g. East to West only) and/or requiring you to cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at least once
• All flights must end in the city you started from and connect from city-to-city (i.e. you can't fly into London, then take a train to fly out of Paris)
• A minimum number of stopovers
• Additional surcharges for itinerary changes and/or flying to certain destinations
• Missing a flight in your itinerary could result in the remaining flights being cancelled, even if days or weeks away

Whew! Though there are many restrictions, most will come up when making your booking . Simply use the round the world ticket planners provided by each alliance, put in your desired destinations, and the options and costs will be presented automatically.

The alternative: book separate flights yourself

The value of a round the world ticket depends on the route you're taking and the flexibility needed. More often than not, you'll find it's cheaper, easier, and more flexible to book your own round the world trip online across several bookings using multi-destination flight search engines like Kiwi.com  and Skyscanner . You also can mix and match airlines, and aren't confined by the restrictions that accompany an actual RTW ticket.

Credit card points programs also allow multi-city flight bookings, effectively allowing you to book your own round the world trip via points or a combination of cash and points. You can readily rack up a significant amount of miles just by hitting the minimum spend within a set time. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is our top pick as a beginner card. On hitting its minimum spend, you can earn up to 60,000 points worth $750 – more than enough for an international flight .

Flight deal subscriptions like Scotts Cheap Flights compile discounted airfare to your inbox, based on the desired departure airports. Whilst this doesn't include RTW flights, this could help you cover some of the legs of your trip, as it has majorly discounted international flights departing the U.S. For those outside America, similar services exist in the U.K. ( Jack's Flight Club ) and Canada ( Next Departure ).

The only major drawbacks with booking a RTW ticket yourself is the time and patience needed to make the booking. Additionally, you may end up with frequent flyer miles spread across a variety of programs, without enough miles in any program to use them. Most likely though, you'll come out ahead financially doing it yourself.

How to book your own round the world trip

Kiwi.com  and Skyscanner are the two flight search engines we recommend for booking your own tickets for a round the world trip. They include budget airlines and let you search multi-destination flights, letting you see prices for your entire itinerary at once.

The key difference between the two is that Skyscanner prefers results from partner airlines , while Kiwi.com will always  mix and match airlines (including budget airlines) for the cheapest price . Either booking site can be beneficial depending on your trip, so to get the best price, be sure to compare results and follow these tips:

• Experiment with  the order of your destinations for the best price. Just because a flight is shorter doesn't mean it will be cheaper.
• Experiment with the  dates of each flight . This can be time consuming, but if you're dedicated, you can shave hundreds of dollars off your total cost by simply finding the cheapest dates for each flight.
• Multi-city and  return flights are often better value than booking many one-way flights when they can all be fulfilled by the same airline/alliance. For example, Virgin Atlantic has routes from New York to London, London to Shanghai, and Shanghai to New York, so making one multi-city booking with this single airline will be cheaper than several individual bookings with different airlines.
• Skyscanner prefers partner airlines that can fulfil the entire itinerary you submit, which doesn't always get you the best price on complex itineraries. So if you have a lot of destinations, split your searches into 3-4 destinations at a time . For example, instead of submitting New York > London  > Paris > Beijing > New York as a single search, try searching New York > London > Paris as one search, and Paris > Prague > Beijing > New York as a second search. You don't have to worry about this on Kiwi.com , which always mixes and matches airlines to get the best results.

So, what's the cheapest option?

In our tests, the DIY approach is always cheaper, but it depends on the kind of trip you're taking. Round the world tickets can cost anywhere from $1,500 USD to $20,000 USD . The price varies greatly, and depends on your departure point, number of flights, distance flown, continents flown to, and flight class.

On the other hand, regular flight ticket prices are all over the map, dependent mostly on supply and demand. Sometimes a flight across continents can be even cheaper than a flight within your own country. Since regular flight tickets include budget airlines , sale and error fares , and you can still take advantage of discounts with partner airlines,  booking your own flight tickets has always been cheaper for us .

The only way to know for sure is to compare. Use the links provided in this guide and see what gives you the best result!

A Thrifty Case Study: A Round the World Trip from New York City

As an example, let's find the best price for the following round the world trip:  New York City > London > Paris > Prague > Beijing > Hong Kong > New York City . We want to go in  April and May , and we are booking now in  January . We'll start on Tuesday, April 10, and schedule each consecutive flight for the following Tuesday.

Option 1: A round the world travel agent

Booking with AirTreks also gives you a team with over 32 years of experience in RTW planning, all your tickets in one spot (instead of many confusing separate bookings), 24/7 support, and better routes (less layover time, more baggage, etc.) If you do find a cheaper fare yourself, let them know – AirTreks tells us they're confident they could beat it!

Option 2: A round the world ticket booked directly with airline alliances

Putting in the same itinerary into each of the airline alliances' round the world trip planner gives us the following totals:

• OneWorld: $3,738.86 USD
• SkyTeam: $3,904.28 USD
• Star Alliance: $4,543.84 USD

Not exactly thrifty, and up to 3x the advertised price of the travel agent! True round the world tickets require strategic planning, so using a travel agent's expertise can save you time and money. But let's take a look at booking regular airline tickets yourself…

Option 3: Book your own tickets using Kiwi.com and Skyscanner

Using the Kiwi.com multicity search feature, we enter our full itinerary, and within minutes, we have a variety of options from $1,390 – $1,434 USD .

As we mentioned, Skyscanner usually just shows results from  partner airlines that can fulfill a ticket for the entire route. This route is pretty complex, and it's unlikely one airline alliance could fulfill it all, so let's  break it up .

After half an hour of trying different combinations of multi-city and one-way searches, the cheapest combination I could find for these dates was

• New York City > London > Paris > Prague: $390 USD
• Prague > Beijing: $283 USD
• Beijing > Hong Kong: $119 USD
• Hong Kong > New York City: $493 USD
• TOTAL TRIP COST: $1,285 USD

This is the cheapest option, beating Kiwi.com by only $105. What's going on here? In short, trial and error. The first batch of airlines aren't partners, but Skyscanner sometimes lets you mix and match airlines by using Kiwi.com for booking. And although there are partner airlines to fulfill the rest of the route, Hong Kong Airlines is an independent budget airline with competitive pricing, so it ended up being cheaper to book the flights separately in order to include their fares.

You can take this even further by testing different dates in your itinerary, as well as the order of your flights. As you can see, the process can be time consuming, but a little time rewards you with hundreds or thousands of dollars saved!

What are the alternatives?

Regional flight passes.

While not a round the world ticket in itself, this type of flight pass might be more sensible for your trip, depending whether you'll be flying a lot in one region versus globally. For instance, if you are planning to take more flights around South America than across continents, then you may be better off investing in one of their regional passes (check our guide here ).

Some examples of regional flight passes include:

• OneWorld single-continent passes: available for Africa, Asia, Japan, Australia & New Zealand, Malaysia, South America, Europe, North America, Middle East, South Asian Sub-Continent
• OneWorld multi-continent passes: rather than flying all the way around the world, these passes let you fly in a circle around one smaller area of the world
• SkyTeam regional passes : available for Asia & Southwest Pacific, Africa, Asia, Europe, Greater China, Russia, and USA & Canada
• Independent airline passes in South America : these work within specific South American countries (check our comprehensive list and guide here )
• Qantas Explorer pass : a flight pass for exploring Australia and New Zealand

Building your own stopover

A stopover – that is, an extended layover where you can actually leave the airport for 1 or more days or weeks – can be added for cheap or free to any trip, all by yourself. Our how-to guide here explains exactly how to do this.

Essentially, you find a flight fare that includes a layover, but instead of rushing to your connecting flight, you spend days or weeks in the layover destination, visiting 2 destinations for the price of 1. Whether you go round the world or not, it's a great way to squeeze more travel value out of your flight costs.

So, is a round the world ticket worth it?

In short, for most travellers, the answer is probably no. There are a certain set of criteria where it could be more cost-effective, and some travellers may prefer the ease of having all of their tickets booked in one pass anyway. However, the fixed timing, many restrictions, and high price are likely to be unappealing to those who are seeking a thriftier approach, especially when it's so easy to book yourself for less with Kiwi.com and Skyscanner .

The Thrifty Gist

• Round the world tickets are usually pricier than self-booking, but offer peace of mind and a pre-set itinerary
• A dedicated RTW agent such as AirTreks can save you a lot of time, with the added benefit of 24/7 support, having all of your flights in one place, established airlines with shorter routes, and over 32 years of experience in RTW planning. AirTreks tells us they're confident they could beat the other prices in this post, so if you find a cheaper fare yourself, let them know!
• Round the world tickets can be booked with airline alliances or travel agents, while self-booking regular flight tickets can be booked using the multi-destination features of Skyscanner and Kiwi.com
• Self-booking is usually the cheapest approach to a round the world trip, but can also be more tedious
• Reasons to self-book include the abundance of available error/sale fares , budget airlines, the ease with which self-booking can be done, and that stopovers can easily be added to any trip

Our website contains some affiliate links in relevant areas. This means we get a small commission, at no extra cost to you, for recommending a product we personally use, trust, and own.

trying to fin d the cheapest country to start a Oneworld 4 continent ticket July 2022, it used to be South Africa or Jordan, any update links?

Please send complete information for my round the world travel for 2 – up to a year.

Skyteam RTW tickets are not available currently, and haven’t been since the start of COVID. The Star Alliance RTW business ticket I just booked was half the price of using the DIY method.

I booked a OneWorld RTW ticket in 2015. The huge benefits were: – change any arrival/departure date at any time with no fee or fare difference – email with a dedicated RTW agent who manages your itinerary during the trip – mileage credit for using AA-linked credit card for the fare and the trip itself

My agent was great. She helped me out on a critical date change that I had no control over, and fixed a problem created by a gate agent that deleted the entire rest of my trip!

I’m planning another RTW Sep 2024 – Feb 2025 and will price out all of the options you’ve listed above, but my gut tells me to go with OneWorld again.

The Star Alliance site is filled with 403 Forbidden pages that the site is not usable. I want to use them for my RTW tickets since I bank my mileage with UA but the site is so broken.

looking forward to trying this amazing experience all over the world.Next summer would like to do eastern europ and south-east Asia!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Ultimate Guide to Planning the Round the World Trip of a Lifetime

After planning 10 around the world trips, I’ve learned a few things. Here’s how to plan your dream RTW vacation, from Round the World flights to choosing your Bucket List itinerary.

Let’s face it, the pandemic was a punch to the gut for travel lovers around the world.

Never did I think I’d see a day when I couldn’t just bebop onto a transatlantic flight. Or just, say, leave my own home. But there we were.

When I (literally) dusted off my passport in early 2021, the thin layer of dust accumulated was borderline soul crushing.

But thankfully, the pandemic era is finally in the rearview mirror and international travel has rebounded with a heart-warming zeal in the years since!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to book through these links, I receive a small commission, which I will undoubtedly blow on more flights (it’s a vicious cycle).  All of this internet voodoo takes place at no additional cost to you. 

So now what?

You’ve got some lost time to make up for, that’s what.

And there’s no better way to do it than with a life-changing, Bucket-List-crushing, dream vacation around the world .

Take my word for it…I’ve done 10 around the world trips, visiting more than 175 countries on all 7 continents along the way.

And you can, too.

But I probably don’t need to waste my time selling you on the idea of a trip around the world. You found this site. I suspect you’re on board.

So let’s start with the basics.

What is a Round the World Trip?

Simply put, a Round the World (RTW) trip is a circumnavigation of the globe, either in an eastward or westward direction. Start in one city and continue east or west until you get back to it.

That’s all there is to it!

Tip: West is best for combatting jetlag, while East saves time and hotel nights ($$) with overnight flights. (I’m cheap and usually short on time, I fly East. )

Read More: 8 Reasons to Stop Dreaming & Start Planning a Trip “Around the World in 30 Days “

Of course, while the concept of round the world travel is simple, the variables are far more complex.

For example, you may be wondering…

How many days do I need for a Round the World trip?

What you’ve probably seen on YouTube and Instagram from round the world travelers is true.

Most quit their jobs, sell their possessions, and hit the road for a year or more with big dramatic flair. Of course, that kind of nomadic commitment is not for everyone.

And I’m living proof that there are other options.

My first 9 RTW trips were approximately 30 days each. The lone exception was RTW #10, my honeymoon , which clocked in at a pretty incredible 3 months.

I’ve also done 30-day trips focused on various regions of the world like Europe , Central America , Oceania , the Balkans , and the Himalayas (a great option if there’s a specific part of the world that interests you or you just hate jetlag).

For me, a month is the ideal amount of time to travel.

Long enough to truly disconnect and explore.

Yet short enough that I’m unlikely to throw my carry-on (we’ll get to that) suitcase out the nearest train window because I’m tired of every single thing in it.

There’s no right answer to how long your round the world trip should take. I know someone who went around the world in 5 days (zero stars, do not recommend) and someone else who started 10 years ago and is still going strong.

So, two weeks, a month, or even 6 months to travel around the world? It’s totally up to you.

The bottom line: Take as much time as you can, anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months will do. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that you never know if you’ll have the chance to do it again.

A trip around the world sounds amazing, but how do I get the time off?

When I wrote the first edition of The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting 12 years ago, this topic was a central focus and the largest hurdle to taking a career-friendly trip around the world.

After all, most Americans are stuck with a measly 2 weeks of annual vacation leave (the horror!).

So, how do you travel around the world without tanking your career?

Amazingly, on this front, the COVID-19 pandemic gifted us with one gleaming silver lining:

WORK. FROM. HOME.

Yes, even the stuffiest of Fortune 500 corporations have finally come around to the idea that work from home can (and does) work – with the right employee.

This revelation is especially thrilling to me as someone who has been working from home (combined with business travel) for more than 20 years.

In fact, my friends will tell you that my life mantra has always been:

Or Paris. Or Bangkok. Or wherever floats your boat.

You get the idea.

There’s a lot more to making this work successfully from exotic locales – time zone challenges, reliable internet, etc. (I go into that in detail in the book) – but I can assure you, it can be done.

And it beats the pants off working from your dining room table.

The bottom line: You can use the WFH option to increase your available time for travel. Add days or weeks onto your trip or schedule a trip just to work from somewhere inspiring.

What’s on your Bucket List?

And now we come to the fun part. This is where the magic happens.

Where in the world do you want to go?

I speak from experience when I say that there are few things more thrilling than sitting down in front of a giant foldout map of the world and plotting out your dream vacation .

Maybe you already have a dozen exotic destinations in mind. Or maybe there are places in the world you never considered visiting because they always seemed too far away.

The beauty of going around the world is that the entire world becomes just a short flight away.

How many destinations should I choose?

The answer will directly correlate to how much time you plan to take. My 4 week round the world trips have ranged from an uber-ambitious 15 stops on Round the World #1 to a more relaxed pace with 8 stops on Round the World #2 .

Here’s a simple, 3-step plan for crafting your round-the-world trip itinerary:

• Make your wish list.
• Compare it to the number of days you have to travel.
• Adjust accordingly.

Critically evaluate how long you actually need to see each desintaiton on your wish list.

For some (like me), 2-3 days per destination can be a good rule of thumb.

Devote more time to your “ Top 5 ” must-see destinations and maybe just spend one day exploring the city you only added to the itinerary because it was right there and you couldn’t just skip it (you laugh, but I guarantee a few of these stops will sneak their way onto your itinerary!).

Remember that a 4 week round the world trip, however incredible, is not going to be an in-depth cultural experience at every stop.

Think more Amazing Race and less Under the Tuscan Sun .

It IS, however, a terrific way to get a taste of new and exciting places and start building a new wish list for future trips.

Depending on your interest level, you may not need a week to see the Pyramids , I did it in an afternoon and it was magnificent. 

A full day at the Taj Mahal and a morning walk along the Great Wall of China were enough to fulfill my dream of seeing those world wonders.

But that’s me. And I’ve been told I can be a little, ah, overly-energetic when I travel.

You do you.

Need some destination inspiration? Here are 30 of my favorite travel experiences around the world:

Around the World in 30 Extraordinary Travel Experiences

And here are the Top 50 places I think should be on every Travel Bucket List:

50 Amazing Places for Your Travel Bucket List (2024)

Round the World Flights: The RTW Ticket (your new best friend)

I am fortunate that my years of excessive business travel have one nifty little side benefit, I have a crap ton of airline miles.

So when I discovered the magical world of “ Round the World airline tickets ” years ago, those Delta miles not only afforded me the opportunity to take that first RTW trip but to take it in first class with Delta’s Skyteam Alliance.

Sadly, the days of booking a RTW ticket with miles went the way of the dodo bird in 2015. I won’t lie to you, I wept openly when Delta first announced it (followed quickly by United and American).

But all is not lost if you’ve been hoarding miles like pandemic toilet paper. All major US airlines now allow one-way award booking. This means you can still use your miles to route yourself around the world, one one-way flight at a time!

And honestly, the old mileage RTW tickets were a deal but they were a BEAR to book and had zero flexibility.

One-way award booking gives you a ton more flexibility plus the option to mix economy and business class legs (for longer flights) on your journey.

This is a BIG perk.

Here are a few more tips for you “ Up in the Air ” business travelers out there with miles & points to burn:

How to Use Points & Miles to Redeem Your RTW Dream

No miles, no problem

Two of the three major airline alliances do still offer paid RTW ticket options. Delta’s Skyteam Alliance is the exception, they discontinued the RTW ticket option completely a few years ago.

There are pros and cons to booking a round the world ticket with an airline alliance:

• Cons – Airline alliance RTW tickets are not cheap and you’ll spend extra time connecting through hub cities to get where you want to go.
• Pros – You can earn a ton of miles (and airline status) as you travel and those extra cities can be fun stopovers. Plus, if you already have status with an airline in the network, you’ll get lots of extra benefits like free checked bags and early boarding.

If that option interests you, start here:

• Oneworld – World Travel (American, Alaska)
• Star Alliance – Round the World (United)

The affordable RTW ticket…

If redeeming (or earning) miles isn’t your jam and you truly just want the most affordable way to see the world, skip the airline alliances and head straight to:

• Airtreks – This site is more service oriented, you enter a proposed itinerary and a travel planner will contact you to create the perfect customized itinerary.
• BootsnAll – This one is more DIY. You can create and book an itinerary yourself online.

Unlike the airline alliances, these two round the world airfare specialists utilize all airlines to create your dream itinerary. This will often yield both the best price and the most direct routing for your trip.

WARNING: Once you start playing around with the trip planners on these two sites, you may become addicted to the global possibilities.

Tip: You guessed it, I’ve covered all the ins and outs of booking RTW tickets in the book.

Hotels vs. Airbnb – Where to stay?

Once again business travel rewards can be handy when planning trips around the world.

My Marriott and Hilton points have been offsetting the costs of my round the world trips for years. Not to mention affording me swank rooms at hotels and resorts that were WAY outside of my round the world budget, like these:

But if you don’t have points, not to worry!

I am a firm believer that a quality, affordable hotel can always be found, even in the most expensive destinations. My go-to hotel site (when I’m not using points) is Booking.com .

Tip: If you’re not a member of any hotel frequent guest programs, sign up for all of them before you go. It’s free and you’ll earn points as you travel. Many also offer perks during your stay, just for being a member.

If you’re not a fan of chain hotels or if you’re going to be in one spot for more than 3 or 4 days, I’d highly recommend an apartment rental. They can be considerably cheaper than even the most economical hotel, and having a kitchen can also be a tremendous cost-saver.

Not to mention it’s just fun to live more like a local!

One of my favorite apartment rental sites is Airbnb but I’ve also found that more and more apartment rentals are also listed on Booking.com (and the fees there are often cheaper than Airbnb). That said, I’ve booked with Airbnb all over the world (including the Tuscan villa we used for our wedding – below!) and never had a bad experience.

Who should I travel with on an around the world trip?

If you’re married, it would probably be rude to go without your spouse (try it at your own marital peril).

But if you’re single, this is a question that deserves serious consideration. If you’ve never traveled solo, your gut instinct may be to find a friend or family member to travel with.

But before you do that, consider this…

A solo trip around the world is perhaps the best gift you can ever give yourself, especially for women. It’s empowering, it’s safe and it just might be the best travel experience of your life.

Read More: Why Every Woman Should Travel the World Solo (at Least Once) & How to Stay Safe Doing It

So yes, it’s perfectly fine (and perhaps even preferable) to travel round the world solo.

No matter what you decide, choose carefully.

How to pack (carry on only!) for an around the world trip

Yes, you read that right. I just casually floated the idea of traveling around the world for a month or longer with nothing but a carry-on bag.

If you’re a guy, you were probably not at all alarmed by the previous paragraph and thought, “ Couple of t-shirts, some shorts, underwear, got it. ” You can scroll down to the next topic, this section is not about you.

Now, for my globetrotting ladies. I’m going to ask you to trust me on this one. We’ve known each other for 10 or 15 minutes now and I feel like you get me.

With so many flights involved in an around-the-world itinerary, carry-on is truly the only option.

Reuniting with a lost bag can quickly become a logistical nightmare when you’re changing cities every few days. (And I can assure you that no one at the lost baggage desk understands what “ RTW ticket ” means.)

If you don’t believe me you can read all about the one time I broke my own rule and ended up spending an entire day at baggage claim in Paris on Round the World #4 . (Actually, don’t. It’s mind-numbing reading and definitely not my best work.)

You can do this. You don’t need all the “ stuff ” you think you do!

(For the things you do need, here’s all the Stuff I Love most!)

I have traveled for as long as 3 months out of just a carry-on (and in case I forgot to mention it, I’m a girl!). I do freely admit, however, that I was over just about every item of clothing in that suitcase by the end.

I also confess I checked a bag to Antarctica. Because Antarctica .

How do I do it? This excerpt from “ The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting ” is guaranteed to help you overcome your RTW packing challenges:

How to Travel Around the World with Just a Carry-On: A Girl’s Guide to Traveling Light

What else do I need to know for a RTW trip?

We’ve covered the big-ticket items – how long to travel, how many places to visit, with who, how to find RTW tickets, where to stay, and what to pack.

So what’s left?

Well, a LOT actually. But hey, that’s where my book comes in (insert shameless plug here).

