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It doesn’t matter whether you’re a luxury jetsetter or a youthful backpacker, if you want to tick those world highlights off your bucket list in one massive trip, a RTW ticket could be your golden ticket.
The question is: is it really worth it?
For some travellers, this pre-booked, one-way itinerary of flights could be a godsend; for others it could be a hefty price to pay for being too lazy to DIY. Confused which one you are? Don’t be. We’re here to break that RTW down to see if it can save you the big bucks.
Here are the major airlines and tour companies offering round-the-world trips and what you can expect to get for your dollars.
RTW ticket Issuer | Sample Price | Sample Route | Conditions | Airlines |
---|---|---|---|---|
STA Travel | $1,249 | Sydney – Hong Kong – London – New York City – Sydney |
| Most RTW tickets are with one major airline and its affiliated carriers |
RoundAbout Travel | $1,392 | Sydney – Hong Kong – London – New York, Los Angeles – Sydney |
| Virgin, SWISS, Lufthansa, Qantas, Finnair, Air France, KLM, Cathay Pacific, oneworld, Etihad and Star Alliance. |
Flight Centre | $1,689 | Perth - Hong Kong - Los Angeles |
| Various |
SkyTeam (inc. KLM) | EUR€2,350 (AUD$3,369) | London – Beijing – Osaka – Honolulu – Guatemala – Lima – London |
| SkyTeam carriers (20 in total) |
Qantas / oneworld | $4,492 | Sydney - Hong Kong - Madrid - Prague - Helsinki - New York - Miami - Los Angeles - Sydney |
| oneworld carriers and their affiliates (28 airlines in total) |
Star Alliance (inc. Air New Zealand) | $6,867 | Sydney - Delhi - Beijing - Cancun - Cuzco - Rio de Janeiro - Rome - Sydney |
| Star Alliance carriers (28 in total) |
We broke one of the cheaper fares down to see whether you're saving big or losing out.
Sample fare from STA Travel: Sydney – Hong Kong – London – New York City – Sydney for $1,249 if you're a student or under 30 years old.
Here's what we've come up with:
20 July 2019: $243 on Scoot. We've chosen this date as it's the cheapest in the calendar. You'll need to book direct with Scoot to secure this price. You're on a world trip, so you might like to add a check-in bag too (20kg), so let's tack on an extra $72 for that.
Running total: $315
3 August 2019: $656 on Aeroflot. After a couple of weeks exploring Hong Kong, you'll be ready to jet off to London. Aeroflot has flights throughout August for as little as $656. The catch? You'll have to transfer in Moscow but the transfer times can be as little as 2.5 hours so it's not too bad. Baggage (23kg) is included in this leg.
Running total: $971
23 August 2019: $382 on Norwegian Air. Here's where things get fun. After spending three weeks in Europe you're probably ready to head for your North American adventure. The lowest fare in August is €239.34 or $382. A check-in bag (20kg) for this leg is an extra $128.
Running total: $1,481
6 September 2019: $853 on American Airlines. After two weeks in the city that never sleeps, you're probably ready to head home. If you're willing to deal with some lengthy stopovers then you can save yourself a few hundred dollars by flying via Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines. Prices are closer to $690 but you're adding on at least 10 hours to a 24-hour flight time. 2 checked bags (23kg) are included for this leg so you don't have to stress about all those souvenirs you've been collecting.
Final cost: $2,334
Approximate saving with RTW: $1,085
Verdict: Is it cheaper to DIY? In this case, no. While you're likely to pay more if you're not a student or under 30, it's tough to compete with a fare that's cheaper than a return flight to New York on its own (trust us, we checked). Throw in the convenience and flexibility of a RTW ticket and in this instance, the RTW is a clear winner.
In this example, you're looking at a saving of $1,085. In some cases, if you're a traveller who's counting every cent and has the time to jump on any bargain fares that pop up, you could be better off booking things yourself. Otherwise, it might be worth it to delegate all that legwork to someone else. Depending on the ticket issued, round-the-world tickets may be more flexible than a basic point-to-point fare. For long-term travellers or those who would like the flexibility of changing dates along the way, consider the costs of changing those one-way fares.
Round-the-world tickets might be more worthwhile on certain itineraries. It depends on the following factors:
At the very least, invest an afternoon researching flight costs then hit up a round-the-world specialist like Flight Centre or STA Travel to see what it can offer.
Essentially, a RTW ticket is a one-way, long-haul flight with multiple stopovers. Only one ticket is issued, which includes all your flights, and your itinerary can often be tailored to the destinations you want to visit.
RTW tickets often come with conditions and constraints, which can make all the difference in your decision to snap one up. These can include the followin
As many RTW tickets are issued by airlines or alliances, you'll be restricted to flying with their airlines and to their destinations. Budget airline such as Ryanair, aren't included in RTW trips since they don't belong to an alliance. Alternatively, some RTW tickets are issued by tour agencies such as Flight Centre and RoundAbout Travel, which can open up your options.
No. While RTW and multi-stop tickets are similar, multi-stop tickets are better when focusing on one part of the world since you don't have to meet a minimum number of destinations or continents. Like RTW tickets, you can book a predetermined itinerary or create your own.
If you'd only like to visit two destinations, you may consider a stopover instead which could save you even more money. Stopovers are short (at most a couple of days) and are a good way to break up long-haul flights.
The cost of RTW tickets vary depending on your period of travel, the number of stops, distance, the number of continental zones you cross and the class you fly in. Since, more often than not, this is a custom journey, airlines will liaise with you directly to organise your ideal itinerary and will provide you with a custom quote to accommodate your needs.
All major airlines and tour operators allow you to choose the destinations that will be in your round-the-world itinerary. Destinations and routes are limited to those which the carrier and its affiliates fly to.
All major airlines and tour operators offer round-the-world, business class tickets where available. These include Qantas, Virgin Australia and KLM.
Yes. Star Alliance and oneworld, for example, let you earn and redeem points on round-the-world fares.
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