I’ll end with a hit list of other tips, tricks, and things to consider when planning your once-in-a-lifetime (or maybe more!) round the world trip:

• Apps : For currency conversion, I like the Oanda app. And Google Translate is also a life saver.
• Thoroughly research entry requirements for ALL countries you plan to visit well in advance. Almost all visa applications can now be completed online.
• A good universal power adapter & converter is a must. More than one is a plus if you have lots of devices (and don’t we all these days?).
• Check with your doctor for any immunizations you may need for your destinations. I got the works before my first trip and haven’t had to worry about it since (other than the occasional prescription for malaria pills).
• Consider purchasing travel insurance, for a trip of this magnitude, it’s a must! Especially in the post-pandemic era. Here’s a good independent review of the benefits of travel insurance and the options available: 10 Best Travel Insurance Companies
• Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your planned date of return because all countries have different requirements on this.

And finally…

Get the Book!

For more comprehensive advice on planning your around the world itinerary, booking Round the World tickets, and everything else you ever wanted to know about travelling around the world, get the ultimate Round the World trip planner:

Round the World in 30 Days: The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting

Now get out there and start planning the around the world trip of your dreams!

As Phil Keoghan says at the start of every season of the Amazing Race,

“The world is waiting for you!”

6 Sensible (and Not-So-Sensible) Round-the-World Travel Itineraries

Recently I shared five planning tips for creating your ideal round-the-world travel itinerary. A reader suggested that a few sample itineraries might make useful reading, and the opportunity to play around with RTW routes for a better reason than purely my own amusement was too good to pass up.

Vagabondish is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Read our disclosure .

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to start every route in New York. I don’t live there, but I bet more readers do than in my current hometown in Western Australia, and wherever you are, you’re more likely to be able to adapt a route going through the US to suit your own situation. I’m using my favorite RTW site TripPlanner for the price estimates.

So to start off, and following my own advice, let’s look at some routes that include what I would call “sensible” destinations.

A Varied Route: Not Just Beaches, But Not Too Much Cash

New York — Barcelona — Athens — Cairo — Dubai — Bangkok — Sydney — Auckland — San Francisco — New York

For just over $3,000, it’s possible to get a RTW ticket stopping at places as varied as Gaudi-haven Barcelona, historically soaked Cairo (I hadn’t thought of Athens, but it got thrown in by TripPlanner as a free stopover), the modern architectural marvel of Dubai, and a stop in Bangkok which you could turn into a beach sojourn in a quiet part of Thailand. Getting home again could see you explore parts of east coast Australia and New Zealand before soaking up the San Francisco Bay atmosphere.

If you’re looking for variety, think big. Nobody says you have to stop at the biggest or most well-known cities. Many standard routes would head to London or Frankfurt rather than Barcelona, but why not head straight to the cities that really interest you most?

A Not-Overdoing-It Route: Don’t Squeeze the Whole World In

New York — Moscow — Singapore — Tokyo — Honolulu — Vancouver — Seattle — New York

Too much variety can be too much of a good thing. This route’s cheapest variant comes out at around $2,500, and I picked it using a handful of cities that have really interested me of late. Singapore and Seattle were free extras thrown in by the system — places where these routes would make stopovers anyway — but Moscow, Tokyo, Honolulu and Vancouver make to me a fascinating and relaxing vacation which also doesn’t need to last more than a few weeks.

A Cheap Route: Cheap Fare, Cheap Living Costs

New York — Shanghai — Bangkok — Delhi — Amsterdam — New York

For just over $2,000, you can get around the world with a few stops in the cheaper parts of Asia and one of the slightly less expensive cities of Europe. If you spend most of your trip in China, Thailand and India, or other areas of south-east Asia where living and traveling expenses are relatively low, you’ll have enough cash to enjoy a European stopover like Amsterdam on your way home.

A Summer Route: Don’t Pack A Coat

New York — London — Vienna — Hong Kong — Bangkok — Singapore — Perth — Melbourne — Christchurch (NZ) — Auckland (NZ) — Los Angeles — New York

This gets trickier, and we’re talking about a longer trip, nine months or a year. Say we start in New York in April — that’s spring in the northern hemisphere. Head to Europe for the northern summer. As the seasons change, enjoy the eternal warmth of tropical Asia, then when the southern hemisphere summer begins in December, head to Australia and New Zealand for a few months. Summer all the way, and you’ll have really cut back on your clothes packing by avoiding cold weather. But for a relatively reasonable $3,500, you’ve really seen a lot of the world in your shorts and T-shirt.

A Quick Route: Around the World in Much Less Than 80 Days

New York — Paris — Dubai — Hong Kong — Los Angeles — New York

While this is not really my style of traveling, I still think that giving someone the chance to see some very different corners of the globe, even if it’s only for a short time, is better than staying at home. You get the romance of Europe typified in Paris, a stopover in Dubai and an easy Asian thrill in Hong Kong, starting from around $2,200. This is the kind of route you could fit into a two-week vacation. I’m not recommending it, but if you can’t get any more time off, then it’s a viable alternative.

An Eccentric Route: Writer’s Choice

New York — Miami — Lima — Mexico City — Los Angeles — Tahiti — Auckland — Sydney — Ho Chi Minh City — Singapore — Mumbai — Delhi — Moscow — Frankfurt — Madrid — Casablanca — London — New York

Like I said: go wild. This is the ultimate RTW route I’d take if money was no object (it comes in at around $5,000). I’ve still chosen it with relative care about which connections are sensible, so that I don’t spend half of a year away sitting at airports.

Lessons From Itinerary Planning

If you sit down to plan your own round the world itinerary, be prepared to spend a reasonable amount of time at it. Over the years, I’ve looked at so many different routes — and thank goodness that the marvels of the internet makes this easy to do without the help of travel agents, who would never be patient with all my questions and ideas — that I have a good idea of the various routes that exist the world over. As you practice, you’ll get the hang of it too, and soon work out that getting in and out of South America is tricky and usually expensive, whereas hopping around Asia is usually relatively cheap.

Of all the possible travel planning you can do, designing a round-the-world itinerary of flights is probably one of the most enjoyable. Open yourself up to the millions of possibilities that exist. Take your time to play and adjust your route to see what else you can squeeze out of it — a few dollars saved, or an exciting stopover added. Enjoy your RTW planning, and then make sure you tell us about it so we can share the excitement a bit too.

Love those suggestions! I spend many-a-bored moment at work working and reworking RTW itineraries on AirTreks.com. LOL. Good day dream tool, to be sure.

cool article. Because of the nature of RTW flights you can also fit in some really great destination that would otherwise cost a lot of money on single trips, like Svalbard and Easter Island.

Definitely agree with you there, Mark. And hopefully now and again we can turn some of those daydreams into reality. Which of course leads to a whole host of other places we want to visit and more dream itineraries and …

After visiting Southeast Asia, I would definitely recommend replacing Singapore with Bangkok for anyone looking for a cultural experience. Not to mention it is way cheaper. Also, you briefly mentioned that South America can be expensive. How much more should you plan on spending to get there? Technically you are going AROUND the world in those scenarios, but you’re skipping an entire continent. I’ve never been there, but it seems worth seeing. Was there any more motive behind skipping SA, or is it simply just the cost?

Hi Dave, That’s true, I only headed to South America in that very last itinerary (the “dream” one at around $5,000) and the only reason it didn’t feature in other itineraries is the cost. For me it’s more practical as a destination where you head there and back, rather than try to include it on a RTW, unless it’s a really long trip and time/money aren’t so much of an object. Don’t get me wrong, there are a million reasons to get to South America!

I have enjoyed reading your articles and postings about RTW travel. My wife and I, cafe owners on the east coast of the US are in our 40’s-50’s are are hoping to take a long (2-3 year) trip around the world which would take us to a large number of destinations. What we are trying to understand and figure out is this: if, for instance you wanted to go to Europe and see England, Ireland, Scotland and then Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Croatia, Greece and on to Turkey what do you do regarding flights? Do you fly from country to country and use trains/buses/cars to get around to places within the country? Do you fly into one place, rent a car or use trains, and travel to many spots before flying out of another country? How do you think of those issues? Do you establish a base or travel from place to place?

You best and cheapest travel method in Europe is over land, via train. I’d recommend flying into a major city and branching out from there…Ireland and England can be visited via boat. It’s really a matter of time vs money. Perhaps you have both?

I like the “eclectic” itenerary with a few exceptions/additions. Can you give me some advice regarding adding Tanzania/Serengeti, Bhutan, Turkey? How much time would you allow for the trip as a whole, or for your trip? What would be a reasonable expectation of total cost?

Great ideas! How does this route sound:

Boston – Rio de Janeiro – Marrakesh – Paris – London – Edinburgh – Amalfi Coast (or Cinque Terre) – Dubai – Varanasi – Hong Kong – Los Angeles – Boston

It comes in at around $4000, so I’d be saving up for a while. I’m planning on doing this sort of thing my whole life, where I save 15% of my salary each year for travel. So, is there anything on this list that I should save for later, rather than stay for 2-3 weeks (which I plan to do for the RTW)?

Changed: (Parentheses are for the number of days I’d spend there.) This one isn’t definite, yet.

Boston – Edinburgh(5) – London(3) – Paris(5) – Malta(10) – Marrakesh(7) – Dubai(10) – Hong Kong(10) – Los Angeles(5) – Rio de Janeiro(12) – Boston

This route comes in at $3796 to $5200 an it’ll take a little over 2 months to travel. It might be just me, but I don’t think there’s enough variety, since Marrakesh and Dubai are together; LA and Rio are together; and so are Edinburgh and London. Anything I should add/subtract? I travel for any purpose. It can be exciting and adventurous or relaxing.

I’m not really definite on Malta, because I wanna add some Italy, but Malta is the cheapest for travel and a lot of people say they prefer it to the Amalfi Coast and Capri. And then for Edinburgh, I’m not really into haunted castles, but it seems like a cool place other than that.

i don’t know about this – but i for one wanted to do – SA (5) – Brazil (4) – lima (6) – Rio (5) – and after that i get lost because i want to fit in Spain (5) – Greece (6) – Turkey (6) – Jordan (4) – Russia (8) – trans siberian train (5) – and then even worse is i want to do cambodia (5) and vietnam (5) about 65 days – you think its too far fetched or is it possible within these many days – i am also wondering how these RTW flights be possible.

About to retire at age 72, still workout every day, am planning on a one year vacation as follows: September -mid December: NYC-Panama City-Guayaquil- Galapagos-Lima-(Have already spent two years in South Pacific-Aus-NZ) South Africa (3 weeks including Safari)- Morrocco-Brussels. THEN RT Brussels-Florida for the winter and to see family. Mid- March back to Brussels- 2 months rail Europe- Turkey-Dubai-Mumbai-Chiang Mai-Myanmar- Seoul- Tokyo- Vancouver and home in July for rest of summer (Have already visited China 4 times and Indian Golden Triangle, Thailand, and Vietnam/Cambodia) Would appreciate thoughts from anyone who has bothered to read thru all this.

Peter, I noticed in reading your post that you wrote December, 2013, yet mentioned getting ready to travel September so my thoughts are that should be preparing to go in the next couple of months or so. Is that right.

Then you mention stopping in Florida for family. I was interested because I too am just sort of retiring (run a small sole agent travel business) and would like to keep my hand in travel through a web blog while moving around the world.

Will you be traveling alone and have you researched that or have you done much of solo traveling before. If you are expecting to stop by Florida sometime in the future, and will have started a RTW, I would love to chat with you more.

Possibly you could return and email to me at [email protected] and we could chat. Thanks, Saundra

Thanks for a comprehensive list of itineraries, my wife and I did a RTW trip 10 years ago with Russia and Egypt NYC Canada and so much more. We need do it again but with 2 little ladies from Perth WA! Need to include NZ, Disney land, LA? London, ooh maybe India and China? Better still we could pop over for a cuppa and discuss?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Destinations

Experiences.

• Photography

Plan Your Trip

Plan your rtw trip.

Finding the right round the world trip planner can be difficult. This is first and foremost because many such tools on the internet are only for planning (and, in some cases, booking) RTW flights. The truly difficult part of planning a trip around the world is deciding where to go, how long to stay and how to arrange your trip, so the content deficit (let alone how rare it is to find a quality world trip planner) is frustrating for many travelers.

The good news? Whether you want to travel all around the world, or simply want to visit multiple continents during a single trip, this guide covers all the bases you’ll need to hit as you plan your trip.

Of course, I’ll also touch on the particulars of buying a RTW ticket, including a somewhat contentious recommendation on my part. I’m about to share a great deal of information with you, but I promise: Planning a RTW trip is much, much easier than it looks.

Booking Round the World Flights

Many a round the world trip planner (which to say, any airline alliance website create for the purpose of selling flights) will tell you that booking a single RTW ticket is essential for a round the world trip. However, I don’t agree with this. In addition to the fact that having a single travel the world for a year itinerary (even a flexible one) can lock you in on a trip that will be anything but predictable, it’s often more cost effective to book individual segments, particularly if you have some miles or points to play with.

Let’s say, for example, that you live in the United States and want to fly around the world westward. After taking advantage of a rock-bottom one-way flight from the US to Japan or China , you can take advantage of low-cost flights as you explore Southeast Asia and Australia , then gradually make your way to Europe (and from there, Africa ), flying to South America before returning home, often for only a few hundred dollars per segment. A round-the-world ticket, on the other hand, which often only includes long-distance flights, can easily cost between $2,000-3,000. And that’s without the fees you’ll certainly have to pay to change it as your plans evolve.

How Long Does a Round the World Trip Take?

Whether or not you work with an around the world trip planner, you should keep in mind that as you plan a round the world trip, the issue of timing can be surprisingly far in the back of your mind, particularly if you’ll be traveling to regions of the world you’ve never visited. While two weeks traveling through Japan or Western Europe can allow you to cover a lot of ground, it’s woefully insufficient in places like India , Africa or even much of South America. In general, it’s safe to assume you’re probably underestimating how long you’ll need to devote to your trip.

Broadly speaking, I’d say the best round the world holidays last a minimum of six months, though I have personally taken epic trips in a shorter amount of time than that. On the other hand, I’d caution against traveling for longer than a year at a time, as being away from your “real life” for such a period can have other impacts on your well-being, ones you might not be able to anticipate right now.

How Much Does a Round the World Trip Cost?

Another deficiency of many a round the world trip planner (which is once again to say a flight booking tool) is that it provides only a piece of the cost puzzle—your round the world trip isn’t only going to cost a few thousand dollars. Generally speaking, the average cost of traveling anywhere in the world is between 50-150 USD per person, per day, which means that a conservative estimate for the cost of the ultimate around the world itinerary for a six-month trip (without your “big” flights) is between $9,000-27,000. Not cheap!

Of course, there are ways to decrease the cost of a travel around the world itinerary, whether you manage to find the cheapest round the world ticket, take advantage of opportunities for free or discounted stays (whether you couch surf or do some sort of volunteer program) or simply keep your dining out and shopping to a minimum. In general, however, I’d recommend over-estimating your budget than under-estimating it, if only so you don’t end up as a “begpacker.”

When to Take a Round the World Trip

When you travel around the world will depend upon where you want to go. While most of the sample round the world routes I’ll recommend in the next section are fairly evergreen, some destinations are better during certain months than others, and planning according to this can influence the rest of your travel trajectory.

For example, let’s assume you want to see the cherry blossoms in Japan , probably the world’s most famous seasonal spectacle. Whether you choose from my round the world trip ideas below or commission a custom 6 month travel itinerary, you’ll want to arrange the rest of your RTW trip to optimize the weather in all your destinations. You might head to Nepal after Japan, for instance, to trek when the country’s famous rhododendrons are blooming, or visit Australia and New Zealand before Japan to catch the tail end of warm weather Down Under.

Round the World Trip Ideas

The best of six continents.

Most round the world trip planners will want to see the “whole world” on their trips—all six inhabited continents, and potentially even Antarctica. Regardless of where your RTW travel originates, the general path you will follow is North America-Asia (Australia/New Zealand)-(Middle East/India) Europe (Africa)-South America-North America, or maybe in reverse depending upon where you start and what time of year you’re traveling.

In terms of a general flight path, this might look something like the following: Los Angeles-Vancouver- Tokyo – Bangkok – Sydney – Dubai – Paris -Cairo-Cape Town-London-Buenos Aires- Bogota -Houston. Needless to say there are countless variations, from a 6 month round the world trip to ones much longer!

Wonders of the World

Rather than taking a comprehensive approach (which can lead to a year or even longer on the road—again, not an option for the majority of travelers), you can start your world travel planner based on a finite list of world wonders, be it classic ones you find on an Asia trip planner like the Great Wall or ones you designate yourself, such as Barcelona ‘s Sagrada Familia church or Ethiopia’s “Door to Hell.”

Assuming you take a more classic route for your around the world itinerary, you might go about planning a round the world trip between wonders as follows. From Chicago to Beijing (for the Great Wall), then to Delhi (for the Taj Mahal), to Cairo (for the Pyramids ), to Athens (for the Acropolis), to London (for Stonehenge), to Rio de Janeiro (for Christ the Redeemer) to New York (for the Statue of Liberty). Again, this is highly customizable!

The Backpacker’s Trail

I’ve taken great pains within this round the world trip planner to be honest and sober about the cost of traveling around the world, but this is still a sort of trip that people on the backpacking spectrum can take. Specifically if you decide to string together affordable destinations like Southeast Asia, India, Eastern Europe, Andean South America and Central America.

For instance, if you’re seeking a cheap around the world itinerary, you might fly from Denver to Kuala Lumpur (via China, as Chinese airlines are the cheapest), then fly to Mumbai or Delhi for a month or two there. From there, head to Ukraine or Poland to begin a month or so backpacking Eastern Europe (I particularly like the Balkans ), before taking a flight (probably a multi-leg one) to Lima (where Peru and Bolivia await) or Cancun, from which can you head south to affordable Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Five-Star Frolic

On the other end up to the spectrum for a world trip itinerary, travelers without a set budget can enjoy a round the world business class (or even first class) romp that pulls out all the stops. Rather than focusing on a set range of destinations, you can plan your trip based on luxurious hotels and experiences, be it a Tanzania safari from the opulent Four Seasons Serengeti , sampling award-winning in-flight products and services from airlines like Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines or dining in foodie capitals like Tokyo and Paris.

If you’re planning a luxury round the world trip, it makes sense to enlist the help of a professional (me or someone else), since the price of such assistance (usually between $100-200 per week of travel) is minimal compared to the overall cost of such a RTW trip.

Other FAQ About RTW Travel

How many stops do you get on a round the world ticket.

Whether you’re planning a 6 month round the world trip or plan to stay on the road for years, I am a proponent of piecemeal booking of air travel, rather than committing yourself to a RTW ticket. Therefore, I consider the number of “stops” permitted on such a ticket to be superfluous.

How do I plan a trip around the world?

Unless you are a very experienced global traveler, I recommend against trying to plan a trip on your trip. Rather, work with a professional (such as Yours Truly) to arrange a travel the world for a year itinerary. Or for longer than a year, or shorter—you get the idea.

Are round the world tickets worth it?

No! As I’ve expressed many times during this round the world itinerary, I am not a fan of RTW plane tickets. They rarely cost less; booking and changing them requires a pedantic phone call—or rather phone calls, since you’ll have to call in every time you want to make a modification.

Round the World Trip Planning

The best round the world trips are the ones where you get out on the road and go where the wind takes you, but that’s not realistic for most people. Whether because of finite funds or a “real life” you need to get back to, round the world trips require more planning than you’d probably like, even if you’re generally an adventurous and spontaneous traveler.

“So,” you might be asking, “can you plan my round the world trip for me?” The answer is yes, though there are a couple caveats. Because of the length and breadth of most RTW trips, many travelers want a more skeletal version of my typical “Travel Coaching” itinerary, which is typical extremely detailed and includes day-by-day recommendations. As a result, my pricing for planning RTW itineraries differs from what I’ve published on my Travel Coaching page , so I’d advise emailing me directly with any inquiries.

The Bottom Line

No matter how extensive a round the world trip planner you’ve been seeking, I’m confident that mine has met your needs. For most travelers, it’s simply a matter of learning your RTW flight booking options, assessing the cost of your RTW trip and deciding upon destinations and routing. However, others might want to hire a world trip planner (or a least a skeleton of it, which puts in place a broad trajectory) on their behalf.

Subscribe to email updates!

Words, images and design ©2009-2024 Robert Schrader, All rights reserved. Read Privacy Policy or view sitemap .

Login to continue

Round the World

Buying a multi-destination ticket has never been simpler.

Do you want to travel the world? Are you excited to discover and experience different countries and cultures? Are you looking for the best value for travelling to the world’s top iconic cities?

Our Star Alliance Book and Fly tool helps you plan and book multi-destination fares online. Certain exceptions apply. Alternatively, contact a member airline or your travel agent.

One Star Alliance ticket. Limitless travel possibilities.

Imagine embarking on a journey that takes you all around the world. Picture all the places you will go, the sights you will see, the people you will meet. Now imagine doing all of that and more, with just a single ticket.

The Star Alliance Round The World ticket offers you a travel experience unlike any other.

Journey across the world and visit up to 15 cities, while enjoying the kind of seamless flexibility and outstanding value for money that only the world’s largest airline network can offer. Where will your Round The World journey take you? Imagine your trip and make it a reality—all in just a few clicks with our Star Alliance Book and Fly tool. Certain exceptions apply. Alternatively, contact a member airline or your travel agent.

• Terms and Conditions

Book and Fly

• Single ticket valid on all Star Alliance members
• Every journey is different
• Follow our tips and reminders while booking

How to Map Your Journey

• Start and end in the same country
• Follow one global direction (East or West)
• Cross both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
• Have a minimum of 2 stops and maximum of 15 stops
• Travel between 10 days to 1 year
• Transits must be less than 24 hours
• Stopovers are more than 24 hours
• Check the terms and conditions for detailed inclusions

Flexibility

• Save your itinerary at any time
• Contact support 24/7
• Accrue frequent flyer points or miles
• Upgrade your flight or entire itinerary at any time, subject to availability

Round The World in Just a Few Clicks

Select your destinations.

Start by entering your Origin City. Then add destinations by entering the city name or by selecting cities on the map.

Choose Your Flights

The system will automatically select the flights for each segment, but you may also pick flights from the Star Alliance network that best cater to your needs.

Enter Your Details

Provide the necessary travel details such as your contact information and identification documents to help us secure your booking.

Pay Seamlessly

Enter your payment details to complete the transaction.

Circle Pacific

The itinerary can be accessed and changed by visiting staralliance.com and entering the Itinerary Code under 'Open Saved Itineraries' in the booking tool. Thank you for using the Star Alliance booking site for your journey.

• Planning: Please save your itinerary and copy the 20-character code for us to better assist you.
• Booking: We kindly ask that you refer to the terms & conditions for further booking details and reservation requirements.
• Availability: Please be reminded that pricing and availability is subject to change at any time without notice.
• Payment: If you experienced a problem with completing your payment, please indicate this when reaching out to our dedicated team of specialists.

Session expired. We are continuously updating our offers and flights, continue with us to have new offers

i am globe trekker

How Do I Plan A Round-the-world Trip Itinerary?

Are you dreaming of embarking on an epic adventure around the world? Wondering how to plan a round-the-world trip itinerary that covers all the must-visit destinations? Well, buckle up, my young traveler, because I’ve got some exciting tips and tricks to help you navigate the globe like a pro!

Picture this: exploring ancient ruins in South America, befriending kangaroos in Australia, savoring street food in Asia, and lounging on pristine beaches in the Caribbean. Planning a round-the-world trip can be a thrilling yet overwhelming experience, but fear not! I’m here to show you the ropes.

So, grab your compass and pack your curiosity, because together, we’ll learn how to create the ultimate round-the-world itinerary that will make your globetrotting dreams come true. Ready? Let’s dive in!

How to Plan a Round-the-World Trip Itinerary

Planning a round-the-world trip can be an exciting and overwhelming experience. There are so many destinations to choose from and countless logistics to consider. In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating a well-thought-out itinerary for your dream adventure. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or embarking on your first long-term journey, these tips and insights will help you plan an unforgettable round-the-world trip.

Factors to Consider when Planning a Round-the-World Trip

Before diving into the specifics of creating an itinerary, it’s important to consider several factors that will influence your decision-making process. These factors include your budget, time constraints, interests, and travel preferences. Understanding these elements will help you narrow down your options and design a customized itinerary that suits your unique needs.

1. Identifying Your Interests and Priorities

The first step in planning a round-the-world trip is to determine your interests and priorities. Ask yourself what you want to experience and explore during your journey. Are you a history buff looking to visit ancient ruins? Or perhaps you’re a nature lover who wants to hike through scenic landscapes. Identifying your passions will help you decide which countries and regions to include in your itinerary.

Consider your priorities as well. Are you more interested in immersing yourself in local cultures or exploring vibrant cities? Do you prefer adventurous activities or relaxing by the beach? By knowing what matters most to you, you can create a well-rounded itinerary that aligns with your travel goals.

Once you have a clear idea of your interests and priorities, you can start researching destinations that offer the experiences you’re looking for. Consult travel blogs, guidebooks, and online resources to gather information about each potential stop on your itinerary. Use the insights you gather to narrow down your choices and select the destinations that best match your interests.

2. Establishing a Realistic Budget

When planning a round-the-world trip, budgeting is a crucial aspect to consider. Determine how much money you are willing to spend on your journey, taking into account expenses such as flights, accommodations, meals, transportation, activities, and visas. Remember to include a buffer for unexpected costs as well.

Research the cost of living in each destination to estimate daily expenses, and consider the length of your stay in each place. Some countries may be more budget-friendly than others, so finding a balance between affordability and your desired experiences is essential.

Once you have established a budget, prioritize your destinations accordingly. Allocate more time and resources to countries that are more costly, and consider spending less time in places that offer more affordable options. This approach will help you make the most of your budget and ensure a well-managed trip.

3. Considering Time Constraints and Travel Season

Time constraints play a significant role in shaping your round-the-world itinerary. Take into account the duration of your trip and how much time you can allocate to each destination. Consider the average length of stay required to explore each place adequately and adjust accordingly.

Additionally, research the climate and weather patterns in each region during your planned travel dates. Depending on your preferences and comfort level, you may want to avoid peak tourist seasons or extreme weather conditions. Balancing your desired activities with favorable climate conditions will enhance your overall experience.

Finally, be mindful of any specific events or festivals that may be taking place in your preferred destinations. Attending unique cultural celebrations or special events can add depth and richness to your journey. Incorporating these occasions into your itinerary will provide unforgettable memories and a deeper understanding of the local culture.

4. Mapping Out Your Route

Once you have considered your interests, budget, time constraints, and travel season, it’s time to start mapping out your round-the-world route. Consider the sequence in which you plan to visit each destination. This sequence can be influenced by factors such as flight connections, geographic proximity, and visa requirements.

Begin by identifying a starting point and an endpoint for your trip. These could be the cities where you will depart from and return to, or they could be different locations depending on your preferences. From there, outline a logical flow of destinations that maximizes efficiency and minimizes backtracking.

Consider the transportation options available between each location, such as flights, trains, buses, or ferries. Research airline alliances and round-the-world tickets, which can offer cost savings and simplify the logistics of booking multiple flights.

Make use of online mapping tools and travel websites to visualize your route and estimate distances between destinations. This will help you identify any countries or regions that may be challenging to access or require additional transit time. Being mindful of these factors will enable you to create a practical and well-connected itinerary.

5. Allotting Sufficient Time in Each Destination

One mistake many travelers make when planning a round-the-world trip is trying to fit too many destinations into a limited timeframe. Overloading your itinerary can lead to exhaustion and prevent you from fully immersing yourself in each place you visit.

Instead, allow sufficient time in each destination to explore, relax, and soak in the local atmosphere. This will enable you to delve deeper into the culture, try local cuisines, and truly connect with the people and surroundings. A slower-paced itinerary will also provide flexibility for unexpected adventures and the chance to veer off the beaten path.

Consider the recommended length of stay for each location, as well as any specific activities or day trips you plan to undertake. Be realistic about how much time you need to truly experience each place, and adjust your itinerary accordingly. Remember, quality over quantity is key when it comes to planning a fulfilling round-the-world trip.

6. Navigating Visa Requirements

When planning a round-the-world trip, it’s essential to research and understand the visa requirements for each country you plan to visit. Some countries offer visa-free entry or tourist visas upon arrival, while others require advance visa applications.

Make a list of the countries on your itinerary and research their specific visa regulations. Determine whether you need to obtain visas in advance, how long they are valid for, and any restrictions or requirements that may apply. Factor in the processing time for visa applications when calculating your timeline.

Consider consulting with travel agencies or online forums to seek advice from individuals who have navigated the visa process for similar itineraries. Their experiences and insights can help you plan accordingly and avoid any unexpected visa-related issues during your journey.

Additional Considerations for Planning a Round-the-World Trip

After you have established the main components of your itinerary, there are a few additional considerations that can further enhance your round-the-world trip planning process.

Choosing Accommodations

Research different types of accommodations available in each destination, such as hotels, hostels, guesthouses, or vacation rentals. Consider factors like comfort, location, and price. Look for accommodation options that align with your travel preferences and budget.

Booking accommodations in advance can provide peace of mind, especially during peak travel seasons or in popular tourist destinations. However, leaving some flexibility in your schedule for spontaneous changes or last-minute decisions can also add excitement to your journey.

Creating a Travel Budget and Tracking Expenses

Aside from establishing an overall trip budget, it is helpful to create a detailed travel budget that accounts for daily expenses during your journey. Break down your budget by categories such as accommodations, transportation, meals, activities, and miscellaneous expenses.

Tracking your expenses throughout your trip will allow you to adjust your spending habits and ensure that you stay within your allocated budget. Numerous smartphone apps and online tools are available to help you manage and track your expenses on the go.

Health and Safety Precautions

Prioritize your health and safety by researching any necessary vaccinations or medications required for the destinations on your itinerary. Consult a healthcare professional or visit a travel clinic to receive personalized advice based on your specific travel plans.

Invest in comprehensive travel insurance, which should cover medical emergencies, trip interruptions, and lost or stolen belongings. Familiarize yourself with local customs and regulations to avoid any unnecessary risks or misunderstandings during your journey.

Staying Connected and Managing Technology

In today’s digital age, staying connected while traveling has become increasingly important. Research local SIM card options, portable Wi-Fi devices, or data roaming plans to ensure you have reliable internet access during your trip.

Consider investing in travel-friendly technology such as a lightweight laptop or tablet for planning, booking, and staying organized. Portable charging devices and adapters are also essential for keeping your electronic devices powered throughout your journey.

Remaining Flexible and Embracing Spontaneity

While having a well-planned itinerary is crucial for a successful round-the-world trip, it is equally important to remain flexible and open to unexpected opportunities. Embrace spontaneity and allow room for detours and changes along the way.

Interact with locals, fellow travelers, and other backpackers you meet along the journey. They can offer valuable insights, recommendations, and even join you on exciting adventures. Some of the most memorable moments of your trip will likely come from these unplanned encounters.

Remember that your round-the-world trip is an adventure of a lifetime. Embrace the unknown, step out of your comfort zone, and savor every moment of this incredible journey. Bon voyage!

Key Takeaways: How do I plan a round-the-world trip itinerary?

• Consider your budget and time frame when planning a round-the-world trip.
• Research destinations and create a list of places you want to visit.
• Make a rough itinerary, including the order of destinations and estimated duration of stay.
• Be flexible and allow for changes based on personal preferences and new discoveries.
• Consider transportation options, such as flights and train routes, to connect different destinations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Planning a round-the-world trip itinerary can be an exciting but daunting task. Here are some common questions and answers to help you plan your dream adventure:

1. How do I decide on the destinations for my round-the-world trip?

When deciding on destinations for your round-the-world trip, consider your interests, budget, and time frame. Make a list of places you’ve always wanted to visit and research the best times to go. Consider the cultural experiences, natural wonders, and historical landmarks each destination offers. Take into account the ease of transportation and visa requirements. Prioritize the countries or regions that intrigue you the most and create a tentative itinerary accordingly.

Remember, you don’t have to visit every country. It’s better to thoroughly enjoy a few places rather than rushing through many. Be realistic about the time and money you have available, and choose a mix of popular destinations and hidden gems to make your trip truly unforgettable.

2. How do I create a budget for a round-the-world trip?

Creating a budget for a round-the-world trip is crucial to ensure you have enough money to cover your expenses. Start by researching the cost of accommodation, transportation, meals, activities, and visas in each destination. Use online travel guides or consult fellow travelers who have been to those places for an estimate. Add a buffer for unexpected expenses and emergencies.

To minimize costs, consider traveling during the shoulder seasons, staying in budget accommodations, and opting for public transportation or budget airlines. Cut down on unnecessary expenses like eating out for every meal or splurging on luxury accommodations. Keep track of your expenses during the trip to stay within your budget and make adjustments if necessary. Remember, frugality doesn’t mean compromising on experiences, but it allows you to make the most of your resources and extend your trip.

3. How do I plan the logistics for a round-the-world trip?

Planning the logistics for a round-the-world trip involves understanding the transportation options, visa requirements, and the best route to take. Research different modes of transportation such as flights, trains, buses, and ferries to determine the most efficient and cost-effective way to move between destinations. Consider using a combination of one-way flights, open-jaw tickets, and overland travel to navigate the globe.

Before traveling, check the visa requirements for each country you plan to visit and make sure you have the necessary documents and vaccinations. Some countries require an advanced visa application, so it’s important to plan accordingly. You can also consult travel agencies or online resources that specialize in round-the-world itineraries to help you with the logistics and ensure a smooth trip.

4. How can I make the most out of my round-the-world trip on a limited timeframe?

If you have a limited timeframe for your round-the-world trip, focus on key highlights and must-see destinations. Prioritize the places that hold the most appeal to you and plan your itinerary accordingly. Consider spending more time in fewer countries to fully immerse yourself in the local culture and explore the attractions in depth.

Research time-saving travel options like direct flights or overnight trains. Be selective in your activities and choose experiences that align with your interests and goals for the trip. Don’t rush from one place to another; instead, savor the moments and enjoy the journey. Remember, even with limited time, a round-the-world trip can still be an incredible adventure filled with unforgettable memories.

5. How far in advance should I start planning a round-the-world trip?

It’s recommended to start planning a round-the-world trip at least 6 to 12 months in advance. This allows you enough time to research destinations, create a budget, book flights and accommodations, and apply for visas. It also gives you the flexibility to make changes or adjustments to your itinerary as needed.

However, if you have limited time, you can still plan a round-the-world trip in a shorter period by focusing on the key aspects such as destinations, budget, and logistics. Just be prepared to make quick decisions and be flexible with your plans. Remember, the key is to plan ahead as much as possible to maximize your time and minimize any last-minute complications.

AROUND THE WORLD ITINERARY – How to plan long term travel

Planning a round-the-world trip can be exciting but overwhelming. Here are the key points to remember:

First, decide on your destinations and create a rough itinerary. Research the best times to visit and any visa requirements.

Next, consider transportation options. Flights are convenient but can be pricey. Trains and buses offer a more budget-friendly alternative.

Remember to allocate enough time in each location to truly experience the culture and attractions. Don’t rush!

Lastly, be flexible and open to changes. Unexpected opportunities may arise, so be prepared to adjust your plans.

In conclusion, with careful planning and a sense of adventure, you can create an amazing round-the-world trip itinerary that will be the journey of a lifetime.

By Jordan Row

Related post, what are some common travel scams to be aware of as a world traveler, how can i stay safe while traveling to different countries, how do i adapt to different climates and weather conditions while traveling, leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How Do I Find And Book Cheap Flights For World Travel?

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content

How to travel around the world: our complete guide

Last Update: 08/04/2024 5 COMMENTS

Planning a round-the-world trip (or long-distance trip) is not necessarily a small task! It can even be scary at first! You certainly ask yourself tons of questions like:

• Is it really a good decision?
• How much does it cost to travel around the world?
• Where to start between paperwork, vaccinations, insurance, and equipment?
• What about my résumé ?
• What to do with my apartment, my stuff, my furniture?
• It all seems very complicated to me…
• Aren't there dangerous places in South America?

Does this sound familiar to you? We reassure you right away, we asked ourselves these questions before leaving for our trip around the world ! To tell you the truth, we were a little bit lost when this project emerged… But after spending a lot of time on travel blogs and forums, we managed to gather a maximum of information to stop making excuses and to start without any worries .

With the experience of this first long-distance trip (and the others that followed 😉), we can now share with you what we would have done differently, the mistakes not to make, the equipment that we think is essential, the useful tips, etc.

So, you want to start your round-the-world trip adventure? Follow the guide!

So we have created a complete ebook that details all the important steps to plan a round-the-world trip . This ebook is a project in which we put all our heart, it is now part of " our babies ". We hope it will help you to take the plunge and organize your world tour to make the most of this wonderful experience!

To consult the ebook, you have the choice between browsing the different pages created for each chapter (we give you the summary below) on the blog or downloading it directly in PDF format to read it quietly on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or even print it if you want!

Here is the summary of the festivities:

• Leave everything and travel
• The Itinerary
• Round-the-world Tickets
• Health and travel insurance
• Travel gear
• Checklist and schedule

Chapter 1: How to leave everything behind and travel

In this first chapter, we come back to all the reasons that push you to travel but also to the excuses that are still holding you back from quitting your job and leaving everything behind to travel around the world ! We will break down each excuse and give you solutions to solve these problems. We also discuss an important question: should you travel alone or with someone?

Chapter 2: How much does a trip around the world cost?

It's all very well to travel, but how much does a round-the-world trip cost ? In this chapter, we detail all the expenses related to a long-distance trip. Daily budget, accommodation, insurance, vaccines, equipment, transportation, visas, bank fees, budget for the return trip… Everything is covered! So you will find all our tips to save without sacrificing everything. Yes, a round-the-world trip is within your reach!

Chapter 3: How to plan your round-the-world trip itinerary?

Now that you have the budget, you will have to plan the itinerary of your travel around the world … or not! There are two different ways of doing this… We give you all the advice and all the elements to take into account so that you can establish YOUR itinerary for this trip around the world.

Chapter 4: Travel round-the-world ticket

Here again, there are 2 choices: take your plane tickets as you go or buy a travel round-the-world ticket . In this chapter, we review the advantages and disadvantages of these special round-the-world tickets and we give you all the tips to buy your plane tickets cheaper!

Chapter 5: Travelers' health

Health is an important point when you plan a journey around the world because you have to think about it beforehand with insurance and vaccines , but also during the trip with specific treatments (your usual medicine, anti-malaria medication) and the backpacking first aid kit , which is essential for the trip. In this section, you will find all our pieces of advice to be prepared for any eventuality during your round-the-world trip and leave serenely!

Chapter 6: The gear backpacking checklist

What equipment should I take for a world tour? How much clothing should I take? If this is your first long-distance trip, you may be wondering how to carry everything you will need for 6 months, 1 year, or more. It's like your home that you'll be carrying on your back for all that time, so you might as well choose each item carefully. In this chapter, we open our backpacks and give you a backpacking checklist to help you prepare your gear!

Chapter 7: Risks of traveling

Even though it has many benefits, travel still has its share of risks , and knowing about them will help you avoid or overcome them. Whether it's about diseases , security , or encountering all kinds of bugs or ailments (homesickness, motion sickness), we go over all the risks of traveling around the world!

Chapter 8: Planning your round-the-world trip and checklist

OK, you have all the cards in hand to plan your round-the-world trip, all you have to do is to establish a checklist before the big departure ! We have established a summary schedule for you, spreading out all the preparations over 1 year before D-day .

Download our free pdf E-book!

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get a free E-book with more than 100 pages to help you prepare your trip around the world

When do you plan to leave on a round the world trip? I don't know yet In the next 3 months In the next 6 months In the next 12 months In more than a year

Select all the topics you are interested in: *

Protected by Cloudflare Turnstile

Pin our ebook

You might also like

Reader Interactions

5 years ago

I LOVE your site design! You have such a beautiful theme and color scheme. And the dropped anchor on the right side of the page is a nice touch! Keep up the great work and keep living your dream life!

A Word To The Wise Poem

Thanks Wayne! We’ve put a LOT of work into our website so we are glad you like it! You too keep doing your best to chase after your dreams 😉

3 years ago

I am not sure if I’d like to travel around the world, but I’d like so much to spend some months travelling in Asia. Hope to do it soon!

Your presentation is beautiful, fun and very practically insightful. I am right now in Bansko and am able to compare your notes with reality. You have done excellent job reporting and describing many aspects of how things are. You are fresh and inspirational. Thank you.

8 months ago

I’m almost seventy years old And still have that itching in my soul to go places and meet new people, did a lot of traveling in my life (40 countries on 4 continents)my advice to young people, is don’t let life pass you by, you only live once and after thirty, time goes by so fast and never returns

Join the discussion Cancel reply

Reçois un e-mail lors de nouveaux commentaires sur cet article: Don't subscribe All new comments Replies to my comments

World Trip Planner

Plan your next round-the-world trip.

Use PlanYourTrip to prepare for you next Adventure. With this page you can try out this application to find out about it's advantages. After registration your Trip can be saved. Have fun planning your next World Trip with the PlanYourTrip Planner.

You still need some inspiration for your personal travel planning? Just take a look at our sample trips!

How to Plan an Around the World Itinerary in 8 Steps

Last updated on January 5, 2024 by Shannon

You’re planning an around the world trip . Congrats! My one-year trip turned into a decade of wandering and it transformed my life . My own one-year trip itinerary took me through 15 countries and countless experiences—but narrowing down my dream countries to just 15 was hard.

After so many years on the road—and after several round the world trips since that first one—I have some hard learned advice for anyone planning their own route and building their own trip around the world. If you’re planning a world trip, it’s usually a long-term route of at least a few months and up to a year around the world, or more.

These are eight ideas—eight steps really—to help narrow your travel itinerary down to those stops along your route that will fit your budget, highlight the most memorable places to you, and make sense for the trip you’ve always dreamed of taking.

Table of Contents

1. Make an itinerary bucket list for the entire world.

The inspiration phase of planning your round the world trip itinerary is one of the most fun. Maybe you already have a laundry list of places you hope to cram into your world trip itinerary. Or perhaps you’ve nailed down a few key experiences but you’re open to more inspiration. You should absolutely start with a long bucket list of locations all over the world, because weather and route might automatically strike a few off the list for you.

If you’re curious for more travel ideas, browse the  best travel books sorted by destination , or search for long-reads and podcast recommendations on my Destination Travel Guides . Use these books and resources for inspiration on not only places to add to your round the world route, but activities, too.

Perhaps you read The Devil’s Picnic and subsequently add Paris to your list for that stinky but toothsome Époisses de Bourgogne cheese, or you add Bhutan because of its intriguing portrayal in The Geography of Bliss (that’s what has it on the itinerary for my next around the world trip!).

Books and podcasts are a phenomenal way to expand your idea of what is possible on your trip.

Once you have a list of dream destinations for your travel itinerary, highlight up to five that are your absolute priorities—these will become the bedrock of your around the world trip. The rest of the places on your list will slot in around those stops based on timing, weather, and more.

How granularly you plan is personal—some travelers leave with a precise list of destinations and timelines, while others plan the first couple of months of their round the world trop.

My three key travel destinations:

For my first year, I had three key activities on my list. The first was diving the Great Barrier Reef —that’s why my trip started in Australia . The second was meeting my cousin in India and backpacking north from Mumbai together for two months before ending our time together at a volunteer placement in Nepal . The third was time-sensitive as I had always dreamed of attending the Edinburgh Fringe Festival , which takes place every August in Scotland.

Later, when I traveled with my 11-year-old niece for six months in Southeast Asia , I led her through some basic Google searches so that she could see what was on offer. We planned our joint world trip itinerary together centered around her three biggies: an ethical elephant encounter , ziplining somewhere, and visiting Angkor Wat .

2. Pick a direction around the world.

From your home country, your travel itinerary will take you either east to west, or west to east around the world. Backtracking is not ideal—it’s expensive, causes more jet lag, and is bad for the environment. Use this strategy whether you use a round the world ticket (which requires this stipulation) or if you book flights as you travel.

Pros and cons of traveling east:

• Science says this direction is harder on your body and produces more jet lag . The short of it is because you are losing time when you fly through time several zones, but your body actually prefers cycles slightly longer than 24 hours, not shorter.
• You’ll need to become a pro at minimizing jet lag so you don’t lose several days to it in each new location.
• If you’re planning a very long RTW trip, perhaps 18 months or more, and your itinerary creeps around the world, then you will likely not notice the difference much.

Pros and cons of traveling west:

• As noted, your body actually prefers days that run longer than 24 hours, so your internal clock has a much easier time adding hours into your day. This means fewer nights adjusting and staring at the hotel ceiling at 3am.
• Your body can do at least two hours of time zone jumping in this direction without having a noticeable effect on you, so it’s ideal to slowly hop west around the world. And if you’re crossing the Pacific from the U.S., your largest time zone change will likely occur at the beginning of your trip, so you can then enjoy more relaxing travel for the many months afterwards.

How I decided my world trip direction:

I was lucky that two of my key experiences could bookend my trip. Scotland and Australia are not close, so it was easy to plan many of my other dream destinations to fill the space between these countries.

Since I planned to leave the U.S. in November, it was easy to surmise that starting my trip in Australia, which was entering summer, made the most sense. Then I would make my way west toward Scotland for Edinburgh Fringe, handily skirting both winter in Europe and summer in Asia.

3. Find creative overland routes.

Whew, you now have a list of dream destinations for your world trip and a direction of travel. Now it’s time to fill in the space in your itinerary. And you’ll do that by using local transportation, which is a lot more fun than flying—you’ll see more of the country and culture, and you’ll have richer travel experiences .

Go back now to those handful of key destinations from your bucket list that. These are the foundational bedrocks of your world trip itinerary. These dots on the map should lend a rough overview of a route. If they don’t, if one is just an outlier that makes it hard to see logical jumps, narrow your list down to four, and see if that helps—if you truly love the idea of an experience, but it doesn’t fit this trip it might make a great trip on its own in a couple years time.

Now, your world trip itinerary needs the details, and those usually come from visiting clusters of bordering countries—you’ll be crossing overland among many of these destinations. (For that to work, however, check visa restrictions for your nationality as some countries require visas in advance, or don’t allow crossings at certain borders).

Popular routes ( backpacking Southeast Asia , for example), have only a few restrictions and those are easily handled online, or in the days before your border crossing.

Start dotting the map with the countries that are very close to your bedrock destinations. That looks like this: If trekking in Nepal is a bedrock item, and India’s Golden Triangle and Sri Lanka were both on your dream list, then it makes sense to add them into your route, since you’ll definitely be in the region.

My creative overland routes:

As I planned my itinerary, a dear friend announced she wanted to meet me in Florence, Italy in June. That became another bedrock item with a firm date, so I now had a time I had to leave South Asia and head to Eastern Europe.

Nearby Croatia was on my tentative list, and I had a friend in Bosnia , so both of those became stops on my itinerary that helped give it shape. Prague hadn’t been on my list, but I decided to move north through Eastern Europe after leaving Bosnia.

I filled in adventurous stops that would take me from my friend in Italy in June to Scotland in August—plenty of time for rafting in Slovenia , finding charming towns in Czech Republic , biking Amsterdam like a local, and walking through the Lake District of England first!

Research activities in countries you’re considering.

If there are countries nearby your “must-visit” locations, use a site like GetYourGuide to research the types of activities you could see and do if you visited these adjacent destinations as well. I like checking out the day tour sites more than a guidebook at this stage because it’s a very quick overview of the must-dos in each location.

4. Research festivals in your favored locations.

Local festivals around the world are amazingly full of life, culture, and fun. It’s a huge letdown when you learn too late that you missed a major religious and celebratory festival by just a few days. And it’s also a shock if you arrive thinking it’s shoulder season but you really arrived during Brazil’s carnival.

Plan your route to coincide with the dates of festivals that seem most fun for you (this is especially important for trips with kids, because they love the excitement, colors, and foods at these types of events. You’ll need to book accommodation early depending on the event, so that may take some flexibility from your world travel route, but it’s worth it.

Here are a few favorite annual festivals that many travelers plan around: La Tomatina in Spain in late August; Holi the Festival of Colors  in India around early March; Thailand’s Songkran Water Festival often falls within April and its Loy Krathong Lantern Festival falls in late October or early November.

Festivals around the world I sought out:

When my cousin told me should could only meet in India in February, and I knew we’d be there for two months, I went into planning mode to decide where we should celebrate Holi the Festival of Colors . It was a real highlight of my trip and I am so glad our world travel itinerary allowed us to experience this incredible Indian festival.

Then, of course, was the Fringe Festival —that was one of my bedrock destinations so it was definitely on the planned route.

5. Play Tetris with locations to fit your travel budget.

I stuck to an amazing year-long world travel budget that came in under $20,000. The only way I could do that was by carefully planning my time to favor budget-friendly countries, and then add in high-cost countries in smaller supply.

Research each of your dream destinations ahead of time because some places you might assume are budget actually cost more than you imagine (a safari in Africa is not cheap, nor is accommodation in much of Africa, but visiting a dream destination on the continent is worth it). Japan may be in Asia, but it’s pricey, too. Central America and Mexico are easy on your budget, as are parts of South America.

How I made my RTW travel budget work:

Australia , England, Scotland, and Ireland were mega expensive and represented three of my eleven months on the road. India and Nepal were, by far, the cheapest places (even cheaper than backpacking Southeast Asia ), and it was actually difficult to go over budget during the three-and-a-half months that I backpacked South Asia.

I spent the other months in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, two regions that are in the discount to mid-range. All told, I was able to easily average $50 a day, even though some days in Europe topped $100.

6. Plan around weather trends.

On your trip, research destinations ahead of time and plan according to your own weather preferences. While it’s not likely you will hit every destination in your preferred season, you should know when monsoon season makes a paradise island unenjoyable, or when blizzards will thwart a planned ski trip.

Research using this great rundown of shoulder season locations around the world, and this European shoulder season list , and this very cool map of a a sample round the itinerary featuring perfect weather in every location.

Why I chased summer around the world:

I planned my trip itinerary to chase summer around the world. As a native Floridian, my tolerance for heat is higher than most others, and I deeply enjoy warmth. A year of summer was lovely.

Whether your around the world trip chases summer or snow—and note it’s way easier to pack for long-term travel when you can leave behind thick jackets and boots—you’ll want to pack effectively using packing cubes .

I have probably 20 packing cubes after 15+ years of travel—cubes of all shapes, sizes, and uses to fit every trip. This eight-pack starter set is well-priced, durable, and will give you a worthy introduction into the sheer magic of packing cubes.

7. Consider how you will fly.

When planning your itinerary, you have to consider more than just major long-haul flights. On my travels, I research local budget airlines too, and I always have a good idea of which regions of the world offer affordable puddle-jumper flights. If you’re considering buying round the world tickets , read my insider tips and advice first!

Southeast Asia has AirAsia and Vietjet, among others. Europe has many budget carriers: Vueling, Ryan Air, and EasyJet. And JetStar has good flight deals in South Asia. By checking for budget airline routes, I know that I can easily visit more countries in a region if there are sub $100 flights around the area. (Tip: this is an amazing interactive map of low-cost airline routes ).

My transportation choices:

I priced out my year on the road and found it was cheaper to combine overland travel with local carriers than it would have been to buy a RTW ticket up front. I also have a guide to how I find good flight deals , since I never buy round the world airfare.

Generally, flights are likely necessary unless you plan an entirely overland route around the world , but flights are harmful if you solely rely on this form of transportation, so truly consider how you can incorporate other options, such as buying a Eurail ticket in Europe, or a Greyhound bus ticket to travel down the east coast of Australia.

Don’t forget to  book travel insurance for your trip —a great policy provides coverage in case of medical emergencies, lost or stolen gear, adventure sports riders, and more. I’ve used  IMG Global  for more than a decade  highly recommend it !

8. Remove some destinations from your world trip itinerary.

There is no wrong way to plan your route around the world, and there is no perfect number of places that you can visit in a year—it all depends on what you’re looking for on your trip. And no matter how carefully you plan, you will love some places, feel mediocre toward others, and perhaps even leave early from a few. You won’t know until you set out which type of places and experiences best fit your long-term travel style.

But please keep in mind that the pace of short-term travels is very different from a multi-month trip. Create a route that travels slowly, avoids the dreaded travel-fatigue , and includes destinations you have long dreamed of visiting. To do that, you now need to take a critical eye to your trip and trim the fat.

Is there something you added it because it seemed fun and was moderately close, but it wasn’t a bedrock item? Or perhaps it’s a location you love the idea of so much that you know you will plan a trip there in the future if you skip it now. Snip those from your world travel itinerary right now and you will be shooting me an email of thanks once you’re on the road.

The countries I cut from my around the world trip:

The best advice other travelers gave me when I asked for itinerary advice in a travel forum was to remove an entire leg of the trip. I had hoped to backpack Scandinavia between my time in the Czech Republic and Amsterdam, but long-term travelers assured me that I would be grateful for wiggle room in my itinerary by that stage of my trip (nine months into it).

Plus, they accurately pointed out that I just couldn’t swing these very expensive countries on my limited travel budget.

Turns out that I burned out a month before reaching Czech Republic and camped out in Slovenia for an extra two weeks—if I had been dead-set on Scandinavia, I would have never had time to do that while still making it to Edinburgh Fringe in time! (And let’s not even think about what Scandinavia would have done to my travel budget!).

If you’re overwhelmed about planning the nitty-gritty details on a months-long trip around the world, know that a rough route suffices. All you truly need before you leave home is logistics for the first couple of weeks—you can easily sort out the rest on the road. I promise.

Really, I promise. It seems scary but I swear to you that you will be grateful for flexibility once you land, and that it’s completely possible to plan the smaller details as you go. Moving between countries and regions was infinitely easier than I had anticipated before my first round the world.

Your Next Steps for Planning an Around the World Itinerary

Research places around the world and assemble a dream list of locations. That’s really the first step and should be a lot of fun.

While my travel books selections are a starting point, you can also peruse guidebooks for inspiration. I always buy a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide for my first planned destination (and then I swap it along the way for each new country), and before my first round the world trip I checked out a stack of 25 guidebooks from my library. Do your research and dream big before you even begin selecting an itinerary and paring down your list of destinations.

This is my core page compiling resources on How to Travel the World and here are a few other pages sharing advice specifically for long-term travel planning.

• How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World
• How to Save for Travel
• Free Destination Travel Guides
• Best Credit and Debit Cards for Travel
• How to Pack for Long-Term Travel
• How to Pick the Right Travel Insurance

How to Travel the World

Free resources and first-hand advice on how to plan long-term and round the world travels.

Essential Travel Planning Resources

❗ Yes, you need travel insurance . IMG Global is the travel insurance I’ve used for well over a decade of traveling solo, and with kids. Here’s why .

🧳 Smart packing can save your trip. Shop my favorite travel gear , including all of the packing essentials for world travel , gear to keep you safe on the road, my favorite travel books , and more.

🛏️ Find great accommodation . Booking.com is essentially the only hotel booking site that I use. It has a wide and affordable selection of traditional hotels, but also hostels and vacation rentals, too. Use these pro tips to find the best travel accommodation .

📍 Navigate more effectively. Rome2Rio is super handy to assess the full range of transport options between two cities—shows everything from flights to trains, buses, minibuses, and more. If you’re booking a rental car, I’ve always found the best deals on RentalCars.com .

✈️ Book affordable flights. Expedia is one of the first places I look for low-cost flights .

☕ Peruse all of my tips for round the world travel , or learn how to move and live abroad .

Inspire Your Trip

How to Plan a Round the World Trip

Dreaming of exploring the world? A round the world trip is an amazing opportunity to see new places, meet new people, do fun things and change your outlook on life.

But with so many places you could go, where is best to include on your itinerary and what are some of the most popular activities to do?

View our ultimate guide to taking a round the world trip with ideas and recommendations for where to go, what to do and some important tips so you enjoy a really incredible experience.

Best Places to Visit on a Round the World Trip

Are you wondering where to go on a round the world trip? This is a really difficult decision and What countries you visit on a round the world adventure really depends on where you are departing from, your personal interests, budget and how much time you have available.

A popular route can include Europe, Africa, Thailand, Oceania, South America, North America, then returning to Europe (if you live in Europe).

Below we have put together a list of suggested things to do on a round the world trip with popular destinations. This might be able to give you ideas of where to include on the flight ticket.

Popular Round the World Flight Itinerary

This is a popular and affordable round the world itinerary with stops that allow you to explore more of the regions you visit:

London > Bangkok > Sydney > Los Angeles > London

This itinerary includes four stops and be aware the more flights you add the more expensive the price of the ticket is. Also remember if you choose a flexible ticket which allows changes to be made to the schedule this will usually increase the price.

Usually if you want add Africa or South America to your itinerary, this can put the price much higher, but if you dream of visiting these destinations just pay the higher price.

You can also mix your trip up with flights and also travelling overland. For example, if you want an epic adventure you could include a stop off in an amazing city like Rio de Janiero, then travel discovering the highlights of South America, and working your way overland all the way up through Central America and then have your next flight booked out of somewhere like Mexico City, Los Angeles or New York.

One slightly extended round the world flight ticket we recommend includes this itinerary:

London > Bangkok > Sydney > Auckland > Fiji > Hawaii > Los Angeles > London

Best Things to Do on a Round the World Trip

There are so many amazing places to go on a round the world trip, and below we have included some activities we recommend. We have probably missed some incredible countries and activities, but we think you won’t regret doing these things.

Island Hopping in Thailand Thailand is a beautiful country with so many adventures for travellers. There are so many beautiful islands in Thailand and spending a few weeks discovering the southern region of the country will stay with your forever. Popular islands to visit include Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Koh Tao and Koh Phanan.

Volunteer with Elephants in Thailand Volunteering abroad is a really popular activity to do and there are thousands of opportunities around the world. But not many compare to help out at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand . These creatures are intelligent and special, and you will learn so much about them when volunteering in Thailand.

See Sunrise Angkor Wat in Cambodia Angkor Wat is a really special temple complex located close to the popular city of Siem Reap. Angor Wat has been a essential place to visit in south east Asia and was brought to the worlds attention in the Hollywood blockbuster film Tomb Raider. There are so many temples located here you can easily spend a day or longer see them all. Watching sunrise or sunset over Angor Wat is highly recommended.

Sail Ha Long Bay in Vietnam Vietnam is a really popular destination with a stunning coastline. There are so many highlights of Vietnam and Ha Long Bay is one of the most spectacular natural wonders in the world, and somewhere you need to see. Located in the north of the country close to the city of Hanoi, you can book cruises of Ha Long Bay to see huge limestone rocks formations jutting out from the ocean.

Relax in Bali Bali has long been a popular island with foreigners, both budget backpackers and luxury holidaymakers alike. Bali has everything, temples, beaches, bars, clubs, spas and more. There are so many amazing things to do in Bali , if you have never tried yoga, scuba diving or surfing, then this is a great place to try.

Travel the East Coast of Australia Is there a better travel destination in Oceania than the east coast of Australia? We struggle to name one. There are lots of places to visit in Australia, this country is huge and very spread out, but you have to stop off not the east coast. Sydney is a great city to fly into and then travel north up the coastline to Cairns. Highlights along the way include seeing the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, Whitsunday Islands, Brisbane, Surfers Paradise and Byron Bay. Whether you travel by car, bus, camper van or overland tour, you will be sure to have the trip of your life.

Go in Search of Adventure in New Zealand New Zealand is a tiny country when you look on a map, but this is the adventure capital of the world with so many different options for thrill seekers. Popular options include skiing, snowboarding, bungee jumping, canyon swings, sky diving, white water rafting, mountain biking and more. There are options all over the country but Queenstown on the South Island is a our top rated places to go. This city is specatacular.

Beaches in Fiji Fiji is one of the most laid back countries in the world with some of the most welcoming and hospitable people you can meet on the planet. If you are planning to visit Australia or New Zealand, then a stop off in Fiji is almost essential thing to do. This country has so many beautiful islands and beaches, you will fall in love with the pace of life and never want to leave.

Safari in South Africa A safari really is a bucket list adventure and one of the most special experiences when you see exotic animals in their natural habitat, rather than on tv or YouTube. Although there are lots of amazing safari destinations in Africa, not many compare to South Africa. There are lots of incredible places in South Africa, and for wildlife the Kruger National Park is one of the most popular tourism attractions. Here you can see elephants, rhinos, tigers, lions and giraffes – and lots of animals!

Explore Rio de Janeiro If South America is calling your name then you have to put Brazil on your itinerary. This country is huge, and is home to Rio de Janeiro which is one of the most spectacular cities in the world. Rio is everything you might of thought about and more, beaches, beautiful people, football, sun, parties and more.

Climb Machu Picchu in Peru Machu Picchu is undoubtedly one of the highlights of South America, an alluring and iconic travel destination which really needs to be visited once in your life. There are lots of tours to Machu Picchu, you can choose to travel by train, or do a hiking trip which takes in some stunning locations on route.

Celeb Spotting in Los Angeles The USA is one of the most popular gap year destinations , and a great stop off for any round the world itinerary. Los Angeles is one of the most connected cities in the world and this is usually a perfect stop off if you are coming from South America or Oceania. California has so many highlights from Venice beach, San Francisco to trying to see your favourite celebrities in Hollywood. From LA you could explore other amazing places in the United States like the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas or go on an epic road trip of Route 66.

Round the World Trip Advice

Here are some top tips if you are thinking about taking a round the world trip.

• If you are in full time work and are considering a career break to see the world, get a clear idea of dates as far ahead as possible so you can work out when to depart and how long you can be away for. • Try to put together a rough itinerary with a list of places you really want to visit. This can really help to shape an itinerary. • If you are worried about travelling solo, consider going for an organised tour. There are lots of tour companies offering trips for 18 – 35 year olds and older travellers to destinations all over the world. Some last a few days, whilst others you can join for months. • Be flexible, something having a flexible schedule allows you to travel without rushing and then spending time at places you like for longer • Try to save as much money as possible before departing, the more money you have the longer your trip can last. You will also be able to afford a much better quality of accommodation and transport comfort. • If you don’t have much money saved, you could consider different options like working abroad. There are lots of short term jobs and working holidays available all around the world, some of which include accommodation which can help keep costs down. • If you are going to be visiting places where English isn’t the first language, then be sure to download a language learning app or take classes to pick up at least the very basic of the destination language. This is not only polite, it will really help make travelling abroad easier.

Hopefully our suggestions have given you some ideas and inspiration for where to go and what to do. If you are lucky enough to have the time, money and flexibility to do a round the world trip, go for it. You won’t regret it.

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Recommended Articles

Most Remote Places in the UK

11 Fascinating Facts about India

How to Choose a Travel Credit Card

Privacy Policy

National Geographic content straight to your inbox—sign up for our popular newsletters here

How to plan a trip around the world

 Making the fantasy of a global odyssey an achievable reality is not as impossible as it might seem.

Combining a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences into a single around-the-world trip can feel like the ultimate expression of luxury travel. It can be a daunting prospect though, with many contending factors to consider. Here's how to start planning the ultimate round-the-world trip.

1. Take to the sky

Air travel is, predictably, the simplest way to traverse the globe. Start by purchasing an around-the-world plane ticket through an airline alliance — coalitions of different airlines which let you pay for all of your flights in a single transaction. The alliance offers regional passes which might work better should you want to devote the bulk of your time to one or two continents.

There are three main players: Star Alliance, OneWorld and Skyteam; the latter, however, has suspended sales of RTW tickets. Star Alliance is a confederation of 26 airlines covering 1,200 airports in 98% of the world’s nations, while OneWorld’s 13 airlines serve 1,000 destinations across almost as many countries.

The small print varies, but fliers must always keep to one global direction, east or west (the latter better suits your circadian rhythm), with no backtracking; must only cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans once each; must start and finish in the same country; and must travel for a period between 10 days and one year.

Convenience is a benefit here, allowing you to minimise paperwork. It’s worth noting that some countries, such as China, also require proof of an outbound air ticket before issuing visas.  

How to do it:   Star Alliance offers a 133-day itinerary from London via Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Los Angeles and New York from £2,580 per person.  

2. Ride the rails

A century ago, taking extended rail journeys was one of the only means of long-distance travel. Today, trains are a great option for travellers looking to minimise their carbon footprint and take a slower, more measured route.

Recapturing the romance of the past, around-the-world specialists Travel Nation can tailor-make odysseys involving   separate train journeys. Vietnam’s Reunification Express, an Outback crossing aboard the Australian Ghan and a ride on the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada can all feature.

How to do it:   Travel Nation ’s 74-night, rail-focused global tour costs from £17,760 per person, including flights, trains, accommodation, most meals and some excursions.  

3. Go Private

For those who truly want to travel in style, it’s possible to circumnavigate the globe by private jet through National Geographic Expeditions. These trips are based around epic itineraries whose remarkable destinations are brought to life by a experts and groundbreaking researchers in various fields, who most travellers never get to meet.

On the 24-day Around the World by Private Jet expedition, you can visit 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Among the trip’s standouts are Easter Island’s Moai statues, Angkor’s jungle-flanked temple complexes, rock-carved Petra and a Serengeti safari. Departing from Washington, DC, up to 75 passengers will travel VIP-style in a customised Boeing 757, bedding down throughout the adventure in five-star hotels or lodges.

How to do it: National Geographic Expeditions ’ 23-night Around the World by Private Jet trip starts from £77,100 per person, all-inclusive, including medical evacuation insurance. Departures on 10 March, 29 October and 28 December 2024.  

4. Head overland

Travellers who don’t mind hitting the open road can try Oasis Overland, a tour company specialising in overland travel. Its longest offering is a 293-day trip from the UK to Cairo via an anticlockwise loop along much of the African coast, plus Victoria Falls and Zanzibar. The slew of highlights include the Sahara desert, the Giza Pyramids and East Africa’s wildlife-rich plains.  

The 16 (or fewer) group members will ride in one of Oasis Overland’s bright yellow trucks, built for traversing bumpy roads while offering as much comfort as possible. Nights are almost exclusively spent camping, and everyone is expected to contribute by pitching tents or cooking dinners.

You could also combine trips by flying from Cairo to Istanbul and then joining another overland tour all the way to Singapore, for example.

How to do it: Oasis Overland ’s 292-night UK to Cairo expedition starts from £9,495 per person, including all transport (except flights from the UK to Gibraltar or Malaga) and a selection of excursions.

5. Do it yourself

Arranging everything yourself is an option — most easily accomplished by purchasing multi-destination flights through a comparison website such as kiwi.com or Skyscanner.

A big upside to this is that you can work out something closely aligned to your specific needs; it’ll require a fair bit of time, though, and you’ll lose out in terms of flexibility — changing dates can be tricky — and cancellation cover.

It’s usually more convenient to aim for large airport hubs — the likes of Bangkok, Dallas, Dubai, Heathrow, Paris and Singapore — as the many competing services provide more options. A typical around-the-world ticket will involve something along the lines of London — Istanbul — Bangkok — Singapore — Sydney — Los Angeles — New York — London. From these hubs, you’ll be well placed to add in more obscure destinations in between.  

It’s also worth bearing in mind that you don’t have to fly between each stage. For instance, it’s possible to travel from London to Istanbul by train, lowering your carbon footprint in the process. Or, rather than flying from Bangkok to Singapore, you could get a boat from the Thai capital to Koh Samui and continue from there instead. A reliable tool for establishing train, bus, boat or taxi costs is the website Rome2Rio, and it’s worth investigating the likes of Amtrak rail passes in the US, Eurail Passes for European trains or Greyhound coach tickets covering Australia’s east coast.

Accommodation is something to decide on in advance. Be sure to have all hotel bookings locked in place well ahead of time. Hostels are a good bet, especially if you’re travelling solo or planning an ad-hoc approach during each stage of the trip, but can be lacking in privacy and comforts. House or apartment rentals can be much more comfortable and convenient, particularly for longer stays.  

How to do it: A sample 147-day itinerary from London via Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Los Angeles and New York from kiwi.com starts at £2,189 per person, including checked luggage.

6. Enlist a pro

One of the best ways to arrange an air-based around-the-world itinerary is by booking with a specialist agent or operator such as Trailfinders, Travel Nation or AirTreks. This can cut out a lot of organisational stress, while also enabling you to take advantage of these companies’ many years of experience. These firms often have access to special deals and aren’t constrained to particular airlines or alliances, allowing them to further improve the offerings to their clients.

The AirTreks website even has a trip planner tool listing a series of suggested activities, interests and attractions such as hiking, beaches, meditation or family travel, providing an extra level of choice at the planning stage.

If you’re interested in earning air miles, specify this to the agent so that they can concentrate on finding flights that qualify. Agents will also be able to suggest tempting additional stops — Taiwan, maybe, or a pause in Oman — which can be a great way of adding an extra bit of excitement to burgeoning itineraries.  

Finally, a specialist company can also take care of — or advise on — vaccinations (such as malaria), and certification and visas you’ll need, saving you plenty of legwork.

How to do it: AirTrek s’ nine-stop ticket from London via Paris, Florence, Venice, Athens, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and Los Angeles costs from £1,325 to £1,770.

7. Learn to sail

Land ahoy! You might just get to utter those words by signing up for a unique sailing adventure with London-based operator Another World Adventures, which can arrange for you to join a classic, square-rigged tall ship for 90 days as it makes its way around the world on a 455-day voyage. Once on board, you’ll learn how to trim the sails, haul mizzen spinnakers and lean on trade winds to cross the tropics. No experience is required, and participants will become part of a tight-knit crew and make friends for life.

It doesn’t matter at which point on its itinerary the ship happens to be, as it’s entirely possible to join subsequent legs. Setting sail from Bali on 6 November 2023, leg three sees the ship call at the Indian Ocean islands of Rodrigues and Reunion before arriving in Cape Town on 6 February. Beginning one day later, the fourth and final stage is via Namibia, the British overseas territory of St Helena, several Caribbean islands and, on 13 July, Nova Scotia in Canada.

If you’d prefer to wait and tackle the whole trip — the other two legs are Nova Scotia to Tahiti, and Tahiti to Bali — then Another World Adventures (which also offers other, similar experiences) expects it to start in 2025.

How to do it:   Another World Adventures offers 90 nights, full board, from £13,600 per person, including transport, port fees and instruction.  

8. Cruise along

Ever more around-the-world voyages are being offered by cruise lines. To join one, you’ll need one important thing: lots of spare time. The circular itineraries are mostly more than 100 days in length, with Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise maxing out at 274 nights via seven continents and around 150 stops. These kinds of journeys really fit the ‘trip of a lifetime’ tag, running up to £100,000 per person.

Notably, 2023 marks a century since the world’s first continuous passenger cruise ship completed its pioneering journey. Chartered by the American Express Company, Cunard’s SS Laconia arrived back in New York City after completing a monumental six-month sailing via Japan, Singapore, India and Egypt.  

They also sell out quicker than almost any other cruise, partly due to having a limited number of departures. Holland America Line, for example, opened bookings this summer on its new 2025 Grand World Voyage. Departing from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, this is a six-continent, 124-day round-trip which transits the Panama Canal before visiting Callao (for excursions to Machu Picchu), Easter Island, Tahiti, the Great Barrier Reef, the Seychelles, Cape Town, Kenya, Jordan and Barcelona among 46 stops.  

How to do it:   Holland America Line’s 123-night Grand World Voyage starts from £19,900 per person, full board, including complimentary airport transfers, a $500 (£400) air credit and up to £6,700 per person in onboard spending credits if booked by 3 June 2024.  

9. Hop aboard a cargo ship

A rather more adventurous way of sailing the seas is aboard a cargo ship or freighter cruise. Carrying large containers of clothes, electrical equipment, foods and most other things between the world’s major ports, some of these allot space for four to 12 passengers.

Single, twin or double cabins are the norm, usually with sea-facing windows as well as a sitting area, a desk, a shower and a toilet. A few boats come with a pool, but most are very simple — they’re built for work, not pleasure, after all — and you certainly won’t find a spa or casino (though playing cards with the crew members isn't unheard of). All meals are provided in the on-board canteen.

The major appeal is the sense of serenity — watching the ocean drift by and having time to gather your thoughts or write that novel you’ve always planned.  

This can also be an amazing way to tick off some hard-to-reach places. Take freighters travelling to Singapore from New Zealand; be it for fuel and supplies or to make a drop-off, these stop at numerous Pacific islands en route, occasionally for a couple of days. That said, some port calls are too quick for guests to go ashore.

Note that good health and unaided mobility — due to steep gangways and lots of stairs — are mandatory, and it’s not suited for children or elderly travellers.

How to do it:   Cargo Ship Voyages offers a cargo ship crossing from Rotterdam to Cuba (estimated at 16 nights) from £1,880 per person, which includes all meals.  

Related Topics

• LUXURY TRAVEL
• TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE

You May Also Like

20 of the coolest travel adventures for 2024

How new flights to Akureyri are opening up northern Iceland

Become a subscriber and support our award-winning editorial features, videos, photography, and much more..

For as little as $2/mo.

How to build the perfect travel capsule wardrobe

The perfect wrinkle-free wardrobe to pack for your next trip

9 new cruise itineraries for 2024

See Kenya’s wildlife in a different light: on horseback

The best carry-on luggage to make your next plane trip a breeze

• Best of the World
• Interactive Graphic
• Environment
• Paid Content

History & Culture

• History & Culture
• Out of Eden Walk
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Your complete guide to booking around-the-world tickets with points and miles

With everything that has happened over the past 2 1/2 years, many of our readers are itching to get back out there and see the world. But what if you can't decide on a single destination? Enter around-the-world award tickets.

These awards let you see multiple destinations across multiple regions in one go. You can stay for extended periods of time in multiple cities and sometimes take alternate transportation between destinations to maximize your trip. These trips typically cost a lot of miles, but you'll almost always save when compared to booking tickets separately and piecing together your own itinerary. This is especially true if you book business-class around-the-world award tickets.

These complex itineraries are generally made possible by leveraging alliance route networks. So not only are you seeing amazing new cities, but you can fly interesting new airlines too.

You can book around-the-world award tickets with transferable currencies like American Express Membership Rewards points, Bilt Rewards points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Citi ThankYou points — but again, it's not easy. You need to know where to look to find a transfer partner that works best for your specific around-the-world needs. In this article, I'll show you all your options for your post-pandemic around-the-world adventure.

This article is broken down by airline alliances. I'll cover each around-the-world award option for said alliance and discuss the rules and pricing for each around-the-world option.

For more TPG news and deals delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter .

Oneworld around-the-world awards

Oneworld is the home of American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and many other reader favorites. Here are your options for booking around-the-world tickets on Oneworld partners.

Booking around-the-world trips with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific's Asia Miles program offers a quasi-around-the-world award option called "Oneworld Multi-Carrier Awards." These awards are priced based on distance flown and your cabin of travel. You can book these awards in any class you'd like, including first class.

These itineraries are confusing initially, but it's easier to visualize once you're familiar with the award chart's rules . Here's a look:

• Must fly at least two Oneworld carriers, three if flying Cathay Pacific.
• Maximum of five stopovers.
• Maximum flight distance of 50,000 miles.
• You must return to the original point of departure.
• Two connections (in addition to stopovers) are permitted.
• Two open jaws are permitted.
• Backtracking is usually permitted but varies based on the phone representative you work with.

Other than that, there aren't many restrictions to worry about. Prices are as follows:

You will pay moderate fuel surcharges, if applicable, but few Oneworld partners have high surcharges. The exception to this rule is British Airways, which is notorious for charging $500-plus for a one-way business-class ticket to London. Thankfully, Asia Miles has lower surcharges on BA flights when compared to other Oneworld loyalty programs.

You can generally backtrack on these awards as there's nothing in the terms and conditions that prohibits it. However, you may need to talk with multiple representatives to book one of these tickets. I've seen reports of Asia Miles representatives not allowing backtracking award tickets in some cases. If this happens to you, politely end the call and call back.

Asia Miles Multi-Carrier Awards are generally the best way to book first-class around-the-world awards. That's because Oneworld has the most carriers that still offer a true first-class cabin, like American Airlines , British Airways , Japan Airlines and others. Here's an example of an around-the-world ticket mostly operated in first class and clocking in at 21,224 miles. It will cost 280,000 miles, since the business-class segments are charged like first class.

Here's a sample itinerary you could book as part of a single around-the-world award:

• New York to London: British Airways first class.
• London to Madrid: Iberia business class.
• Madrid to Doha, Qatar: Qatar Airways business class.
• Doha to Hong Kong: Qatar Airways business class.
• Hong Kong to Tokyo: Cathay Pacific first class.
• Tokyo to Los Angeles: Japan Airlines first class.
• Los Angeles to New York: American Airlines Flagship First .

How to book: Map out your trip with Great Circle Mapper and find award space with your favorite Oneworld search tool . Then, call Asia Miles to book your award ticket.

Earning Asia Miles: Cathay Pacific is a 1:1 transfer partner of Amex, Bilt Rewards, Capital One and Citi, and a 3:1 transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy.

Related: Book this, not that: Oneworld award tickets

Booking around-the-world trips with Qantas Frequent Flyer

Qantas ' around-the-world award program can be difficult to find since it's named "Oneworld Classic Flight Reward." You can only fly on Oneworld airlines (not other Qantas partners like Emirates or El Al), and you must fly at least two non-Qantas Oneworld airlines to use this award chart.

That said, these awards have interesting rules. Here's a look:

• Must fly at least two Oneworld carriers, three if flying Qantas.
• Maximum flight distance of 35,000 miles.
• One stopover is allowed in any one city.
• Two connections are allowed at any one city in the itinerary.
• If your destination city is different than your origin, you will be charged based on the distance to return directly from your destination to your origin.
• Ground transfers are allowed, but you will be charged for the distance between the two cities.
• Backtracking is usually permitted.

Pricing is as follows:

This award chart isn't as generous as Cathay Pacific's, but there is still some decent value in business class. If you max out the five stopovers, you'll likely pay 240,000-280,000 miles for a business-class around-the-world award. That means you're effectively purchasing each flight for 40,000-45,000 miles each. You are liable for paying fuel surcharges when carriers charge them.

Here's an example itinerary I built. It covers 31,279 miles and costs 280,000 miles in business class.

• Los Angeles to Sydney: Qantas, stopover.
• Sydney to Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific, stopover.
• Hong Kong to Johannesburg: Cathay Pacific, stopover.
• Johannesburg to Doha: Qatar Airways, stopover.
• Doha to London: Qatar Airways, stopover.
• London to Los Angeles: American Airlines.

How to book: Map out your trip with Great Circle Mapper and find award space with your favorite Oneworld search tool . Then, either book online by creating a multicity award ticket or call Qantas to book.

Earning Qantas miles: Qantas is a 1:1 transfer partner of Amex, Capital One and Citi. You can transfer Marriott points to Qantas at a 3:1 ratio.

Related: Upgrades, lounge access and more: How to earn top-tier Oneworld status for $1,400

SkyTeam around-the-world awards

SkyTeam is the world's second-largest alliance based on the number of members. It includes some of the most well-known airlines, like Air France, Delta, KLM and Korean Airlines. Here are your options for booking around-the-world award tickets with SkyTeam airlines.

Booking around-the-world trips with Aeromexico Club Premier

Aeromexico Club Premier's SkyTeam around-the-world pass is an attractive deal and is relatively simple in comparison to other around-the-world award options. These awards cost 224,000 miles in economy or 352,000 in business class no matter how many miles flown. With Amex's 1:1.6 transfer ratio, you'll need just 140,000 Membership Rewards for economy and 220,000 for business class.

The following terms apply:

• Travel must continue in the same direction, east or west.
• Travel must begin and end in the same country.
• A minimum of three or a maximum of 15 stopovers are allowed.
• No more than five stopovers per continent.
• All flights must be booked in the same class of service.
• Pass is valid for one year from the date of issue.

An allowance of 15 stopovers is among the most generous of any around-the-world programs and there are no mileage limits to worry about. You can squeeze in some long-haul flights if you don't backtrack. This is a great deal for booking long around-the-world trips with lots of stopovers. Even if you don't max out the 15 stopovers, you may save miles by booking through Aeromexico rather than a similar itinerary with ANA Mileage Club .

Another great thing about Club Premier is that an around-the-world ticket is good for 365 days, meaning you could you can spend an entire year traveling the globe. It doesn't get any better than this.

Here's an example itinerary:

• Atlanta to Mexico City: Delta Air Lines, stopover.
• Mexico City to Tokyo: Aeromexico, stopover.
• Tokyo to Seoul, South Korea: Korean Airlines, stopover.
• Seoul to Hong Kong: Korean Airlines, stopover.
• Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Vietnam Airlines, stopover.
• Ho Chi Minh City to Jakarta, Indonesia: Vietnam Airlines, stopover.
• Jakarta to Amsterdam: Garuda Indonesia, stopover.
• Amsterdam to Paris: KLM, stopover.
• Paris to Madrid: Air France, stopover.
• Madrid to Sao Paulo: Air Europa, stopover.
• Sao Paulo to New York: Delta Air Lines, stopover.
• New York to Cleveland: Delta Air Lines, stopover.
• Cleveland to Atlanta: Delta Air Lines.

You are liable for paying fuel surcharges on Aeromexico around-the-world tickets, but they're usually reasonable.

How to book: Map out your trip with Great Circle Mapper and find award space with your favorite SkyTeam search tool . Then, call Aeromexico to book.

Earning Premier points: Aeromexico is a 1:1.6 transfer partner of Amex, a 1:1 transfer partner of Capital One and a 3:1 transfer partner of Marriott.

Related: Book this, not that: SkyTeam award tickets

Star Alliance around-the-world awards

With 28 member airlines serving over 1,300 destinations worldwide, Star Alliance is the largest of the three major alliances.

Here in the U.S., United Airlines is the major Star Alliance carrier. Other well-known carriers include ANA, Air Canada, Avianca, Lufthansa, SAS, Singapore and Turkish. These airlines have hubs all around the globe, making Star Alliance a great bet for around-the-world tickets no matter where you want to go.

Booking around-the-world trips with ANA Mileage Club

ANA Mileage Club's around-the-world awards are flexible and — in my opinion — the best way to book a Star Alliance around-the-world ticket. Rules are relatively relaxed, but you'll want to keep the following in mind:

• Flights must be used to cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans once.
• You must fly east to west or west to east and can't backtrack.
• Up to eight stopovers are permitted, up to three in Europe and four in Japan.
• You can book a maximum of 12 flight segments.
• You can also include up to four ground sectors (alternate transportation between two airports, even within the same city).
• The departure date of the final international flight to return to the country of departure must be 10-plus days after the departure of the first international flight on the itinerary.

Pricing is fair too — here's a look at ANA's around-the-world award chart:

One thing to note about ANA around-the-world awards is that you're liable for paying fuel surcharges, taxes and other fees if the operating carrier charges them. This can make booking tickets with carriers like Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines pricey. Thankfully, you can avoid these surcharges by booking with the following airlines that do not add fuel surcharges:

• Air New Zealand.
• Brussels Airlines.
• Ethiopian Airlines.
• LOT Polish Airlines (low surcharges).
• Scandinavian Airlines.
• Singapore Airlines.
• South African Airways.
• TAP Air Portugal.
• United Airlines.

While first-class pricing is enticing for a long around-the-world trip, Star Alliance makes it hard to book. Singapore and Swiss don't release first-class award space to partners. Lufthansa only does within 15 days of departure, leaving ANA as one of the only Star Alliance carriers that will let you book first class with miles. Thankfully, Star Alliance has great business-class options for you to choose from.

Take the following example, which covers over 20,500 flight miles and includes seven stopovers. This ticket costs 125,000 miles, around what most carriers would charge for a simple round-trip business-class ticket to Asia.

• Newark to Frankfurt: United, stopover.
• Frankfurt to Prague: Lufthansa, stopover.
• Prague to Warsaw, Poland: LOT Polish Airlines, stopover.
• Warsaw to Singapore: LOT Polish Airlines, stopover.
• Singapore to Hong Kong: Singapore Airlines, stopover.
• Hong Kong to Seoul: Asiana, stopover.
• Seoul to Tokyo: ANA, stopover.
• Tokyo to New York: ANA.

How to book: Map out your trip with Great Circle Mapper and find award space with your favorite Star Alliance search tool . Then, call ANA to book your award ticket.

Earning ANA miles: If you're short on ANA miles, the carrier is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards and a 3:1 transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy . Remember that Marriott also offers a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer to an airline.

Need to stock up on ANA miles? Consider applying for one of these American Express cards that can help you earn points with your everyday spending:

• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of account opening. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of card membership. Earn 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)., 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar), 3 points per dollar on airfare purchased directly from airlines or American Express Travel, 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases ($325 annual fee; see rates and fees ).
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Earn 5 points per dollar on airfare purchased directly from airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts , and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees ).

Related: How I booked an around-the-world ticket in business class for 170,000 miles

Booking mini around-the-world trips with Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada's Aeroplan program doesn't have an official around-the-world award chart, but it allows stopovers on one-way tickets . This means you can effectively build a mini around-the-world itinerary by maximizing these stopovers. Routing rules are relaxed and you can stop over in a different region than your final destination.

Here are a few rules to know :

• Stopovers cost an additional 5,000 points.
• Up to one stopover per one-way ticket.
• No stopovers in the U.S. or Canada.
• Up to six segments per one-way ticket.
• You cannot book tickets that are 100% or more physical miles over the direct distance between two cities.
• Itineraries within a single region must stay within said region.
• There are no maximum permitted mileage restrictions for flight rewards on partners.
• Open-jaw tickets are only permitted between one-way tickets, not between connecting cities or stopovers.
• All flights are priced on a one-way basis.

Aeroplan prices flights based on the region you're flying to/from and the total distance of your flight. You can view the full award chart on Air Canada's website (PDF link). Further, the program no longer adds fuel surcharges to award tickets , so you can book carriers like Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa without breaking the bank.

You can maximize your Aeroplan tickets further by adding long layovers in up to six cities per one-way ticket. So if you're flying from Newark to Dubai via Frankfurt, you can stop over in Frankfurt for up to 24 hours without using your one stopover. This can be powerful for quick visits to a city you've already been to — just ensure the connection times work out.

Here's an example of a round-trip award ticket with a stopover on both the outbound and return tickets. There's also a long-layover connection on the outbound leg for a daylong visit to Frankfurt. This ticket costs 180,000 points round-trip according to the North America-to-Pacific award chart.

• Newark to Frankfurt: Lufthansa, layover.
• Frankfurt to Munich: Lufthansa, stopover.
• Munich to Singapore: Lufthansa, outbound final destination.
• Singapore to Tokyo: ANA, stopover.
• Tokyo to New York: ANA, inbound final destination.

How to book: Map out your trip with Great Circle Mapper and find award space with your favorite Star Alliance search tool . Then, call Air Canada to book your award ticket.

Earning Aeroplan points: Amex, Bilt and Chase points and Capital One miles transfer to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. Likewise, you can transfer Marriott points at a 3:1 ratio.

If you want to earn Capital One miles, you can open a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card . The Venture card offers 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, plus a $250 Capital One Travel credit in the first cardholder year.

Related: Capital One announces new 1:1 transfer tier, additional travel partners and more airport lounge details

Booking around-the-world trips with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines' around-the-world awards are poorly advertised and relatively limited. That said, if you want to include a premium-cabin segment on Singapore Airlines, you have to book through its KrisFlyer loyalty program . The carrier generally doesn't release premium-cabin award space to partners.

For Singapore around-the-world award tickets:

• Travel must continue in the same direction (east or west) with no backtracking.
• Must begin and end in the same country.
• Maximum of seven total stopovers, with a maximum of two in each country.
• Maximum of 16 flight segments.

Thirty-five thousand miles is a shallow ceiling to place on around-the-world awards. And the pricing is mediocre at best — especially when compared to ANA Mileage Club. Here's a look:

• Economy: 200,000 miles.
• Business: 280,000 miles.
• First: 405,000 miles.

Further, you're liable for paying fuel surcharges if charged by the partner airline. Thankfully, Singapore Airlines doesn't charge these on its own tickets.

One way to maximize these around-the-world tickets is by building an itinerary that includes Singapore Airlines' fifth-freedom routes . Here's an example of a business-class around-the-world itinerary that costs 280,000 miles:

• New York to Frankfurt: Singapore Airlines, stopover.
• Frankfurt to Istanbul: Turkish Airlines, stopover.
• Istanbul to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Ethiopian Airlines, stopover.
• Addis Ababa to Singapore: Ethiopian Airlines, stopover.
• Seoul to Tokyo: Asiana, stopover.
• Tokyo to Los Angeles: Singapore Airlines, layover.
• Los Angeles to New York: United.

How to book: Map out your trip with Great Circle Mapper and find award space with your favorite Star Alliance search tool . Then, call Singapore Airlines to book your award ticket.

Earning KrisFlyer miles: Singapore is a 1:1 transfer partner of Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citi . It's also 3:1 transfer partner of Marriott.

If you're under 5/24 , your best bet is to apply for a Chase card with one of these heightened welcome bonuses:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card – Earn 120,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve – Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Related: Book this, not that: Star Alliance award tickets

Bottom line

Around-the-world awards are not for the faint of heart, nor are they an option for every traveler.

They often require multiple weeks (or even months) to enjoy the stops, which requires commitment. That doesn't even consider the time needed to research and book the flights to make it work. That being said, if you're able to embark on a multistop trip, these awards can let you do it for just a fraction of the cost of booking tickets separately. Even "shorter" trips of only three or four destinations can benefit from this booking option in the right circumstances.

For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here .

Additional reporting by Ehsan Haque.

How to Plan a Trip Around the World in 7 Steps

By: Author Zachary Friedman

Posted on Last updated: June 22, 2024

Categories Travel Budgeting , Travel Tips

Home » Travel » Travel Tips » How to Plan a Trip Around the World in 7 Steps

Planning a round the world trip is overwhelming. Hours of research and thought go into making a trip like this a reality. You must consider your route, visas, your budget, accommodation, transportation, activities, and much more. This guide will give you an outline to follow to help you plan a trip around the world. It also includes useful tips and advice to make your journey a little smoother, safer, and more affordable.

Over the past 12 years of traveling, I have made 2 trips around the world and have visited over 60 countries. On my first round-the-world trip, I traveled for 6 months through 15 countries on 4 continents. On my second trip, I visited 12 countries on 3 continents over the course of 5 months. In this guide, I’ll share my experience in planning round-the-world trips. Currently, I’m in the middle of my 3rd round the world trip.

Key Takeaways: How to Plan a Trip Around the World

-Step 1: Decide where you want to go. Try to choose 3-4 continents to visit and choose 2-3 destinations on each. -Step 2: Plan a route. Try to find the most efficient and cost effective route between your destinations. -Step 3: Plan a budget. Calculate the costs of airfare, accommodation, food, drinks, sightseeing, entertainment, travel gear, etc. Determine how much money you have to save. -Step 4: Do your research. Research visas, entry requirements, travel documents, transportation, accommodation, security, things to do, points of interest, etc. -Step 5: Determine how long you’re going to travel and which direction you’re going to travel in. -Step 6: Re-evaluate your plans. Try to streamline your itinerary. Eliminate or re-arrange sections to avoid having to backtrack. -Step 7: Book your round-the-world trip. Book your flights and accommodation for the first leg of your trip.

Table of Contents

• Route Planning- Where do you want to go?
• Budgeting- How Much does a Round the World Trip Cost?
• Visas and Entry Requirements- What documents do you need?
• Transportation- Info on booking your flights as well as ground transportation
• Accommodation- Where will you sleep?
• Money- Banking and finances
• Packing and Travel Gear- Preparing for departure
• Sample round-the-world trip itineraries- A few ideas to help get you started

Step 1: Decide Where You Want to Go and Plan a Route

Choosing your route is the most exciting and important part of planning a round the world trip. You need to know where you’re going in order to calculate costs and plan activities, accommodation, and transportation. At this point, let your imagination run wild.

I recommend you start by researching the various regions of the world that interest you and make a list of potential destinations. While making your list, you may want to consider:

• Cities- Are there any major world cities that you’ve always wanted to see? Maybe you’ve always dreamed of visiting London, New York, or Tokyo. Add it to your round-the-world itinerary.
• Countries- Maybe there’s a particular country that you’ve always dreamed of visiting. While planning my round the world trip, I knew I had to include India and Thailand in my round the world itinerary.
• Major tourist sights – Which world wonders do you want to visit? For example, maybe you’ve always dreamed of visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza, Angkor Wat, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, or Macchu Picchu. One of my bucket list activities was going on an African safari. I ended up visiting the Serengeti and Maasai Mara parks.
• Foods- Consider your favorite cuisines. Maybe you really like Italian or Thai food and want to taste authentic flavors.
• Activities- What types of activities do you like to do? Do you enjoy hiking, diving, surfing, laying on the beach, dancing, extreme sports, or visiting museums ?
• People- Do you have family or friends in another country? Your around-the-world trip is an excellent opportunity for you to stop in for a visit.
• Culture- Maybe you’ve always wanted to experience a particular culture. For example, maybe you’re fascinated by Japanese culture and you want to learn more about it.
• Parties, festivals, and concerts- Another valid reason to choose a destination. Maybe you’ve always wanted to attend a particular music festival, for example. Maybe you’ve always wanted to visit Rio de Janeiro for Carnival or Munich for Octoberfest.

If you need some inspiration, you can check out my destinations page. Also, read some travel guides, blogs, or books, or watch some travel vlogs.

How to Make a Rough Around the World Itinerary

After making your list of potential destinations, it’s time to put together a rough round-the-world itinerary. This itinerary will probably change multiple times throughout the planning and research process. This is just a rough draft so you have something to start with for budgeting purposes. You can always add or remove destinations as you plan your round the world trip. You can even change plans mid trip. Nothing is set in stone.

To make a round the world itinerary:

• Prioritize your list- Chances are, you can’t hit every destination in one trip. Move the ‘can not miss’ destinations to the top of your list and place the lower-priority destinations toward the bottom. I recommend you select 3-5 dream destinations that you can not miss. These will be the base of your round the world trip.
• Look at the location of each ‘can not miss’ destination on the map- This gives you a rough overview of your general route. You’ll travel from one destination to the next either east to west or west to east until you return home. If one destination is too remote or out of the way, consider saving it for a future trip.
• Find the closest ‘can not miss’ destination either to the east or west of your starting point- That will be the first region that you visit on your around-the-world trip.
• Look for nearby countries and cities to visit in the same region- You will visit these destination on this leg of your journey. If you’re unsure, research nearby cities and countries. You want to visit all of your desired destinations on each continent or region before moving on. If you don’t have any other destinations to visit in that region, you can move on to the next region.
• Find the next closest ‘can not miss’ destination in the same direction of travel- It’s time to move on to the next another continent or region. This is the second leg of your journey. Research the region and look for activities, events, and points of interest in nearby cities and bordering countries.
• Continue plotting a general route around the world- As you go, research each destination to find potential activities and other nearby destinations. The number of stops that you make depends on your budget and the amount of time that you can travel.

By now, you should have a rough around-the-world trip itinerary. If you’re having trouble, look at a map. I found it really helpful to study the world map while planning my trip. Looking at the map made it much easier for me to plot out my travel path.

Consider the Timing of Your Round the World Trip

Some destinations are seasonal. When planning your around the world trip, you’ll need to consider the season you’ll visit each destination. You may need to be in a specific place for a specific date. This can determine the direction you travel or the order you visit each region.

For example, you may not want to visit Europe during the winter because most of the continent is cold and snowy. You might travel to Asia for the winter, then head to Europe in the spring when the weather warms up.

if you’re planning a particular activity, you may need to visit during a particular season. For example, if you’re planning on going skiing in Colorado, you’ll have to visit during the winter.

Also, keep in mind that the seasons are flipped in the southern hemisphere. If you’re visiting the southern cone of South America, Australia, or southern Africa, summer runs from December-February. These are the warmest months. If you’re visiting the global south, you may need to take this into consideration.

If you’re planning on traveling for a particular holiday, festival, or event, you’ll have to time your visit. For example, maybe you want to visit Oktoberfest in Germany. You’ll have to plan your trip so you’re in Germany in October.

Traveling East Vs West on a Round the World Trip

When planning your around the world itinerary, it’s important to decide whether you want to travel East or West and stick with this decision. You want to minimize backtracking. Many round-the-world tickets don’t allow you to backtrack. Backtracking also increases costs and travel time. It’s inefficient.

If you have the option, traveling west is better. Traveling west produces less jet lag because it disrupts your circadian rhythm less. This is because your days will be longer when you travel west. This makes it easier to sleep at night. If you travel east, you’ll deal with more jet lag.

It’s also important to consider the dates. When you cross the international date line, you will gain or lose a day. Consider this when making bookings.

Scheduling Your Round the World Trip

You’ll have to calculate how much time you need to see every country you plan to visit. Spend some time researching each attraction and how much time it takes to see. Don’t forget to consider transport time.

Exactly how many countries you can visit on your round-the-world trip depends on which countries you’re visiting. In some countries, you can see all of the main tourist sites in a week. In some countries, you might need a month or more to see everything you want to see.

When planning your around the world trip, it’s important to remember that you can’t see everything. Pick and choose the sites that you want to see. Save the rest for a future rtw trip. You can always find something to do if you have some extra time. If you want to visit a country to see one world wonder, you can.

Also, try not to pack your around the world itinerary too full. You will burn out if you’re running from one site to the next every day of your rtw trip. You need some rest days. Another problem with packing your schedule too full is that you can easily fall behind if you hit a setback such as a canceled flight or missed connection. Many new world travelers on their first trip try to visit too many countries and see everything.

Plan Overland Routes

Most around-the-world travelers fly into a region and then take overland transport between destinations. Traveling overland is cheaper and more adventurous than flying everywhere. You’ll also get to see more when you travel overland.

For example, maybe your first ‘can not miss’ destination is London. You might fly into London, then take a train to Amsterdam and Paris before moving on to the next destination. Maybe your next ‘can not miss’ destination is Los Angeles. From there, you might rent a car and drive to the Grand Canyon.

Step 2: Create a Budget

Before you start calculating how much your rtw trip will actually cost, you need to know how much money you have to work with. Most travelers don’t have an unlimited budget for world travel. Look at your finances and calculate how much money you are able to spend. Consider your occupation, your age, your savings, and your income.

The average round-the-world trip costs somewhere between $1500-$2500 per month or $18,000-$30,000 per year. This budget includes all costs including airfare, accommodation, food, ground transport, activities, and entertainment. Basically, all costs associated with an rtw trip.

A good budget for a one-year round-the-world trip for one person is $25,000. That gives you $2083 per month or about $68 per day. That is manageable if you budget correctly.

You will have to watch your spending to stick to this budget. You’ll have to limit your time in expensive countries, shop for affordable airfare, stay in hostels, and cook some of your own food. You will have some room to splurge on some more expensive activities.

Of course, your budget can be significantly lower or higher than this depending on the style of travel that you prefer and the level of comfort that you require.

If you’re a frugal traveler, you may be able to travel for a year for $15,000-$20,000. If you’re on a shoestring budget, you can take a round the world trip for as little as $500-$1000 per month or $6,000-$12,000 per year. In this case, you’ll be camping for accommodation, hitchhiking or bicycle touring for transportation, and cooking all of your own meals.

If you prefer to stay in hotels every night and eat in restaurants every day, you might have to budget $35,000-$40,000 for a year of travel. If you prefer to travel in luxury, the sky is the limit. A round-the-world trip could easily exceed $100,000 for a year of travel. In this case, you would be staying in luxury hotels and resorts, traveling in business or first class, and eating in restaurants for every meal.

In the following sections, I’ll give a brief outline of each of the major costs associated with a round-the-world trip. This will help you form a rough idea of your total budget. We’ll cover flights, accommodation, food, transportation, and entertainment.

Flights for an Around the World Trip

Most round-the-world travelers fly between continents. This cost of flights depends on the number of flights you plan to take, the countries and cities you plan to fly into, when you plan to fly, and how far in advance you book your rtw ticket.

To purchase round-the-world flights, you have two options . You can book your flights individually or you can buy a rtw ticket. There are benefits and drawbacks to both options.

Booking your flights individually is usually cheaper because you can take advantage of budget airlines. In Europe, you have Ryanair and Easy Jet. In Asia, you have AirAsia, IndiGo, JetStar, and more. On these budget airlines, you can find flights to nearby countries for less than $100. Booking flights as you go allows you to be more spontaneous. You can change your plans as you go. It is slightly less convenient to book your flights individually because you must do all of your own planning and booking.

A number of companies offer round-the-world airplane tickets. Buying a rtw ticket is slightly more expensive because these tickets offer more flexibility. You can generally change the date of departure without an extra charge on round-the-world tickets. You can also change the airports but there will be an extra charge. This makes it a bit harder to change your plans as you go.

If you’re traveling for a year or more or if you’re booking a very simple around the world itinerary, buying flights as you go is probably the best choice. I always book my own airfare because I appreciate the spontaneity. I can also save money by taking advantage of budget airlines.

Sometimes buying a rtw ticket can be more convenient. Particularly for round the world trips that are shorter than one year or trips with many stops. Some travelers find that having all of their flights booked brings peace of mind.

Most travelers who book flights individually spend $2000-$3000 on airfare for a simple round-the-world trip stopping on 2-3 continents. This includes 3-4 international flights. If you want to fly more frequently or visit more remote destinations, like Africa or South America, you might spend $5000 or more on airfare.

Travelers who book a rtw ticket typically spend $2500-$5000 on airfare. This includes 3-4 stops on 3-4 continents. You can spend up to $15,000 or more on a rtw ticket if you want to make lots of stops, fly into smaller airports, or fly first class.

To save money on airfare, try to fly into and out of major cities in each region you visit. Flights are cheaper if you fly into major hub cities. For example, if you’re flying to Europe, fly into London, Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt. If you’re flying to Southeast Asia, fly into Bangkok, Singapore, or Kuala Lumpur. Every region has large hubs. Once you’re in a large hub, you can easily catch a budget flight, train, or bus to your next destination. This can save you a good amount of money on flights.

Accommodation

Accommodation is probably the biggest expense of your rtw trip. If you plan to stay in budget accommodation like hostels, guesthouses, and campgrounds, you can expect to spend $20-$30 per night in expensive countries and $10-$15 per night in cheap countries.

If you prefer to stay in private accommodation like hotels or Airbnb, you can expect to spend $20-$40 per night in inexpensive countries and $60-$150 per night in expensive countries.

To more accurately estimate your accommodation budget, I recommend you go to your favorite booking site like Booking.com or Hostelworld.com or Airbnb.com and price out accommodation at your destination.

Take note of the prices and consider the number of nights you plan to stay at each destination. Multiply the price by the number of nights and add them all up. This will give you a pretty good idea of what you’ll be spending on accommodation.

Try to book your accommodation at least a couple of weeks in advance. If you’re traveling to a particular destination during the busy season or during a holiday or festival, you might need to book a couple of weeks in advance to ensure that you get a decent room at a reasonable price.

Food is a nother major expense. Your food budget depends on how often you plan to eat out, the types of food you like to eat, and the destinations you’re visiting.

If you plan to cook most of your own meals, eat street food, and eat in restaurants occasionally, and you can get away with budgeting $10-$15 per day for food. You can get by on this budget pretty much anywhere.

If you plan to eat out at restaurants for most meals, you can plan to spend $25-$40 per day in inexpensive countries and $40-$60 per day in expensive countries. If you cook almost all of your own meals, it is possible to eat for $5 per day.

I have found $10 per day to be a pretty comfortable food budget. This assumes that I prepare most of my own meals with the occasional restaurant meal.

Another major expense to consider is alcohol. To get an idea of how much you’ll spend on alcohol, look at some restaurant menus in the locations you plan to visit to see how much drinks cost. Consider how much you drink, how often you drink, and what you drink when calculating your alcohol budget.

Drink prices vary greatly around the world. In some countries, you can buy a drink for $3. In other countries, a drink costs $15. If you like to drink, you could spend as much on alcohol as you spend on food.

Drinking too much is one of the easiest ways to go over budget. If you’re on a tight budget, you’ll need to be careful with drinking and partying. The easiest way to save money or extend your trip is to limit your drinking.

Activities, Entertainment, Tours, and Admission Tickets

You need to budget for all of the activities you plan to do and the sights you plan to see during your trip. This includes admission tickets, entrance fees, tours, permits, guides, tips, equipment rentals, entertainment costs, etc. This cost depends on where you travel, what types of activities you enjoy, and your personal preference.

To calculate your activities budget, it’s best to price out each activity individually. If you plan to safari in the Serengeti, go online and price out the tour you plan to take. If you plan on diving the Great Barrier Reef, go online and see how much tours cost. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of transport, entry tickets, parking, a guide, tips, etc.

You don’t need to calculate the price of everything you plan to do. Just research the price of big-ticket ‘cannot miss’ items and add the prices up. You can pay for smaller activities such as museum entry or snorkel rental out of your daily spending money. It’s important to budget for big-ticket items to make sure you leave room in your budget.

Ground Transportation

Most travelers only take flights for the long-distance or overseas sections of their around the world trip itinerary. You can cut costs significantly by taking the bus or train between cities within one region.

The best way to calculate this cost is to research each journey that you plan to take and add them up. Generally, a full-day bus ride or train between two major cities costs $30-$100 depending on the region and distance. In the developing world, expect to spend $3-$3 per hour of travel. In the developed world expect to spend around $5-$10 per hour of travel.

A great resource for finding bus and train routes and prices is Rome2rio.com. This site makes it easy to research transportation options and estimate ticket costs. Another great booking site for finding bus ticket prices is Busbud. For train routes and ticket prices,  Seat61.com  is a great resource.

You must also consider the cost of local travel around the cities you’re visiting. Depending on the city, you may have a choice between taking a taxi, Uber, public bus, metro, tuk-tuk, rickshaw, motorcycle taxi or cycling or walking.

This cost is difficult to estimate. Generally, a one-way public transit ticket or rickshaw ride costs $2-$5. In cheaper countries, a taxi or Uber ride across the city costs $5-$10. Consider the sights that you plan to visit in each city to determine how many intercity rides you’ll have to take.

For more help budgeting help, check out my guide: How to Create an Accurate Budget for Long-Term Travel.

This is one budget item that many travelers forget to consider. Visa costs vary depending on the country that you’re visiting and your nationality. They can really add up in some regions.

To calculate visa costs, simply look up the visa requirements for each country that you plan to visit and add up the visa prices for your nationality.

Visa costs vary widely. Many are free. If there is a charge, the average visa costs around $20-$50. There are a handful of countries that charge upwards of $150-$300 for a tourist visa.

For most round-the-world trips, your visa costs will be minimal. In some instances, the costs can be substantial. For example, while traveling through East and Southern Africa, I spent over $600 on visas over the course of 5 months.

Travel Insurance

For a round-the-world trip, buying travel insurance is a good idea. In most countries, travel insurance is optional but highly recommended. Travel insurance will be one of your major expenses so it’s important to budget for it.

Travel insurance can cost anywhere from $25-$200+ per month. The cost of travel insurance depends on the kind of coverage you buy, the amount of coverage, the deductible, and your age.

The more coverage you get, the more the policy will cost. Most round-the-world travelers should buy a minimum of $100,000 in coverage. If you’re traveling to the United States, you should have at least $250,000 of coverage.

Travel insurance can cover you in the event of an injury or unexpected illness. Some travel insurance covers. Some policies can cover theft, damage, or loss of your belongings and trip interruptions. 

If you’re on a budget, you can opt for medical-only travel insurance. Travel insurance that covers your luggage and trip interruptions is significantly more expensive.

I use  SafetyWing Nomad Insurance.  They offer affordable insurance for long-term travel.

Travel Vaccinations

For many destinations, you’ll need a couple of travel vaccinations to protect yourself from various diseases that aren’t common in your home country. You may need a vaccination for Yellow Fever, typhoid, and hepatitis B. You may also need malaria prophylaxis if you’re traveling to a malaria zone.

This cost depends on which vaccines you need and where you live. To calculate this cost, find a local clinic that offers travel vaccines and malaria consultations. They probably have a price list online.

Add up the cost of all of the vaccines and prescriptions that you’ll need to buy. For most round-the-world trips, expect to spend $100-$400 on travel vaccines and malaria tablets.

Factors that Determine your Total Round-the-World Trip Budget

• How long you plan to travel- Every day, you must at least pay for food and accommodation. If you can cut a month off of your rtw trip by traveling faster, you might be able to save $1000-$2000.
• The number of destinations you plan to visit- The more stops you plan, the more your rtw trip will cost due to the additional cost of transportation. Airfare is one of the most expensive parts of the trip. Train and bus tickets also add up.
• Where you travel- Some regions are more expensive than others. If you plan to visit expensive places like Western Europe, Australia, Japan, the U.S., etc., you’ll spend a lot more than you will if you visit cheaper regions like Southeast Asia, Central America, and Eastern Europe.
• When you travel- Many destinations are seasonal. Prices are higher during the busy season. You can save money by traveling off-season or during the shoulder seasons.
• The transportation that you choose- Do you plan to fly everywhere or are you comfortable taking buses? Will you take taxis around the city or walk?
• The type of accommodation that you choose- Do you plan to stay in budget accommodation like hostels, guesthouses, and campgrounds, or do you plan to stay in hotels, Airbnbs, and resorts?
• The foods that you eat- Will you cook for yourself and eat street food or do you plan to go to a restaurant for each meal?
• The activities that you plan- You’ll spend more if you plan to ski, dive, take tours, etc. If you want to save money, there are plenty of free things to do while traveling.

How Long are you Traveling?

After determining how much you have to spend and learning about the costs associated with a round-the-world trip, you must consider the duration of your trip. How long do you want to travel?

Your trip’s duration affects your costs. The longer you travel, the more money you will spend . The duration also determines your around the world itinerary. The longer you travel, the more destinations you can visit.

When deciding how long you want to travel, consider your future obligations. Do you need to return home by a specific date for work or school? Also, consider your ability to find employment. Remember, a long gap in your resume can be problematic in some industries.

Most likely you only have a limited amount of time to travel. In my experience, 3-6 months is the ideal amount of time for a round-the-world trip. Anything less will feel rushed. Longer trips get exhausting. You will start to slow down after you’ve been on the road for 6 months.

Trips lasting 1-2 years are great but you will notice diminishing returns. After 6 months of travel, you may begin taking things for granted and get sick of sightseeing.

Updating your Round the World Itinerary to Fit Your Budget and Trip Duration

At this point, you may have found that your initial round the world itinerary is too expensive. Take some time to re-evaluate your plan. A few ways you can cut costs include:

• Substitute expensive countries for cheaper countries- For example, instead of going to Japan or Korea, go to Thailand or the Philippines. Your money will go much further.
• Eliminate expensive activities- Skip the SCUBA lessons and just go snorkeling. Instead of hiking the Inca Trail, just go for a free hike.
• Reduce the number of flights by traveling some sections overland- Take a bus or train across a country instead of flying.
• Reduce the total trip time- Cut a month off of your rtw trip. That will save you $1000-$3000.

For help reducing your budget further, check out my guide to ultra-low budget travel.

Step 3: Consider Visas, Travel Documents, and Entry Requirements For the Countries You Plan to Visit

The next step in the planning process is to research the entry requirements for each country that you plan to visit. Continue refining your round the world trip itinerary through this process. Items you need to research include:

Visa Availability

Look up the visa requirements for each country that you plan to visit during your round-the-world trip. Remember to look at the requirements for your specific nationality. Also, consider any countries that you are transiting through. Occasionally, a transit visa is required.

If you need a visa, find out if you can get the visa on arrival or if you must you obtain the visa in advance. If the visa is available on arrival, make sure that it is available at the port of entry that you plan to use. Some countries only issue visas on arrival at international airports and not at land borders. Some smaller land borders don’t have the capability to issue visas.

If you find that you must obtain a visa in advance, find out if you can get it online or if you need to get it from an embassy or consulate. These days, many countries offer e-visas. You apply for the visa and pay online then print your approval letter. When you reach the point of entry, you receive the visa in your passport.

If you have to apply at the embassy, find out if you can apply in a neighboring country or if you must apply in your home country. Some countries only issue visas to foreigners from the embassy in their home country. If you can get the visa in a neighboring country, I recommend you wait and do it there. It’s often easier and cheaper to go to the embassy in person to apply for the visa.

If you must obtain a visa in your home country before your rtw trip, consider the logistics and costs. Find out how long the visa takes to get and how long it is valid. Find out if you can apply by mail or if you must visit the embassy in person. Consider the cost of the application including postage or travel. Having to travel to an embassy to apply for a visa can be expensive.

While researching visas, take note of the amount of time the visa takes to obtain. Sometimes you may have to wait up to a month for an embassy to process the visa. You also have to account for shipping time if you must mail your passport to an embassy for a visa.

You may also need to shift your round the world itinerary based on the visa’s validity. Some visas are only valid for 3 months beginning on the date of issue. Some expire after 3 months if they are not used. You need to use the visa before it expires. You may need to adjust your round the world trip itinerary.

If you find that a visa is too expensive or complicated to obtain, consider cutting that country from your round the world itinerary. Personally, if a country’s visa process is too complicated, I skip it.

Proof of Onward Travel

Some countries require that you have a confirmed ticket out of the country to prove that you have plans to leave the country. This ticket can be back to your home country or to a third country. It can be a flight, bus, or train ticket. Oftentimes, the airline checks for proof of onward travel before they allow you to board your flight. Sometimes immigration checks this before allowing you to enter the country.

Proof of onward travel is often a problem for those traveling long-term or those planning to exit a country overland. Sometimes, it’s impossible to buy bus tickets in advance. Sometimes you don’t have a confirmed booking when you enter a country.

Luckily, there are several solutions to this problem. Some are free and some have a minimal cost. To learn more, check out my guide How to Provide Proof of Onward Travel

Vaccine Requirements for World Travel

A handful of countries require that you have a Yellow Fever vaccine in order to enter. This is a common entry requirement in most countries in Africa and a few countries in South America. All you need is proof that you have been vaccinated in the form of a Yellow Fever vaccine certificate.

If you have been traveling in an area where Yellow fever is a risk, you may be required to show your vaccine certificate in order to enter another country. For example, when I flew from Nairobi to Bangkok, I had to show my Yellow Fever vaccine certificate in order to enter Thailand.

Financial Requirements

A few countries require you to show proof that you have enough money to sustain yourself for the duration of your stay in that country. They do this to make sure that you don’t plan to stay and work illegally.

A bank statement works fine for this. Sometimes, a credit card is sufficient. Countries that have this requirement usually expect you to have at least $5000 in your account. This is a common requirement for those who plan to travel on a working holiday visa in Australia or New Zealand, for example.

A Note on Border Crossings

Be sure to research the entry requirements of the exact border crossing that you plan to use. There are a few instances of borders between two countries being closed due to a conflict between those two countries. For example, you can’t cross between Armenia and Azerbaijan. You must transit through Georgia if you plan to visit those two countries.

Occasionally, borders are only open for locals. Sometimes visas on arrival aren’t available at smaller border crossings. Some border crossings are notorious for bribes or scams and should be avoided if possible. Some are simply hectic. Research each border that you plan to cross to make sure that it is open and crossable without too much hassle.

Updating your Around the World Itinerary

After researching entry requirements, you may have found that some visas are overly complicated or just not possible logistically with your round the world trip itinerary. At this point, revisit your itinerary and re-evaluate your plans.

Consider changing the order of the countries that you plan to visit. You could also substitute countries with other nearby countries with visas that are easier to obtain.

While planning my round-the-world trip, I really wanted to visit Russia. I found that the visa was too expensive and time-consuming to get. After researching, I decided to visit St. Petersburg by ferry because a visa wasn’t required. I then visited the Baltic countries instead of traveling around Russia. This was a nice compromise.

Step 4: Plan Transportation: Round the World Tickets and Ground Transportation

You should have a pretty good idea of your round the world trip itinerary by this time. Now it’s time to begin researching flights. When it comes to arranging your flights, you have two options. You can buy a round-the-world ticket or you can buy your flights separately. In this section, I’ll outline each option and list the pros and cons of each to help you decide which works best for your itinerary.

Round-the-World Tickets

In this case, you book all of your flights before you leave home. A round the world ticket is essentially a flight pass with one of the major airline alliances. The three alliances include One World , Star Alliance , and SkyTeam . Another company called Air Treks offers round-the-world tickets on a wide range of airlines.

Each ticketing company has slightly different terms and conditions. If you choose the rtw ticket route, you can only fly airlines in the alliance that you choose.

Generally, tickets are sold in terms of miles or segments. If you’re buying a rtw ticket based on miles, you can choose from 26,000, 29,000, or 39,000 miles for economy tickets. Each rtw ticket has a maximum number of stopovers that you can make.

If you buy a rtw ticket based on segments, 1 flight=1 segment. If your flight includes a stopover, that counts as 2 segments. In this case, miles aren’t counted. You can maximize the utility of your rtw ticket by using each segment for the longest possible flight.

Pros of Round-the-World Tickets

• Saves time- You don’t have to spend time shopping around for each flight during your journey. You can easily book everything with one company.
• Can be cheaper- If you choose the right rtw ticket for your trip and you’re smart with your booking, you can save around 25% by buying a round-the-world ticket. This is particularly true if you visit a lot of obscure or less popular destinations.
• More convenient- You book all of your flights before you leave home. It’s one less thing to worry about while you’re on the road.
• You can make changes without a charge- Generally, you can change the date of travel for free on round the world tickets. If you want to fly out of a different airport or change your destination, you’ll be charged a fee of around $150 or so.
• You earn points- You can rack up a decent amount of points and gain some nice perks by making so many flights with the same airlines.
• You always have proof of onward travel- If you’re asked for proof of onward travel when checking in for a flight or passing through immigration, you always have a valid ticket to show.

Cons of Round-the-World Tickets

• Can be more expensive- If you buy the wrong rtw ticket or you use flight segments for shorter trips, you can end up spending more than if you had just bought your tickets separately. This is particularly true if you fly between major hubs where flights are inexpensive.
• You can only fly certain airlines- When you buy a round the world flight ticket, you’re committing yourself to only flying the airlines in the alliance that you choose to buy your rtw ticket from. Of course, you can buy additional tickets on other airlines but this adds to the cost.
• You can’t fly budget airlines- None of the major budget airlines belong to any of the alliances. When buying a round-the-world ticket, you can’t take advantage of low fares on Ryanair, Air Asia, Southwest, or Tiger, for example.
• Less flexibility- You need to have a solid round the world trip itinerary before you can book your tickets. You won’t know which rtw ticket to buy if you don’t have an itinerary planned out. This means you can’t be as spontaneous.
• You must start and end your RTW trip in the same country- Most round the world flights have this rule. You can usually start and end in a different city, but it they must be in the same country. For this reason, you can’t really buy a round the world ticket if you’re already traveling.
• Not ideal for those traveling longer than a year- Most round the world tickets have a maximum validity of one year.
• You can only make a limited number of stops in each country- The maximum is usually 3.
• You can’t backtrack in some cases- The rules usually state that you can only backtrack on continents. Backtracking over an ocean usually isn’t permitted.  Sometimes you can’t backtrack at all. Sometimes there are penalties.

Remember, the exact rules depend on the round-the-world ticket that you choose. Some of the above points may not apply. You’ll need to do a bit of research in order to choose the ideal rtw for your particular itinerary.

Buying One-Way Flights Separately

In this case, you simply book each flight of your journey by yourself. You can book as you go or book them all before you leave. You can fly any airline that you wish.

Pros of Booking Flights Separately

• You can fly any airline- You don’t have to stick to the members of one alliance. This gives you more flight options.
• You can fly with budget airlines- This can save you a good amount of money. Most budget airlines don’t belong to an alliance.
• Usually cheaper- Most travelers save money by booking their own tickets. The reason is that you can wait for discounts and deals. Taking advantage of budget airlines also helps cut costs.
• You don’t need a set plan- If you’re the kind of traveler who likes to keep their plans open, you’re better off booking as you go. You can be as spontaneous as you want.
• More freedom- You can fly wherever you want, whenever you want. There are no restrictions in terms of the number of stops, the amount of time you travel, backtracking, where you start or end your rtw trip, etc.

Cons of Booking Flights Separately

• More time-consuming- You must shop around for each flight that you want to book. I’ve spent hours trying to find the right flight.
• Can be more expensive- If you’re traveling to unpopular or obscure destinations, flights can be expensive. In this case, you may end up spending more if you book your own flights.
• You’ll be charged for any changes- If you want to change the dates or destination, you’ll end up paying a fee. I was once charged $250 to change the date of a flight.
• You won’t always have proof of onward travel- If you try to enter a country without first booking a flight out, you won’t have proof of onward travel.

Shopping for Round the World Tickets

Whether you book a round-the-world ticket or book your own really comes down to the type of traveler that you are and your around the world trip itinerary. To determine which option is best for your itinerary, I recommend you price out both options. You’ll also want to consider flight times, durations, layovers, and the airlines you fly with.

Spend some time shopping around on Google flights or Kayak for each of the flights that you plan to take. Add up the cost. Remember that flight prices vary depending on the season and how far in advance you book.

Next, price out around the world tickets. You can buy them from a major airline like United or American Airlines. Alternatively, you can also buy them through a booking company like AirTreks or STA travel.

You may also want to consider playing around with your round the world trip itinerary a little bit. Maybe you can save some money or take better flights by making a minor adjustment. For example, you may have better flight options if you fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo rather than from San Francisco to Tokyo or vice versa. After shopping around for a bit, you should have a pretty good idea of which tickets offer the best value for your specific itinerary.

Tip: Consider making a stopover to break up long journeys

Scheduling a stopover is a good way to visit some places that you otherwise might not get to see. It’s also nice to rest between long flights. May airlines offer free stopovers in the country they are based in. You can also schedule your own stopover by buying multiple tickets with a few days between flights.

I have done this on several occasions. When I flew home from Australia, I made a stopover in Beijing. I visited the Great Wall and enjoyed some incredible Chinese food . I made a similar stopover in Dubai while flying from Europe to India. In this case, I saved some money by booking two separate flights. I also scheduled a stopover in Island when flying from the U.S. to Europe.

For more info, check out my list: 21 free stopover options and how to make them.

Ground Transport

At this point, you can begin planning overland transportation. This includes transportation within cities and transportation between cities. Ground transport can mean buses, trains, taxis, rickshaws, rental cars, shared minibuses, walking, or riding a bike.

Transportation Between Cities

When planning your ground transportation, the most important thing to do is to verify that some form of transportation actually exists between each of your destinations. For the most part, buses or trains can take you a lmost everywhere.

Sometimes you encounter a route where direct transportation isn’t available. In this case, you may have to make a transfer. You don’t need to know the exact route. You just want to find out if your desired route is possible.

Occasionally, you’ll run into a route where transportation isn’t offered every day. Maybe a bus only passes through once per week. In this case, you’ll want to plan your around the world trip itinerary accordingly or find a different way to your destination.

You may find that some routes aren’t possible during a particular season. Maybe a road floods during the rainy season. Maybe heavy snow causes a road to close during the winter. Take the season into consideration when planning your route.

During your round-the-world trip, you’ll probably visit dozens of different cities. You don’t have to waste time researching and planning transport for every leg before you leave. Just make sure that each leg is possible and not prohibitively expensive.

If you encounter a leg that’s just not doable for whatever reason, adjust your around the world trip itinerary accordingly. Maybe you can make a detour and transit through a third city. Maybe you can fly that section.

Some legs you don’t even have to bother researching. It’s pretty safe to assume that you can easily travel between any two major cities in any particular country. For example, you don’t need to bother researching transport between Berlin and Munich until you’re ready to make the trip.

Travel tip: Travel By Night

Consider traveling by night when possible. Traveling by night saves you money on a night of accommodation. When you arrive, you have a full day at your new destination. You aren’t wasting an entire day on a bus or train. As an added bonus, you often arrive at your destination faster because traffic is lighter and borders are less busy during the middle of the night.

It’s important to note that some routes are not as safe to travel at night. When traveling through an area that is considered dangerous, travel by day instead.

Transportation Within Cities

You don’t need to put much time into planning intracity transport. It’s safe to assume that you can easily travel anywhere in the city by bus, metro, tuk-tuk, or on foot.

Consider researching transport between your accommodation and your arrival and departure point as well as any major sites that you want to see. You may also want to research transport options from the airport into the city and back. Airport transportation can be surprisingly expensive. Particularly if the airport is located far outside of the city.

Step 5: Plan Your Accommodation

Next, start considering where you will sleep. Chances are, you will use a mix of different types of accommodation. Your accommodation options include:

• Hostels- Every budget traveler’s favorite. As a long-term traveler, you’re probably going to stay in quite a few hostels. For help deciding where to stay, check out my guide: How to Choose the Best Hostel. Also, check out my guide to hostels vs hotels.
• Hotels- In smaller towns, hotels are often your only accommodation option. Be sure to shop around and negotiate. Sometimes budget hostels are cheaper than hostels.
• Airbnbs- If you’re staying in one place for longer than a week, you can often score a nice long-term discount. Sometimes Airbnb is your cheapest accommodation option. One major benefit to stayin in an Airbnb is that you’ll usually have access to a kitchen where you can cook your own meals. For more info, check out my guide to Airbnb Vs hotels.
• Couchsurfing- Staying with a local host is a great way to get to know a city and make new friends. You can also save a chunk of money by Couchsurfing. Couchsurfing isn’t exactly free. You will have to spend some time with your host. You’ll also be expected to take them out or cook them a meal.
• Camping- Camping really opens up your options in terms of where you can sleep. You can wild camp, stay in campgrounds, and even find free camping in some destinations. I recommend you always travel with a tent during an around the world trip. A tent really opens up your options. It also saves you money.

Research your accommodation options in each of your destinations so you know what to expect in terms of price and facilities. Accommodation is a major expense so it’s important to know what to expect.

The only accommodation that you need to book before your rtw trip is the first night or two at your first destination. There are two reasons for this. First, immigration will probably ask you where you’re staying. You need to have an answer to avoid any hassles. Second, you’ll probably be exhausted, jetlagged, and possibly not thinking right after a long flight. It’s nice to have a place to go after you arrive at the beginning of your trip.

During your rtw trip, I recommend you book accommodation as you go. Just plan ahead a few nights or whatever you’re comfortable with. If you prefer, you can book a month in advance. Most of the time, you can just show up and find a place to stay.

The exception to this is if you’re headed to a particularly busy destination. For example, if you’re traveling during peak season or attending a large event. In this case, you may need to book several months in advance to secure a decent room. Plan ahead.

If you plan to couch surf, you’ll want to start looking for a host at least a week in advance so you can be sure to find a place to stay. Good Airbnbs tend to be booked up early as well. You may wish to make reservations at least a couple of weeks in advance if you can.

While crossing borders, you should always at least have the address and phone number of a hotel or hostel where you plan to stay that night. One of the questions that immigration forms and officials usually ask is ‘where are you staying?’ You need to have an answer to avoid looking suspicious. You don’t want to give them any reason to deny you entry.

Travel tip: Whenever you check into a new room, do a quick check for bed bugs. C heck out my guide How to Avoid Bed Bugs While Traveling to help you out. 

Money and Banking for a Round-the-World Trip

Before you set off on your trip, you want to ensure you always have access to your money. The best way to go about this is to carry several credit cards and debit cards . If one is lost, stolen, or eaten by an ATM, you always have a spare. I like to travel with 2 debit cards and 2 credit cards.

Before opening a new account, shop around for travel cards. Travel credit cards are usually free of foreign transaction fees. You can save a nice chunk of money by avoiding these fees. Also, search for new account perks. Some companies offer enough points for a free flight. I flew round trip from the U.S. to Africa on credit card points.

Before your RTW trip, you should also call your bank and credit card company to let them know that you will be using your card abroad. They will put a travel advisory on your account. They need to know the general dates that you plan to travel and the countries where you will be using the card.

If you don’t notify your bank, a fraud detection system may shut off your card when you try to use it. When this happens, you have to call the bank and ask them to turn the card back on.

If you don’t know all of the dates and countries that you plan to visit, that’s fine. You can always call the bank and update the travel advisory during your rtw trip. Just make sure that you can use your card whenever you arrive in a new country so you can withdraw cash from the ATM.

These days, most banks require two-factor authentification (2FA). After entering your password, the bank sends a code to your phone that you must enter to log in. You need to be able to receive calls or texts to receive the 2FA code. You can use your regular number if your phone company offers international texting. Alternatively, you can use a VOIP service like Google Voice.

Y ou should also carry some cash . I usually carry around $300-$1000 depending on my destination. I try to carry enough to sustain myself for at least a week . That gives me enough time to sort out any problems that may arise with my cards or banking.

You want to carry a currency that you can easily exchange everywhere. US dollars are the best. Euros and British Pounds work fine as well. Carry bills in denominations of 20, 50, or 100 that are new and in good condition. Smaller bills are harder to exchange.

Step 6: Packing

If t his is your first big trip, you may need to buy a couple of items in preparation. Travel gear that you may need includes:

• A backpack or suitcase- For a round-the-world trip, I recommend a backpack instead of a suitcase. Make sure you buy a quality one as you’ll be putting it through a lot of abuse. Look for a pack in the 40-65 liter range. For most travelers, a 40 liter pack is ideal. If you pack camping gear and a lot of electronics, you’ll need a larger pack. I have traveled with my Osprey Talon 44 hiking backpack for about 10 years and am really happy with it. Read my full review here.
• Outlet converters- These allow you to plug your electronics into the various types of outlets found around the world. I recommend you only pack electronics that can be used in 120-240v outlets so you can avoid carrying a heavy voltage converter.
• Good shoes and sandals- You’ll be walking a lot. Probably multiple miles per day. Buy quality footwear before your around the world trip.
• A smartphone with a good camera- Modern smartphone cameras are good enough for travel photography. You’ll also use your phone for navigation, communication, and entertainment.
• Travel clothing- Consider buying some quality travel clothes. Travel clothes are durable, breathable, and quick drying. I like merino wool clothing because it is odor resistant.
• Money belt- This is a hidden pocket that you wear around your waist. The idea is to hide your cash, cards, passport, and other valuables from pickpockets and muggers. I use the Eagle Creek Silk Undercover money belt. Read my full review here.

If you forget anything, it’s not that big of a deal. You can buy pretty much whatever you need at your destination. You don’t really need much gear to travel.

Try to pack a week or so before you set off on your round-the-world trip. I recommend that you live out of your travel backpack during that time. This way, you’ll notice if anything is missing. If there is anything that you didn’t use after that week, you can most likely leave it at home.

If possible, try to stick to a carry-on bag only. This can be a challenge for some travelers but makes the trip much smoother. Being able to carry your bag on a plane, bus, or train saves time and money. It’s also more secure. When you want to walk long distance with your backpack, you’ll be happy that you packed light as well.

For more help packing, check out my Ultralight Travel Packing List. Here, I outline everything you need to pack for a long-term trip. The guide includes info on clothing, toiletries, electronics, camping gear, backpacks, and more. Also, check out my guides to packing cubes and rolling vs folding clothes for more help packing.

Step 7: Re-Evaluate Your Plans and Refine Your Itinerary

Chances are, you’ve overscheduled yourself. Try to streamline your trip. If you have sections that require backtracking, consider eliminating them or re-arranging your itinerary a bit. If there are some destinations that you’re unsure of, eliminate them. You can always visit them on your next trip.

If you overschedule, you’ll feel exhausted and rushed. It’s better to give yourself some extra time so you can slow down. You will never feel bored. You can always add destinations during your trip if you choose.

Sample Round the World Trip Itinerary

If you already have a solid round the world trip itinerary picked out, you can skip this section. If you’re inexperienced with travel or if you’re just undecided, I’ll try to outline a basic itinerary in this section to help you get started.

A basic round-the-world trip itinerary includes stops in North America, Asia, and Europe. Some travelers include South America and Africa. Many travelers choose to skip their home continent because they’ve probably already spent a bit of time traveling there.

The round the world trip itinerary that I’m about to outline starts on the West Coast of the US and travels east around the world. This itinerary starts here simply because that’s where I live. You can pick up this round the world itinerary wherever you live and adapt it to make it work for you.

Start by choosing a large European city to fly into. London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt are great choices. Next, choose a region of the continent to travel.

An example of a good Europe itinerary might be to fly into London and then travel to Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Venice, and Rome.

Alternatively, you might choose to travel through Eastern Europe. A good Eastern Europe itinerary would be to fly into a large city in Germany then travel to Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania.

From a large European city, fly to your next continent, Asia.

Choose a region of Asia to visit. Most first-time visitors choose to visit Southeast Asia. From a large European city, choose a large city in Southeast Asia to fly into. Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore are good choices.

An example itinerary around Southeast Asia would be to fly into Singapore and then travel overland through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

From Southeast Asia, fly to the next continent, North America.

North America

From A large city, fly into a Coastal city in North America like Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Vancouver on the west coast or New York, Miami, or Washington DC on the east coast. From your starting point travel North or South along the Coast.

Alternatively, you could travel overland across the country by bus or train or rent a car and take a road trip. Some popular stops include Las Vegas, Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans .

From North America, you could fly home. If you want to continue your trip, fly to South America from a large city.

South America

Most round the world travelers choose a region of the continent to travel.

If you prefer to visit northern South America, fly into Colombia, travel through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

If you prefer to visit southern South America, fly into Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo, or Rio de Janeiro and visit Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

The best way to get around in South America is by bus. You can also fly longer distance sections if you choose. From a large South American city, catch a flight home.

For more info on this region, check out my guide here.

For whatever reason, most round-the-world itineraries skip my favorite continent, Africa. If you decide to include Africa in your round-the-world trip, a decent itinerary would be to fly into Nairobi and then travel overland to Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Alternatively, you could fly into Cape Town and travel around South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.

Consider visiting Africa After visiting Europe or Asia. You’ll find affordable flights to many destinations around the continent from Paris, London, and the Dubai.

For more help planning an Africa leg for your round-the-world trip, check out my guide to planning a Cairo to Cape Town trip. Also, check out my other Africa guides for more inspiration.

Many round-the-world trips also include a visit to Australia or New Zealand in their round the world itinerary. Alternatively, you could visit some Pacific Islands. Oceania would be a convenient destination to visit After Asia or North America. You can find affordable flights to Australia and New Zealand from many large Asian and North American cities.

My Round-the-World Trips

In my travels, I have made 2 round the world trips. I made my first trip around the world in 2013. During the trip, I traveled for around 6 months and visited 15 countries. I visited many of my dream destinations and saw some wonders of the world in person. I started at home in Southern California and traveled East. My around-the-world trip Itinerary was as follows:

• Los Angeles to Reykjavik, Iceland- I made a 4 day free stopover by flying IcelandAir.
• Reykjavik to Helsinki- I continued my flight and spent a few days exploring Helsinki.
• Helsinki to St. Petersburg- I caught the ferry to St. Petersburg and took advantage of the 72 hour visa free visit program .
• St. Petersburg to Tallinn, Estonia- I returned to Helsinki and then caught a ferry to Tallinn on the same day.
• Tallinn, Estonia to Riga, Latvia- I caught a bus to Riga , Latvia.
• Riga to Dubai – I made a 3 day free stopover in Dubai.
• Dubai to India- I continued my flight on to Delhi , India.
• Train travel through India- I spent about a month traveling in India by train. I traveled to Varanasi, Agra, around Rathastan, and Goa, then flew out of Mumbai.
• Mumbai to Bangkok- I caught a flight to Southeast Asia and explored Thailand for a month.
• Travel through Thailand- I visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Tao, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Phi Phi, traveling by bus and train.
• Thailand to Cambodia – I caught a minibus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I spent a few weeks visiting Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and Sihanoukville.
• Cambodia to Vietnam- I caught a bus from Sihanoukville, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
• Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi- I bought a motorcycle and rode the length of Vietnam. I visited Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hoi Ann, Hue, and Hanoi.
• Vietnam to L aos- I took a bus from Hanoi, Vietnam to Luang Prabang, Laos
• Travel through Laos- I spent a few weeks visiting Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, and Vientiane, Laos.
• Laos to Thailand- I returned to Thailand by bus and traveled there for a couple of weeks.
• Thailand to Malaysia- I took the bus to Malaysia and spent a couple of weeks in Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
• Malaysia to Singapore- I caught a bus south and spent a few days exploring Singapore.
• Singapore to Melbourne, Australia- I caught a flight to Melbourne and spent a month traveling up the East Coast of Australia until I reached Cairns.
• Australia to Beijing- I made a free stopover in Beijing while flying Air China.
• Beijing to Los Angeles- I flew home from Beijing.

I completed my second around the world trip in 2017. This one just focused on Africa. I flew from Los Angeles, California to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From there, I traveled overland through 11 countries until I reached Cape Town, South Africa. From Cape Town, I flew to Bangkok where I relaxed for about 10 days. I then caught a flight back to Los Angeles, making a short stopover in Seoul on the way. This wasn’t originally intended to be a Round-the-World trip but the flights were cheaper if I stopped in Asia so I did.

Currently, I’m in the middle of my third around-the-world trip. I started this rtw trip in South America, visiting Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. From there, I flew to Uganda, where I currently am. I will continue to the Middle East and then to Southeast Asia before returning home.

Tips for Planning A Round the World Trip

It’s important to accept that you’re not going to see it all in one around the world trip. Most round the world travelers visit 10-20 countries. There are 196 countries. You can’t go everywhere. You have to carefully pick and choose where you want to go during your RTW trip.

Also, avoid counting countries. I have met quite a few travelers who like to brag about the number of countries that they have visited on their trips. Most of the time, these people don’t really get to see or experience much of anything in the countries that they visit. They’re always in a rush. I used to be like this. Now I travel slowly and enjoy each destination so much more.

The best advice that I can give while planning your own round-the-world trip is to travel where you want to go. You can take the advice of other travelers and your friends and family but it’s important to plan your own route Don’t travel somewhere just because you feel like you have to go because it’s popular. Don’t avoid a country just because a family member tells you it’s too dangerous. Do your own research and make an informed decision.

Also, d on’t feel bad about visiting touristy places or participating in cheesy touristy activities. It’s your around the world trip. You are spending your own time and money. Do whatever you want to do. The best part of travel is the absolute freedom that it gives you.

Final Thoughts

Planning a round-the-world trip is an exciting and rewarding experience. Taking the time to research your destination, arrange visas, secure transport, and accommodations, and plan activities ahead of time can help ensure a safe and enjoyable journey. Whether you’re looking to venture off the beaten path or simply relax in some of the world’s most beautiful places, having a round the world trip itinerary prepared will give you peace of mind as you explore all that the world has to offer. Wherever you plan to travel, I hope this guide has helped you plan.

Are you currently planning or have you taken a round-the-world trip? Share your around the world trip itinerary in the comments below!

More from Where the Road Forks

• How to Stay Healthy While Traveling
• 35 Types of Tourism
• Should I Travel With a Laptop: Pros and Cons
• Backpack Vs Suitcase for Travel: My Pros and Cons List
• How to Meet People While Traveling Alone
• How to Avoid Pickpockets While Traveling
• 19 Common Travel Scams and How to Avoid Them
• How to Take Your Own Passport Photo for Free
• 30 Free Things to do While Traveling

Zachary Friedman is an accomplished travel writer and professional blogger. Since 2011, he has traveled to 66 countries and 6 continents. He founded ‘Where The Road Forks’ in 2017 to provide readers with information and insights based on his travel and outdoor recreation experience and expertise. Zachary is also an avid cyclist and hiker. Living as a digital nomad, Zachary balances his professional life with his passions for hiking, camping, cycling, and worldwide exploration. For a deeper dive into his journey and background, visit the About page. For inquiries and collaborations, please reach out through the Contact page. You can also follow him on Facebook.

Sharing is caring!

Sign me up for the newsletter!

mahmoud salah

Monday 6th of January 2020

What a guide!! Very informative thank you, im planning on doing cape town to cairo early 2021

wheretheroadforks

Glad you found it useful! Check out my Cairo to Cape Town guide as well if you get the chance. I think you'll find some good info in there to help you plan the trip.

Winter is here! Check out the winter wonderlands at these 5 amazing winter destinations in Montana

• Plan Your Trip

Round The World Ticket: Pros And Cons

Published: November 3, 2023

Modified: December 27, 2023

by Wilma Napier

Introduction

A round the world ticket is a travel option that allows you to visit multiple destinations across different continents, all on a single ticket. It offers flexibility, convenience, and the opportunity to explore diverse cultures and landscapes around the globe. With a round the world ticket, you can plan your dream itinerary, hop from one country to another, and immerse yourself in the wonders of the world.

Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a first-time globetrotter, a round the world ticket opens up a world of possibilities. It allows you to experience the thrill of visiting iconic landmarks, indulging in unique culinary delights, and engaging with diverse local communities. However, like any travel option, round the world tickets have their advantages and disadvantages that should be considered before making a decision.

In this article, we will delve into the pros and cons of round the world tickets, which will help you weigh the benefits and drawbacks and make an informed choice for your next adventure.

Pros of Round the World Tickets

1. Flexibility: One of the biggest advantages of round the world tickets is the flexibility they offer. With these tickets, you have the freedom to choose your travel destinations and set your own pace. You can easily customize your itinerary based on your interests, preferences, and the time you have available for your journey.

2. Cost-effectiveness: Round the world tickets can be a cost-effective option, especially if you plan to visit multiple destinations. These tickets often come with discounted fares compared to purchasing individual flights to each location. Additionally, they may include features such as unlimited stopovers or a set number of flights at fixed prices, which can help you save money.

3. Convenience: With a round the world ticket, you can avoid the hassle of booking separate flights, coordinating multiple itineraries, and dealing with different airlines. Instead, you have the convenience of having all your flights organized under one ticket. This simplifies the travel planning process and reduces the risk of unexpected changes or delays.

4. Variety of Destinations: Round the world tickets allow you to explore a wide range of destinations across various continents. You can embark on a journey that takes you from bustling cities to serene beaches, from ancient historical sites to breathtaking natural wonders. The diversity of experiences is unparalleled, and you can create a truly unforgettable travel adventure.

5. Cultural Immersion: One of the greatest joys of traveling is immersing yourself in different cultures. With a round the world ticket, you have the opportunity to deeply engage with local traditions, customs, and communities. You can learn new languages, sample local cuisines, and gain a deeper understanding of the world’s diverse cultures.

6. Time Efficiency: Round the world tickets can be a time-efficient choice for travelers who want to maximize their time and cover multiple destinations within a specific timeframe. By having your flights pre-arranged, you can minimize transit times, avoid lengthy layovers, and make the most of your journey by spending more time exploring your chosen destinations.

7. Increased Travel Opportunities: Round the world tickets often have partnerships with various airlines, expanding your travel options. This means you can discover new airlines, routes, and even experience different cabin classes during your trip. It provides an opportunity to explore airlines that you may not have considered otherwise and enhances your overall travel experience.

Remember to validate the HTML output for correctness and appropriateness for display as a web document!

Cons of Round the World Tickets

While round the world tickets offer numerous benefits, it’s important to also consider some of the potential drawbacks:

1. Lack of Flexibility: Despite the flexibility mentioned earlier, round the world tickets may come with certain limitations. You might have to adhere to specific travel dates, stay durations, or flight routes. These constraints can limit your ability to make last-minute changes or impromptu detours, which can be restrictive for some travelers who prefer spontaneity.

2. Fixed Itinerary: Booking a round the world ticket means committing to a predetermined itinerary in advance. This can be a disadvantage if you discover new destinations or attractions you’d like to explore during your trip. Modifying or adding stops to your journey might incur additional fees or require complicated changes to your existing ticket, making it less flexible in terms of adapting to your evolving interests and desires.

3. Limited Flight Availability: Round the world tickets are subject to availability, and certain flights, especially to remote or less-traveled destinations, may have limited availability. This means you might have to compromise on your desired travel dates or even alter your planned itinerary due to flight availability constraints.

4. Uncertain Weather Conditions: Weather conditions can impact flight schedules and cause disruptions. With a fixed itinerary, you may encounter difficulties in rescheduling or rearranging flights if inclement weather occurs. This risk can be mitigated by planning well in advance and understanding the seasonal patterns of your chosen destinations.

5. Potential Overpacking: When traveling around the world, it’s essential to pack smart and keep your luggage manageable. However, with a round the world ticket, the temptation to bring more items or overpack can be higher since you have the convenience of checking in your luggage throughout your entire journey. Carrying excessive luggage can not only be cumbersome but may also incur extra fees for overweight or oversized baggage.

6. Limited Time in Each Destination: Round the world tickets often offer limited time in each destination, as the aim is to cover multiple locations within a specific timeframe. This can sometimes result in a rushed travel experience, where you may not have sufficient time to fully explore or immerse yourself in each destination. It requires careful planning to ensure you make the most of your time in each place.

7. Potential for Travel Fatigue: Constantly hopping between different time zones, experiencing long-haul flights, and adapting to different environments can contribute to travel fatigue. It’s important to be mindful of your energy levels and take breaks whenever needed to avoid burnout during your round the world journey.

By considering these drawbacks, you can make an informed decision about whether a round the world ticket aligns with your travel preferences and priorities.

Round the world tickets offer an exciting and convenient way to explore multiple destinations across the globe. They provide flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and the opportunity to immerse yourself in diverse cultures. However, it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons before deciding if a round the world ticket is the right choice for your travel plans.

If you value flexibility and the ability to modify your itinerary on the go, a round the world ticket may not be the best fit. These tickets often come with fixed travel dates and predetermined routes, which can limit your spontaneity. Additionally, the limited flight availability and potential for travel fatigue should be taken into consideration.

On the other hand, if you crave the convenience of having your flights pre-arranged, want to visit multiple destinations within a specific timeframe, and prefer the cost-effectiveness of bundled tickets, a round the world ticket can be an excellent option. It allows you to plan your dream itinerary, experience diverse cultures, and maximize your travel opportunities.

Ultimately, the decision whether or not to purchase a round the world ticket depends on your individual travel preferences, budget, and desired level of flexibility. It’s important to research and compare different options, consider the pros and cons, and assess how well a round the world ticket aligns with your travel goals.

No matter which option you choose, traveling is an enriching and transformative experience. Whether you take a round the world trip or opt for a more traditional travel approach, the key is to immerse yourself in new cultures, embrace the unknown, and create lasting memories that will stay with you long after you’ve returned home.

Safe travels, and may your global adventures be filled with joy, discovery, and unforgettable experiences!

• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

The mpox strain spreading now is different from the one in 2022: Here's what to know

The World Health Organization’s decision to declare mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years may seem like déjà vu — but there are key differences between the strain that’s causing international concern now and the one that spread in 2022.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral infection characterized by painful lesions. It’s spread by direct contact with an infected person, animal or contaminated items like clothing or bedding.

The virus is classified into two distinct groups: clade I and clade II. 

Clade II was responsible for the 2022 outbreak, which has led to around 100,000 cases worldwide . 

But now, a version of clade I has spread internationally. The outbreak started in January 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has since reached 12 other countries in the region.

On Thursday, Sweden confirmed the first known infection of clade I outside Africa , though Swedish health officials said the person was infected while spending time in Africa. Health authorities in Pakistan also confirmed a case of mpox on Friday but have not identified the strain yet. 

Clade I is more transmissible than clade II and capable of being more severe, so infectious disease experts are concerned about further international spread.

“We should have learned a lesson from 2022 that an infection anywhere is potentially an infection everywhere,” said Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health.

How does this version of mpox spread?

Mpox has historically spread in a few ways. The first is through close, personal contact with an infected person, such as skin-to-skin contact with rashes or with saliva or mucus. The second is via contact with contaminated materials. And the third is contact with infected animals: hunting, trapping or cooking them, touching sick rodents or getting bitten or scratched. 

In 2022, the version of clade II that spread globally, dubbed clade IIb, was passed primarily through sexual contact, particularly among men who have sex with men.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo recently, clade Ib has also been spreading through sexual contact among female sex workers and men who have sex with men. Research that hasn’t yet been published or peer reviewed linked an outbreak in an eastern mining town in Congo to professional sex work in bars.

But that’s not the only way the virus is being transmitted. Dr. Stuart Isaacs, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said much of the spread of clade I could be due to exposure to animals and transmission within households, but limited surveillance in the regions where the virus is make it difficult to know for sure. 

Isaacs said there’s early evidence that clade Ib has certain “properties that are allowing it to spread more readily person to person.”

How severe are the recent cases?

In the past, outbreaks of clade I have been deadlier than clade 2, killing up to 10% of people who got sick . But more recent outbreaks have had lower death rates. Out of an estimated 22,000 cases in this outbreak in Congo , more than 1,200 people have died — which puts the fatality rate at just above 5%. 

By comparison, clade II outbreaks in Africa have generally had a mortality rate of around 1%, and just 0.2% of cases linked to the 2022 global outbreak were fatal.

Rimoin said the disease’s severity “can have less to do with the actual clade and more to do with route of transmission, the immune system of the individual, the source of the infection.” 

The threat in the U.S. could be milder than in Africa, according to Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

“The underlying health conditions of the population in the DRC are probably contributing to the current case fatality rate,” he said, using the acronym for the Democratic Republic of Congo. “With less malnutrition and better access to health care resources, I would imagine that the case fatality rate will not be as high as we’re seeing in the DRC.”

Vaccines for mpox are also widely available in the U.S., following a major rollout effort in 2022. Two doses of the mpox vaccine or a previous clade II infection should protect against severe illness from clade I, the Department of Health and Human Service said Wednesday.

Do mpox symptoms differ between the clades?

Symptoms of the two mpox clades can be difficult to distinguish from each other.

The illness generally starts with a rash that progresses to small bumps on the skin, followed by blisters that fill with whitish fluid — a hallmark of the disease — and eventually scab over. People may also experience a fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

These symptoms often disappear on their own within a few weeks. But in severe cases, people may develop larger, more widespread lesions, secondary bacterial infections, pneumonia, heart inflammation or swelling of the brain. Immunocompromised people may develop atypical symptoms and have a greater risk of hospitalization and death. 

Historically, mpox lesions have tended to appear on the face, chest, palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. But during the 2022 outbreak, people frequently developed lesions around the genital and anal region or inside the mouth and throat, presumably because of how the virus was spreading at the time . The lesions were also fewer in number and less pronounced overall.

Some cases of this nature have also been detected in the current outbreak in Congo. 

“There is talk that there are more people that have lesions around the genitals this time around than previous clade I outbreaks,” said Amira Albert Roess, a professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University. “It’s going to take us some time to really understand what may be going on here.”

Aria Bendix is the breaking health reporter for NBC News Digital.

• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Parents & Family
• Alumni & Friends
• Campus Directory
• Request Info

The Best View of Campus is Your Own

Experience the beauty of the Hudson River Valley. We offer tours and on-campus visit programs daily.

SCHEDULE CAMPUS VISIT

• About Marist College
• Quick Facts
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
• Marist 100</em> Strategic Plan" style=""> Marist 100 Strategic Plan
• Explore the Hudson River Valley
• History & Heritage
• Accreditation
• Financial Statements

Campus Offices

• Admissions & Financial Aid
• Counseling Services
• First-Year Programs
• Housing & Residential Life
• Human Resources
• President's Office
• Safety and Security

Connect with Us

• Schedule a Visit
• Careers at Marist
• Give to Marist
• Events Calendar
• Subscribe to Inside Marist

Related Links

• Commencement
• Academic Calendar
• President's Report
• Autumn Lecture Series
• Marist Italy
• Sustainability
• Dean's List
• Marist 100 Strategic Plan

Majors and Programs

• A Distinctive Academic Experience
• Majors, Minors, and Programs
• Honors Program
• Core Curriculum
• Communication and the Arts
• Computer Science and Mathematics
• Liberal Arts
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Professional Programs
• Student Resources
• Academic Learning Center
• Accommodations and Accessibility
• Advising and Academic Services
• Career Services
• Presidential Fund for Equity in the Marist Experience
• Writing Center

Experiential Learning

• Internships
• Study Abroad
• Centers for Research and Engagement
• Undergraduate Research
• Dean’s Circle
• Hudson River Valley Institute
• Marist/IBM Joint Study
• Marist Poll

Admission & Financial Aid

Admissions Information

• Undergraduate
• Graduate and Doctoral
• International Students
• First-Year Abroad
• Adult and Returning Students
• Military and Veteran
• High School Pre-College Programs
• Bridge Program

Experience Marist

• Ways to Visit Marist
• Campus Visit
• Virtual Tour
• Virtual Sessions
• Build a Custom Viewbook
• Meet Your Admission Counselor
• Meet Our Students
• Marist in 2 Minutes

Join the Red Fox Family

• Apply - Undergraduate
• Apply - Graduate
• Apply - Transfer
• Check Application Status
• Request Information
• Student Financial Services
• Tuition and Fees
• Submit Enrollment Deposit

Student Life

Campus Life

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Marist ID & Marist Money
• Get Involved
• Student Organizations and Clubs
• Club Sports
• Intramurals and Recreation
• Murray Student Center
• Emerging Leaders Program
• Local Things to do
• Campus Events Calendar

Support Network

• Center for Multicultural Affairs
• Department of Spiritual Life and Service
• Health Services
• Information Technology
• International Student Services
• Student Conduct

Classes With a Travel Segment Are Growing in Popularity

August 20, 2024 — Marist students continue to make the world their classroom. As interest in study abroad options grows, so does the popularity of attachment courses, or classes that include up to a two week-long trip typically at the end of the semester to give students meaningful learning experiences outside the classroom - sometimes halfway around the world. 

What is an Attachment Course? Think of Marist attachment programs as an extension of classroom themes applied to captivating real-world experiences across the country and around the world.

These courses, led by distinct and well-traveled faculty members, offer students the chance to deepen their understanding of course material while exploring diverse cultures and landscapes. Students in their program of choice spend most of the spring semester on campus and then complete a short-term trip — often about two weeks — to conclude the term.

“The combination of business visits, academic lectures, and sightseeing allowed us to immerse ourselves in South African culture,” said business administration and economics major Sara Brzovski ’26 who went on the Business in South Africa attachment.  “The balance between the professional setting of our lectures and visits, paired with more tourist-y aspects of the trip, such as the safari and our visit to the Cape of Good Hope, gave us the ability to see multiple perspectives and provided us with a comprehensive visit by the time we left.”

“Marist Abroad Short-Term programs offer a unique experience for our students,” said Caitlin Paul, Marist Abroad Coordinator. “These programs offer an opportunity for students to go abroad who may not be able to do a full semester, or for students interested in doing multiple programs. We are happy that our faculty and students are excited for these opportunities each year.”

Over the summer break, students had the incredible opportunity to study in destinations like South Korea, South Africa, France, Spain, and even Alaska, each offering unique perspectives and unforgettable memories.

Here’s what our Red Foxes had to say about their recent travels in these immersive learning programs.

Environmental Science in Alaska: Environmental Issues: Social-Ecological Systems About the course: This course combined practical homesteading skills in the Alaskan backcountry with interactive lessons and discussions. It also offered an experience that integrated indigenous, social, environmental, and economic viewpoints on key Alaskan environmental issues.

The Beauty of Korea. Video by Marist student Emily Sumner '25. See Emily's other video here.

“This trip abroad not only granted me the opportunity to explore Korean culture, food, and art but also connected me with lifelong friends,” said film and TV major Emily Sumner '25. “A special thanks to Professor Dana and Professor Hahn for leading a program where we could attend drawing and traditional Korean music workshops and explore the cities of Daegu and Busan alongside students from Keimyung University.” Biology in France: The Power of Microscopy in Biology Research About the course: This course exposed students to biological research in an international context. Students learned the core concepts of microscopy during the semester and used this knowledge to develop and execute a group research project in collaboration with French students during a two-week attachment period in Paris.

Fashion in Spain: Global Fashion Trends About the course: This course included travel to historic cities like Madrid and Barcelona as the class explored the birth of fashion trends. The streets, department stores, specialty stores, and museums served as inspiration to designers from around the world.

Marist students exploring historic infrastructure and global fashion trends in Spain. Photo courtesy of Gavin Gilooly '26. “Studying abroad with Marist’s Global Fashion Trends attachment program to Spain gave me valuable knowledge about my future career as a Fashion Marketer,” said Gavin Gilooly '26. “I gained insight into the efforts made by industry leaders to improve sustainability practices – which was a refreshing perspective. By visiting textile and production companies, I was able to better understand how recycled fabrics are used to make new garments in zero-waste factories.” Check out upcoming attachment programs here. Have more questions about study abroad options? Visit here.  

Asset Publisher

Featured news.

New Program Seeks Alumni to Help Recruit Future Red Foxes

Marist Welcomes New Dean of Computer Science and Mathematics, VP of Student Affairs, Director of Safety and Security

Welcome Red Foxes!

{{alert.message}} Close